do i need an external soundcard?

[DennisJ]

ok, so i'm going to play on my first real gig on next tuesday and i don't have a soundcard yet.

i know the club has a mixer, so do i really need an external soundcard or can i just route the cables from the mixer to my laptop?

greets

[MaxOne]

need to know a lot more about your set up! what cables from the mixer? to where on your laptop? have you even got a midi controller?

i can't think of a set up where you wouldn't need a soundcard to be honest...

[DvlsAdvct]

The short answer is:

Yes

[Tigris]

The long answer is:

From the levels I suppose the build-in card on any Laptop is crap. Even compared to a Maya44, your mix will sound very flat. I'd recommend to get at least a Maya. Make sure you're at the club ahead of time to test it out. Friend of mine got scolded for using a Maya just to find out that the muddy sound came from a compressor the club had put after the mixer.
Seemed to be a bit of an image-problem,too (as the Maya doesn't "look" very professional). Second time around the compressor was taken out and behold, it sounded much better- "Now how did that happen!?!"

AFAIK no one has ever really tried to use the Onboard-Sound, so you "could" try it a few days in advance, so that you could decide (with the manager) if it sounds ok.
My suggestion is to get at least something entry-level for your sound, but if you're not willing to spend any money you could always do the above mentioned.

[DennisJ]

well, then i will get audio 2 dj.

thanks guys!

[BentoSan]

You really need the ability to cue, get your levels right and have decent sound quality - would definitely recommend getting a soundcard.

[DennisJ]

btw, when i get audio 2 dj, will i be able to cue? from the youtube video of nativeinstruments i can see him connecting the soundcard to the mixer, but there will be no place for headphones then?

greets

[charo]

i'd get whatever soundcard you decide on asap so you can get it installed and stress-tested before your gig. nothing worse then showing up with new equipment that is supposed to make you a better dj and it doesn't work right.

[MaxOne]

btw, when i get audio 2 dj, will i be able to cue? from the youtube video of nativeinstruments i can see him connecting the soundcard to the mixer, but there will be no place for headphones then?

greets

I haven't got one, but if you mix internally you would just plug one channel into the mixer and use the other channel for cuing. If you mix externally then, well, you use the cue on the mixer innit

[LiveFastStephen]

best know your tracks if your going out with no cue ability.

iv done it when i lost my converter tip that plugs on my headphone jack to fit into my mixer,
make sure to turn up the booth monitor way loud so you have a clear sound of your output for fine tuning, and go out top radio shack & get the longest 3.5mm to RCA wire you can fined to plug in your laptop to the mixer