Camelot vs Open Key Notation
Updated July 2026 · by Loopin
Camelot and Open Key are two shorthand systems that rename the 24 musical keys as numbered wheel positions so DJs can mix in key without reading sharps and flats. They describe the same circle — they just label it differently.
Why DJs renumber the keys at all
Standard key names like F♯ minor or D♭ major are precise, but they don’t tell you at a glance which keys mix well together. The whole point of a wheel system is to turn music theory into a map: keys that sit next to each other on the wheel share most of their notes, so blending them sounds smooth. That’s the foundation of harmonic mixing.
Both Camelot and Open Key arrange the 24 keys (12 major, 12 minor) around a clock face built on the circle of fifths. Move one step around the ring and you change to a closely related key; cross to the inner or outer ring at the same number and you swap between a key and its relative major or minor.
Camelot notation
The Camelot system, popularised by Mixed In Key, labels each key with a number from 1 to 12 and a letter: A for minor keys (inner ring) and B for major keys (outer ring). A minor is 8A, C major is 8B, E♭ minor is 2A, and so on. Compatible mixes are simple to spot: stay on the same number, or move ±1.
Because the codes are abstract, you don’t need to know that 8A is A minor to use it — you just match numbers. That’s why Camelot codes show up next to the key in most DJ libraries and in a key & BPM finder: they make compatible tracks obvious without any theory.
Open Key notation
Open Key, used by tools like Rekordbox and Traktor, also numbers the wheel 1 to 12 but flips the letters: m for minor and d for major (the ‘d’ comes from dur, German for major). It also rotates the numbering so the same musical key lands on a different number than it does in Camelot.
For example, A minor is 8A in Camelot but 1m in Open Key. The mixing logic is identical — same number mixes, ±1 mixes, switch the letter for the relative key — only the labels differ. If your gear and your finder disagree on the code, that’s almost always because one is Camelot and the other is Open Key.
Converting between the two
To convert, line both wheels up by the actual musical key rather than the number. The reliable method is to translate the code back to its real key name (8A → A minor) and then read off the other system’s label for that same key. There’s a fixed offset: Camelot numbering runs seven steps ahead of Open Key, so Camelot 8 corresponds to Open Key 1.
The shortcut is to skip the math entirely. Drop a track into the free key & BPM finder and it reports the actual key plus its Camelot code, which you can map to Open Key in seconds. When you know the real key, both notations are just two views of the same wheel — see what is the Camelot wheel for the full layout.
Which should you use?
Use whichever your main software speaks, and stay consistent. If you run Serato or a Mixed In Key workflow, Camelot is the native language; if you’re in Rekordbox or Traktor, Open Key may already be displayed. The danger isn’t picking the ‘wrong’ one — it’s mixing the two notations in the same library and chasing matches that don’t exist.
Whatever you choose, always confirm the key of a track you didn’t tag yourself rather than trusting a filename. A quick check in the finder, then a glance at the wheel, keeps your set in key from the first transition to the last.
Frequently asked questions
Are Camelot and Open Key the same thing?
They describe the same 24 musical keys on the same circle-of-fifths wheel, so the mixing rules are identical. They differ only in labels: Camelot uses numbers with A (minor) and B (major), while Open Key uses m (minor) and d (major), and the numbering is rotated. A minor is 8A in Camelot and 1m in Open Key.
How do I convert a Camelot code to Open Key?
Translate the Camelot code to its real key name, then read off the Open Key label for that key. There's a fixed seven-step offset between the two numbering schemes. The easiest route is to use a key finder that reports the actual key, then map it to whichever notation your software uses.
Which notation is better for DJing?
Neither is better — use whichever your DJ software displays and keep your whole library consistent. Problems only arise when you mix the two systems in one collection, because the same number means different keys in each.