How to Connect a Microphone to a DJ Controller, Step by Step

How to connect a microphone to a DJ controller? Plug it into the controller’s microphone jack, then raise the mic level knob slowly while someone speaks into it.

Skip the level knob, or plug into the wrong input, and the crowd hears a whisper while the speakers howl the moment you turn the volume up.

Pioneer DJ’s DDJ-FLX4 manual and Numark’s Mixtrack Platinum FX guide show the same order of steps, and where the two differ is worth knowing.

Below, you’ll see which plug fits, the order to connect and power up, what each knob does, and what to check when the mic is quiet or silent.

Start with whether your controller has a mic input at all.

Can You Connect a Microphone to a DJ Controller?

Yes, if the controller has a microphone input, and many two-channel controllers do. Pioneer DJ’s DDJ-FLX4 has a MIC input terminal on its rear panel, and Numark’s Mixtrack Platinum FX has a microphone input on its rear panel too (Pioneer DJ manual, Numark guide).

Check the back panel and the manual for a jack labeled MIC, and if you haven’t yet connected the controller’s outputs, our guide to connecting a DJ controller to speakers covers that side. If there isn’t a mic jack, the last sections cover what to do instead.

What Kind of Microphone Plug Does the Input Take?

That jack is the next thing to check, and both of these controllers use a quarter-inch one. The DDJ-FLX4 manual calls it a 1/4-inch TS jack, says only a phone plug can be used, and adds that only an unbalanced input is supported.

Numark says to connect a standard dynamic microphone to the 1/4-inch (6.35 mm) jack of the Mixtrack Platinum FX. So a microphone with an XLR plug needs a suitable cable or adapter, and it’s worth reading your controller’s manual before you adapt one.

That matters most for condenser microphones. The manuals here don’t describe phantom power for these inputs, so treat a dynamic microphone as the safe match.

How to Connect a Microphone to a DJ Controller in the Right Order

Once the plug fits, follow the maker’s order and start with everything quiet. Numark’s guide says to make sure all devices are off and all faders and gain knobs are at zero before you connect anything.

Then connect the microphone to the controller’s microphone input, and connect the controller’s outputs to your powered speakers or amplifier. Plug the controller’s USB cable into the computer, and power on in the order Numark gives: your computer first, then the amplifiers and speakers.

Pioneer DJ’s manual shows the same layout for the DDJ-FLX4, with the microphone connected at the rear panel and the speakers on the master outputs. Its safety note says that when you’re not using the microphone, turn the MIC LEVEL knob to the minimum.

What Do the Mic Level and Attenuator Knobs Do?

The gain controls behind that first step differ by model, so read yours. On the DDJ-FLX4 there are two: a MIC ATT. knob on the rear panel and a MIC LEVEL knob on the top panel.

Pioneer DJ says the microphone’s gain differs depending on the mic, so set the MIC ATT. knob first, before you use it. While DJing, you then use the MIC LEVEL knob to adjust the volume, and the manual warns that the sound comes out loud if the knob is turned all the way to the right.

On the Mixtrack Platinum FX it’s one control, Mic Gain, which adjusts the level for the microphone input. Numark adds that the Master Gain knob doesn’t affect the microphone, because the mic is summed with the final output, so a turned-down Master Gain won’t quiet a loud mic.

Does the Microphone Go Through Your DJ Software?

Once the knobs are set, the next question is where the sound goes, and it depends on the controller and a setting. On the DDJ-FLX4, Pioneer DJ’s manual says that to output the microphone sound via a PC or Mac in rekordbox you set the Microphone Input option to Effect Mode.

In that mode the mic gets a limiter, an EQ, an effect, talkover and a feedback reducer, according to the manual’s function table. With the option set to Low Latency Mode, the mic sound doesn’t go through the computer, and only the MIC LEVEL knob works.

Numark describes the Mixtrack Platinum FX differently, since the mic is summed with the final output after the software’s master gain. That’s a good example of why the mic path is worth checking in your manual before you plan on recording it.

Can You Record or Stream With the Microphone?

That routing decides whether you can record it, since the mic only reaches the recording if it joins the recorded path. If the mic goes to the speakers separately from the software, a recording of the software’s output won’t include it.

Our guide to three ways to capture a whole set covers the methods, and each one records a different point in the chain, so check where your mic joins that chain first.

What if Your Controller Has No Microphone Input?

For a controller without one, the mic has to join the sound after the controller. The usual routes are a mixer or PA system with its own microphone input placed between the controller and the speakers, or a separate microphone setup on the same speakers.

The cable and level side of that mixer is in connecting a controller to an external mixer.

Our guide to what a DJ mixer does explains the mic and line inputs on a mixer. Keep the mic level low when you first power the extra gear on, for the same reason the controller manuals give.

Why Is the Microphone Quiet, Silent or Distorted?

When the mic misbehaves, start with the two settings the manuals name. The DDJ-FLX4’s troubleshooting section says that if microphone sound can’t be output, set the MIC ATT. and MIC LEVEL knobs to the correct positions.

Then check the plug and the input type. Only a quarter-inch phone plug fits the FLX4, and the input is unbalanced, so a balanced XLR route into it is the wrong match.

If the sound is too loud or distorts, lower the attenuator first, then the level. A very loud mic often means the attenuator was left up for a hot microphone.

How Do You Stop Feedback?

Loud settings bring feedback, which is the howl that appears when a microphone picks up its own speaker output. Pioneer DJ’s rekordbox mode includes a feedback reducer for the mic, but only when the mic runs through the computer in Effect Mode.

The simplest fixes are physical: keep the mic level low until you’ve spoken into it, and keep the microphone from pointing at your speakers. Turn the level down when you’re not talking, as both manuals imply.

The Bottom Line

Plug a dynamic microphone with a quarter-inch plug into the mic jack, keep every gain at zero while you connect, then raise the mic level slowly. On the DDJ-FLX4, set the attenuator first and use the level knob while DJing.

If the controller has no mic input, add a mixer or PA with one, and keep the level low.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you plug a microphone into a DJ controller?

Yes, if it has a microphone input. Pioneer DJ’s DDJ-FLX4 and Numark’s Mixtrack Platinum FX both have a quarter-inch jack for one.

What kind of microphone works with a DJ controller?

Numark specifies a standard dynamic microphone on a quarter-inch jack for the Mixtrack Platinum FX. Pioneer DJ says the DDJ-FLX4 input takes only a quarter-inch phone plug and only an unbalanced signal.

Why can’t I hear my microphone through my DJ controller?

Check the mic level and, on the DDJ-FLX4, the attenuator. Pioneer DJ’s troubleshooting says to set both knobs to the correct positions.

Does the master volume affect the microphone?

Not on the Mixtrack Platinum FX. Numark says its Master Gain doesn’t change the mic, which has its own Mic Gain knob.

Can you use a DJ controller without a microphone input?

Yes, but the mic has to join after the controller. A mixer or PA system with its own microphone input is the usual way.