I have a new Pioneer DDJ-SX, which worked fine out of the box with my Dell Latitude E6420 laptop (core i7 processor with 8GB RAM) running Windows 7 x64 Enterprise and the Serato DJ software (v 1.1.1). DDJ-SX firmware version is 1.02, and Windows driver version is 1.00.
PROBLEM: Now the unit does not output any PC audio through the main outputs, nor can I listen to any of the PC channels using the CUE feature.
Also, the LEDs indicating the master output level do not illuminate for any of the PC channels, despite the channel LEDs correctly illuminating to the beats. All hot cue buttons illuminate with my defined cue points and seem to function correctly when observing the track position indicator in the Serato software. If I disconnect the DDJ-SX while a track is playing, Windows realizes that the unit was disconnected and plays audio through the built-in laptop speakers. Basically, the Serato software functions just like it’s working correctly with the DDJ-SX (even the virtual “master output” level in the software shows a change in levels when I manipulate the controller) yet no audio is heard through headphones using CUE nor through the main audio outs.
All “CD” channels work well with external RCA inputs (they output sound through to the Master, and CUE functions work with my headphones) regardless if I have the unit plugged into my laptop or standalone.
WHAT COULD HAVE CHANGED: About a week ago I didn’t realize I was logged into a different account on my laptop (my work account) with which I had never used the DDJ-SX. It’s worth noting that both accounts have Administrator privileges. Immediately after connecting the DDJ-SX, Windows started searching for a driver. I selected “cancel” and logged out of my work account and into my preferred Windows user account. This is when I first observed that there was no audio output through the DDJ-SX using my Dell laptop.
TROUBLESHOOTING ATTEMPTED: aside from checking the obvious physical settings (cross fader position/state, trim level for a given PC channel, master volume level, position of all other channel knobs and faders) I suspected that the Windows PC could be the culprit. So I pulled out my handy old MacBook from 2006 and installed Serato. My DDJ-SX works correctly (PC channels output sound through mains and all CUE functions work correctly) when connected to the MacBook, with no change in knobs/faders/settings. Back to my Dell laptop, I scrutinized all Windows “sound” parameters and settings. I even tried deleting all Pioneer and Serato software, including manually wiping registry keys to remove traces of the software, then reinstalling in correct order (Serato SW, Pioneer HW driver, connect HW after restart) with the issue persisting. I also tried using the Windows System Restore function, but all restore points are too recent to revert back to a state before I started troubleshooting and uninstalling/reinstalling the Pioneer/Serato software. As a final sanity check I reinstalled the firmware on the DDJ-SX yet the issue continues to persist.
I’m beginning to think that the DDJ-SX is not compatible with my Dell laptop, since I grabbed a spare HDD and installed a fresh copy of Windows 8 x64 and the same audio output issue exists with the same symptoms (also cannot listen to PC channels using headphones in CUE mode).
HERE’S WHERE I NEED YOUR HELP: Have any other Dell laptop users reported this behavior? Could it be a compatibility issue with the PC audio chipset or drivers? What other steps can I take to reset ALL software and sound settings to a point where the configuration was working well? How about a walkthrough of the Windows sound settings to ensure that they are correctly set for the DDJ-SX?
