Just Bought My First Rig! (And I Have a Stupid Question)

[BurntToast]

What's up people? I figured I'd sign up here since I just went from being an EDM fanatic to a beginning hobbyist.

I just picked up 2 CDJ200s and a DJM400 to get started with (thank you IRS). I'm going to pick up a couple powered monitors and I wanted to know how I should hook them up to the DJM400. All I'm looking for is a basic set up for bedroom DJing (for now) and I'm hoping to have all the cables and everything ready when my set up arrives. Any help would be appreciated.

[Rick_N]

I'm not sure whats on the back of the DJM or your speakers....but it'll either be xlr, 1/4", or rca cables.

Just connect them from the master out on the mixer and then into the back of the monitor. Shouldnt be a problem for you.

[TheFrenchWay]

Depending on your monitors but you are most likely looking for RCA to 1/4 Inch cable. I would recommend a small mixer aswell so you can plug your DJM 400, Computer and any other sound source at once using your monitors.

DJM400's main output (RCA)----to-----(1/4 Inch) input of the Mixer's main output (1/4 inch)----to-----(1/4 inch) back of each speaker. Left and Right.

I would do it this way.

I hope I did'nt make this too complicated. :uhoh:

[Rick_N]

^^^^^The DJM400 is a mixer, so theres no need for this other "mixer" your talking about.

[TheFrenchWay]

http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/802.aspx

That's what I meant. I have two sets of turntable going to this and two synths aswell. saves you the unplugging all the time.

[BurntToast]

Thanks for the replies. I probably won't be hooking my MacBook up at all for quite a while yet.

Two CDJ's + DJM400 out to two monitors should be all I need to get going for a basic home setup right? I live in an apartment so I don't have a lot of space or use for powerful speakers. I was looking at the KRK Rokit 5's as they appear to be good bang for the buck and pretty much a standard. Wouldn't mind hearing some suggestions on monitors though if anyone has any input there.

[NickJames]

Two CDJ's + DJM400 out to two monitors should be all I need to get going for a basic home setup right?

Yup... and headphone :p

[mostapha]

Rokit 5s have RCA inputs, so all you need is a pair of RCA cables. Keep the runs under 8 feet or so and you shouldn't get noise unless your house is wired really badly, you have a lot of fluorescent lights, or you live in a really noisy RF area.

And, no, you don't need anything else. 2 decks, mixer, speakers, headphones. Simple.

Well…music. And a computer with a cd burner.

[BurntToast]

Well…music. And a computer with a cd burner.

Thanks for the help on the cables. I'm hoping my apartment will suffice sound-wise but we'll see.

I've been stocking up on tracks for a while now. I was going to eventually ask how you guys burn CDs. Do you make doubles in case you decide to mix tracks that would end up being on the same disc? Also curious if there's any disadvantage (such as sound quality) to burning MP3 disks over a regular audio CD. It certainly seems logical to want to carry more tracks on one disc. As often as I download, I have a feeling I'll be going through a lot of CDs.

[Finnish_Fox]

Depending on your monitors but you are most likely looking for RCA to 1/4 Inch cable. I would recommend a small mixer aswell so you can plug your DJM 400, Computer and any other sound source at once using your monitors.

DJM400's main output (RCA)----to-----(1/4 Inch) input of the Mixer's main output (1/4 inch)----to-----(1/4 inch) back of each speaker. Left and Right.


I think the KRK 5" monitors have RCA inputs. The 6" has a mono-RCA input (I think), the 1/4" TRS and an XLR.

[Finnish_Fox]

Also curious if there's any disadvantage (such as sound quality) to burning MP3 disks over a regular audio CD. It certainly seems logical to want to carry more tracks on one disc. As often as I download, I have a feeling I'll be going through a lot of CDs.

MP3s are lossy. WAVs are lossless (CD-quality - all data).

It comes down to bitrate... currently 320kbps CBR MP3s are quite comparable and are the industry "standard" for a lot of DJs. You probably won't notice any difference unless you have some really nice headphones.

