Small and cheap, this little device could help you to get DJing without the need to spend extra serious cash.
It’s one of the most common questions beginner DJs ask us: I’ve got a budget DJ controller (for Christmas/birthday etc) and I absolutely love it, but it hasn’t got anywhere to plug headphones in. What can I do?
The standard answer is to buy a decent DJ sound card. (Here’s where to find out more about why you need a sound card, and more about some budget sound cards.) However, having to find the cash for another piece of kit when you maybe just want to see if DJing is “for you” is not what many people want to hear.
So when Digital DJ Tips reader Kidsinister got in touch to say he’s successfully set up Traktor on his PC with a sound card bought on the internet for just $1, we thought it was worthy of further investigation!
Before we hand over to Kidsinster, bear in mind the following:
- The DJ sound cards we normally recommend have TWO outputs – one for the headphones, and one for the main speakers. Thus when you use one, you bypass the laptop’s internal sound card altogether. This solution, on the other hand, still uses the laptop’s internal sound card for the main output. As such, the sound quality you’ll get is limited by how good your laptop’s sound is
- We haven’t tested this on any systems other than Traktor on a PC. It probably works in Virtual DJ, for instance, as that software is flexible – however, you may find in some versions of some software that the hardware configuration options are limited. A good thing to do is ask on the software forum to see if anyone can confirm that the software that came with your particular controller can be configured to work with external sound cards like this one
- This is a great, cheap and ingenious solution for practising, for convenience (it’s tiny), and for playing house parties, small bars and so on. However, for bigger gigs, as you’re relying on the internal sound quality of your laptop, you will want to test it on the sound system first to make sure it sounds OK – chances are a proper DJ sound card will outperform your laptop’s internal sound card, and the difference will start to become more noticeable on bigger PA systems
Where can I get it?
It’s a tiny, mass-produced item that looks just like a USB drive, but with a headphone and a microphone socket on it.
For our purposes, we’re interested in the fact that it gives us that extra headphones socket – somewhere to plug out headphones in to while the main headphones socket on the laptop is used to power our speakers.
Buy it from Amazon.com
How to do it…
These instructions are for Traktor Pro on a PC. We haven’t tested this and we also have no idea whether it works on other software, other versions of Traktor to the one Kidsinister tried, or on the Mac. It’s likely to, but we can’t guarantee it. Then again, it’s only $1 – what have you go to to lose? We’re ordering one today so will report back…
Here’s the instructions from Kidsinster:
- “The process is pretty much plug and play, no real hassles to be had. Firstly, the $1 USB card doesn’t need installation software, you plug it in and there’s a new hardware brief prompt. I’m currently using it with Traktor Pro, on an old Windows XP laptop, 1.5Ghz/2GB RAM with zero lag.
- “Next thing I did was download Asio4All, and after installing there should be 2 devices in the device list in Traktor, one being the on-board sound card, and the second the $1 sound card.
- “The little power button next to both should be highlighted for both sound cards to run. Then in Traktor settings, under Audio Setup, select Asio4All v2 on the drop-down menu for audio device.
- “My friends and I have noticed that once you select Asio4All as the audio device in Traktor for the first time, you have to restart Traktor or else it will not be recognised.
- “After restarting Traktor, go back to the settings and select Output Routing. Under Output Monitor, for each L/R channels, select whatever the $1 sound card is called (mine is USB Headphone Set 1/2), and for Output Master select the on-board sound card. You plug the headphones directly into the USB sound card to monitor.
How good is it?
Over to Kidsinister again:
“In terms of loudness and clarity, with regard to monitoring only, I’m fairly certain it can be used for an actual gig (I plan to try it anyway).
“However the problem is loudness and clarity of the master output, because it will be determined by the quality of the on-board sound card (the laptop one I have is mediocre).
