The codes in one minute
The Camelot wheel gives every key a number from 1 to 12 and a letter: A for minor, B for major. From any code, three others blend without a clash:
- One number up (8A to 9A): it lifts the energy.
- One number down (8A to 7A): it relaxes it.
- Across (8A to 8B): the same notes, the other mode, so the mood turns between minor and major.
And the same code always mixes with itself.
Read your crate
Drop the folder on DropWave, on a Mac or a Windows PC, and every track lands in one table with its key, Camelot code and BPM. Sort by Camelot and the neighbours sit next to each other.
A worked example
From our own music pack, as DropWave reads it:
| Track | Key | Camelot | BPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Undertow | A minor | 8A | 122.00 |
| 08 Glasshouse | E minor | 9A | 134.00 |
| 07 Drift | B minor | 10A | 130.00 |
Undertow, Glasshouse, Drift: one number up each time, so every mix is clean and the set climbs. That's harmonic mixing.
Watch the tempo too
The key is only half of it. Undertow to Glasshouse is 12 BPM, almost 10%. Speed a track up by about 6% without key lock and it rises a semitone, which moves its Camelot code too. Either turn key lock on in your DJ software, or let the tempo climb over a few tracks instead of in one jump.
The routine
- Analyse the crate. Note anything with a Medium or Low key confidence and check it by ear.
- Pick an opening track, then choose each next one from its three neighbours.
- Use up a number when you want the room to lift, across for a change of mood, down to bring it back.
- Put the codes in the file names so they show on any USB stick: here's how.