What is Pivot Mixing?
Pivot Mixing is a DJ technique to mix different BPMs.
Pivot Mixing builds on a technique historically known as 'metric modulation', 'tempo modulation', or 'polyrhythmic mixing'. Tempo modulation in electronic dance music has been historically performed with BPMs in simple 2:3 or 3:4 ratios. Pivot Mixing expands tempo modulation to a vast spectrum of ratios, such as 5:6, 7:8, 11:12, and beyond. The Portal Apps make it easy to explore temporality as a new dimension.
Pivot Mixing emphasises what is unchanging (the pivot), rather than what is changing (the tempo, meter, or polyrhythms). Continuity and repetition are crucial in electronic dance music.
What is the research behind Pivot Mixing?
Pivot Mixing was created by Dr. Nicolas Bougaïeff through independent artistic research and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellowship. An Open Access article was published in Popular Music, a Cambridge University Press journal. Click here to access the article.
What is a Pivot Track?
A Pivot Track is a 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.
Is Pivot Mixing the same as polymeter/polyrhythm?
Polyrhythms are a ubiquitous component of the technique. The patterns in Pivot Tracks are perceived as different rhythmic values when mixed with tracks at different BPMs. The pivot rhythmic values create different polyrhythms at each BPM.
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, two pairs among many possible combinations. The Portal Apps show you which Pivot BPMs connect which tempos. The Portal Finder lets you choose the BPMs of your two tracks and gives you Pivot BPM options.
Why is a Pivot Track necessary?
Two tracks at different BPMs normally sound like a very complex polytemporal texture unsuitable for maintaining a groove. Two tracks at BPMs related by a ratio of natural numbers share a special property: both can accommodate an identical absolute duration that is interpreted as a different musical duration.
For example, at 140 BPM a musical duration of 5/16 corresponds to an absolute duration of 535 milliseconds (ms). At 168 BPM, a musical duration of 6/16 also corresponds to an absolute duration of 535 ms. This duration, 535 ms, is a pivot duration.
A Pivot Track introduces musical material composed of pivot durations. A pivot track fits into the rhythmic grid at two or more BPMs. Mixing in a pivot track creates a sense of continuity across BPMs.
I have a Pivot Track. Which BPMs can I mix?
Check out the Portal Chart, the far-left column of Pivot BPMs tells you which track BPMs can be mixed. For example, a Pivot Track at 64 BPM can be used to mix tracks at 96, 112, 128, 144, 160, and 176 BPM.
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.
How do I know when to mix BPMs?
Pivot Tracks are produced as repeating loops of four pulses. A loop within a Pivot Track is a clear musical structure that tells you when to mix BPMs. Mix in a track with a new BPM at the beginning of a pivot loop.
Do I need special equipment to perform Pivot Mixing?
Pivot Mixing can be performed with standard DJ equipment. We recommend platforms that support flexible beatgrids, such as rekordbox and Traktor Pro 4.
How can I use Hot Cues?
Pivot Tracks are produced as a loop of four pulses repeated many times. You can take advantage of this musical structure with DJ software that supports flexible beatgrids, such as rekordbox and Traktor Pro 4.
Create a new Beat Marker and Hot Cue at the beginning of a loop within a Pivot Track. Set the BPM of this Beat Marker to any valid Track BPM for this Pivot BPM. For example, if you have a Pivot Track at 64 BPM, you can set Beat Markers at 96, 112, 128, 144, 160, and 176 BPM.
Consult the Pivot Chart to find Track BPMs associated with Pivot BPMs.
What is harmonic temporality?
The entire edifice of pivot mixing rests upon ancient fundamental knowledge — the harmonic series. The harmonic series is a beautiful structure of music that appears in timbre, tuning, and tempo.
Usually when we talk about the harmonic series, it's in the context of timbre. The harmonic series in timbre is the sequence of partials, individual sine tones, that make up a pitched sound. A sawtooth wave, for example, contains all harmonics (1,2,3,4,5,...). A square wave contains all odd harmonics (1,3,5,7,9,...). If a sawtooth oscillator is at 50 Hz, each harmonic is a natural number multiple: 50 Hz, 100 Hz, 150 Hz, 200 Hz, 250 Hz, etc. If a square oscillator is at 50 Hz, each harmonic is an odd number multiple: 50 Hz, 150 Hz, 250 Hz, 350 Hz, etc. In any case, as long as we are multiplying a fundamental frequency by a natural number, we have a harmonic spectrum.
In a very real sense, the harmonic series also applies to tempo in the context of pivot mixing!
All the pivot tracks released so far are 4th harmonics. That means that there is always an unheard implied fundamental. In the case of D.A.N.C.I.N.G., the fundamental frequency is 12 BPM. That's a very slow frequency! Building up from the fundmental we can see the harmonic structure emerge.
1st harmonic: 12 BPM — that is 12 * 1 — fundamental frequency!
4th harmonic: 48 BPM — that is 12 * 4
8th harmonic: 96 BPM — that is 12 * 8
9th harmonic: 108 BPM — that is 12 * 9
10th harmonic: 120 BPM — that is 12 * 10
11th harmonic: 132 BPM — that is 12 * 11
etc...