Camelot wheel: harmonic mixing and key codes explained
The Camelot wheel gives each of the 24 keys a number from 1 to 12 and a letter, B for major and A for minor. Keys with the same number, or one number apart, share almost every note, so they usually mix without clashing.
The Camelot wheel is a chart DJs and producers use to pick keys that sound good together. It gives each of the 24 major and minor keys a number from 1 to 12 and a letter: B for major, A for minor. Finding a match then becomes counting. Tracks with the same number, or one number apart with the same letter, share almost every note, so their melodies and basslines can usually overlap without clashing.
What is the Camelot wheel?
It is the circle of fifths, renumbered for mixing. Mark Davis, a DJ since the 1970s, worked out its circular form in 1991, and it became part of Mixed In Key's key-detection software. Like a clock, it runs from 1 to 12. The outer ring holds the major keys (B) and the inner ring holds the minor keys (A), each minor key under the major key that uses the same seven notes.
Camelot key chart: all 24 keys
| Number | B: major | A: minor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1B B major | 1A G# minor |
| 2 | 2B F# major | 2A Eb minor |
| 3 | 3B Db major | 3A Bb minor |
| 4 | 4B Ab major | 4A F minor |
| 5 | 5B Eb major | 5A C minor |
| 6 | 6B Bb major | 6A G minor |
| 7 | 7B F major | 7A D minor |
| 8 | 8B C major | 8A A minor |
| 9 | 9B G major | 9A E minor |
| 10 | 10B D major | 10A B minor |
| 11 | 11B A major | 11A F# minor |
| 12 | 12B E major | 12A C# minor |
Keys are spelled as the Vitric key finder spells them, with # and b for sharp and flat. Some charts write G# minor as Ab minor, or C# minor as Db minor: the same keys under another name.
Which Camelot keys mix together?
Mixed In Key lists four moves that stay in key, and the notes explain why they work:
- The same code (8A to 8A): both tracks use the same seven notes.
- One number up (8A to 9A): a fifth up. The two keys share six of their seven notes. C major (8B) and G major (9B) differ only in F and F#.
- One number down (8A to 7A): a fifth down, again six shared notes.
- The same number, other letter (8A to 8B): the relative major or minor. A natural minor and C major use exactly the same seven notes; only the home note changes, so the mood shifts while nothing clashes.
The numbers wrap around: from 12 the next step up is 1, so 12A mixes with 11A, 1A and 12B.
Energy boost and bigger key changes
Moves further round the wheel change more notes, so they are heard as a key change rather than a smooth blend. Mixed In Key calls two steps up an Energy Boost: 8A to 10A, which raises the key by a whole step, A minor to B minor, with five of seven notes shared. Seven steps up (8B to 3B, C major to Db major) is a half step up and shares only two notes, so it works best on a break where little is playing. Mixed In Key's own caution applies to both: a key change alone does not guarantee a rise in energy.
| Move | Example | Notes shared |
|---|---|---|
| Same code | 8A to 8A | 7 of 7 |
| Other letter | 8A to 8B | 7 of 7 |
| One up or down | 8A to 9A or 7A | 6 of 7 |
| Two up | 8A to 10A | 5 of 7 |
| Seven up | 8B to 3B | 2 of 7 |
How do you find a song's Camelot code?
Drop the file into the key and BPM finder. It reads the key in your browser, without uploading anything, and prints the Camelot code next to it with the relative key and the tempo. Check the result by ear against a bass note or a chord: a song that sits on its relative key for long stretches can read either way, and both answers share the same number.
Using the Camelot wheel when you produce
The same counting works inside a track. A sample or loop whose code matches the beat, or sits one number away, will fit with little or no pitching. A vocal topline needs the key too: pitch correction pulls notes to the key and scale you set, and Burnish Vocal Chain's TUNE station starts from exactly that, a key, a scale and the notes you allow. The guide to using pitch correction covers the rest.
Questions
What does 8A mean?
A minor. The number is the key's place on the wheel and the A marks a minor key. 8B, on the same spoke, is C major, its relative major.
Is the Camelot wheel the same as the circle of fifths?
It is the circle of fifths with numbers and letters in place of key names, and each minor key paired with its relative major. The keys and their order are the same.
Do two tracks have to be in matching keys to mix?
No. Harmonic mixing is about avoiding clashes where two melodies or basslines overlap. Intros and outros with only drums are far more forgiving; matching codes matter most when both tracks are playing notes at once.
Why does the key finder also show a relative key?
A major key and its relative natural minor share all seven notes, so a loop that never settles on one home note can read as either. They always have the same Camelot number, so the mixing advice does not change.
