DJ BETTER - HOW TO MIX IN KEY (THE CAMELOT WHEEL)

Learn how to mix in key and refer to the Camelot Wheel, with DJ Arman.

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[roymilanista]

Sometimes you just need to trust your ears & gut! If it sounds right & the vibe is great even if violates the Camelot wheel, just go for it!

[Peter-Reactor]

Easily the best demonstration on YouTube for mixing in key. Thanks man.

[SuperFluidFerroFluid]

Excellent video, I think one important thing to add for new dj's out there is that with time, once your track lists begin to grow to the amount where you basically can "afford" to mix entire set in the same key, the whole issue becomes a minor one :)

[finchmeistergeneral]

Dude, this video and the "mixes that mesh" one have been a game changer for me. I've watched a number of your videos and your music is right up my street too. Thank you for sharing!

[Kayaksrfr]

I had started using the Camelot keys in Serato a few weeks ago just messing around matching the numbers/letters and did notice the mixes sounded much more natural, but wasnt sure what it all meant... Thank you for the detailed explanation!

[hagi_ku]

very good video short and to the point !!! examples shown with guitar makes more clear everything

[ashdot]

@4:20 There are other possible harmonic moves besides the basic moves on the wheel (from r/beatmatch, I cannot take credit):

Up or down by 2 (2 semitones), e.g. 8B --> 10B

Up or down by 7 (1 semitone), e.g. 8B --> 3B

If in major: up diagonally (e.g. 8B --> 9A)

If in minor: down diagonally (e.g. 9A --> 8B)

Major-to-minor or vice-versa: generally speaking, this means switching letters and subtracting 3 when in major (e.g. 1B --> 10A) or adding 3 when in minor

Flat-to-minor: generally speaking, this means switching letters and adding 4 when in major (e.g. 5B --> 9A) or subtracting 4 when in minor


It's also important to note that that even the best DJ software out there only get the key correct about 75% of the time ( I think Serato still is considered the most accurate, followed by Rekordbox). So always cue the track and listen to it first, your ears are always the best bet.

[zeenuf]

The challenge is that you have to have enough songs to move around the wheel, otherwise you'll be stuck in a key range. This is a challenge that I haven't seen any DJ's talk about.

IMO any DJ will have to jump keys ar some point, regardless.

[djla]

i think i learned more in this video than my entire time in high school! you're a rockstar.

[paulivo]

That was the best demonstration on mixing in key I’ve seen. Nice 👍🏻

[ProjektaV]

When I first started playing music for fun I heard about this but it was never fully explained to me. The wheel reminds me of the color wheel in photography. Nice to now have to get dark and twisted instantly. Thanks for vid

[SteveAldous]

Great example of how Key works with mixing music! so many djs out there have no clue about this, me included until recently.... Keep up the great videos :)

[pixelpusher]

Hello Arman,
thanks a lot for your tutorials. I'd like to give my 2 cents to this topic.

There are other options to mix in _compatible_ Keys:
If you are in 8A you can go to: 8A, 9A, 7A, 8B, 3A, 1A, 10A, 6A, 11B.
Let me explain:
as Arman mentioned someone can choose the next track from the same/neighboring keys (7A, 8A, 9A, 8B). Also if you subtract -7 (small energy decrease) or add +7 (small energy boost) to the current sector you'll arrive at 1A or 3A. If you subtract -2 (high energy decrease) or +2 (high energy boost), you'll be at 6A or 10A.
There aren't many major key tracks so it's easy to stuck in one of them. For example if you are in 8B you have 2 options: 8A or 5A. I think 8A is trivial so let's see 5A: one can go from major to minor by subtracting 3 and changing the letter (which is pretty much from C major to C minor). Also from minor to major by adding 3 and changing the latter 8A to 11B (A minor to A major).
There is one more "major to minor" trick (it works less times than the rest): adding 1 and changing from B to A (8B -> 9A).

Please note (in general about mixing in key): use your ears! Even tough two songs should be compatible and they kinda sound right, they doesn't necessarily fit together! However when the key and the vibe are matching then something magical flows into your ears ;)

happy mixing!

/zerogee/

[jhdrummer]

Interesting video and your music theory is on point. Anyway even transitioning from compatible songs is always better to pay attention to the perfect phrasing on each song where to mix. As you showed on guitar some transitions can clash even between songs that shouldn’t. Depending by how much notes and chords are involved on each song.

[jaeydeemusic]

Thanks Arman for explaining keys in the simplest form for us🥰

[topolo]

Never stop posting please. Can you upload videos that maybe are considered advanced techniques? And not so intermediate.
Thanks in advance, arman!

[elvoj]

As usual, a very well explained tutorial. Thank you!

[bartekkreblewski]

Great explanation man, thanks a lot. I've watched some videos about key syncing and this was the best one! Great content!!

[Aesop]

thanks so much Arman, greetings from NY

[jacobdevaere]

helped a lot not a whole lot of good tutorials out there for this topic thanks!