Camelot keys explained

Camelot keys are a DJ-friendly way of naming the 24 musical keys. Each key becomes a number from 1 to 12 and a letter, A for minor and B for major, so that keys which sound good together have neighbouring numbers. Club Ready Music uses Camelot codes in its key menu and writes them into every track's tags.

The wheel

Imagine the keys arranged in a circle, ordered by the circle of fifths. Moving one step clockwise adds a sharp; each step is a perfect fifth up. Camelot numbers that circle 1 to 12. The inner ring is minor (A), the outer ring is major (B), and a major key shares its number with its relative minor because they contain the same notes.

Code	Minor	Code	Major
1A	A♭ minor	1B	B major
2A	E♭ minor	2B	F♯ major
3A	B♭ minor	3B	D♭ major
4A	F minor	4B	A♭ major
5A	C minor	5B	E♭ major
6A	G minor	6B	B♭ major
7A	D minor	7B	F major
8A	A minor	8B	C major
9A	E minor	9B	G major
10A	B minor	10B	D major
11A	F♯ minor	11B	A major
12A	D♭ minor	12B	E major

Why DJs use it

Two tracks mixed together sound consonant when their keys share most notes. On the wheel that means: the same code, one number up or down in the same letter, or the same number in the other letter. From 8A, the safe moves are 7A, 9A and 8B. Club Ready Music shows exactly those three under the key menu as Mixes with. No music theory is needed; you compare numbers.

Open Key notation

Traktor and some other software use Open Key, which is the same wheel with different labels: numbers 1 to 12 with m for minor and d for major, rotated so that 8A becomes 1m and 8B becomes 1d. Club Ready Music writes both codes into the comment tag so either system reads correctly.

What Club Ready Music does with the key

• The musical name is sent to the music model in the prompt.
• The MP3 carries the musical name in the key frame and "Camelot · Open Key · name" in the comment.
• The rekordbox XML carries the tonality.
• The crate can be sorted by key so neighbours sit together.

Camelot does not change the sound

It is a labelling system, not an audio process. A track in 8A is simply in A minor. The code exists to make the compatibility decision fast at the booth.

Energy and key

Many DJs also use key moves for energy: stepping one number up tends to lift, and switching from A to B at the same number brightens. These are conventions, not rules, and the Energy setting in the Groove panel is a more direct way to tell the model what you want.