What is a Pivot Mixing?
Pivot Mixing is a DJ technique to mix different BPMs.
What is a Pivot Track?
A Pivot Track is a very simple 4/4 track, specially designed for Pivot Mixing. Pivot Tracks are composed mostly with simple quarter-note patterns, although some exceptions are possible. The simple rhythmic patterns in Pivot Tracks become polyrhythms when you mix in tracks from your collection at different BPMs. Pivot Tracks can be produced with any type of sounds, be they instrumental or vocal, percussive, melodic, harmonic, or atonal.
What is the BPM of a Pivot Track?
The BPM of a Pivot Track is the tempo of the pivot itself, not of the tracks you're mixing. When you mix pivots and tracks at different BPMs, you create polyrhythms. Each Pivot BPM unlocks a specific set of tempo transitions. For example, a Pivot Track at 56 BPM lets you transition between 140 and 168, or between 112 and 126, among others. The Portal Apps show you which Pivot BPMs connect which tempos. Here's the workflow with the Portal Finder: choose the BPM of your two decks and the app tells you the Pivot BPM options.
How do I read the Portal Chart?
The chart shows the versatility of each Pivot BPM. Ionic Pivot 09, for example, is at 112 BPM and lets you pivot from 140 to 168 BPM. Load Ionic Pivot 09 on one deck and, on another deck, load any other track at either 140 or 168 BPM. Start both decks at the same time. Listen how the pivot and the track interact.
Pivot Tracks work at many BPMs. A row in the chart tells you all the BPMs that work with a Pivot Track. Ionic Pivot 09, for example, can be used to mix any track at 84, 112, 140, or 168 BPM.
Pivot Tracks work at more than one row. A Pivot Track can be transposed to another row using the pitch fader on a CDJ or DJ software. Ionic Pivot 09, pitched up from 140 to 145, can be used to mix any track at 87, 116, 145, or 174 BPM. Alternatively, you can use Packs with Pivot Tracks supplied at many Pivot BPMs, such as Chemical Pivots.