Free · no login · nothing uploaded
Key transposer.
Move a key by semitones and see exactly where it lands. The answer is almost never where a DJ expects, because one semitone is seven positions round the Camelot wheel — not one.
The track is in
3A
from 8A (A Minor)
One semitone up moves you 7 positions round the wheel, not 1. The letter never changes — a minor key stays minor however far you move it.
What that costs on the deck
+5.95%
Pitch fader
Only reachable at ±10 or wider past one semitone.
1.0595×
Playback ratio
What the sample rate is multiplied by.
135.6 BPM
A track at 128 becomes
Unless key lock is on, in which case the key does not move at all.
Key lock and pitch are the two halves of the same control, and turning one on removes the other. Pull the fader with key lock engaged and the tempo moves while this whole page stays at zero; do it to the file instead and you choose which one moves.
In the catalog
- 8A holds
- 36,156 tracks
- 3A holds
- 17,554 tracks
Moving the record moves which shelf it belongs on. See what is in 3A.
In note names: A minor becomes B♭ minor. The notes in it.
The whole ladder
Every semitone, and where it goes.
From 8A, which is A minor and the busiest key in the catalog.
| Shift | Lands on | Which is | Wheel movement | Fader | Tracks there |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -6 | 2A | E♭ Minor | 6 clockwise | -29.29% | 18,788 |
| -5 | 9A | E Minor | 1 clockwise | -25.08% | 26,569 |
| -4 | 4A | F Minor | 8 clockwise | -20.63% | 26,776 |
| -3 | 11A | F♯ Minor | 3 clockwise | -15.91% | 18,948 |
| -2 | 6A | G Minor | 10 clockwise | -10.91% | 28,977 |
| -1 | 1A | A♭ Minor | 5 clockwise | -5.61% | 15,294 |
| 0 | 8A | A Minor | no move | +0.00% | 36,156 |
| +1 | 3A | B♭ Minor | 7 clockwise | +5.95% | 17,554 |
| +2 | 10A | B Minor | 2 clockwise | +12.25% | 17,877 |
| +3 | 5A | C Minor | 9 clockwise | +18.92% | 25,200 |
| +4 | 12A | C♯ Minor | 4 clockwise | +25.99% | 13,137 |
| +5 | 7A | D Minor | 11 clockwise | +33.48% | 27,389 |
| +6 | 2A | E♭ Minor | 6 clockwise | +41.42% | 18,788 |
Read the fourth column down and the pattern is the point: 7, 2, 9, 4, 11, 6, 1, 8, 3, 10, 5. Every semitone takes you most of the way round the wheel, which is why a pitched record almost never lands next to where it started.
Why seven
The wheel is the circle of fifths wearing numbers
The Camelot wheel is not arranged chromatically. Neighbouring numbers are a perfect fifth apart, which is seven semitones — that is the whole design, because keys a fifth apart share six of their seven notes and therefore mix. The numbering exists so a DJ can find a compatible key without knowing any of that.
The cost of that design is exactly this page. Because one step is seven semitones, one semitone is seven steps — the two are inverses of each other modulo twelve. So the notation that makes mixing trivial makes transposing counter-intuitive, and nothing in a DJ booth ever explains the trade.
The practical version: a semitone is a long way and a fifth is next door. If you have pitched a record enough to hear the key move, it has moved much further round the wheel than it sounds like it has.
Frequently asked
Common questions
If I pitch a track up one semitone, what key is it in?+
Seven positions clockwise on the Camelot wheel, with the letter unchanged. 8A becomes 3A, 5A becomes 12A, 11B becomes 6B. The reason it is seven rather than one is that the wheel is the circle of fifths — adjacent numbers are a fifth apart, which is seven semitones — so moving by one semitone means moving by the inverse of that, and 7 × 1 mod 12 is 7. Going down a semitone moves you five positions clockwise, which is the same thing as seven anticlockwise.
Does pitching a track change its key at all if key lock is on?+
No. Key lock and pitch are two halves of the same control: with it engaged, the tempo moves and the pitch is held, so the key stays exactly where it was. That is the whole reason key lock exists, and it is why this page is about what happens with it off. If you want to change one without the other deliberately, do it to the file rather than on the deck.
How far can I pitch before the key changes?+
The key changes continuously — every percent of pitch is some fraction of a semitone. What changes at a semitone is which Camelot code it is closest to, and the useful number is that one semitone is +5.95% up or −5.61% down. A CDJ on its default ±6% reaches exactly one semitone and no more — up needs 5.946% and down needs 5.613%, so both fit with very little to spare, and two semitones at 12.25% needs the range button.
Why does the letter never change?+
Because transposing does not change the interval pattern, only where it starts. A minor scale moved up three semitones is still a minor scale, so an A key stays an A key and a B key stays a B key. The only thing that turns a minor track into a major one is remixing it.
Is a transposed track still mixable with the original?+
Only for small moves. One semitone lands you seven positions away, which is nowhere near the original on the wheel — 8A and 3A are not compatible. Two semitones is two positions away, which is also outside the safe set. The moves that keep you compatible are the ones that land adjacent, and this page tells you which of the three verdicts each amount gets.
Explore
Semitone calculator · Camelot wheel · Key converter · Scale finder · Key & BPM changer · Pitch & tempo · Harmonic mixing chart · Every key · All tools
Find tracks in the key you land in
DJ terms on this page: Camelot key · Key lock · Harmonic mixing · Pitch fader · Musical key · Camelot vs classical key · Open key vs Camelot · Full glossary