The Camelot wheel is a circle of fifths relabeled for DJs. It lays the 24 major and minor keys out like a clock face numbered 1 to 12, and gives each key a short code: a number for its position and a letter for its mode. Minor keys end in A and sit on the inner ring; major keys end in B and sit on the outer ring.
Because the numbers follow the circle of fifths, neighbors on the wheel are closely related keys. One hour clockwise is a fifth up: 8B (C major) to 9B (G major). One hour counter-clockwise is a fifth down: 8B to 7B (F major). The A and B at the same number are relative keys with identical notes: 8A is A minor, the relative minor of C major.
That arithmetic is the point of the system. Instead of remembering that E♭ minor and G♭ major share a key signature, a DJ sees 2A and 2B and knows they fit. The codes have become a common shorthand in DJ software, track databases and record-pool tags.
How DJs use the Camelot wheel for harmonic mixing
Harmonic mixing means blending tracks whose keys fit together, so overlapping basslines, pads and vocals don’t clash. When two tracks in unrelated keys play at once, many of their notes rub against each other; in compatible keys most notes are shared, and the blend sounds like one piece of music.
The basic rule: from any code you can move to the same code, one number up or down with the same letter, or the same number with the other letter. From 8A that means 8A, 9A, 7A and 8B. Each of those keys shares at least six of its seven scale notes with 8A, which is why long blends between them tend to sound smooth.
DJs use the moves to shape energy as much as to stay safe. Stepping +1 is often described as lifting the energy of a set, −1 as calming it, and switching from A to B as moving from a darker to a brighter mood over the same notes. None of these is a law. They are quick ways to build a shortlist, and the final choice still comes down to how two tracks sound together.
Compatible moves and energy boosts
Beyond the basic moves, several bigger jumps work when you use them deliberately. The table shows each move from 8A (A minor), how many scale notes the two keys share, and where it fits in a set.
| Move | From 8A | Shared notes | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same key | 8A, A minor | 7 of 7 | Any blend |
| +1 | 9A, E minor | 6 of 7 | Gradual lift, long blends |
| −1 | 7A, D minor | 6 of 7 | Easing off, long blends |
| A ↔ B | 8B, C major | 7 of 7 | Mood change over the same notes |
| Diagonal (+1, A to B) | 9B, G major | 6 of 7 | Minor to major with a lift |
| +2 | 10A, B minor | 5 of 7 | Energy boost over a break |
| +7 | 3A, B♭ minor | 2 of 7 | Half-step key change on a cut or drop |
| Parallel (+3, A to B) | 11B, A major | 4 of 7 | Same root, minor to major |
Notice the trade-off: the further a move goes, the fewer notes the two keys share. A +7 jump, which raises the key by a half step, keeps only two notes in common, so it works as a sudden key change, the same trick pop songs use for a final chorus, rather than as a long overlap.
The diagonal move runs from a minor key to the major key one hour clockwise (8A to 9B), or from a major key to the minor key one hour counter-clockwise (8B to 7A). The parallel move keeps the root note and flips the mode, for example A minor to A major. Switch on energy-boost moves in the tool above to see all of these for any key.
Camelot to key chart: all 24 keys
Use this chart to convert between Camelot codes and standard key names. Where a key has two common spellings, both are given, because DJ software may show either one.
| Number | A (minor) | B (major) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1A: A♭ minor / G♯ minor | 1B: B major |
| 2 | 2A: E♭ minor / D♯ minor | 2B: F♯ major / G♭ major |
| 3 | 3A: B♭ minor / A♯ minor | 3B: D♭ major / C♯ major |
| 4 | 4A: F minor | 4B: A♭ major |
| 5 | 5A: C minor | 5B: E♭ major |
| 6 | 6A: G minor | 6B: B♭ major |
| 7 | 7A: D minor | 7B: F major |
| 8 | 8A: A minor | 8B: C major |
| 9 | 9A: E minor | 9B: G major |
| 10 | 10A: B minor | 10B: D major |
| 11 | 11A: F♯ minor | 11B: A major |
| 12 | 12A: D♭ minor / C♯ minor | 12B: E major |
Reading the chart: the A and B in each row are relative keys with the same notes, and each row is a fifth above the row before it. Row 12 wraps around to row 1, like a clock, so 12A and 1A are neighbors too.
Tempo, pitch and key lock
Key compatibility assumes both tracks play at their original pitch. Speed a track up on a turntable or a controller without key lock and its pitch rises with the tempo: about 6% faster is one semitone higher. A semitone up is seven hours clockwise on the Camelot wheel, so a track in 8A sped up by 6% plays in 3A.
The formula is semitones = 12 × log2(new tempo ÷ original tempo). Going from 124 to 128 BPM is a 3.2% change, about 0.55 semitones, which lands between two keys and can sound out of tune against a track at its original pitch. Changes within about 1.5% stay within a quarter of a semitone of the original key.
Key lock, also called master tempo, changes tempo without changing pitch, which keeps your Camelot codes valid. Heavy time-stretching can add audible artifacts, so many DJs keep tempo changes modest even with key lock on. The tempo check in the tool above does the maths for any two tempos.
Tempo matters on its own too. A blend can fall apart even in a compatible key if the two tempos are far apart, and halftime or double-time can bridge the gap: a 70 BPM track can sit under a 140 BPM one. Use the BPM Finder to measure a track’s tempo before you plan the set.
When to break the rules
Key compatibility is one ingredient among several. Two tracks in 8A can still clash if their melodies or vocals collide, and plenty of memorable transitions jump across the wheel with a quick cut, an echo-out or a drum-only break. Short overlaps, filter sweeps and percussion-heavy sections make almost any key change workable.
Key data isn’t always right either. Detectors and online databases sometimes disagree, usually by a relative key or a fifth, which are both compatible moves anyway. If a blend sounds off, trust your ears and re-check the key with the Key Finder. To see the same relationships with standard key names, chords and key signatures, open the Circle of Fifths.