[Connor]

Thanks for the help on the cables. I'm hoping my apartment will suffice sound-wise but we'll see.

I've been stocking up on tracks for a while now. I was going to eventually ask how you guys burn CDs. Do you make doubles in case you decide to mix tracks that would end up being on the same disc? Also curious if there's any disadvantage (such as sound quality) to burning MP3 disks over a regular audio CD. It certainly seems logical to want to carry more tracks on one disc. As often as I download, I have a feeling I'll be going through a lot of CDs.

If the CDJ 200 supports MP3 CDs then burn MP3 CDs, just keep in mind not all decks support MP3 CDs, I burn all of my stuff as an audio disk because my CDJ 1000 MK1/MK2s don't support MP3s, also it helps me ensure my CDs will work everywhere.

[BurntToast]

I can't seem to find the single RCA to dual RCA for the monitors. I figured monoprice would have everything I need.

Two of these for CDJs to Mixer:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021814&p_id=2869&seq=1&format=2

One of these for Mixer to MBP:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021815&p_id=5597&seq=1&format=2


Now where the hell is my single to dual?

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/StaticFiles/PUSA/DJM-400-K_back.gif

to http://media.soundonsound.com/sos/aug04/images/krkrear.l.jpg

[Boomcie]

You could grab two of these

http://www.amazon.com/HOSA-STEREO-PHONE-3-3ft-RETURN/dp/B000068O1J/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_0

[DJHoss]

You don't need dual to single for this setup. Get one RCA cable, take it from the left master out, send it to the left speaker, done. Same with right channel. Set the mixer to mono to send the same signal to both speakers(no seperate LR channel signals - everything is fed to both speakers) or stereo for stereo sound (LR channel seperation).

Makes sense?
:tup:

[mostapha]

Thanks for the help on the cables. I'm hoping my apartment will suffice sound-wise but we'll see.

I've been stocking up on tracks for a while now. I was going to eventually ask how you guys burn CDs. Do you make doubles in case you decide to mix tracks that would end up being on the same disc? Also curious if there's any disadvantage (such as sound quality) to burning MP3 disks over a regular audio CD. It certainly seems logical to want to carry more tracks on one disc. As often as I download, I have a feeling I'll be going through a lot of CDs.

When I was on CDJs, I burned doubles of one release per disk. I usually labeled them kinda randomly…like, whatever orientation they came out of my CD-R, not always the same size and handwriting style. I've a very visual memory, and that's the only way I could have a clue what tracks were actually on the disks. There are/were a few shops that would give you .jpgs of labels (like the sticker in the middle of a record), and when I shopped there, I always printed them out and kept them with the CDs……that helped a lot. I remember swearing off beatport for a while because they didn't offer that.

[Out of Body]

Ur probly gonna need RCAs bro...get KRK rokits, real good monitors

[BurntToast]

Ur probly gonna need RCAs bro...get KRK rokits, real good monitors

That's the plan right now. Looking to get something decent on a budget. Damn this hobby is expensive, and I didn't even buy high end gear.

[mostapha]

DJing is a lot cheaper than it used to be. And if you're on a budget, you can easily skimp on monitors. Unfortunately, once you get into it, KRKs are skimping. It's good skimping, and that's why I recommend them all the time. But they're not exactly high end.

Computer speakers work just fine for a while, and they're even cheaper. The only problem is that they tend to "flatter" sound, which basically just means trading potentially harsh sounds for mud…which kinda tends to hide the beat a bit. Still…better than the monitors in some clubs.

[BurntToast]

DJing is a lot cheaper than it used to be. And if you're on a budget, you can easily skimp on monitors. Unfortunately, once you get into it, KRKs are skimping. It's good skimping, and that's why I recommend them all the time. But they're not exactly high end.

Computer speakers work just fine for a while, and they're even cheaper. The only problem is that they tend to "flatter" sound, which basically just means trading potentially harsh sounds for mud…which kinda tends to hide the beat a bit. Still…better than the monitors in some clubs.

Can I just use my computer speakers by putting an adapter on the 3.5 mm end and plugging it into the RCA input on the mixer?