At the moment, you can only connect and use your laptop in HID mode with the equipment in our DJ studios. You will need to bring the following:
- 3 USB A-B cables, 2 going from your laptop to each CDJ and one for the DJM - they only accept USB B (see picture below). 3 cables are needed because our decks are not linked to the DJM automatically, so each component will need to be connected to your laptop. You cannot use one cable only.
- A USB hub with 3 USB A ports — to connect the CDJs together, with the DJM straight into your laptop OR to connect the CDJs and DJM together into one port of your laptop
- The full paid version of DJ software such as Rekordbox (Core, Creative or Professional), Traktor Pro or Serato DJ Pro. In some cases the software will need to be activated. This video shows you how to do it for Rekordbox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wa5O1cZHD0
- Windows and Mac OS - The updated Pioneer DJM driver on your laptop
To connect the CDJs and DJM to your DJ software:
- Open up Rekordbox/Serato/Traktor and navigate to the Settings > Audio menu and under Audio or Interface, select the DJM 900 NXS2 as the driver. If it's not showing up on there, click on the Driver button next to it and install it.
- Now, on each CDJ, press the LINK button to access Control Mode and push the rotary knob to connect to it. At this point, if you rotate the knob, it will let you choose which virtual deck we want each CDJ to assign to - Deck 1 for the left deck and Deck 2 for the right Deck 2.
- You should be good to go!
Here are more detailed instructions on how to get set up with the DJ equipment using your laptop.
Below, you can find a video explanation of the above for each DJ software - the process is exactly the same for Rekordbox/Serato/Traktor!
Rekordbox
Serato
Warning! Serato Mac users, please hold off updating to macOS 14 Sonoma, as it isn't yet supported.
Traktor
Virtual DJ
Here's a guide on how to connect your laptop to the CDJs and DJM, if you're a Virtual DJ user. Despite you are welcome to try it, this has not been tested by us and it isn't actively supported.
Are you in a room with CDJ 3000s instead? This guide will be the one you're looking for.
Still having issues?
Ensure you have the hardware drivers installed - On some occasions the drivers may have to be installed separately when connecting to our equipment for the first time. Here's a link to the page on Pioneer here: (https://www.pioneerdj.com/en/support/software/cdj-2000/)
If you see the 'DISCONNECTED' error message after you try push to connect on the CDJ, there's a good chance it could be down to the USB hub you are using. Certain unpowered USB hubs can struggle to run all of our equipment through them. There are a couple of ways to check this:
- Connect at least one of either the CDJs or DJM directly to a USB port on your computer, not via a USB hub to see if it connects.
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Try all USB ports, some work better than others
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Check that both CDJs and DJM appear as devices under the MIDI window of the Audio MIDI Setup app (found under Applications > Utilities). This screen should look like the image attached beneath:
If you are still experiencing issues, then it's best to try a full reset of the laptop/equipment. Turn off both CDJs/DJM and disconnect them FIRST, then restart your laptop. Once your laptop has restarted, you can plug the CDJs back in.
Sometimes an outdated OS can cause issues with connecting and you may need to do a software update. On mac, 10.15 Catalina and before can cause problems connecting to our equipment.
Alternatively, here are some videos for setting up your laptop with all main DJ software: