Do you know your cables? - Full DJ Cable Guide

The back of a DJ mixer can be a confusing place, but it's made a whole lot worse when you don't know your XLR's from your TRS! In this video, DJ Holland breaks down the audio cables DJ use most and explains the important differences between them all!
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[@Crossfader]

Learn new DJ skills with our online DJ courses. From beginner to advanced courses, specific to various pieces of DJ hardware and software. Click here to find out more: bit.ly/learntoDJ

[@oceanjansly971]

Please next time make subtitles in french

[@alexcore697]

Using shorter Phono cables haha Ive been using 3 meter long phonos from my cdjs to my mixer and for two years now my tunes have been sounding awful,,,Cant tell you how many speakers i have bought new mixers Amps the lot,Ive just bought shorter Phonos and it sounds unreal now,,,Thanks Sir you a Legend 😁👍

[@kaislate]

Thank you for a the rare KZbin video that actually explains balanced signals. Something I would add is that although USB cables are digital they can pickup interference that can cause issues with touch surfaces like jog wheels, touch screens, and touch pads. The only "upgrade" you need though on the cable is a ferrite choke. The USB cable that came with the device always has this and it is for a reason. They 100% work.

[@Crossfader]

Yeah we agree with you on the ferrite choke! Like you say, most USB cables that comes with gear thankfully already has one installed

[@RCmies]

That was a very good explanation of the unbalanced cable. I could teach it to a child after watching this.

[@djholland4235]

Thank you, means a lot :)

[@henrikzetterstrom278]

Totally new in DJing, will get my first DDJ 1000 controller, and this was the best video i have ever seen about this subject. Thank you.

[@Crossfader]

Thank you!

[@iliyaas]

I appreciate this walk through of different cables. I did learn a couple of things I didn't know before. Thanks.

[@tadeoortizelizalde819]

Great video, learnt a lot. Thank you for uploading this.

[@Crossfader]

Our pleasure!

[@TroyBanxz]

So needed. Been trying to work out what cables I need in my DJ bag all month

[@rcadjdiverse]

Very informative. Great video for all levels of DJ's to understand the various type of cable out there.

[@iamdeekay]

Incredible dj tutorial for cables, Good work! If you want to go to the next level start using graphics and animations to reprsent examples.

[@alexzanderking1556]

So in music class in school i learned classical music but here i learn actual useful stuff

[@HaharuRecords]

You are talking about two complete different things, what do you expect to lean in music school? To repair a broken speaker or built a transformation tower.?

[@RR-qt4nc]

Great video! Maybe you can also talk a bit RCA-jack adapters and the difference between large and small jacks. Thank you!

[@heiqqmtb6092]

Lot's of different small things I didn't know, especially of the digital cables. Good stuff, thanks!

[@Crossfader]

Glad it was helpful!

[@acargok5695]

I recommended this a couple months ago in the comments. I’m glad you considered it to make a video!

[@richietwinz6824]

Great video, I did know all this from working in Tandy (Radio Shack in the US) years ago but over time and not using them so much I forgot the specifics. I use a 5 mtr XLR to rca/TRS adapter from my Rane One into my audio interface which is on the other side of my living room and connected to my studio monitors (Tapco S8s that I've had for over a decade and still sound perfect!)

[@djtripplex4815]

Very useful information. Granted I already knew all of this. It is always good to get a refresher. Great video. Big thumbs up.

[@lancefairchild8068]

Have never gotten a straight answer when it comes to the quality difference between digital vs rca connection with CDJs and if for no other reason this video was worth watching just for that

[@djholland4235]

The RCA connection uses the CDJ's DAC (digital to audio converter) and the digital connection will use the mixers DAC. You could arguably get a better sound quality by studying which unit carries a better DAC but I don't think anyone would hear a noticeable difference on club sound systems.

[@dj_prez-1]

Great video. Cables one-o-one. Diffinately learn the terminology of cables.👍👌👏👏👏

[@LesVegasMusic]

Good one! Very clean and concise explanation of each.

[@Fran-sz1wl]

Very good video, you really healped me !! Hello from Spain🙆🏽‍♂️💪🏽❤

[@djholland4235]

fraanac_ glad to hear it! Hello from England 👋🏻👋🏻

[@JanGolke]

Nice and clean explanation!

[@la_clave]

This is a great video. I knew most of this stuff, but great info for new DJs.

