Hello,
I have a macbook pro retina and a pioneer CDJ2000 with a CDM 800 mixer. Now I want to set to record me but can not get it done with Audacity. Do I need an external sound card?
Interesting choice of words. “Record Me” assumes you’re going to sing or otherwise perform a personal show. “Record my performance” assumes you’re going to spin “media” (formerly disks) and record the result. Since you didn’t mention a microphone, we’ll assume the latter.
Yes, newer Macs do not have an analog stereo connection like the older ones did, so you have to roll your own. I like my Behringer UCA202 units a lot. Here’s one between my analog mixer and a Windows laptop, but it will connect to anything. It’s a little rough to tell how the mixer connects without digging through the user manual, so since the ad didn’t mention USB anywhere, I’ll assume standard RCA outputs.
http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/peaveyRear.jpg
http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/peaveyUCA202Lenovo.jpg
Remember to get the show from the Program or Line rather than the Booth feed. If you need to feed the house as well, use “Y” cables.
The UCA202 will arrive in the Mac looking like “USB Audio Codec.” Connect everything and then start Audacity. That’s important.
Koz
This was too easy. There’s something you’re not telling us, right? You want to run Skype at the same time? You want to use Network Connected Drives? Something?
Koz
I want to record music with my pioneer Dj Nexus 2000 and DJM 800 mixer.
To do this I need a laptop my mixer DJM800 has no USB connection and as you already know, the newer mac no microphone input. So I load an external sound card with Audio Mini Jack To 2xrca, is this correct?
The first illustration is so I can plug my mixer into my older Mac which does have an analog stereo input and takes that 1/8" plug. In that case, I don’t need a stereo USB adapter. That’s the circle with two black arrows.
http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/MacLineIn.jpg
You would use an RCA to RCA to connect your mixer to a USB adapter such as the UCA-202. The USB adapter would then connect to the computer.
Others work, but be careful not to get a USB audio adapter like the Startech ICUSBAUDIO.
http://www.startech.com/Cards-Adapters/Sound/USB-Audio/USB-20-to-Audio-Adapter~ICUSBAUDIO
It has an audio input, but it’s designed for a mono microphone, not a stereo mixer.
Koz
It’s a common mistake to plug your stereo mixer into the Mic-In of a Windows Laptop. Most times Mic-In is a mono connection designed for a microphone.
http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/computerAnalogMicrophone.jpg
If you plug a mixer in you can cause serious volume and distortion problems.
Koz