With this alternative, it’s possible for beginners to spend next to nothing on equipment whilst learning”
“My plan is to use it for a house party, by using the on-board sound card output and putting it through a channel on an actual mixer, essentially so I can amp the volume, and control the master levels to get a clearer sound.
“With this alternative it’s possible for beginners to spend next to nothing on equipment, whilst learning.”
• Thanks to Kidsinister (twitter.com/kidsincity) for the idea and the instructions for this article.
Have you set up your DJ software/controller using any type of non-DJ sound card? What did you use? Would you like to share any tips or tricks you’ve got with us? Or have you used this particular little device? Whatever, we’d love you to let us know your experiences with us.
Now go to:
All About Sound Cards for Digital DJing
DJ Sound Cards Under $130: Top Models Reviewed & Rated
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Tags: DJ sound card, one dollar sound card, sound cards
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Get two of these $1 cards and you can use the free DJ app, Mixxx (http://mixxx.org) with both a master output and headphone output on Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux.
We’re one of the only DJ apps out there that handles the synchronization necessary to use two soundcards at once. It works even better when the two soundcards are of the same brand/model because then it’s likely they have very close to identical crystals for clocking.
[ link ]There you go – Get Mixxx for free and buy 2 x $1 sound cards and you’re ready to see if digital DJing is for you. Can’t get much cheaper than that…
[ link ]Hey man, i got 2 of these sound cards and downloaded mixxx but can’t seem to be able to figure out the setup to cue songs in the headphones while one is playing through the speakers. Also, I gotta kaossilator pro so i’m not sure how to set that up to work with the sound cards. Splitter cables maybe? Any help is rly appreciated.
[ link ]looks like a good idea… i had actually purchased one of these and had no idea how to set it up… thanks for the heads up! will try it on a mac (if i find the damn thing.. havent seen it around probably lost it…)
[ link ]I dunno…I’d rather shell out $99 for an Audio2DJ from Native Instruments.
[ link ]For Real??? I did not know of that.
[ link ]for Philippine aspiring DJs, you can get that USB sound card in CDR-king shops nationwide.. I used this when i was just starting, really nice tool for monitoring in Virtual DJ.. just a few configuration and its all set
[ link ]excellent,,,this is great for traveling & practicing,,
[ link ]is it available in the uk ?
hopefully they will come out with better models.
The solution is not new, just got it cheaper. Five years ago I bought an imic for 29 and right away started to using on traktor and a software call dj1800. The quality definitely is bad but it works
[ link ]I use this every Monday night! I bought the exact one in the first picture. I run VDJ7Pro and plug the lil soundcard into a USB port, set the options for VDJ to 2 Cards. Then, I set the master output to the USB card and the second card (internal PC) to headphones (cueing). I run the PA system right into the USB card via 1/8 in. plug (same size as basic headphones). The cable that goes from the USB soundcard to the PA system has the 1.8 in. plug at one end and RCA (red/white) at the other end. Works like a charm. I’ve cranked the PA as loud as it will go and the USB card performs great.
I’m sure the IO or 2/4/8-out cards are better, but on the cheap and quick, this little USB card is great for me.
Thanks for posting this article!
[ link ]If you’re really trying to go on the cheap, why not run in mono, using a single output? Left for your master out, and right for your cue.
Some clubs are only mono anyways, or if they haven’t been set up by a good sound tech, may be wired for stereo but the room shape(s)/speaker configuration actually makes things weird (like running the left channel on the dance floor, and right in the lounge area — I’ve seen it done, as “a way to control levels”.
Likewise, for a mobile DJ, sometimes in the venue it doesn’t make sense to run in stereo, because of room shape, DJ/speaker position, or whatever.
I’m sure there can be a whole article done on stereo vs mono issue alone, but I guess to me the risk of a cheap USB device failing in some way (including software: how much effort was put into writing and testing drivers for a device this cheap?) is not worth the arguably non-existent benefit of running in stereo instead of mono.
