It’s an audio-visual key explorer called The Interactive Camelot Wheel, which allow you to explore musical keys through either a click of your mouse on any sector or with more precision through use of the keys on your computer keyboard. Here’s a guide to the workings of each section of widget to allow for smooth transitions from track to track.
Twelve keys is shown on the wheel for both major and minor modes: twelve major keys (marked by letter B) and twelve minor keys (lettered as A). The energy level of each are given by the number in the sector; neighboring numbers is at similar tempos. Around the outside is the Camelot code for the currently selected key, and the note names that make up the tonic chord for this key appear in the hub.
How to Use the Interactive Camelot Wheel
You can choose any sector to hear what it sound like and which other keys mix well with it. Click any section of the wheel with your mouse. It will highlight the compatible keys and play its tonic chord. These compatible keys is the ones next door as well as the same number along the same ring.
Alternatively, you can move around with the keys on your keyboard. Place focus on a sector and use left/right arrows to jump around the ring. Use up/down to change from A to B mode at the same number. Select key by pressing space/enter.
The Mix section also displays manual mix track for the previous six sectors you chose. In this area, each step become a button. Selecting a step brings back the wheel focus to relevant key. It’s a way to check the harmonic route you’re creating. By retracing the trail, you can listen to how each handoff sounds in succession. To show the type of transition, the widget labels each one with ‘adventurous’ jumps, ‘relative’ switches and ‘safe’ lifts.
The four-key orbit will generate a route that fits with any of these rules. It also offers a drop down list for selecting the rule by which the route was generated. For example, the energy lift option jump to higher numbered keys. The relative mode weave option toggles between minor and major modes. The safer neighbor walk option jumps to next key on the same ring. Hit launch four-key orbit and listen to the sequence play out. Each step is highlighted as it’s reached in the itinerary.
Use the volume slider to turn the Camelot chord master up or down to control how much sound comes through. When you are exploring around, make sure not to let tones be too dominant by turning it down. Tap the Ring selected tonic button. You will now hear only the chord at your current position but it won’t change what is selected. Tap the Dock at 8A button and it will return the wheel back to the A minor starting point. This clears out the orbit and trail so you can begin again.
How to play: Clicking on the How to play button displays a help panel that explains conventions and offers some very useful keyboard shortcut tips. If you’ve forgotten how to use the arrows as keys (or what those Camelot codes mean), be sure to read up here. Also handy on smaller monitors, the Fullscreen button will stretch the widget across the full screen, giving you more room for the wheel and control panels.
When you select a key, you can click on compatible neighbor keys; pay attention to how they relate to each other. Compare the sound of switching between related modes, like those with the same number, to the sound of switching to a neighbor that lifts your energy. Create a brief sequence using the manual trail, then follow the sequence back and confirm it flows. Play with various orbit rules to find new transition patterns. You can try out ideas faster than the widget reacts in real time to what you choose. Take your time, explore the wheel. Pick some keys, listen to tonic chords. Trace out a trail to discover connected keys. Fire up an orbit and hear how the rules form a sequence. The volume slider will help keep it at a good level for you. It’s about hearing and seeing the harmony beneath your mixes. Click on the sector representing what key youre in with your current track.