hardware_compatibility

Mixxx DJ Hardware Guide

What kind of hardware should I get to DJ with Mixxx?

Hardware compatibility

Because Mixxx is free software — free as in artistic freedom, not just price — we strive to make it work with as much hardware as we can. Mixxx is collaboratively developed by a community of volunteers and we can only make mappings for controllers that we have. If hardware does not work with Mixxx, that does not mean it is impossible, it only means that no one has made it work with Mixxx yet. Anyone, including you, who has the hardware is welcome to make Mixxx work with it.

Controllers

Mixxx can work with any controller that sends MIDI or HID signals to your computer; it just needs a controller mapping to tell Mixxx what to do with the signals. Standards compliant MIDI controllers do not need any special drivers on Linux, macOS, or Windows. Standards compliant HID controllers do not need any special drivers. Most DJ controllers are standards compliant MIDI controllers and so are these in the tables below. Exceptions from the standard are noted in the tables below.

Audio interfaces

Controllers that have integrated audio interfaces often have a USB Audio Class compliant audio interface. Sound cards that aren't USB Audio Class compliant need a driver for each OS . USB Audio Class compliant audio interfaces, both stand-alone and integrated into controllers, do not need any special drivers for Linux or macOS. On Windows, they can be used without any special drivers, but a driver is needed from the manufacturer to use the recommended ASIO sound API. Sound cards that are advertised for use with iOS devices are class compliant. Unlike some proprietary DJ programs, Mixxx works with any audio interface that your operating system has a driver to use—including for timecode vinyl (DVS) use.

Determining USB class compliance

If you are considering buying a controller or audio interface, the easiest way to tell if it is USB class compliant before you buy it is to search for macOS drivers for the device on the manufacturer's website, even if you do not use macOS. If it is advertised as compatible with macOS but there are no drivers to download for macOS, it does not require drivers from the manufacturer on macOS because it is class compliant. If it is advertised as compatible with iOS, it is class compliant because Apple does not let manufacturers provide proprietary drivers on iOS. USB class compliant audio, MIDI, and HID devices can be used with Mixxx on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Mixxx Certified Mappings

Community Supported Mappings

Esoteric controllers

These are devices that were not designed for controlling music software but have been mapped to Mixxx anyway. Device Price (USD) Description Integrated audio interface Balanced outputs Signal protocol Supported since Mixxx version Released Nintendo Wiimote $25 game console controller no - HID 1.11 2006 Sony SixxAxis $25 game console controller no - HID 1.11 2006

Mappings In Development

Not mapped controllers

There are too many DJ controllers out there to list. Some of these controllers may have mappings (of unverified quality and may be incomplete) posted on the forums that have not (yet) been included with Mixxx. If a controller you own or are interested in getting is not listed here, search the forum to see if anyone has posted a mapping. If you are willing to put in the effort to map one of these controllers, please get the controller, map it, and contribute the mapping to Mixxx.

Note regarding Native Instruments controllers

Native Instruments' newer DJ controllers are USB HID class compliant devices (source). The Windows and macOS drivers can translate the HID signals to MIDI, but this is not available on GNU/Linux. So, if you make a mapping for these controllers, please make an HID mapping so it is compatible with every OS that Mixxx runs on. Native Instruments' older DJ controllers use a proprietary protocol called NHL that Mixxx does not support. The Windows and macOS drivers can switch these controllers to a MIDI mode by pressing certain buttons (see the Native Instruments website for the button combination for each controller), which could be mapped to Mixxx. Unfortunately, because this is done by the driver and not the controller firmware, these controllers cannot be used as MIDI controllers on GNU/Linux. However, the snd-usb-caiaq driver in Linux supports the audio interfaces in at least some of these devices. It also registers the signals from some of the controllers as generic Linux input events. To get these devices to work with Mixxx on GNU/Linux, either the driver would need to be modified to translate these signals to HID or MIDI, Mixxx would need to be able to read Linux input events, or a program would need to translate the Linux input events to HID or MIDI.

Microphones

Mixxx can work with any microphone that can be plugged into your audio interface. Refer to the Mixxx Manual for a detailed explanation of different options for setting up Mixxx with microphones. As explained in the manual, USB microphones are not recommended because they cannot be used with direct monitoring with Mixxx. The table of USB audio interfaces below has notes regarding use of some audio interfaces with microphones. As explained in the manual, Behringer Xenyx mixers are not recommended because their audio interfaces only have 2 channels for output.