Btw, stereo can be annoying in your monitors. I often only listen to my headphones though one ear.. so if there is some song that only plays some element from the left side, you won’t hear it. Obviously knowing your music is important, but this has happened to me before back when I used to do mobile work, which involves taking requests and playing stuff you don’t know (or at least know well enough to remember the melody in the intro only plays on the left speaker).
[ link ]It’s a great way of DJing with no fuss – but you’re still replying on your internal sound card, so quality remains an issue. But I have a splitter lead I use all the time just as you suggest. Nice point about mono, by the way.
[ link ]this is a great idea.. to play around it more,I had an old Creative USB soundblaster card from my gaming days and I am using it as the master output in this configuration. It’s cheap, portable, USB and simple with nice sound.. overall a great article
[ link ]Hi there friends ,I’ve been using this device for 2 years ,this is very good device ,although I have controllers with in built sound card, like bcd2000, hercules rmx & NS7 but this usb sound works very well with numark mixtrack ,the sound quality is better than rmx & even the mic sounds good with this.I m using this in my gigs & in my club with Mixtrack & netbook confg. 1gb ram ,win xp sp2 tractor LE & again I’d say ,excellent performance.
[ link ]I have a vestal vci 100 and a novation nio 2/4 does anyone know how I set This up. The sound card will operate software without a midi controller but I want to use the vestal vci 100 how do I make it work. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Rob
[ link ]Hi Rob ,this will work with your controller ,in your sound setup option of the DJ software you use ,just select this device ie. highlighted as usb card for your headphone & realtek as your masteroutput .This setting is for a windows comp. You have to use the cable same as the one you use to connect the ipod to the mixer for your master output.Hope this helps
[ link ]Awesome-Now i am able to monitor using the USB soundcard on ASIO when i am not plugged in to the controller. I use Traktor and this idea works perfect on my laptop
Thanks for the share
[ link ]Don’t need to install ASIO4ALL to use this little USB sound-card with Virtual DJ. I just bought one. Works great, sounds great, easy install.
[ link ]i have an issue with the usb soundcars, i do everything as is instructed. But what happens is that even though i set up the usb soundcard as the monitor and my laptops soundcard as the master the music always plays through the laptops soundcard and when i click the headphones button the music comes through the usb and the main speakers. Is there any way to make this work out normally so that when i want to monitor it actually does shut the sound from the main speakers and into the headphones?
[ link ]thanks a lot about the topic. It saves me a lot of money from buying expensive external sound card. I have no problem with working with my $1 sound card in virtual dj but i love the quality of traktor pro better.thanks
[ link ]HI,
Can anyone help me, all this talk of ASIO etc has me confused (TOTAL NOVICE DJ HERE), I have bought the Numark DJ2GO, I have a MacBook. I also bought one of the £1 soundcard, now I am trying to split the sound from Deck A and Deck B but nothing seems to be working,
If I bought the Numark USB headphones will this simply work and sort it all out, only I wanted to use my Sony headphones and the famous $1 soundcard which I have Idiot’s guide to setting this up on the cheap on a MacBook would be hugely appreciated, do I run headphones into Jack on MacBook and speakers out of soundcard and USB? Tried most combo’s and could be being a total twit…….
Thanks in advance, ASIO is not a Mac program? Do I need a similar for Mac,
Excuse the naievity.
G
[ link ]You need to set the sound card to the headphones and your mac’s sound to the speakers, or vice versa, in the DJ software’s audio preferences. Sorry can’t help with specifics here as we dont not have your setup in front of us – try asking on the forum if you’re stuck on this as someone may be able to help there.
PS, no you don’t need ASIO for Mac.
[ link ]It is a great article! I always thought that you need at least a $200 or something soundcard for monitoring, and now I see it is possible for just $1! It is great!
[ link ]Hey everyone, I have a question about how to setup Traktor pro to use headphones for monitoring. Right now I have an external usb sound card that I would like to use for monitoring, but as I am on a MacBook, there is only 1 audio device (macbook’s onboard sound card) in the Traktor settings menu.