[@fionamccormick1279]

Another great video - thank you. There wasn’t any mention of Ethernet cables, though - I use an Ethernet cable to connect my laptop to the CDJs. If two of us are using the decks, we use a network switch to connect the CDJs and mixer together, and also connect the laptops. Maybe out of the scope of this video, though.

[@djholland4235]

I was torn whether to include the link cables, but all DJ equipment (apart from Pioneer DJ Tour series, but they are SERIOUSLY rare) use an RJ45 ethernet connector. You can use a CAT5 or CAT6 cable with these ports, so there's no real need to know the difference (it's only bandwidth/speed anyway). Either will work fine!

[@dsquareddan]

@@djholland4235 the TOUR1 still uses RJ45, it just has the ability to use Neutrik connections. A lot of the "review" videos on KZbin the people just used regular rj45 connectors

[@djholland4235]

D-Squared neutrik! That’s the word! Couldn’t remember! Yeah I noticed Mojaxx using regular cables with them. Still awaiting to touch a pair of them haha

[@DJKOOLBREEZE]

Think of the balanced cable as an ambush. We know there is gonna be noise so we deliberately send the flipped signal as a decoy. The noise ambushes the flipped signal. But back at HQ the real clean signal is revealed when we re flip. Now the noise is flipped into killing itself. This technique is also used to remove vocals from a track so u are left with the acapella. Or even disect a track removibg each instrument.

[@djholland4235]

Great analogy!

[@itsmethough24]

The video everyone needed

[@Crossfader]

Thats great to hear!

[@JamesSarno]

Great stuff Holland! Very informative, I enjoyed this video. Thanks!

[@Crossfader]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you :)

[@soentertainmentdjs2316]

Very in-depth. Good job!

[@NADEESHSAMEERAPERERA]

Learned a lot. Cheers cross fader 👍👍👍

[@agapesound2016]

Very informative thanks

[@asafel]

Amazing vid!!! Thanks

[@deiwar2994]

Good job! I would have just added XLR AES digital just in case some high end mixers or playback devices were used.

[@sebastiantorres5363]

Great video

[@matthiasdotzler2368]

Seriously enjoyed that video and learned a lot, thank you very much! There's one detail that intrigues me: most XLR cables are labelled microphone cables and some are speaker cables. I have already worked out that the microphone ones use smaller diametre conductors, and there also appears to be a difference in shielding. But I haven't found out yet which ones you ought to use to connect monitor speakers to your mixer/ controller - why wouldn't you use the cheaper microphone ones if it's only a few metres anyway..?

[@kaislate]

Add in: ohm rated XLR XLR terminated DMX Also ethercon... Lol For reals though, XLR is one of the best connectors and cable I have ran into issues 75 Ohm rated XLR "digital" cables. This has caused what sounds like feedback rumble and electromagnetic sensitivity increase when using with a blue spark microphone. I prefer lynx and seismic audio cables and have had good results with those XLR terminated cables. I like being able to completely take apart the cable and change connectors or replace damaged ones. Having said that chroma cables from djtechtools are molded connectors that are high quality, but do not have long enough cables unfortunately. They max at 1.5 meters. However, their USB cables are excellent. Hope this helped.

[@virgilwilliams2378]

Guitar cables can also be used as an stereo RCA audio cable also. You just need a female 1/4 in jack . to Male RCA adapter. to be able to connect to a mixer.

[@SahithNayudu]

Thank you for this kinda of knowledge!

[@antoniemerks1375]

Thank you!

[@togisivni]

precious tips!

[@jayfusion555]

Thank you 😊

[@nebojshaavramovski1606]

Thank you! Great information to know!

[@brucelee2311]

Great info. Helped me immensely.

[@Crossfader]

Glad it helped!

[@vernonpeterson7760]

Great explanation

[@psychologicallydissolved]

This guy knows his stuff

[@jai.joylove]

So then, in general, more advanced controllers include XLR outputs? And XLR outputs can connect to more professional speakers ?

[@plenitudeproductions9381]

Really informative thank you !

[@andrewgjordeni]

Very helpful! Thanks alot!

[@chuuska1972]

Thank you so much for this!

[@Crossfader]

Glad it was helpful!

[@armgod1]

Lovely info!

[@santiagodeibarrola3720]

Awesome guys. Thx!

[@jijingebob]

I didn't know there were a lot of cable, I only know rca

[@romariopowell3867]

Yup,they're alot of cables out there ma Friend!

