Trying to record my first mix, beginner equipment question.

[Gianluca]

Hi everyone. Saw I have a pair of Denon 1200s and a Pioneer DJM 400. I want to record my first lengthy mix, about an hour or so and my basic question is whats the next piece of equipment I need to connect my mixer to my laptop and record it through that? I also have a Torq Connectiv if that comes in handy. Thanks in advance and enjoy your night!

[Sigma]

If your laptop has a line in connection, all you need is the appropriate cable, which will usually be a 2 x RCA to 1 x 3.5mm stereo Y-cable.

Most laptops only have a mic input though, in which case you could buy an external sound card that connects via USB, then hook your mixer up to that with the appropriate cable. I started a thread about this a while ago because a friend of mine was looking for a cheap external USB sound card: -

http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?1073-USB-audio-interface-for-recording-via-a-laptop

While the thread did turn into a sausage fest and people started arguing about irrelevant shit, lol, there's some decent suggestions for products you could use on the first page.

[Gianluca]

Thanks! So if I do get the USB interface, say the Behringer 202/222 (which I saw from your thread that you posted), what specific cable do I need to connect that to the mixer? Or will RCA cables be all I need? Thanks!

[Sigma]

For that particular interface, regular RCAs are fine as your mixer has RCA out and the Behringer has RCA in.

[Gianluca]

Gotcha, ok thanks a ton! :)

[Sigma]

No problem man!

[Gianluca]

So, I ended up getting a Numark IO interface. I connected it to my computer via a USB and connect it to my mixer via a RCA cable. My computer registered the device successfully however, it doesn't seem to register any of the sounds being played from my decks and out my speakers and therefore, when I try recording something, it does not pick up any of the music. Am I missing something? :/ Thanks in advance!

[Era 7]

what recording software are you using and have you set the recording input correctly?

[Gianluca]

Well, I used Audacity and the Numark program that came with the device. I simply have the device connected to my laptop via the USB cord it came with and then it is connected to my mixer via a RCA cable. I would think that is how it should be connected, is that right? Thanks in advance!

[Sigma]

If the drivers installed correctly, then it's just a configuration issue. You don't say what OS you're running, but you need to go into the audio controls and make sure that the sound card is selected and that the relevant volume sliders aren't at 0 or that the entire input isn't muted.

In Windows 7 for instance, the volume sliders for line in are set to 0 by default when you first install it, so when you connect a mixer up to your PC you hear no sound, but you just need to right-click the speaker icon in the system tray and select Playback Devices, double-click the relevant option, go to the Levels tab, and move the volume slider up. The same with Recording Devices too when you come to record.

Also, instructions for doing this may well be in the manual, so have a look through that.

[Gianluca]

Believe it or not I did exactly that Sigma. The manual has just one page instructing me to do the exact same that you told me to do now but still nothing :/. The computer finds the device and all but it just doesnt pick up any sound.

[Gianluca]

Got it to work! I just switched the input RCA ends from the Output L and R on the IO to the Line L and R. Thanks all!