{"id":3882,"date":"2015-07-03T00:29:41","date_gmt":"2015-07-03T07:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/?p=3882"},"modified":"2015-07-03T00:29:41","modified_gmt":"2015-07-03T07:29:41","slug":"3-no-fail-ways-to-record-your-live-dj-set-this-weekend-via-dj-techtools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/3-no-fail-ways-to-record-your-live-dj-set-this-weekend-via-dj-techtools\/","title":{"rendered":"3 No-Fail Ways To Record Your Live DJ Set This Weekend via DJ TechTools"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"recording-your-dj-set\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Chances are that you are going out this weekend (or staying in) to play a gig. Recording your set should be a no brainer: it\u2019s great for learning, promotion, and posterity. However most DJs show up and, in the stress of the moment, skip the recording process because it feels too complicated. Here are 3 dead simple ways to record your live DJ set this weekend.<\/p>\n

USE THE USB CONNECTION ON THE MIXER<\/p>\n

These days, most mixers are digital and allow any computer to be connected to the mixer via USB. This means that up to four channels of audio can come out of your PC to the mixer, and almost always one stereo channel can come back from the mixer to your computer at the same time!<\/p>\n

This means the master output of the mixer can be streaming to your computer in real time, in digital, for the best quality recording possible. Often you can set it to the record out \u2013 this is better because it bypasses any adjustments of the master<\/p>\n

Since the DJM-900 is a popular mixer with this feature, make sure you have Pioneer\u2019s audio drivers installed on your laptop \u2013 which gives you this handy interface to customize the audio flow. Notice that I have the audio output set to send the record output to the DJ software which is independent of the master, or the booth levels. This means loud recordings even if either of those get turned down for room levels.<\/p>\n

\"djm-900-640x360\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re using the mixer as your sound card, it\u2019s relatively easy, and just takes a few extra steps.<\/p>\n

For DJs that are mixing on CDJs or records, you can still bring a laptop and use this feature by recording directly into Ableton, Quicktime, or some other DAW<\/p>\n

Use An Input On Your Sound Card<\/p>\n

For DJs that are not using the club\u2019s digital mixer as a sound card, but bringing their own sound card to the booth \u2013 you can also record your set in the same way. The only disadvantage to the first option is that the mix will have gone through two analogue to digital, passes which starts to degrade the signal a bit.<\/p>\n

Every mixer should have an analogue record output that is almost always a RCA out. If that does not exist, then there should be two pairs of master outputs. One is usually XLR (sent to the house speakers) and one is RCA (use this for record outs out). Even if all of these outputs are taken (which they might be), you have one last emergency resort:<\/p>\n

Use the effects send output (usually a pair of 1\/4\u2033)
\nTurn the effects all the way on, and apply them to the master channel.
\n(photo of the back of the mixer, with notations on what is what)<\/p>\n

This method will work well, and with analogue mixers take into account the special distortion characteristics that they have. The disadvantage is some data loss with the Analogue\/Digital conversions, and using the master output can mean variable levels since the right room level might not be the ideal recording volume.<\/p>\n

If your soundcard doesn\u2019t have any spare inputs for recording you can always use the line input on your laptop if it has one. You\u2019ll need a RCA to 3.5mm cable going from the record output on the mixer to the input on your laptop. Then you can use a free audio editing program like Audacity to record the mix. Internal laptop soundcards aren\u2019t the most ideal for recording but it\u2019s better than nothing.<\/p>\n

\"record-iphone-640x360\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many DJs aren\u2019t carrying around their laptops with them \u2013 so we needed a super easy way for DJs to record their sets without bringing any extra gear. Good news: you already have a computer in your pocket right now!<\/p>\n

Recording to a phone is relatively easy \u2013 but in order to get the signal flow working right, you\u2019ll want to buy an special adapter cable that has two elements:<\/p>\n

-Attenuator: reduces the line-level audio signal which is too loud for a phones mic-input
\n-Mic Adapter: makes your phone think that you\u2019ve plugged in a mic\/headphone combo device and passes signal into the phone on the Mic channel
\n-Note: using a normal 3.5mm to RCA cable here will likely not work correctly.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a great $30 cable option that has a 3.5mm male plug on one side and 3 male RCAs on the other side.<\/p>\n

Connect the cable to your mixer\u2019s record out (as in the sound card method above) and open any app that records audio. On iPhones, Voice Memo app comes with your phone. On Android, try one of these apps recommended by Lifehacker.<\/p>\n

Very importantly, remember to put your phone into airplane mode, or else your recording might get interrupted by an incoming call or text!<\/p>\n

BONUS: You actually can then use this same connector for any app \u2013 want to call a friend and play your mix for them live? Want to record DJ audio for a video on Periscope or Snapchat? This cable works for both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chances are that you are going out this weekend (or staying in) to play a gig. Recording your set should be a no brainer: it\u2019s great for learning, promotion, and…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[160,2152,400,903,2203],"tags":[195,1169,3523,1031,35,2761],"views":1254,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3882"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3882"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3902,"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3882\/revisions\/3902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}