Turntable / DJ Setup Question

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Stealth

Stealth

Join date: May '98
#1
May 8, 2002
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#1
Not sure if this is the right place to post it, so feel free to move it if I'm wrong. I'm buying a house, have some more room, so I'm breaking out my old turntables to play around with. It's been about 10 years, so technology is a little different now and I forget a whole bunch. I'm trying to figure out the best way to record into Garageband to sample but have a question on the audio outputs.

Right now my inputs look like this:

1. Acoustic guitar --> Focusrite Scarlett Audio interface --> USB --> Macbook Air
2. Midi keyboard --> USB --> Macbook
3. Two turntables (one quality, one crap) --> 2 channel mixer --> USB Audio Interface --> Macbook

So with the above setup, I should be able to record guitar/keyboard/turntables/mic into Garageband.

My question is the output. Do I have the speakers run from the laptop to an amp to speakers; or do I have the speakers run from the laptop, back to the mixer, to an amp, to the speakers? Should I have the wires come from Record Out or Master Out?

I'm having a hard time figuring out if I run everything from the mixer to the laptop, back to the mixer to a speaker; or if I'm going to run everything from the mixer, to the laptop, to a speaker. My main goals are to scratch/sample on Garageband, and also play live.

Any simple advice from you assholes? Thanks in advance.
 
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2-0-Sixx

2-0-Sixx

Sicc OG
#3
May 13, 2002
49,944
47,800
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Seattle
www.socialistworld.net
#3
Pretty sure your Mixerr @Mixerr needs to be set to Chree @Chree , otherwise you'll D @DJ Coma resulting in Arson @Arson , which wouldn't be S.SAVAGE @S.SAVAGE at all. But if you want to go the Cheaptimes @Cheaptimes route, by all means
 
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D

DJ Coma

Sicc OG
#4
Jul 12, 2002
3,219
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#4
Stealth said:
Not sure if this is the right place to post it, so feel free to move it if I'm wrong. I'm buying a house, have some more room, so I'm breaking out my old turntables to play around with. It's been about 10 years, so technology is a little different now and I forget a whole bunch. I'm trying to figure out the best way to record into Garageband to sample but have a question on the audio outputs.

Right now my inputs look like this:

1. Acoustic guitar --> Focusrite Scarlett Audio interface --> USB --> Macbook Air
2. Midi keyboard --> USB --> Macbook
3. Two turntables (one quality, one crap) --> 2 channel mixer --> USB Audio Interface --> Macbook

So with the above setup, I should be able to record guitar/keyboard/turntables/mic into Garageband.

My question is the output. Do I have the speakers run from the laptop to an amp to speakers; or do I have the speakers run from the laptop, back to the mixer, to an amp, to the speakers? Should I have the wires come from Record Out or Master Out?

I'm having a hard time figuring out if I run everything from the mixer to the laptop, back to the mixer to a speaker; or if I'm going to run everything from the mixer, to the laptop, to a speaker. My main goals are to scratch/sample on Garageband, and also play live.

Any simple advice from you assholes? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Which model Scarlett do you have? Good choice on Focusrite, I have the Saffire Pro 24 DSP and it is way better than the shit M-Audio interfaces I had in the past.

If you have enough inputs, I would run everything to its own input on the Scarlett and then use the output on the Scarlett for your speakers.

DJ mixer output -> Scarlett Input/Line-In (Needs 2 inputs for L/R channels)
Mic -> Scarlett Mic Input
Guitar -> Scarlett Mic Input (Set to Instrument)
Keyboard -> if it's just a USB midi controller then just plug it in to USB on Macbook

Also, which DJ mixer are you using? Whether you run from the Record Out or the Master Out doesn't matter because they're generally the same thing. If it's a choice between RCA and XLR or 1/4", choose the output with XLR or 1/4" for better quality.

When you say "to the laptop" do you mean to the Scarlett (which goes into the laptop)?
 
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Stealth

Stealth

Join date: May '98
#5
May 8, 2002
7,137
1,177
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#5
Thanks man - you called it - problem is I don't have enough inputs. I have the Focusrite Scarlett Solo. It has a mic in, guitar in, headphone out on the front, and a USB out/speaker out on the back. I can plug the keyboard into the Mac USB slot, and I can plug the guitar into the Scarlett and then USB into the Mac. So the keyboard and the computer are good. But there's nowhere on the Scarlett Solo to plug in a turntable or mixer.

I have a Numark TTX (first generation, non USB) going into a cheap 2 channel non USB Numark M3. That has two inputs, two outputs, plus a mic input and headphone output.

Im trying to decide where to connect the main speaker. I could have it coming out of the mixer, but then it wouldn't capture the guitar or keyboard or anything coming out of the computer. I could have it coming out of the Scarlett, but then it wouldn't cover anything coming out of the mixer or keyboard.

I'm thinking the best bet is to have the speakers coming out of the Mac?

Keyboard to USB to Macbook.
Guitar to Scarlett to Macbook.
Turntable to Mixer to USB converter to Macbook.

Macbook to Amp to Speakers.

Would that work or are you thinking I should upgrade the Scarlett to have more inputs, and put the turntable/mixer and guitar into the same interface and then into the computer?

Thanks man - great advice.
 
D

DJ Coma

Sicc OG
#6
Jul 12, 2002
3,219
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#6
Does your Macbook have a line input next to the headphone jack? If so, you can get one of those Y adapters that goes from RCA to a headphone jack:
Amazon.com: ER 6FT 3.5mm Mini Plug to RCA Hook Computer To Stereo 6 FT: Electronics

Then run the RCA out from the mixer to the line-in on the Macbook.

Not sure how or if this will work in Garageband but if you set a track's input to the line-in then you should be able to monitor it through the Scarlett's output. Similarly, your suggestion of using a USB converter for your mixer could work this way too so you wouldn't need to use the Mac's audio output. You will probably get better performance if the audio output to speakers is coming from the Scarlett instead of the Mac.

Either way, that's a pretty "hackey" setup and you would be better off with the Scarlett 6i6 or the 18i8.
 
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D

DJ Coma

Sicc OG
#8
Jul 12, 2002
3,219
8,717
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#8
28g w/o the bag said:
i got my mixer connected to a stereo amp, then connect one of the outputs to the mic jack on my imac

probably not the best way to do it though

::
Click to expand...
Ya that mic jack is the same thing as the line-in jack I was talking about. You can decent results with it. Works great for recording DJ mixes, but I wouldn't record music through it.
 
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Stealth

Stealth

Join date: May '98
#9
May 8, 2002
7,137
1,177
113
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#9
Thanks for all the info. I might just upgrade my Scarlett and try to have the mixer and guitar both go through that. I move in 2 months, so I'll keep you updated.

Technology has come a long way since I played with this shit though. All .mp3 and USB inputs now.

The Macbook is funky. The headphone line-out and mic line-in are on the same line, so I have to decide which way to use it. Other than that, there's two USB slots and a thunderbolt slot. I figure I'll use one USB slot for my external hard drive, and the other USB slot would be a USB hub for keyboard/Scarlett input.

I miss my 75 lb desktop with 10 USB inputs and a CD burner. I'm too old for this shit lol.
 
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