Really dumb question

[Jonathan Ford]

I don't know if I'm more embarrassed asking this question here than I would be asking a dealer (I know naff all about DJ equipment)....but here goes!

Since I went digital, my set up has been laptop ---> external sound card ---> amp ---> speakers (or sometimes no amp, but active speakers. As 2 of the 4 channels on my main mixer appear to have cashed in their chips, it's time for a replacement. So, here's my question:

Can a controller (an American Audio VMS 4.1, for example) also function as a mixer? So it would be laptop ---> VMS 4.1 ---> amp ---> speakers. Or, do I need to also connect it to an external mixer (laptop ---> VMS 4.1 ---> mixer ---> amp ---> speakers)?

Cheers

Thicko Jon

[super-hero]

Have a look at something like a Denon mc6000.

You just plug your laptop in, ~mc6000 ~amp ~speakers.

I like the mc6000 as you can use it as a stand alone mixer, without using a laptop. Which is handy if your laptop crashes half way thriogh a gig.

In answer to you question, I think the setup for the vms4 is; laptop~vms4~amp~speakers

[SC Events]

You connect your laptop to the VMS4.1 via usb, then from the 4.1 you connect to your amp and speakers. The VMS4.1 has a built in sound card with it's own outputs.

[DJ Jules]

Can a controller (an American Audio VMS 4.1, for example) also function as a mixer? So it would be laptop ---> VMS 4.1 ---> amp ---> speakers. Or, do I need to also connect it to an external mixer (laptop ---> VMS 4.1 ---> mixer ---> amp ---> speakers)?


This is a bit of a yes and no answer depending on the controller so I'm not surprised it's confusing for you. Controllers like the Denon MC6000 have a built in sound card and analogue mixer so the answer would be yes (as it'll mix it's own outputs, external line level inputs and two microphone inputs as well). Others like the Numark Mixtrack Pro have a built soundcard that gives a headphone and master output and also mixes in a single microphone input, but the output from the two decks is mixed digitally by the software on your laptop and fed to the master output, so it doesn't have an analogue "mixer" as such.

The most basic controllers don't have a built in soundcard, so the mixer controls on the controller, control a digital mixer on the software on your laptop and it's then down to the combination of soundcard and software if you need an external analogue mixer or not (in most cases, not - unless you want multiple microphone inputs).

Hope this helps a little?

Julian