# SoundCard: Absolutely Necessary? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333 "2011-01-14T02:16:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MaxRuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@MaxRuck](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/MaxRuck)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/1 "2011-01-14T02:16:02Z")
**SoundCard: Absolutely Necessary?** Okay, total noob question here, I apologize in advance…I’m about to order a VCI-100 SE, and I already have speakers for my macbook - Harman Kardon Soundsticks. These speakers just plug into the computer with a simple headphone jack…can these be used as speakers for traktor pro with a vci 100? I’m on a tight budget so I’d love to be able to use the speakers I already have in one way or another. All replies much appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![padi\_04](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/padi_04/32/56291_2.png) [@padi\_04](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/padi_04)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/2 "2011-01-14T02:17:27Z")
and where do you plan to plug in your headphones? ---
**Author:** ![photojojo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/photojojo/32/14618_2.png) [@photojojo](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/photojojo)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/3 "2011-01-14T02:19:04Z")
Yes you need a sound card if you want to cue a track. That is listen to the upcoming track and it not come out of the speakers. Audio 2’s should be ging for a decent price once the new ones are announced in February. If you buy a used Audio 2 make sure it comes with the cables. ---
**Author:** ![MaxRuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@MaxRuck](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/MaxRuck)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/4 "2011-01-14T02:39:43Z")
^^gotcha, thanks. One question: is there any kind of converter I could buy so that I could connect my Harman Kardon soundsticks to an Audio 2 soundcard? ---
**Author:** ![padi\_04](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/padi_04/32/56291_2.png) [@padi\_04](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/padi_04)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/5 "2011-01-14T02:54:06Z")
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**Author:** ![Jester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/jester/32/12996_2.png) [@Jester](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/Jester)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/6 "2011-01-14T03:11:39Z")
Just mucking round = No More than a hobby = Yes ---
**Author:** ![MaxRuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@MaxRuck](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/MaxRuck)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/7 "2011-01-14T04:48:55Z")
@padi_04 But don’t soundcards require two different jacks? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalManipulation](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/digitalmanipulation/32/16238_2.png) [@DigitalManipulation](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/DigitalManipulation)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/8 "2011-01-14T04:56:14Z")
I actually just got a soundcard before I would have to know what and when I was mixing something in so it sounded good. However once I got the soundcard I realized you can only hear the track your cueing and not both of them together before you send them out to the master. I was just wondering would it be weird I switched it up? Like when I have it on headphones only it would play to the master? I feel like that allows for a better mix! But then again i haven’t tested it with good speakers yet ---
**Author:** ![Jester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/jester/32/12996_2.png) [@Jester](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/Jester)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:03am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/9 "2011-01-14T05:03:11Z")
@ Max Thats only if you get the audio 2 or similar soundcard mate. Most multi chanel soundcards use RCA connections. ---
**Author:** ![MaxRuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@MaxRuck](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/MaxRuck)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:37am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/10 "2011-01-14T05:37:27Z")
^^^OOOOH okay, that was something that was really confusing me…so I’m assuming that you plug your headphones, as well the speakers, into the Audio 2? ---
**Author:** ![Str8upDrew](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/str8updrew/32/1363_2.png) [@Str8upDrew](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/Str8upDrew)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 6:59am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/11 "2011-01-14T06:59:10Z")
> [@MaxRuck](#): > > ^^^OOOOH okay, that was something that was really confusing me…so I’m assuming that you plug your headphones, as well the speakers, into the Audio 2? Exactly. The Audio 2 has two stereo channels. One for the master (speakers) and one for cueing (headphones). ---
**Author:** ![Ashigari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Ashigari](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/Ashigari)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:27am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/12 "2011-01-14T09:27:17Z")
> [@DigitalManipulation](#): > > I actually just got a soundcard before I would have to know what and when I was mixing something in so it sounded good. However once I got the soundcard I realized you can only hear the track your cueing and not both of them together before you send them out to the master. I was just wondering would it be weird I switched it up? Like when I have it on headphones only it would play to the master? I feel like that allows for a better mix! But then again i haven’t tested it with good speakers yet you can have both tracks playing in your headphones, just cue both up (I think that’s how you do it mixing internally). I use an external mixer so I have a knob that allows me to change the % of master/cue… and even if you only get the cue’d song in your headphones - only listen to one can instead of both? that way you hear both master and cue… ---
**Author:** ![fullenglishpint](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/fullenglishpint/32/12539_2.png) [@fullenglishpint](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/fullenglishpint)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:33am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/13 "2011-01-14T09:33:10Z")
> [@Ashigari](#): > > you can have both tracks playing in your headphones, just cue both up (I think that’s how you do it mixing internally). I use an external mixer so I have a knob that allows me to change the % of master/cue… > > and even if you only get the cue’d song in your headphones - only listen to one can instead of both? that way you hear both master and cue… You can do that in Traktor. Look in the top middle of the screen, there are 3 knobs. Middle on is master vol, right one is headphone vol and left one is headphone mix, so use that. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalManipulation](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/digitalmanipulation/32/16238_2.png) [@DigitalManipulation](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/DigitalManipulation)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/14 "2011-01-14T19:44:20Z")
Sweet so for instances If I wanted to have deck A playing through the master while I have deck A and B playing in my headphones? Just wanna make clear what I was asking ---
**Author:** ![fullenglishpint](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/fullenglishpint/32/12539_2.png) [@fullenglishpint](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/fullenglishpint)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/15 "2011-01-14T20:16:29Z")
> [@DigitalManipulation](#): > > Sweet so for instances If I wanted to have deck A playing through the master while I have deck A and B playing in my headphones? Just wanna make clear what I was asking yes. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalManipulation](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/digitalmanipulation/32/16238_2.png) [@DigitalManipulation](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/DigitalManipulation)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/soundcard-absolutely-necessary/18333/16 "2011-01-14T20:51:22Z")
So I went to try it and the only way I can get it to work like that is if I turn the mix all the way down. Then I have to have my headphones as the master and my speakers as the monitor. When I wanna listen to a track or both in my headphones I have to turn off the headphones in the traktor GUI. I tried to reverse that and it wouldn’t work. Any tips?