Faderstart on CDJ, CMX and DJM  How to get it workingNederlands    

Submitted by Lead   on 14-02-2004 21:00

What is Faderstart

Faderstart is to start a track in a CD Player by opening the fader on the mixer without touching the CD Player. In order for this to work both the mixer and the player need to support this feature.

The origin for Faderstart can be found in radio broadcast studios, there is simply the way a record was played. There they cue-ed, and gave the platter about 1/4 turn back for the startup time vinyl needed.

Faderstart on Pioneer CD Players

All Pioneer ProDJ CD players (CDJ and CMX) are equipped with a Faderstart terminal that can be connected to any DJM Mixer that has these terminals. The connection is made using a 3,5mm (mini jack) connector that is included with every player.

To use Faderstart a Cue-Piont is required.

On the mixer you can activate/deactivate the Faderstart and you can even decide to use the Faderstart on the Crossfader if you would like to.

How to use it

Make sure the faderstart cable between de player and the mixer is connected to the proper channel.

When you set a Cue-Piont on the CDJ, the player jumps in CUE mode and is actually paused at the Cue-Piont. As long as the fader of this channel is closed, the player will stay in this position. When you open the fader just a millimeter the Faderstart automatically starts the CDJ. When the Fader is pulled back again (down) the CDJ will go back to the Cue-Piont and wait until you open the fader again, or press the Play button.

Because all CDJ and CMX players have a Direct Start you can use it as fast as you want and the CDJ will always follow your move, switching from Play to Cue just as fast as you can move the fader.

Useage is personal

Using the Faderstart is a personal thing, not everybody likes to use it but in some occasions it can be very useful. When you're a Scratch or Hip hop DJ you can use the Faderstart on a beat an making the beat by hamstering the crossfader.

Pioneer Faderstart Protocol

Button

Play/Start

Cue/Pause

Player Status

Starts to play

Returns to Cue position

Need contact

Ground to top of connector

Ground to sleeve of connector

No Pioneer Mixer

Conventional mixers use a switch that opens and closes when the faders is moved up and down or might put a voltage on one of the contact. You need to figure this out and make a scheme how to connect everything. If the mixer uses a switch it is easy to deal with the Faderstart so the Pioneer CD player expect to get the proper signal.

It is also possible you have a mixer that uses it's own protocol, in that case check the manual how it works but it shouldn't be much different than a type of switch.

Mixer has a switch

Most switches have 3 connection terminals. One is often labled as 'common' and is what will be connected to the other 2 terminals.

If you look at the schematic above, the A Marker (main connection on the switch) has to go to a ground connection inside the mixer, this can usually be found somewhere near the connection terminals at the rear of the mixer.

The Tip and Sleeve from the connector are connected to the other 2 contacts of the switch. Use a multi meter to check if you have a proper weld on the right contact.

The way you lead the wires out of the mixer can be any of the many possibilities like :

• Use a long wire, at the end goes the 3.5mm connector. Lead the wire into the mixer using some kind of safety to prevent the wire from being torn out of the mixer when force is applied to it.
• Make a connection terminal on the outside of your mixer. This can practically be any type of connector as long as you can make connection to at least 2 wires. From this terminal you make a cable that ends with a 3.5mm connector. Usually the connection type is that same as Pioneer uses in their equipment.

What if I have a Denon CD Player ?

You can use the same cabling, but the player need a Hot Cue(A1 or A2 button) as faderstart only works on Hotcues. Also you need to activate Faderstart in the settings of the mixer.

There are 5 Comments

  tekno1 wrote on 25-03-2005 @ 20:39

Well, back to the drawing board. After all weekend and several days of configuring cables, changing cables, and making cables... it appears that natively Denon and Pioneer are not FRIENDS at all. They do not play well together! So, I am thinking that what Lead has said is right, Den & Pio use the SAME concept, but I think they might use different polarity! So I am going to make two new cables, Denon specs on one side and Pio specs on the other! Will keep you updated!

[ADMIN edit: as you can read above, this should work fine]

1 member likes this  

  midwestDJ wrote on 09-08-2005 @ 19:11

Have you tried this with the Numark CDX?

  Lead wrote on 13-06-2006 @ 23:12

See added info about Denon... they are compatible....

  Luxx wrote on 09-07-2007 @ 19:21

i got CDJ800's and Reloop mixer but faderstart works just fine :D

  Lead wrote on 03-01-2020 @ 19:01

One thing nobody knows is that the information in this particular DJ Topic was the reason why DJResource, or the forerunner of it, was ever started. You can take a look at the About DJResource page to see some screenshots of how everything has grown over all these years.

Back in 2001 I was just working at Pioneer and got a lot of questions back then of which the answer was the topic above. I wanted to put that on the Pioneer website so next time I got a call or mail I could send people over to the information so they can check it at their own leasure and get back to me afterwards if they had any more questions.

But Pioneer back then didn't allow me to put that on the official website as there was no place for it. I told them I would then put it on my own website (which i didn't even had) instead..... I heard laughter and a few weeks later the very early beginning of what later would grow to DJResource was made.

The rest of the story is mentioned in the About DJResource page, so read that for all details