Sound Card Advice

[rp55]

hey everyone,

i need some advice on sound cards for laptop dj'ing. i have a stanton c.501 rack mount cd player hooked up to a 3 channel mixer. i use virtual dj, but i want to be able to dj while listening to the other channel to mix in songs, i've been using it for like a year, but most parties i do, i play songs where i know to cue without listening to it. but anyways, i know there is the maya 44 out there and some other models as well, but essentially what i'm tryna do is:

1) use my laptop for dj'ing with virtual dj for both channels L and R
2) hook up my stanton c.501 cd channels (do I have to time code?...and can I even time code with rack mount cd players?)

any advice would be appreciated...thanks alot guys

[DvlsAdvct]

Are you saying you want to use timecode CDs with Virtual DJ?

Or are you asking how to get your virtual DJ to your mixer and mix externally?

Just confused.

[rp55]

the latter.

however, can i go the timecode route as well, wouldn't it technically be the 'same thing'?

[DvlsAdvct]

Well, mixing externally and using time code are two different things.

If you mix externally but without timecode you still do all your cue-ing, seeking, play/pause, pitch shifting and other general commands in the computer with a MIDI controller or mouse and keyboard, and only forego the mixing commands: volume, crossfader, eq, gain, etc. to be used with the external mixer.

If you use timecode, you do almost everything out of the box: play/pause, pitch shifting, cue-ing, seeking, and mixing. And you'll be using those decks.

With a three channel mixer you need a soundcard with 4 outs (two stereo outs) to route each channel individually to the mixer. And if you decide to use the CD decks after with regular CDs (ie: not timecode) you'll only be able to use one channel of the mixer (as that's all that'd be free) unless you have channels that can take two line sources, and then you need to flip between them.

[JeRK]

If i were you, i would pick up a Maya 44 USB. Then run RCA Outs from your 501 CD Rack into the RCA Inputs on the Maya. Use two time code CDs for Virtual DJ, and run the two outputs of the Maya into the two input for your external mixer, and Voila you have a time code set up, with Cueing. This is one of the only way to do it, unless you dont want the Timecode setup, then you would need a 4 Channel Mixer, two for the CD Decks, Two for the VirtualDJ(and you still need a soundcard).

You could also just use the Audio Out of your PC and go 1/8 to RCA into the third channel(the other two for the CD player) if your just using one deck in VDJ. Hope that helps.

[rp55]

thanks alot for the info guys...as far as the time code cd itself...I can DL the file off Virtual Dj's website and burn it in audio format correct?

[charo]

yup you should be able to