What is Camelot Wheel?
Also called: Camelot system, Camelot notation
The Camelot wheel is a chart that gives each of the 24 musical keys a code from 1 to 12 with a letter, A for minor and B for major, so DJs can see at a glance which keys mix well together.
It is a relabeled circle of fifths. Moving one number up or down is a move of a fifth, which shares all but one note with the starting key. Switching between A and B at the same number moves between relative minor and major, which share all their notes.
The basic rule for harmonic mixing is to stay on the same code or move to a neighbour: plus or minus one number, or the other letter at the same number. Bigger jumps can work as deliberate energy changes, but are more likely to clash.
Many DJ programs show Camelot codes next to each track once its key is analyzed.
Example
From 8A (A minor), smooth moves are 7A (D minor), 9A (E minor) and 8B (C major).
Put it to work
Detect the key of a song and get its Camelot code.
Detect Key and BPM