Live Mix
Live Mix shows the mix as it plays. It scrolls from right to left past a white line. Whatever is at the line is playing now, and everything to the right is coming up and already planned.
The key idea
You begin on the Main songs lane, so you hear each song as it is. You hear a mashup, the vocals of one song over the instrumental of another, only when you tap the pink or purple lane.
What the screen shows
Three lanes are stacked. You hear one lane at a time, the one with the bright border.
The three lanes
- The white line. What is at the line is playing now, and the mix scrolls past it from right to left.
- Line vocals, the pink lane. Each pink block is one sung line, with the cover of the song it comes from and the words.
- Section vocals, the purple lane. Each purple block is a longer stretch of vocals, such as a verse or a chorus.
- Main songs, the violet lane. The blocks are the songs themselves. The strip of words above them is each song's own lyrics.
- Teal cards. These are other songs that could play next. Tap one to switch to it.
Hear a mashup
These steps work on the computer and on a phone.
- Look for the bright border. It is around the lane you hear, and you begin on the violet Main songs lane.
- Tap the pink lane (Line vocals) or the purple lane (Section vocals). You hear another song's vocals over the instrumental of the song that is playing.
- The lane you tapped gets the bright border, its blocks turn brighter and the word being sung turns bold. The other lanes dim.
- Tap the violet lane to go back to hearing each song as it is.
The mix stays on the lane you tapped until you tap another. If a coming part can't take vocals, it goes back to Main songs by itself.
A mashup needs songs that are ready for mashups. A song that is still preparing for mashups plays as a whole song.
If a tap can't switch the lane, the app says why.
- "This song is still preparing for mashups." Tap again once the song is ready.
- "This part of the song has its own vocals and no instrumental to put a mashup over." Tap again at another part of the song, or on another song.
Why each lane has two rows
Each lane is split into a top row and a bottom row. What they hold depends on the lane.
The two rows in a lane
- Purple lane, top row. Vocal blocks take turns between the two rows, so a block that starts before the last one ends doesn't cover it.
- Purple lane, bottom row. The block at the white line is here and the next one is above it. Top or bottom doesn't change what you hear.
- Main songs lane, top row. The song's own words, placed where they're sung. Close words zigzag between two lines, so read left to right.
- Main songs lane, bottom row. The song itself, with its cover and name. You hear both rows together, so you hear the song as it is.
The pink lane works the same way. While you hear a pink or purple lane, you hear each block that reaches the white line, in either row. A gap between blocks is the playing song's instrumental, with no vocals.
In a longer block, thin vertical lines mark where one sung line ends and the next begins.
Coming up next
The right side of the screen previews what comes next. This picture shows the moment shortly before a song change.
What's coming up
- The song change. The block with two covers is where the mix moves to the next song. It shows the tempo change, such as "100 BPM -> 97 BPM".
- The next vocal. The purple card in the right column is the next Section vocals part. Its swap icon, labeled "Other vocals for this part", opens other choices.
- The next main song. The violet card is the song after the change. Its small number counts down the downbeats until the change begins.
- The tempo pill. It shows the tempo in BPM (beats per minute), the number of the downbeat now playing and a pause button.
- The DJ button. It opens the DJ panel, described below.
A downbeat is the first of every four beats. Mix-a-Mash numbers downbeats from the start of the mix.
Songs the mix could change to
Under the Main songs lane, up to 3 teal cards stack where a part of the mix begins, usually at a planned song change. Each is a different song the mix could change to there instead.
The teal cards
- The planned song change. The two covers are the song the mix leaves and the song it enters.
- The teal stack. Each card is a different song, and the closest match is on top.
- The right column. Its teal cards are the choices for the next song change, shown before it scrolls into view.
Tap a card to change to that song at that point. The mix rebuilds from there, and the change plays a little later, as described under Steer the mix.
A card dims once its part has played. A soft glow around the cards marks a calm part of the song, a good place to switch.
Steer the mix
Anyone who has joined the mix can steer it, on the computer or on a phone. The app says "Anyone on this Wi-Fi can join and control the mix."
A vocal is a block on the pink or purple lane. These gestures work while the screen follows the mix. After you scroll or zoom, choose "Follow" first.
| What you do | What happens |
|---|---|
| Tap the pink, purple or violet lane. | That lane comes to the front, and you hear it. |
| Tap a teal card. | The song change above it goes to that song instead. |
| Swipe up on a vocal. | Drops that vocal, or the line under your finger. |
| Swipe right on a vocal. | Keeps it going with the next part of the same song. |
| Swipe down on a vocal. | Swaps in another vocal. |
| Swipe left on the pink or purple lane. | Undoes your last vocal edit. |
| Double-tap the purple card in the right column. | Swaps in the next-best vocal. |
| Press and hold the purple card, right-click it or tap its swap icon. | Opens "Vocal alternatives", where you pick the vocal yourself. |
| Press and hold the first song while the mix is stopped at the start. | Opens "Pick a different opening song". Choosing a song rebuilds the mix. |
A change plays a little later, because the next parts of the mix are already built. The DJ panel shows how long a change takes to play.
The DJ panel
Tap "DJ" at the bottom left to open this panel. Tap outside it, or press Escape on a computer, to close it.
- "Smooth skip" has two buttons that move the mix 8 downbeats back or forward.
- "Jump to downbeat" takes a number. Tap "Go" to jump there. The audio may pause briefly while it reloads.
- "Target BPM" aims the tempo. It starts on "Auto". Switch it on to pick 40 to 220 BPM, and the mix eases toward it while requested songs play.
- "Undo last edit" reverses your latest vocal edit. It is dimmed, with a note, when there is nothing to undo.
Look around
Scroll or zoom to look at other parts of the mix. Zoom with the mouse wheel or a pinch. Drag sideways on an empty spot to scroll. If that does nothing, turn on "Look around in Live Mix" in Settings.
The mix keeps playing while you look. The right column goes away, and taps and swipes no longer change the mix. A ruler appears above the lanes, with small chips named "Line", "Sect" and "Main". Tap a chip to switch lanes.
Tap a block to see its details, such as the song's tempo and key. Choose "Follow" at the top to glide back to what is playing.
On a phone
A phone shows this same screen in a narrower shape. The right column covers the right edge of the lanes. The music still plays on the computer.
Friends who join from their phones see this screen and steer the mix the same way.
To set up a phone as a remote or let friends join, see Use your phone as a remote.
Colors at a glance
| Color | What it means |
|---|---|
| Violet | Main songs, the songs as they are. |
| Purple | Section vocals, a verse or a chorus of a song. |
| Pink | Line vocals, single sung lines. |
| Teal | Songs that could play next. |
| Bright border | The lane you hear. |
| Dot at top left | Whether the screen is connected. Green says "Connected", amber says "Reconnecting…" and red says "Not connected". |