This guide is a how-to for streaming using a 3rd party software such as OBS, and many of these instructions may also be applied to other software.
The instructions provided herein are based around a DDJ-1000, and may be different for other DDJ units. Please check the DDJ section of the Knowledge Base for additional tutorials.
This particular guide is for streaming from a DDJ-1000 either as with an external input such as a turntable or CDJ, or using the DDJ-1000 as a stand-alone device (in which case, skip over the rekordbox component below). If you are NOT using an external input, follow this guide instead.
Please note that there are two different sets of instructions below. Apple made changes to Catalina (macOS 10.15) to restrict the use of 32bit applications, and as such, the original instructions below will not work with Catalina. You can use either set of instructions if you're on Mojave or earlier, but you may opt for the first set using Soundflower and JACK because they're free.
macOS Mojave (10.14) or earlier only
This section was made using the following software versions:
- macOS Mojave v10.14.1
- rekordbox v5.4.2
- Soundflower v2.0b2
- Jack v0.92b3
- OBS Studio v22.0.3
These versions are out of date and some details will not be relevant, but as Mojave is no longer the newest OS, this section will not be updated. Please use this information as reference to apply the details to the software where it has changed; you may also refer to details from the newer version in the section below.
Step 1 - Update
Ensure that you are running the latest version of rekordbox, that your drivers and firmware are up-to-date, and that your broadcast software is current as well.
Step 2 - Download the Necessary Software
You'll need these two tools:
Download and install them both, then reboot.
Step 3 - Create an Aggregate Audio Device
With your DDJ connected and powered-on, open Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup - if the Audio Devices window is not visible, click Window > Show Audio Devices.
Click the + icon at the bottom left and select Create Aggregate Device.
Click on the name Aggregate Device and rename it DDJ+SF.
It CAN NOT contain the word "DDJ-1000" or rekordbox will recognize it as that device and the additional outputs will NOT be available.
In the right window, check the box beside DDJ-1000, then check the box beside Soundflower (2ch).
Quit Audio MIDI Setup.
Step 4 - Configure rekordbox Audio
Nothing changes in rekordbox as far as your audio device is concerned; keep everything configured for the DDJ-1000.
Step 5 - Configure Jack
Open the JackPilot application (you won't need to use the qjackctl application, so don't worry about that), and open the Preferences (there is no button, do it through the menu or press Command + , ).
Configure your setup as shown:
Be sure to un-check System port monitoring and Auto-Connect with physical ports as well. Click Save, then click Start on the main JackPilot window.
Click the Routing button and the Connections Manager window will open. Toggle the triangles beside system in both the Send Ports and Receive Ports panes of the Connections Manager window.
To patch the audio between the correct ins and outs, you'll first select the item you want to patch, then double-click on the item you're patching it to. This one is simple as there's only 2 to patch. First click capture_11 and then double-click playback_7. You'll see it turn red, and system:capture_11 will appear in the Connections pane. Repeat to patch capture_12 to playback_8.
Clicking the System item in the Send Ports pane should look like this:
You can now close the Connections Manager window.
Step 6 - Configure OBS for Audio
Minimize rekordbox and launch OBS.
Click the + button at the bottom of the Sources window to add a new Audio Input Capture source.
You can keep the defaults, click OK.
Select Soundflower (2CH) from the Device drop-down.
Click OK.
Note: Steps 5 & 6 from the Catalina guide below contain newer information which was not included in this guide's Audio or Video setups, and it may help you with some details you might be wondering about.
If you're only streaming audio, you can skip ahead to Step 8.
Step 7 - Configure OBS for Video
If you want to stream a capture of your screen or video input (or both) you can add these as well.
Click the + button at the bottom of the Sources window to add a new Display Capture source, you can keep the defaults and click OK.
If you have multiple displays, select the output display you want to use.
Click OK.
Please note, as an alternative to Display Capture, you may try using the Window Capture function. Whether this works depends on the graphics chipset(s) you have in your Mac. If you find the Window Capture freezes OBS or does not show your waveforms within rekordbox, then use the Display Capture.
If you are showing the rekordbox output, as opposed to a video input source, you should match your input size. Open Settings > Video and change the Base (Canvas) size to match the resolution of your display.
The Output (Scaled) size should typically be 720 or 1080 to keep a down-sampled resolution that is friendly for your broadcast.
Click OK.
You can also (optionally) add a webcam or other video input and configure it here. If you require further instruction on this, try Google.
Step 8 - Broadcast
Click the Studio Mode button to enter a dual-view mode. With music playing in rekordbox, you should now see an audio level in the meter at the bottom, and a video preview (if applicable).
Be sure to adjust the levels on the mixer for any other audio sources; mute the other inputs if they're not being used. You're ready to broadcast - simply configure your output stream destination!
Step 9 - Tweak
You should test and monitor the workload and buffer on your computer as you perform - chances are the CPU usage won't be the issue, but the audio buffer may still run out. As you increase the buffer, the latency (delay between action and audio output) will increase, but the likelihood of audio dropouts or crackling will decrease. Your computer's age will typically increase the buffer sizes required, but there are tricks you can do to reduce background application usage and improve the overall performance of your Mac.
If you find the audio level a bit low (because there is inherent overhead in the DDJ-1000 to prevent digital clipping), open the Advanced Audio Properties by clicking the gear icon in the mixer section of OBS. If you don't see the mixer, click View > Docks > Mixer.
