Whether you have high-end DJ equipment or a secondhand system, you need to set it up before you can start mixing tracks and beats. Knowing hook up your DJ equipment is a necessary skill if you plan to travel with it. These steps deal specifically with setting up a tabletop system, but since most DJ equipment connects in more or less the same way, these instructions will prepare you to deal with almost any system. Setting up a DJ system will take you less than 5 minutes once you locate all the connections.
Instructions
1. Locate the CD input connectors on the back of your mixer. These are usually red and white and may be labeled "RCA" or "CD input" along with a channel number.
2. Use RCA cables to connect each CD player to the mixer's CD input connectors. Take note of the channel to which each machine is connected. The connectors on the back of the mixer should be labeled with channel numbers.
3. Connect the amplifier cables to your mixing unit. If you're using a professional amp, you will connect it to the balanced XLR output, which should be labeled on the back of the mixer. If you're using a home stereo system or non-professional amp, you may want to connect it via the RCA outputs on the back of the mixer, which will be color-coded red and white.
4. Make sure the amplifier is turned off and that the gains are down. Then connect the other end of the amplifier cables to the amp.
5. Plug the speaker into the amp. Make sure you connect the amp to the same output channel number to which the mixer is connected on the input line. If the mixer is connected to the amp on input channel 1, the speaker should be connected to output channel 1. The cable from the amp must go to the input connector on the speaker, as opposed to the output.
6. Verify that all your levels on the mixing board are down as low as possible, and then plug all units into a power source and switch the power on. Your DJ equipment is now connected and ready for use.
Tags: back mixer, amplifier cables, channel number, connected input, connectors back, input connectors