[@P4boot]

He didn't even talk about midi, HDMI etc. Lol. So yeah, there are a lot.

[@Djwdaan23]

I only knew about RCA and XRL

[@nijitao6746]

thank you very much! this information is very important. Pls make if you can video about usb-c hubs. are there any differences and which is better for dj

[@AnonIllumi]

can answer this without a video, USB C is just a reversible connection like a apple lightning cable, with a high transfer rate of data eg USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0, USB 3.0 allows more data transfer a faster rate per second. as long as the hub is powered you will have little problem as audio gear over midi controller draw more power from just a USB port that is why a powered hub is better 9to stop audio drop outs) but most DJ gear midi or audio runs at USB 2.0 at a minimum...

[@DJQuet]

DUDE SUPER SMART

[@adrianandhislife]

thank a lot

[@dolapoa6089]

What about RCA to Jack

[@johncaybould3022]

Thanks for the vid! I have a safety question. Maybe you can help and I'd really appreciate any kind of answer: Is it safe to connect RCA cables to a dj mixer while it is powered on (for recording live set), for example when I start a dj set directly after the previous dj without turning off the mixer? Thanks in advance!

[@kaislate]

I don't know why we still use RCA cabling. (There are balanced RCA, but it is rare). 1/4 inch jacks are also inferior. You should never bridge connections upon inserting a cable. XLR is the way. Speakon is superior, but less common and maybe proprietary. Powercon is the best connector, but speakon is the closest audio equivalent.

[@matoflynn]

What an awesome video

[@Crossfader]

Thank you :)

[@orangebeatz6674]

Hey CrossFader :)

[@patriciomartinez5565]

Great great video

[@AT-wl9yq]

Some of the information in the video isn't correct and its kind of important so I think its worth mentioning. In the comparison between the balanced and single ended cables, the pin configuration for xlr isn't correct. An rca cable has a signal and ground (hot and cold), that part is correct. A balanced cable doesn't have a hot, cold and ground. If you look more carefully at whatever diagram you got that from, the + and = symbols on a balanced cable signify polarity. In reality, there are 2 hots and the ground is cold. That's very important, because in some situations, you can damage you equipment if you're not aware of that. As far as making a balanced connection goes, its not the cable that makes the difference. You need 3 things that must be in place to make it balanced. The upstream component has to output a balanced signal, not just have an xlr jack. The downstream component has to accept a balanced signal, not just have an xlr jack on it. And the cable itself has needs to support 3 conductors, and the pin configuration on the cable has to match the components. (XLR cables are not always used for balanced connections, and the pins don't always match for every application.). If all 3 things aren't exactly right, you won't get a balanced connection. Only 2 of the 3 pins are being used and its identical to using an rca cable. With all that said, the industry has made a disaster out of balanced connections. The truth is, in most cases, when you make connections with xlr cables, its not balanced. You can tell. What you need to do is look at the specs for your gear. If the xlr jacks are really balanced, you'll see 2 sets of specs. A balanced connection will measure 4 to 6 db higher that a single ended connection, so they have to list the specs for both. One last thing that's important, is you may be forced into a situation where you can have issues. If you bring your own Dj gear to clubs, like a controller, you may have to plug into a house system that only accepts balanced signals. Balanced and unbalanced equipment is not compatable, and you can't just plug in anything you want just because the jack fits the cable. Always keep some direct or DI boxes with you. If you try and plug single ended gear into it, it will not work, and depending on how things are wired, you may damage equipment. DI boxes are made just for this reason. They can balance, or unbalance a signal, in order to make your gear compatable. That was all the important stuff, but I just want to clear up one other issue. Digital cables can, and do sound different. And I can prove it. First, the signal that goes through a digital cable is analog. And because its analog, the same type of thigs that effect analog cables, can affect digital cables as well. If you want to see actual proof, several people in the industry that set up some null testing for a bunch of different digital cables, and the testing proves there's an audible difference. Some of the tests are on youtube, so if you are interested you can see them right here.

[@dj_paultuk7052]

When you say the center pin is Live. Its not "Live" as such. It only carries 0.5 volts in a analogue signal waveform. As with all analogue cables, it does pay to get a better quality cable, rather than some cheap £2 ebay RCA. Same with XLR.

[@DJOutkast]

Well god damn! I learned a lot today!

