The Camelot wheel gives each of the 24 musical keys a code from 1 to 12, with A for minor keys and B for major keys. Two songs mix without clashing when their codes are the same, one number apart with the same letter (8A and 9A), or the same number with the other letter (8A and 8B). Open the Key finder (also at key.aden.space) to read any song's code and see on the wheel what it mixes with.

What is the Camelot wheel?

It is the circle of fifths with simpler names. DJ Mark Davis devised it, and the Mixed In Key software made it the usual way DJs label keys.

The wheel is laid out like a clock. One ring holds the 12 minor keys (A), the other the 12 major keys (B). Each number clockwise is a perfect fifth up: 8B is C major, 9B is G major, 10B is D major. Each minor key shares its number with its relative major, so 8A, A minor, has exactly the notes of 8B, C major.

The point of the codes is that you don't need theory in your head mid-set. You don't have to know that Ab minor and B major share their notes. You only check that both are a 1.

Camelot wheel chart: every code and its key

The same key can be spelled two ways, Db or C#. The flats or sharps switch in the Key finder's key picker spells every key one way, on the wheel, the piano and the tracks, and in the rest of Aden too.

Which Camelot keys mix together?

From any code, four moves keep the notes almost the same:

The wheel wraps round, so 12A sits next to 1A. Type "E minor", "Em" or "9A" into ⌘K and the row answers the same way: 9A, relative G major, mixes with 8A, 10A, 9B.

These rules matter most when two melodic parts overlap: a vocal over another track's chords, two pads, a long blend. A drum-only intro or a hard cut can go anywhere.

Energy boost moves

The safe moves keep the mood. Sometimes you want to lift it on purpose:

Many DJs hear one number clockwise as a lift and one number anticlockwise as a step down in energy. The +2 and +7 moves share fewer notes, so they clash if both tracks play together for long. Make them on a short blend, a cut, or out of a breakdown where the outgoing track is mostly drums.

How pitching moves you round the wheel

Pitching a song by semitones does not move it one number at a time. Each semitone up moves seven numbers clockwise, and each semitone down moves seven anticlockwise. The letter stays the same, because pitching keeps a minor song minor.

Two things follow from this:

• Neighbours mix as they are. Reaching the next number by pitch takes five semitones, too far for most vocals. You don't pitch to a neighbour, you just mix it.
• A small pitch can take you far. One semitone lands seven numbers away, where nothing mixes with the original. Speeding a track up about 6% without key lock raises it about a semitone, which is why a tempo change can wreck a harmonic mix.

To land a minor song on a major key, you aim for that key's relative minor. Say your acapella is in G minor (6A) and the beat is in Db major (3B). Db's relative minor is Bb minor (3A), and G minor up three semitones is Bb minor. The Key finder does this for you: pitching keeps the mode, so it aims for the target's relative key, which shares every note.

Use the Camelot wheel in the Key finder

1. Open the Key finder. It opens on A minor.
2. Set your key: tap the wheel, tap your key to pick it from the key picker, or use its minus and plus to move a semitone. You can also press a key on the wheel and slide your finger to move it.
3. Set the target the same way. The middle of the wheel shows how many semitones to pitch, with minus and plus for one semitone more or less.
4. Add songs: drop files, type a song's name or paste a link. A track's tile shows its key's Camelot code in the key's colour, unless it has a cover. Tap a track's name to fit it on the wheel.
5. Turn on Piano, Guitar or Chords at the top to see and hear the key's notes and its seven chords.

In ⌘K, a key change works too: "B major to C minor" answers "Up 4 semitones, lands on Eb major (5B)".

Order a DJ set with Set order

With two tracks or more, Set order under the playlist lists them in the order that mixes most smoothly, each next track a step around the wheel and close in tempo. A warning marks a rough or tight mix from the track before. Press a track to fit it on the wheel, or copy the whole list for your set.

You don't need the audio to plan a set. Type each song's name or paste its link, and the Key finder reads its key and BPM from half a minute of the song. Set order only goes by key and tempo. It doesn't know which tracks peak, which carry vocals or what your crowd wants, so treat it as a first draft. For tempo, see how to find the BPM of a song.

Share a key change

Copy the link of a key or a key change, like tools.aden.space/key?key=Gm&to=Db. In Discord, iMessage or Slack it previews as the Camelot wheel lit on those keys, with how far to pitch ("Up 3 semitones"). Send it to a vocalist who has to sing over a new beat, or to the DJ playing after you.

In ChatGPT or Claude, add Key finder by Aden (mcp.aden.space/key-finder). Answers come with the wheel as a picture and a link to share.

To read a song's key in the first place, see how to find the key of a song. To put two songs on top of each other, see how to make a mashup. And when two tools give two codes for one song, why key finders disagree explains what is going on.

FAQ

What does 8A mean on the Camelot wheel?

8A is A minor. The number places the key on the wheel and the letter gives the mode, A for minor and B for major. 8B is C major, the relative major of A minor, with the same notes.

Which keys mix with 8A?

8A mixes with 7A (D minor), 9A (E minor) and 8B (C major), as well as with another track in 8A. Each of them shares six or seven of A minor's notes.

Is the Camelot wheel the same as the circle of fifths?

Yes, with numbers in place of key names. Each step clockwise is a perfect fifth up, and each minor key shares its number with its relative major.

Do I have to mix in key?

No. A drum-only intro, a quick cut or a breakdown lets you move anywhere. Harmonic mixing matters most when two melodic parts or vocals play together for more than a few bars.

Why does pitching one semitone move seven numbers?

Each number is a fifth, seven semitones, above the one before. Seven fifths add up to 49 semitones, which is four octaves and one semitone, so one semitone up lands on the same key as seven steps clockwise.