Camelot wheel and key converter
Type any key, in any notation, to get its Camelot code, Open Key code and relative key, or click the wheel. Every key shows the mixes that stay harmonic, plus the moves DJs use to lift the energy. The same Camelot table powers the key handling in Crate Cleaner, and the full 24-key chart is below.
Mixes from 8A
How to read the Camelot wheel
The wheel numbers the twelve notes from 1 to 12 in fifths, so each step around it is one of the most consonant intervals in music. Minor keys carry an A and sit on the inner ring; major keys carry a B and sit on the outer ring. A minor key and its relative major share a number, because they use the same notes: 8A is A minor and 8B is C major.
That layout turns harmonic mixing into arithmetic. From any code, the safe moves are the same code, one number up or down with the same letter, and the same number with the other letter. The theory and the Serato side of it are covered in harmonic mixing in Serato with the Camelot wheel.
Energy moves
- Two steps up (8A to 10A) raises the energy noticeably. It usually survives if the outgoing track is stripped back to drums.
- The diagonal (8A to 9B) is a bright lift from minor into major. Going the other way, 8B to 7A turns darker.
- Up a semitone (8B to 3B) is the classic key-change lift. Seven steps around the wheel is one semitone up, which is also where a track lands if you pitch it up a semitone with key lock off.
Key is a safety net, not a rule. A perfectly harmonic mix into a track with half the energy still empties a floor.
Camelot, Open Key and musical keys: the full chart
Open Key is the notation Traktor uses: numbers 1 to 12 with m for minor and d for major, shifted so that 1 is C. To convert, add 5 to the Camelot number (wrapping past 12), or subtract 5 to go back.
| Camelot | Key | Open Key |
|---|---|---|
| 1B | B major | 6d |
| 1A | G♯ minor / A♭ minor | 6m |
| 2B | F♯ major / G♭ major | 7d |
| 2A | D♯ minor / E♭ minor | 7m |
| 3B | D♭ major / C♯ major | 8d |
| 3A | B♭ minor / A♯ minor | 8m |
| 4B | A♭ major / G♯ major | 9d |
| 4A | F minor | 9m |
| 5B | E♭ major / D♯ major | 10d |
| 5A | C minor | 10m |
| 6B | B♭ major / A♯ major | 11d |
| 6A | G minor | 11m |
| 7B | F major | 12d |
| 7A | D minor | 12m |
| 8B | C major | 1d |
| 8A | A minor | 1m |
| 9B | G major | 2d |
| 9A | E minor | 2m |
| 10B | D major | 3d |
| 10A | B minor | 3m |
| 11B | A major | 4d |
| 11A | F♯ minor / G♭ minor | 4m |
| 12B | E major | 5d |
| 12A | C♯ minor / D♭ minor | 5m |
Why mixed key formats break harmonic mixing
Libraries collect keys in every format: some tracks say 8A, others Am, A minor or Amin. Sorting by key then scatters compatible tracks across the list. Normalising your key tags to one notation fixes that; see how to analyze BPM and key in Serato. Once keys are clean, Crate Cleaner’s Smart Crates can build a Serato crate that follows the wheel for you, ordered by key and energy.
FAQ
What is the Camelot wheel? A way of numbering the 24 musical keys from 1 to 12, with A for minor keys and B for major keys, so that keys which mix well sit next to each other. It turns harmonic mixing into simple arithmetic.
Which keys mix with 8A? The safe moves from 8A are 8A itself, one step either way in the same letter (7A and 9A), and the letter swap to its relative major, 8B. For more energy, 10A and the diagonal lift to 9B also work.
What is the Camelot code for A minor? 8A. Its relative major, C major, is 8B. In Open Key notation they are 1m and 1d.
How do I convert Open Key to Camelot? Subtract 5 from the Open Key number, wrapping around 12, and use A for m and B for d. So 1m is 8A and 6d is 1B. The converter above does it for you.
Why does pitching up a semitone jump 7 places on the wheel? Each step around the wheel is a fifth. Twelve fifths cover all twelve notes, and seven of them land one semitone up, so C major (8B) pitched up a semitone is C♯ major (3B).
Let the wheel sort your crates
Crate Cleaner’s Smart Crates order a Serato crate by key and energy, using the same Camelot table as this tool. Free plan on your real library.