[@benthornton5872]

If I was connecting a DDJ400 to a Roland Rubix 44 should I use a 2rca - xlr , or a 2rca to 2xlr?

[@Motivationalinsight1995]

Can you use a XLR Male to RCA Male Cable to connect ddj sb3 with studio monitors?

[@abupablo]

No shout out to the 1/4 inch cable?

[@Djhapan_korppu]

Overall great vid thanks!! I have ''digital master out'' in my old Pioneer m850 mixer, what is it used for? o_o (I tried google already)

[@Crossfader]

It basically sends the master out signal (usually connected by XLR's) in digital coaxial. Not commonly used to be honest, but it allows for speakers and mixing desks that can receive a digital signal to use this connection. It can be handy for daisy chaining DJ mixers together using the master out of one mixer into a spare channel of another.

[@lilart13ab]

I bought a Microsoft surface go 10 inch tablet how do I connect it 2 my pioneer wego 4 I use the algoridim dj pro app. Do I need 2 buy a special cord?

[@sharifudeen6068]

Hi Crossfader, I tried to connect my mixer to my sound bar with an RCA to aux cable and it’s giving a very distorted ( close interval echo )feedback . . Is it the wrong type of cable to use ?

[@elliesaxx]

Another great video guys 🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@dominicrijsemus1440]

I need a cable from my reloop rmx60 mixer to the krk 8 g4 Whit is the best to use

[@Barbero1999]

So, a normal rca cable can be used on the digital output?

[@dodo111]

dope

[@Panoskd]

So what the best cable for denon prime 4 and speaker krk 7?

[@emanuelerossi1487]

hi crossfader, i have to connect the djm v10lf to a coaxial digital input ... which cable should i use?

[@Crossfader]

Dedicated digital coaxial or a high quality RCA should do the job fine

[@emanuelerossi1487]

@@Crossfader can i use an xke cable to 1 x rca male?

[@glowex3274]

what about Speakon?

[@Crossfader]

We wanted to keep the guide to more general DJ connections found on a mixer rather than a P/A setup. One day we might push into the speakers, amplifiers and audio processing but for beginners DJ's it's a bit much!

[@hstone0808]

I literally am going to find a different video narrated by someone else, this dude is driving me fn crazy with all that hard swallowing!

[@lugg5519]

So for digital connection you can use normal RCA cables, dont you? Or are „digital coax cable“ specific ones? min. 7:18

[@djholland4235]

Lugge you can use RCA cables yes! I often do it, it’s possible a really poor quality RCA cables won’t work but pretty much everyone I have used has not caused a issue!

[@SherwinBajao]

Why does DVS depend on the RCA color? Shouldn't it be paired like you said?

[@djholland4235]

When setting up DVS you must get the left and right outputs of the deck plugged into the left and right channels of the DVS sound card as the computer uses the stereo difference to know which way the control signal is being played. If you get them mixed up, so right output into left input, the software will play backwards. You also have to turn master tempo off if you are using a CDJ as the computer uses the pitch difference to know how fast you want to play the tracks. Hope this helps!

[@eylon951]

Someone told me pl its trs cable i dont know if it true ?

[@fareld.laksana7518]

How's about old cable like control cable in djm 1000?

[@Crossfader]

The old control cables for fader start are 3.5mm TRS cables. The exact same as a regular AUX cable :)

[@fareld.laksana7518]

@@Crossfader thanks, now i know the usage

[@Metasfera]

When i use digital cables the volume is much lower. Why is that?

[@gregbirdsall]

No TosLink?

[@djholland4235]

synthetik struggling to think of any DJ equipment that uses toslink, think that’s more reserved for HiFi use

[@gregbirdsall]

@@djholland4235 You know what? You're right. I thought my old CDJ800s had them for some reason, but after finding them in my attic, I have no idea why I thought that.

[@patriciomartinez5565]

What happens if i have an xlr to trs? Is it balanced or unbalanced?

[@EricMcKearney]

It *should* be balanced but that depends on how its wired - if it is a standard XLR-TRS it should be balanced but some are wired slightly differently which can unbalance the signal, usually for specific applications. Link from Shure has some good details: www.shure.com/en-US/support/find-an-answer/how-do-i-wire-an-xlr-to-1-4-adapter-cable

[@mixlexic]

Does the length of speaker cabling have any bearing on noise?

