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Sep 05, 2012 Not every mix makes it past the previous step of reviewing and critiquing – so use your good judgement here and only let quality favorites trickle down this list for you to dominate Soundcloud with. You never know where these mixes will get played – from long roadtrips to late-night work sessions, you want to makes sure the listener feels like rocking your mix was worth it. Aug 20, 2018 If you are upgrading from Mixxx 2.0.0 or older and have MP3 files in your library, we have another important announcement. The good news is that we fixed a bug where the waveforms and audio playback of MP3 files were misaligned. The bad news is that we have no way of knowing which MP3 files were affected or how much the offset was.
It’s one of the most common questions beginner DJs ask us: I’ve got a budget DJ controller (for Christmas/birthday etc) and I absolutely love it, but it hasn’t got anywhere to plug headphones in. What can I do?
The standard answer is to buy a decent DJ sound card. (Here’s where to find out more about why you need a sound card, and more about some budget sound cards.) However, having to find the cash for another piece of kit when you maybe just want to see if DJing is “for you” is not what many people want to hear.
So when Digital DJ Tips reader Kidsinister got in touch to say he’s successfully set up Traktor on his PC with a sound card bought on the internet for just $1, we thought it was worthy of further investigation!
Before we hand over to Kidsinster, bear in mind the following:
![Use Use](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126030602/777765571.jpg)
- The DJ sound cards we normally recommend have TWO outputs – one for the headphones, and one for the main speakers. Thus when you use one, you bypass the laptop’s internal sound card altogether. This solution, on the other hand, still uses the laptop’s internal sound card for the main output. As such, the sound quality you’ll get is limited by how good your laptop’s sound is
- We haven’t tested this on any systems other than Traktor on a PC. It probably works in Virtual DJ, for instance, as that software is flexible – however, you may find in some versions of some software that the hardware configuration options are limited. A good thing to do is ask on the software forum to see if anyone can confirm that the software that came with your particular controller can be configured to work with external sound cards like this one
- This is a great, cheap and ingenious solution for practising, for convenience (it’s tiny), and for playing house parties, small bars and so on. However, for bigger gigs, as you’re relying on the internal sound quality of your laptop, you will want to test it on the sound system first to make sure it sounds OK – chances are a proper DJ sound card will outperform your laptop’s internal sound card, and the difference will start to become more noticeable on bigger PA systems
![What Is A Good Sound Card To Use With Mixxx What Is A Good Sound Card To Use With Mixxx](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126030602/844186732.jpg)
Where can I get it?
It’s a tiny, mass-produced item that looks just like a USB drive, but with a headphone and a microphone socket on it.
It’s a tiny, mass-produced item that looks just like a USB drive, but with a headphone and a microphone socket on it.
For our purposes, we’re interested in the fact that it gives us that extra headphones socket – somewhere to plug out headphones in to while the main headphones socket on the laptop is used to power our speakers.
Buy it from Amazon.com.
How to do it…
These instructions are for Traktor Pro on a PC. We haven’t tested this and we also have no idea whether it works on other software, other versions of Traktor to the one Kidsinister tried, or on the Mac. It’s likely to, but we can’t guarantee it. Then again, it’s only $1 – what have you go to to lose? We’re ordering one today so will report back…
Newegg
Here’s the instructions from Kidsinster:
- “The process is pretty much plug and play, no real hassles to be had. Firstly, the $1 USB card doesn’t need installation software, you plug it in and there’s a new hardware brief prompt. I’m currently using it with Traktor Pro, on an old Windows XP laptop, 1.5Ghz/2GB RAM with zero lag.
- “Next thing I did was download Asio4All, and after installing there should be 2 devices in the device list in Traktor, one being the on-board sound card, and the second the $1 sound card.
- “The little power button next to both should be highlighted for both sound cards to run. Then in Traktor settings, under Audio Setup, select Asio4All v2 on the drop-down menu for audio device.
- “My friends and I have noticed that once you select Asio4All as the audio device in Traktor for the first time, you have to restart Traktor or else it will not be recognised.
- “After restarting Traktor, go back to the settings and select Output Routing. Under Output Monitor, for each L/R channels, select whatever the $1 sound card is called (mine is USB Headphone Set 1/2), and for Output Master select the on-board sound card. You plug the headphones directly into the USB sound card to monitor.
How good is it?
Over to Kidsinister again:
“In terms of loudness and clarity, with regard to monitoring only, I’m fairly certain it can be used for an actual gig (I plan to try it anyway).
“However the problem is loudness and clarity of the master output, because it will be determined by the quality of the on-board sound card (the laptop one I have is mediocre).
With this alternative, it’s possible for beginners to spend next to nothing on equipment whilst learning”
“My plan is to use it for a house party, by using the on-board sound card output and putting it through a channel on an actual mixer, essentially so I can amp the volume, and control the master levels to get a clearer sound.
