How To Set Up A Wireless DJ System

Being a live DJ is as much about the performance as it is the music. For a performance without the restraint of wires, a complete wireless DJ system allows you to move around with unfettered freedom. It is also a great option for the amateur who wants to impress at a house party, or take their sound out to the pool.

There are many applications for wireless DJ systems. Consider what it could add to your performance to be able to control the music while you weave through the crowd at a live venue, interacting with everyone as you go along. Maybe your performance would benefit from multiple people controlling the music from different locations at the same time. Perhaps you can reach better locations for your speakers if you don’t have to snake unruly wires to them across the room.

You need only a few things to get started with wireless DJing – a wireless DJ controller, wireless speakers and a remote control application. Here is a breakdown of how to set up a wireless DJ system, whether you are a club owner or a looking to play at the next frat party.

1 – Wireless DJ Controller

The heart of your wireless DJ system is a wireless DJ controller like the Pioneer XDJR1. Your wireless DJ controller works similarly to a standard digital DJ controller in that it allows you to play and manipulate audio from connected USB devices, line-in inputs, CDs and connected computers through MIDI.

The additional function we’re interested in is the ability of the wireless DJ controller to receive content wirelessly and/or control the audio from a wireless location. This could be from a laptop computer somewhere in the room, a smartphone or a tablet, for example.

2 – Remote Application

In the case of the Pioneer XDJR1, it essentially has a wireless router built-in to which smartphones can connect. Enable the wireless setting, set the SSID and password, and its ready to be connected to.

On the mobile device, install the application Remotebox. Having then connected to the wireless DJ controller’s WLAN network, the DJ controller’s user interface is displayed on the smartphone or tablet, allowing you to manipulate all of the features of the device from a remote location within Wi-Fi range. It is a simple matter to queue up different channel outputs, play and pause tracks from USB-connected devices or mix using the virtual faders.

Other wireless DJ controllers have similar remote applications that can be used on smartphones, tablets, PCs and Macs.

3 – Wireless Speakers

If you DJ in multiple venues and take speakers with you then the potential benefits of wireless speakers should not be lost on you. Each venue has a different setup, different acoustics and you may want to position your speakers in awkward places. Running cables from your main DJ station is a pain, and you need to tape the cables up for safety and security. Even if you’re only DJing in one venue, if your venue requires a larger number of speakers, or speakers placed in multiple rooms, then it can be a logistical nightmare to run wires from your main equipment to the speakers.

Enter wireless speakers, like Infinity Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Speakers. These can be placed anywhere they’ll get power and output 80 watts of sound each. The signal is sent from a bundled transmitter, which can be up to 600 feet away from the speakers. It will even transmit through walls and ceilings, sending CD quality wireless uncompressed sound. Up to four speakers can be used in tandem.

To pair these speakers to our wireless DJ system, all it takes is connecting the master OUT from the wireless DJ controller to the transmitter’s line-IN. They now function in the same way as any other speakers, sans the wires.

While these speakers are a little on the pricey side, speakers that connect via Bluetooth also work in the same manner – they just don’t have the impressive range. You can consider Bluetooth wireless speakers for your wireless DJ system if you don’t plan to have the speakers far from the transmitter.

4 – Optional – Other Wireless Connections

With the controller and speakers in place, there’s nothing stopping you from getting rid of more and more wires until you’re almost completely wireless. We still have to contend with power connections, but apart from that, there are many places where wires can be done away with completely. Your DJ monitoring headphones can be replaced by wireless headphones – all you need to do is charge the battery and keep a transmitter in the DJ controller’s headphone-OUT port.

Wireless microphones are easy to set up – again one simply needs to plug in the wireless microphone receiver/amp to the DJ controller’s input and the wireless microphone will work just as a wired input would. Virtually all popular instruments have wireless transmitter/receiver options, so if you have live instruments in the mix then they too can go wireless, freeing up the performance even further.

It’s time for your live DJ workstation to be less of a mess of wires. Going wireless can be a joy, for both the audience and you as the performer.