[@Crossfader]

On unbalanced cables yes, the longer the cable the more unwanted noise it can potentially pick up. This is why 5 meters is usually the longest length you can buy in unbalanced cables and the reason why balanced cables exist :)

[@xavierkeane5857]

@@Crossfader what if you rap them around in a circle and tie them off if the are two long and keep that extra cord somewhere untouched & you forgot bout the ground for the ddj1000 is it worth using it? I use master with rcas into a big sound system ,have never used it

[@roideldig9770]

Am I the only one using XLR female to PL cable connection for audio?

[@leon-kp9dp]

Gotta say, i am more confused, than i was before

[@SherwinBajao]

lol

[@rwbmusicuk]

Something about new cables are so sexy, don't @ me

[@Crossfader]

haha! we get you

[@djholland4235]

I have a white XLR cable by Oyaide... I know exactly what you mean haha!

[@bashanborlangkhongshei2851]

By using a RCA cable to XLR cable...will it be good for long distances

[@djholland4235]

Unfortunately not, RCA to XLR cables are still unbalanced due to the output failing to send the "cold" signal. I've seen a lot of people using these cables to plug beginner controllers into bigger sound systems but they don't help the fundamental issues of unbalanced cables. You'd be better plugging the RCA into a small mixer that can then send the balanced signal a long distance.

[@bashanborlangkhongshei2851]

@@djholland4235 thank you so much for the reply since i was thinking of buying the Ddj 400 which just had RCA's output....then I'll have to reconsider buying much more expensive controller lol..🤣which have XLR output

[@djholland4235]

@@bashanborlangkhongshei2851 Anytime at all mate, this is why I wanted to do the video. It's good to know why we use certain cables in different scenarios!

[@bashanborlangkhongshei2851]

@@djholland4235 👍👍 thankyou so much once again....can you recommend me any kind of ddj controller that have XLR outputs..

[@djholland4235]

Bashanborlang khongshei what software would you like to use it with?

[@UrbanLargeRider]

"Dj cable" like a "dj шпагат"))) 😆

[@thisisian62]

Showing my age here, but RCA’s where always called phono leads back in the day. ....they were only RCA‘s in America.

[@djholland4235]

I still call them Phono leads when I'm setting up! When people look at me confused, I end up saying red and whites haha!

[@creativefacts2129]

Do you have PDF for This?

[@Crossfader]

We don't however you can view the full break down in our guide. wearecrossfader.co.uk/blog/dj-cable-guide/

[@Flumpey]

What about speakon, nobody uses XLR on club speakers anymore.

[@Crossfader]

We wanted to keep the guide to more general DJ connections found on a mixer rather than a P/A setup. One day we might push into the speakers, amplifiers and audio processing but for beginners DJ's it's a bit much!

[@Flumpey]

Crossfader understood! I use speakon on my home speakers weirdly enough, think it needs to become the standard as they are more sturdy!

[@DJKOOLBREEZE]

Speakon goes from amps to non powered speakers. I think they carry decent amount of power

[@Flumpey]

Telony Ex true yeah they also carry a hell of a lot of power to speakers too, my club have huge subwoofers all powered through one, lot of power that!

[@djholland4235]

​@@Flumpey Yep! Very true, I know a fair bit about club installs including the processing, amplification and speaker resistance ect but it's a bit much for beginners to take in and not very necessary for most DJ's to know about!

[@dj_eddie_o3586]

Why not also mention DMX cables? And why they’re different from XLR, and why you should not get them confused so as not to damage your audio source... just saying..

[@djholland4235]

DMX cables are for lighting and we aren't covering that here. They both use the XLR connection standard but the cable is made to a different standard. The main difference being resistance and shielding. Using a 3 pin DMX cable instead of an XLR wouldn't damage anything, at most the quality might deteriorate. Using a XLR instead of a DMX would just ruin the quality of the signal thanks to the resistance difference. No real damage would occur but the lights may not receive the signal properly and act up. But again thats for lighting guys, not DJ's. Plugging lights into audio gear or visa versa is a possible damage scenario but it's a highly unlikely and not really applicable to this video at all. We're teaching the use of audio cables, not a guide to tell DJ's not to plug mixers into smoke machines 🙈 Sorry for the essay of a reply! Just wanted to cover all bases for people reading who might not know the difference between the two! 😃

[@djimma5080]

Dj cabelguide sounds like an OK Dj name

[@TesFlame]

Great video