Circle of Fifths for DJing (Camelot Wheel)
The Camelot wheel for harmonic mixing · tap a key to see which keys mix smoothly with it
How to play
- DJs relabel the circle of fifths as the Camelot wheel: each key gets a code like 8B (major) or 8A (minor). Tap a key to see its code, hear it, and light up the keys that mix well.
- The outer ring is the major keys; the inner ring is the relative minor lined up with each major (they share a key signature).
- Harmonic mixing rule: from any track, mix into a track that is the same number, other letter (relative major/minor), or one number up or down, same letter (a neighbour on the wheel) — those are the green keys.
- Moving up one number lifts the energy a little; jumping +2 (e.g. 8A→10A) raises it more. Vol sets volume.
- Keyboard — Tab to any key on the wheel, Enter/Space to select.
Using your computer keyboard (or by clicking on each part of the wheel with your mouse), you can pick out keys and this nifty tool plots Camelot wheel that DJs use to match harmonically compatible key tracks together. In other words, it shows you what songs will sit well with the one you’re currently playing.
The basic interface is a ring-shaped diagram containing two rings of keys: The outer one for major keys and the inner one for their corresponding relative minor keys. Every section has its Camelot code (e.g., 8A or 8B) displayed next to name of the musical key. To choose a key, simply tap on the relevant section of diagram. Your chosen key will then be highlighted in gold making it easy to keep track of where you are.
How to Use the Tool
If you select a specific key, the widget highlight all of the other keys that goes together. The compatible keys will be bordered in green. The options include immediate neighbors (same suffix and one number up or down), or the relative key (the same Camelot number but with either an A or a B suffix). This visual clue takes the guessing out off harmonic mixing.
Directly underneath the wheel is a line-up of buttons corresponding to diatonic chords within the current key. These include Roman numerals for the chord (e.g., I, ii, V) as well as the quality of each chord. Click one of these buttons to play a sample of the chord through the synthesiser. This let you hear how the sound works in the key before you use it in your mix.
On the right is volume slider that controls the master output of the chord samples. If the samples are too loud or quiet to suit your setting, simply slide it up and down to find the correct volume. This will ensure that as you try different keys, you can keep the volume at a comfortabley level so that your ears don’t get tired.
Clicking on the How to play button at the top will display help panel which gives a brief rundown of how the Camelot system functions and explains the harmonic mixing rules. If you want a reminder of what keys go together it’s there as a handy guide. Click the button again and the panel folds up out of view, leaving the interface clear for focus.
The widget expand to take up your entire screen when you click the Fullscreen button for a better look. If you’re on a small display or want to project the interface, that comes in handy. Clicking the same button (or hitting the exit key in your browser like normal) will exit fullscreen mode.
To operate the wheel: You can use a mouse or the keys of your computer keyboard. To highlight one of the key segments around the wheel, you press the Tab key. Pressing either Space or Enter then selects that key segment and plays corresponding chord. If you’re familiar with using keyboard shortcuts, this will let you interact with the wheel more quickly.
Click on the chords beneath to hear what the harmony sounds like in that key. Then, pick another key and do the same thing. Notice how moving to a neighboring key shift the feeling somewhat while jumping two numbers sounds much more different than before. Try out various keys this way until you develop a naturaly feel for how the wheel works in reality.
As you click on different keys, the widget immediately recalculates the compatibility information. That’s the real-time part that allows you to make plans for the progressions in your set. To increase or decrease the energy of your mix, simply move around the dial clockwise or counter-clockwise until you’re sure it work within a musically coherent transition. The visual guide provides reassurance that you are making good decisions.
To begin, select a random key and explore the possible neighboring keys that work together. Listen to the samples of chords and get a sense of the tonal character of each section. Over time, this becomes easier as you picture the harmony in your head when mixing. However, take some time to get used to the interface before you should of use it to practice mixing seriously.