Adjust the volume percentage:
I've found that 350% gives me peaks of around -4dB on the stream with channel peaks on the DDJ-1000 keeping the 0dB LED illuminated fairly solid. Adjust to what works best for you.
Any Version of macOS
This section was made using the following software versions:
- macOS Catalina v10.15.4
- rekordbox v5.8.5
- Loopback 2.1.3
- OBS Studio v24.0.6
Step 1 - Update
Ensure that you are running the latest version of rekordbox, that your drivers and firmware are up-to-date, and that your broadcast software is current as well.
Step 2 - Download the Necessary Software
There is just one extra tool necessary for us Mac users:
You can also use Sound Siphon, which is a very similar application and a few bucks cheaper. I've had Loopback for years (very worth the cost) and haven't used Sound Siphon myself, but from what I understand, you can follow along pretty closely to configure it as we do for Loopback below.
Step 3 - Configure rekordbox Audio
Connect your DDJ-1000 and power it on. If you see NO AUDIO DRIVER appear on the jog displays, launch the DDJ-1000 Driver Version Display Utility then quit it; you'll now see Pioneer DJ and rekordbox in the displays.
Launch rekordbox, open Preferences > Audio and verify that the DDJ-1000 is set as the Audio device.
Close the rekordbox preferences window.
Step 4 - Configure Loopback
Launch Loopback and click New Virtual Device at the bottom left, then name it rb2OBS:
Click on the Pass-Thru source device and delete it. Click the + icon beside Sources and click DDJ-1000:
Next, click the connectors between the DDJ-1000 and the Output Channels 1 & 2 device one at a time, and delete them. Drag a line from the dot to the right of DDJ-1000 11 to the Output Channel 1, then repeat for 12 to 2:
That's all here. This step literally does the job of JACK and Soundflower in a few simple clicks.
Step 5 - Configure OBS for Audio
Download and install OBS if you haven't already, then launch it.
Click the + button at the bottom of the Sources window to add a new Audio Input Capture source:
You can keep the defaults, click OK.
Select rb2OBS from the Device drop-down.
Click OK.
With audio playing on a deck in rekordbox, you will now see activity on the meters in the Audio Mixer section of OBS:
You may notice the levels are a bit low, and don't change when you adjust the Master level knob on the DDJ-1000 - this is normal! The recording output is taken pre-master so it's not affected by the master volume knob. I recommend adjusting the channel Trim knobs so the DDJ-1000 channel meters are peaking around the first orange LED. Them there are two options for boosting the signal; first is within rekordbox by going to Preferences > Controller > Mixer > Headroom and adjusting the value from the default to NONE, but I like to keep this at -6dB or -9dB and use the second method. Click the gear icon below the Audio Input Capture in the Audio Mixer of OBS (pictured above), and click Advanced Audio Properties.
Adjust the Volume to 6.0dB (or as needed to get the single track peak levels just dipping into the red):
If you want to also have the audio come out of your computer's speakers, change Audio Monitoring to Monitor and Output. This is only necessary if you don't have speakers connected to your DDJ-1000 already; the device for this is set in the preferences below.
Click Close.
Next, open Settings to configure a few things...
If you want to record the stream from within OBS, click General at the left and tick the box beside Automatically record when streaming in the Output box.
Click Stream at the left to select your output stream destination from the Service dropdown, then click the Stream Key (Link) linked text to open the corresponding website's streaming info page:
Go through their setup process or other instructions and copy/paste your key into the field above.
Click Output at the left and check that the Output Mode is set to Advanced:
If you want to go to a higher quality stream, uncheck the Enforce streaming service encoder settings box, otherwise, skip this and the next part. Click the Audio tab and adjust the Audio Bitrate:
How high you go depends on the quality of your internet connection and the capacity for the server you're streaming to.
Finally, click Audio at the left - change the Monitoring Device if desired (per above).
If you're only streaming audio, you can skip ahead to Step 7.
Step 6 - Configure OBS for Video
If you want to stream a capture of your screen or video input (or both) you can add these as well.
Click the + button at the bottom of the Sources window to add a new Display Capture source:
You can keep the defaults and click OK.If you have multiple displays, select the output display you want to use.
Click OK.
Please note, as an alternative to Display Capture, you may try using the Window Capture function. Whether this works depends on the graphics chipset(s) you have in your Mac. If you find the Window Capture freezes OBS or does not show your waveforms within rekordbox, then use the Display Capture.
If you are showing the rekordbox output, as opposed to a video input source, you should match your input size. Open Settings > Video and change the Base (Canvas) size to match the resolution of your display.
The Output (Scaled) size should typically be 720 or 1080 to keep a down-sampled resolution that is friendly for your broadcast.
Click OK.
You can also (optionally) add a webcam or other video input and configure it here. If you require further instruction on this, try Google.
Step 7 - Broadcast
Click Start Streaming and that's pretty much it! Start playing some tunes, and if you've enabled your webcam - smile!
Step 8 - Tweak
You should test and monitor the workload and buffer on your computer as you perform - chances are the CPU usage won't be the issue, but the audio buffer may still run out. As you increase the buffer, the latency (delay between action and audio output) will increase, but the likelihood of audio dropouts or crackling will decrease. Your computer's age will typically mean larger buffer sizes are required, but there are tricks you can do to reduce background application usage and improve the overall performance of your Mac.
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While efforts will be made to keep up with any changes to this process to ensure others can use it after software update have been released, we can't guarantee the accuracy or relevance of this information, nor the performance of any 3rd party software applications.
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