Connecting an x1800 Mixer

I seem to have just connectivity problems. There is no sound coming out at all. Also and I’m sure its just me but the computer hooked up to the mixer seems to have no purpose at all. Once again maybe its me and I’m just so new to Denon DJ. I also have 2 Lacie external hard drives that are useless to me because that have Thunder Bolt fittings at the end of them. Much help and assistance would be appreciated. Right about now I just want to get some sound…lol lol lol.

A good place to start would be to say what you are hooking up to the mixer. Only the laptop and you want that sound to come out of (one or more) channels of the mixer?

DJ Vintage,

I thank you for responding to my issues at hand. I guess I could have given more details so I do apologize for that. I have 2 SC5000’s, MacBook Pro and 2 Alto & 2 Bose powered speakers hooked up as well. Everything is hooked up as the manual stated to do. Both manuals (SC5000 & X1800) have conflicting diagrams on the initial setup. Still I’m determined to make this work. Over the past couple of years I converted over to digital from analog. I know turntables and I was getting the hang of controllers. To me the SC5000 are pretty much CDJs on steroids…lol lol lol. This didn’t turn out to be as easy as everyone is making this Denon DJ Prime stuff to be, but there you have it. As I said in the first email I can use all the help and assistance I can get. No disrespect to Denon DJ Support Team, just a little impatient I guess. I thank you for taking time to help a fellow DJ out.

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Should be pretty straight forward as far as hooking up your SC5000’s to X1800. Use the supplied digital leads (black) to connect to Layer A and Layer B out - run them into the digital ins on the mixer (different to the standard line/phono ins). Also connect the supplied ethernet (green) cable between the players and into one of the four ethernet inputs on the mixer. Then select ‘digital’ as your channel source on each line channel on the mixer.

What are you trying to achieve by connecting your Macbook to the X1800?

DenonDJ-Australia

I was able to get sound and figure out the wrongness that I had done. Now you do have me pondering here. My SC5000’s & X1800 didn’t come with digital leads. I’m going to assume that you are talking about the RCA jacks that did come with them. I kind of understand your concept; however, as I said I’m new to this do please if you don’t mind break it down to me. The setup you are talking about wasn’t in the manual. Don’t get me wrong I do understand there is more than one way to skin a cat…lol; however, when you have spent big $$$ you want to make sure that the cat is skinned correctly.

As for the MacBook, I guess I’m still in Serato & Traktor mode. Have gotten so use to having a screen to look at and to maneuver through what I am doing. The key thing is the updates and the firmware. I know in Serato & Traktor this is done by way of computer. At present time haven’t even seen the firmware that is supposed to be downloaded. Again as I said I’m new to this Engine Prime so please be patient with me. I don’t want to limit myself as a DJ so I believe it is beneficial for a DJ to learn all platforms whether they are currently use them or not. It would be a sad day if a DJ(of 20 plus years) showed up at a gig and the DJ playing asked him to do a set but he couldn’t because he doesn’t know the platform/layout.

Usually player firmware will be updating by downloading it on a PC, loading the file onto a USB stick. Then put the stick in the player and usually through some setup option in the menu you can run the upgrade.

DJ_Vintage

I got you my brother and I thank you very much for your assistance. That was pretty much what I needed for the computer. I’m just use to the computer doing all of that for me. When I have used my controllers the computer pretty much does all the updates for me when I download them to the computer; however, I see what you are saying and I thank you very much. Now at present time I’m using a Lacie 2TB external hard drive because I have over 40,000 songs(that I have counted right now, might be more). So I guess the concept with an external hard drive is the same as a USB stick. I will give it a shot and see what I come up with. Hope you don’t mind time to time me coming to you for assistance.

I’m double checking these leads for you. They do have RCA connections, but they may still be digital cables - they certainly do seem to work on the digital output of the SC5000.

That is a good point. If the connectors are color-coded on the cables you got, then yellow is digital. The actual connectors are indeed the exact same. If they are not (clearly) coded, the biggest give away would be they are single cables. Regular rca cables (99% of the time) come as stereo.

Digital audio RCA:

Analogue audio RCA:

So, to sum things up. For digital audio you need the single cable with ONE connector on each side per player per layer, using the yellow rca ports on the player. On the mixer they have not used yellow connectors(design error?) but they are just plain black (not red/white like analogue though). They are marked digital in (duh). For analogue audio you need cables with TWO connectors on each side.

Forgive me if you knew this already, it may help someone else along the way :slight_smile:

As for contents of the package, the Denon website is no help:

PACKAGE CONTENTS

Power Cord
USB Cable
User Guide
Safety & Warranty Manual

Which would mean there are NO audio cables included at all. So hard to see what you exactly got (a picture does say a thousand words though, should you want to make sure).

DJ_Vintage

Here is exactly what came in the box as follows:

PACKAGE CONTENTS SC5000 Prime Unit USB 3.0 Cable 2 Sets of Gold Plated Stereo RCA Cables IEC Power Cable Display Cleaning Cloth Ethernet Link Cable USB Extender Cable User Guide Safety & Warranty Manual

As you see no digital leads but in fact RCA Cables in which I did receive. I’m glad I do have sound so as time goes on I will in fact tweek this and tweek that to see other things that I can do. For right now just trying to get the basics down on understanding this unit & Engine Prime platform. If I’m able to I will do what I can to post a picture so you can definitely see what I have. There might be one or two videos on YouTube/Denon DJ page to show as well.

Just a quick addendum/side note to the discussion above: don’t use the analog RCA cable that come stock with the SC5000 with the digital ins/outs. A SPDIF RCA and an analog RCA cable pair (what’s included with the SC5000) are completely different, so you’ll want to purchase a true SPDIF if you want to take advantage of the digital I/O’s of the SC5000 and respective mixer. Of gone into detail in another post here on the forum if anyone is after specific differences between the two.

Cheers. :beers:

Correct. Confirming that these are analogue stereo RCA’s, as opposed to S/PDIF digital - with an RCA connection.

LntS

I went out and purchased SPDIF cables and in a few going to check out what I have going on. Thank you for your info on what I needed to make this a operation…lol lol lol. As I spoke with the other DJ’s very new to Denon DJ so still learning as I go.

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To all DJ’s,

Just for the record(not trying to stroke Denon’s egos…lol lol lol) the SC5000’s & X1800’s are the TRUTH!!! From what I have gathered thus far, my setup now is a definite upgrade and/or improvement from what I was using. Just my opinion.