Splitter cables

Splitter cables are the cheapest way to get two separate sound outputs from your computer. These plug into the onboard audio interface built into computer motherboards and split the stereo signal into two separate mono signals. However, onboard audio interfaces are not good quality, and you lose the stereo effect of hearing different sounds arranged in space. Devices marketed as “headphone splitter” instead of DJ splitters duplicate one stereo signal in two jacks. These cannot be used for headphone cueing. Also, generic stereo-to-mono splitter cables or adapters typically have two mono jack outputs. Plugging headphones or stereo speakers into a generic stereo-to-mono splitter will only play sound on one side of the headphones or speakers. Available DJ splitter cables: Native Instruments Traktor DJ Cable : $10

Griffin DJ Cable : $20

Audio interfaces

To be able to hear the next track you want to mix in before your audience hears it, you need two separate sound outputs. Most computers come with an audio interface built into the motherboard with only 1 stereo 1/8“ headphone output (2 mono channels). Onboard audio interfaces built into computers generally have bad sound quality and may pick up interference from other devices in the computer, especially the charger or power supply. It is recommended to use one audio interface with at least 4 mono output channels (2 stereo channels). For vinyl control, it is recommended to use an audio interface with phono preamplifiers.

Compatibility

As stated above, Mixxx can use any audio interface that your OS has a driver to use. All USB audio interfaces listed in the table below work with Windows, macOS, and Linux. Thunderbolt audio interfaces can operate at lower latencies than USB or Firewire audio interfaces, but are generally only compatible with macOS.

USB audio interfaces

These devices allow a computer to output and input sound. Any audio interface that your operating system has a driver to use can be used with Mixxx. All the USB audio interfaces in the table below are compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is possible to use just an audio interface plus a keyboard & mouse to use Mixxx, but a separate controller makes using Mixxx easier, more intuitive, and more fun. An audio interface with at least 4 mono output channels (2 stereo pairs) is recommended for most uses. Refer to the Mixxx manual for details. If your audio interface does not have 4 output channels, it is possible to use multiple audio interfaces. However, this increases latency. On Windows, it can be tricky to configure Mixxx to use both of them at the same time depending on the sound APIs supported by each audio interface's driver. Surround sound (5.1 or 7.1) cards are not recommended. They sometimes do signal processing in hardware or in the driver to split a stereo signal into multiple components. It may be possible to configure them to output separate master and headphone stereo signals, but it is often tricky to do so. This table only lists a handful of available USB audio interfaces that are currently in production and suitable for use with Mixxx. There are many more options available that may be better for you depending on your input and output needs and the sound quality you can afford. You generally get the sound quality you pay for with audio interfaces. The Mixxx manual has more information to help decide on an audio interface to use. Device Price (USD) 32) Channels out Balanced outputs Channels in Microphone input with direct monitoring Phono preamp Notes Generic USB audio interfaces < $10 2 no 0-2 no no These look similar to USB flash drives. They tend to be poor quality, sometimes even worse than onboard audio interfaces. Splitter cables are another option in this price range. Behringer U-Phono UFO202 $30 2 no 2 no yes Cheapest option for vinyl control, but requires using 2 of them and making a small hardware modification. Not to be confused with the Behringer U-Control UCA202 & UCA222, which do not have phono preamps and cannot be used for vinyl control. Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD $80 4 yes 2 yes no Cheapest option for broadcasting with a microphone input and independent main & headphone outputs. However, it has no loopback input, so it is more complicated to configure the microphone input. There are also no sound quality measurements published. ESI Maya 44 USB+ $140 4 no 4 no no Does not have phono preamps on the inputs, but has been reported to work for vinyl control. Roland Rubix24 $200 4 yes 2 yes no Good balance of sound quality and price with independent main and headphone outputs. Has microphone inputs with direct monitoring and loopback for easy setup. Also, the microphone inputs have compressors that can be used with direct monitoring. Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 $200 4 yes 2 yes no Good balance of sound quality and price with independent main and headphone outputs. Has microphone inputs with direct monitoring but no loopback input. Denon DS1 $300 4 no 4 no yes Higher quality option for vinyl control. Comes with a pair of Serato timecode vinyl that are compatible with Mixxx. Native Instruments Traktor Scratch Audio 6 $300 6 no 6 no yes Higher quality option for vinyl control. Has an extra stereo pair of inputs for recording or broadcasting with an external hardware mixer. The included Traktor Scratch Mk2 timecode vinyl are not compatible with Mixxx. MOTU Ultralite AVB $650 10 yes 10 yes no High quality outputs can plug directly into main speakers, booth monitors, and headphones with independent volume controls without needing an external mixer. Also works as a WiFi controllable mixer without needing a computer. RME Babyface Pro $750 4 yes 4 yes no Very high sound quality

Mixers with audio interfaces