I’ve read about something called ASIO4all, but that does not apply for a MAc computer?
So I would like to play the sound through my speakers, and use a headphone for monitoring.
Any help is appreciated, thanks!
[ link ]Your Mac should recognise your external card, but take a look for the Mac version of this article to get more details.
[ link ]Hi there,
great advice so far, and has worked perfectly up until the last stage:
I rebooted traktor but it won’t recognise my soundcard (sennheiser UCA202) in the audio outputs section.
the asio4all thing has worked and is set as the audio device, but I can’t set devices for the outputs. (my options are ‘HD audio output 1′ or ‘HD audio output 2′). there is just nothing coming through the soundcard.
Cheers, Angus
[ link ]Hey guys i gotta question. My laptop doesn’t have an internal sound card..how can i cue songs with 2 of these sound cards? i can’t seem to figure out the connection in traktor pro or vdj home or ableton. I downloaded Asio4all but in the sound setup, it’s only showing one sound card. when i try to click USB headphone 1/2 for the master routing it changes the output monitor from USB headphone 1/2 to “not connected.” I’m not sure if i need to just buy an actual sound card or what. Thanks.
[ link ]You have no sound card at all in your laptop?? This hack assumes you do. You really do need a 4-out/2-stereo-out proper DJ sound card in that case. The NI Audio 2 is a good example.
[ link ]wow, a laptop with no onboard sound @ all. strange.
I am having a bit of a problem with this. got their premium soundcard(bc I’m a baller). a whole .72 cents more lol.same thing but 7.1 and that shouldn’t matter.
in Traktor it keeps flipping and wanting to mix. one cue channel will come up as the USB and the other comes up as my soundcard. what am I doing wrong here?
please help. in the mean time I will continue troubleshooting.
thanks
[ link ]I have a question, If I connect a microphone to 1$ USB card, can I monitor myself trough pc speakers or I can only monitor trough headphone input on USB card?
[ link ]Any tips on setting this up with Mixxx (1.10) and asio4all v2?
[ link ]You don’t need it for Mixxx, you can already set all of your outputs in the preferences menu. Just click your on board sound card and all of your outputs should be there, if the drivers are installed properly.
[ link ]HI Guys,
Just got myself a Mixtrack and one of these cards and im trying to run it with Traktor but i just cant get it to work,
ive got external laptop speakers and headphones and im confused which ports to plug them into and which settings to choose, on the outputs in only seems to recognise one of them
any help would be much appreciated
thanks
[ link ]The only issues you ma run in to are latency, combining a built in card with the USB one (i have that exact dongle) will produce latency, making manual beat syncing (Or correcting Virtual DJ) a nightmare if your using an external channel mixer or one ear on your headphones. If you ever want to get serious about it, I would suggest getting an audio device with ‘front and rear’ stereo outputs (a 5.1 sound card) as sending multiple channels to the same device produces no latency at all and is generally more reliable in my experience.
[ link ]I bought a creative usb sound card at best buy, i use virtual dj 7.0.5. it works great but the only problem is i connect my monitors to my pc headphone jack and my headphone in the sound card, when i want to cue the music the song in the headphones has a slight delay from the speakers, so it sounds like its one second off, can someone help me solve this?
[ link ]Hey, would this work as well? http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA202-Audio-Interface/dp/B000KW2YEI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I20YGSXAXZWSCV&colid=1Q2L6T9CMQZ3V
[ link ]I feel like this would be a good choice because I could plug it into a variety of things (like my mixer), while also being able to use Traktor to cue my headphones. I think my thought process is correct, but a little advice would be great.
This article is heaven sent. lol. tried it and, voila!! it worked!!
[ link ]Ive used two of these. Both after about 10 to 15 mins would leave a crackling out of my speaker out put. My guess was a sampling issue within asio. Any advice?
[ link ]