Camelot Wheel Chart: All 24 Keys and How to Mix Them

The Camelot wheel is a chart of all 24 musical keys, coded 1A to 12B, that shows DJs which tracks mix well together. Minor keys (A) sit on the inner ring, major keys (B) on the outer ring. Neighboring codes are compatible, so you can mix in key without music theory.

Pick a key in the wheel below to see where you can go next. Underneath you'll find the full chart, the moves that work, a printable cheat sheet, and how DJ.Studio uses the wheel to order a playlist.

What is the Camelot wheel?

The Camelot wheel, or Camelot system, is a key notation by Mark Davis of Mixed In Key, made for harmonic mixing. It gives the 24 major and minor keys a code from 1A to 12B and places them on two rings, like a clock face.

DJs use the wheel to plan a set that flows. Before you add a track, you check whether its code sits next to the one that's playing. If it does, the two tracks share most of their notes and the overlap is less likely to clash.

Camelot wheel chart: all 24 keys

This Camelot chart, sometimes called the Camelot scale, lists every key with its musical key and the four codes it mixes with safely: the same code, one step down, one step up, and the same number with the other letter.

Key names use flats (Ab, Eb, Bb, Db). Some DJ software shows the same keys with sharps, so G# minor is 1A and C# minor is 12A.

How to read the Camelot wheel

Every code on the DJ key wheel has two parts. The number, from 1 to 12, is the position on the wheel. The letter is the mode: A means minor, B means major. So 8A is A minor and 8B is C major, and they sit in the same slice of the wheel because they use the same notes.

Each step clockwise moves the key up a perfect fifth, and each step counterclockwise moves it down a fifth. Neighbors differ by only one note, which is why they sound good together. The wheel wraps around, so 12 and 1 are neighbors just like 7 and 8.

The safe moves on the Camelot wheel

Three moves keep a transition in key. Take a track in 8A (A minor) as the example:

• Same code: mix into another track in 8A. Both tracks use exactly the same notes.

• One step up or down: go to 9A (E minor) or 7A (D minor). The key changes by one note, so the mix stays smooth.

• Switch the letter: go to 8B (C major), the relative major. Same notes, a brighter feel.

These are the Camelot wheel rules most DJs learn first. They're a good default when you're building a set or playing live and don't want any surprises.

Energy boost and diagonal moves

Once the safe moves feel natural, two bolder moves can add tension or lift to a set. They work best when you place them on purpose, for example at a breakdown or a vocal entry.

• Energy boost: two steps clockwise on the same ring, such as 8A to 10A. The key goes up a whole tone, which can lift the energy of a set.

• Diagonal: one step counterclockwise and switch from A to B, such as 9A to 8B (E minor to C major). On the way back you go one step clockwise and from B to A, such as 8B to 9A.

Both moves change more notes than a safe move does, so listen to the overlap before you commit. Paste the keys of a set below, in play order, to check every transition.

What does 8A mean?

8A is A minor. Its safe neighbors are 7A (D minor), 9A (E minor), and 8B (C major). Because it sits in the same slice as C major, 8A and 8B are the classic pair for moving between a darker and a brighter feel without leaving the key.

What does 7A mean?

7A is D minor. It mixes with 6A (G minor), 8A (A minor), and 7B (F major).

What does 12A mean?

12A is Db minor, often written as C# minor. It mixes with 11A (F# minor), 1A (Ab minor), and 12B (E major). Because the wheel wraps around, 12A to 1A is a safe one-step move.

What does 2A mean?

2A is Eb minor, also written as D# minor. It mixes with 1A (Ab minor), 3A (Bb minor), and 2B (F# major).

What are 9A and 9B?

9A is E minor and 9B is G major, the relative pair in slot 9. 9A mixes with 8A, 10A, and 9B; 9B mixes with 8B, 10B, and 9A.

Camelot wheel vs circle of fifths

The Camelot wheel has the same structure as the circle of fifths, the diagram musicians use to show how keys relate. The difference is the labels: the circle uses note names, the wheel uses numbers and letters. Read more about the original in our guide to the circle of fifths for DJ mixing.

Mix in key or by BPM?

Match the tempo first, then use the key. If the beats don't lock, a perfect key match won't save the transition. If two tracks are in compatible keys and close in BPM, the overlap can run longer and sound smoother.

Harmonize, DJ.Studio's harmonic playlist engine, works the same way. It scores a playlist on only two things, BPM and key, so you can always see why it suggests a certain order. A slider lets you decide whether it sorts mostly by tempo, mostly by key, or by a mix of both.

Fuzzy and Mood mixing

Harmonize offers two ways to use the Camelot wheel. Fuzzy Mixing sticks to safe, closely related keys. That's the lowest-risk choice, with the least cleanup, and it suits a live set or a radio show.

Mood Mixing uses the same matches plus bold key changes, such as Energy Boost and Diagonal moves. Melodies can clash, so you may need to swap tracks, adjust the timing, or use stem separation. It suits a studio mix that you refine transition by transition. The harmonic mixing guide goes deeper into both styles.

Use the Camelot wheel in DJ.Studio

DJ.Studio analyzes the BPM and key of every track as you import it and shows the result on the playlist with colors and symbols that follow the Camelot wheel.

Harmonize then suggests an order where each track follows the next in a compatible key. If a transition has no harmonic match, Harmonize marks the pair with an X. Click Solve and DJ.Studio searches your libraries for a track that can bridge the gap, so you can fix the clash without rebuilding the set. After that you audition every transition on the timeline, adjust the mix points, and decide what stays.

You can try this on your own tracks: try DJ.Studio free for 7 days, no credit card needed.

For a wider look at software that orders tracks by key, see our overview of DJ automix software.

Ready to buy later? The pricing page lists the one-time licenses and the monthly plan.

Camelot wheel cheat sheet

Keep the wheel next to your decks or your screen. The cheat sheet fits on one A4 page and shows the wheel plus a table with the safe moves, the energy boost, and the diagonal move for all 24 keys.

Download the Camelot wheel cheat sheet as a PDF for printing.

Prefer an image for your phone? Download the cheat sheet as a PNG.

Want the key and BPM of a single song first? Use the song key and BPM finder.

Camelot wheel and Mixed In Key

The Camelot codes, from 1A to 12B, come from Mark Davis of Mixed In Key, and Mixed In Key's key detection software labels tracks with them. That's why you'll often see the Camelot wheel called the Mixed In Key wheel. Many DJs analyze their library in Mixed In Key first. If that's you, DJ.Studio can read your Mixed In Key library, next to libraries from rekordbox, Serato, Traktor, Engine DJ, VirtualDJ, djay Pro, and iTunes.

Want another way to plan harmonic transitions? Our DJ mix chart guide shows how DJs use a mix chart.