“With this alternative it’s possible for beginners to spend next to nothing on equipment, whilst learning.”
• Thanks to Kidsinister (twitter.com/kidsincity) for the idea and the instructions for this article.
Have you set up your DJ software/controller using any type of non-DJ sound card? What did you use? Would you like to share any tips or tricks you’ve got with us? Or have you used this particular little device? Whatever, we’d love you to let us know your experiences with us.
Now go to:
All About Sound Cards for Digital DJing
DJ Sound Cards Under $130: Top Models Reviewed & Rated
Coming Soon: How To DJ Properly With Just a Laptop
All About Sound Cards for Digital DJing
DJ Sound Cards Under $130: Top Models Reviewed & Rated
Coming Soon: How To DJ Properly With Just a Laptop
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I’m a part-time DJ who usually does private events, although I do enjoy rocking the occasional party. A while back my mixer broke (water got into the inputs, don’t ask how!), and a lack of funds drove me into looking for a quick-fix DJing solution that didn’t need a real mixer, and pretty quickly too.
I found that with a bit of practice, I was able to play sets completely from my laptop. And while I don’t DJ like this any more, I wanted to share with you my experiences of DJing this way.
How it happened
Switching from scratch live to serato dj. As I say, I broke my equipment and needed a solution, fast! I had actually already been using Mixxx, the open source DJ software (as at the time I didn’t have the funds to buy Traktor or Serato in order to try out digital DJing), and so I decided to sit myself down and teach myself to DJ with Mixxx, and just off of my laptop. The first thing I learned was to use a USB mouse – much easier and more precise than the laptop’s touchpad. Djay pro pay on pioneer.
Switching from scratch live to serato dj. As I say, I broke my equipment and needed a solution, fast! I had actually already been using Mixxx, the open source DJ software (as at the time I didn’t have the funds to buy Traktor or Serato in order to try out digital DJing), and so I decided to sit myself down and teach myself to DJ with Mixxx, and just off of my laptop. The first thing I learned was to use a USB mouse – much easier and more precise than the laptop’s touchpad. Djay pro pay on pioneer.
I thought it would be a good idea to make heavy use of beatgrids, but I soon learned that I couldn’t rely on software for all music; lucky I can beatmatch manually from knowing how to DJ with “real” equipment, as I found that I needed to much of the time.
I already had a Numark DJ I/O sound card to use, so I could separate the headphones and main outputs fine. I was all set…
My first party as a laptop DJ
So I went to my first gig (a large party) with just my laptop, and I have to say that I was nervous as hell! People were giving me weird looks (“Where’s your turntables/mixer?”). When I told them I was just going to use my laptop, the skeptical looks intensified…
However, I donned my headphones, loaded up my playlist, and started laying down the tracks, and guess what? I did just fine.
I wasn’t able to meld in samples and loops, but I tried something similar by looping parts of tracks loaded in my second software deck and adjusting EQs and faders in the Mixxx dialog. I found this worked well to give my sets a bit of something extra.
What it taught me
This experience, and subsequent experiences DJing with just my laptop at parties, confirmed to me that real skill in DJing is reading a crowd and track selection, whether using “real” equipment or just a laptop. After all, anyone can DJ a set. The question is, can they get people in the mood to dance? This became very clear to me when I was using just a laptop to DJ with. In that respect there’s no difference.
This experience, and subsequent experiences DJing with just my laptop at parties, confirmed to me that real skill in DJing is reading a crowd and track selection, whether using “real” equipment or just a laptop. After all, anyone can DJ a set. The question is, can they get people in the mood to dance? This became very clear to me when I was using just a laptop to DJ with. In that respect there’s no difference.
The biggest surprise for me was realising that for digital DJing, and especially with just a laptop, it’s just as important to be able to beatmatch manually (either with headphones or using waveforms) as DJing the traditional way.
Many times, I was forced to do gigs just reading waveforms. I had to know my tracks and know how to beatmatch well to pull it off.
I don’t still DJ this way; since then, I’ve bought a Kontrol S4 and Traktor, and overall I’d definitely recommend using an actual controller, especially if people want to get into controllerism and that type of thing.
Good Sound Card For Recording
But for getting started or for basic mixing? A laptop is just fine.
• Mubeen is a part-time DJ from Houston, Texas. Later this year, Digital DJ Tips launches a manual dedicated to teaching absolute beginners all they need to know to DJ in public using just a laptop PC.
Have you played in front of a party, bar or club audience from just a laptop? What were your biggest surprises, triumphs and difficulties DJing this way? Or are you a wannabe DJ who just needs a push to get started in this direction? Let us know in the comments! https://greatshops163.weebly.com/virtual-dj-cdj-2000-software-free-download.html.