Key Converter

They're two different ways of labelling the same 24 keys. The Camelot wheel — created by Mark Davis and popularised by Mixed In Key in 2006 — numbers keys 1A through 12B and arranges them so adjacent numbers are a fifth apart. Open Key notation is an alternative system from the same company that uses 1d through 12d for major keys and 1m through 12m for minor, where the number aligns with the circle of fifths starting from C. Both encode identical harmonic relationships — a step clockwise on either system is a fifth up — but DJ software has standardised on Camelot, so most people see Open Key only when scrolling through Mixed In Key's settings.

Two reasons. First, the wheel's number-letter notation hides the music-theory complexity — you don't need to know that A minor and C major are relative keys to see that 8A and 8B sit next to each other on the wheel. Second, the linear numbering means "compatible with 8A" can be expressed mechanically: same number, ±1 number same letter, A↔B at the same number. Compare to musical notation, where the same logic requires looking up relative majors and circle-of-fifths neighbours. Camelot is a cheat code for harmonic mixing that doesn't require formal music theory.

Yes. The converter accepts a wide range of input — short forms like "Cm", "C#", "F#m"; long forms like "C Major", "F Sharp Minor"; flat or sharp spellings ("Db Major", "C# Major"); and either Camelot or Open Key directly. Spotify uses traditional musical names; Beatport uses both depending on the page; Rekordbox shows Camelot by default. Whichever you copy, the converter will resolve it to all three.

On a piano they sound identical — they're enharmonic equivalents, two ways of writing the same set of pitches. They get spelled differently for compositional reasons (a piece written in D♭ avoids confusing double-sharps in the key signature), but for DJing the distinction is invisible. The Camelot wheel collapses both into 3B. The converter shows either spelling depending on what you typed.

Camelot is proprietary to Mixed In Key (Mark Davis, 2006). Open Key is also Mixed In Key, designed as a secondary system whose numbers align with the circle of fifths. Traditional musical key names go back to medieval European music theory and are still the standard in classical and jazz contexts. DJ software vendors picked Camelot because it abstracts the harmonic logic into a wheel that works without music-theory training — Pioneer, Native Instruments, Serato, Denon DJ and Beatport all support it natively now.