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[mikehende]

Hey guys, I want to try out using a phone music app to play through my DJ rig and looking into a bluetooth receiver setup for this, any ideas/recommendations please?

[Chevytraveller]

I wouldn't trust any bluetooth audio for that kind of application.. especially if playing at volume..

it's ok for headphones, but dropouts(which do and will happen) on a large PA can be damaging for the soundsystem.. plug it in with a cable or use a proper audio device

[mikehende]

Yeah, that is my worry. I am thinking if that cannot work I might be better off getting a bluetooth speaker but heavy DJ bluetooth speakers are very expensive.

[Sam Spoons]

The issue is with Bluetooth not the adapter. BT is inherently laggy and potentially flakey WRT connection reliability. It's a domestic protocol, ok for playing audio at home but definitely not in a 'professional' situation.

[Chevytraveller]

The issue is with Bluetooth not the adapter. BT is inherently laggy and potentially flakey WRT connection reliability. It's a domestic protocol, ok for playing audio at home but definitely not in a 'professional' situation.

^This^

Yes.. Bluetooth is a temperamental, domestic communication protocol..
it is not designed for professional use and not robust enough for professional applications

[resistorman]

The lag is terrible, you can’t do anything that requires timing, like syncing songs...

[Still Vibrations]

A colleague of mine went to see B12 recently and they were controlling a laptop and synths from an iPad. I don't think it was in a large venue though.
Like others, I am suspicious of Bluetooth, I won't even use a bluetooth mouse or keyboard. Gamers won't use a bluetooth or radio mouse or keyboard because they not fast enough and not as accurate.

[Sam Spoons]

They were almost certainly using WiFi not BT. I use iPads to control mixing desks via WiFi all the time. It's great and with a dedicated, dual band, router it is pretty robust. The only times I've had connection issues was with 2.4GHz devices, the band BT uses..........

[Still Vibrations]

They were almost certainly using WiFi not BT. I use iPads to control mixing desks via WiFi all the time. It's great and with a dedicated, dual band, router it is pretty robust. The only times I've had connection issues was with 2.4GHz devices, the band BT uses..........

Many thanks for that correction, I hate implying false information.

[Sam Spoons]

I hadn't assumed you thought they used BT, just clarifying for anybody else who might read this thread later.

[Chevytraveller]

This is double posted over on the Live Music Forum

[zenguitar]

This is double posted over on the Live Music Forum

Not quite, there is a similar topic with a different OP.

Andy

[Chevytraveller]

This is double posted over on the Live Music Forum

Not quite, there is a similar topic with a different OP.

Andy

Apologies.. my bad

[zenguitar]

This is double posted over on the Live Music Forum

Not quite, there is a similar topic with a different OP.

Andy

Apologies.. my bad

No need to apologise; nothing wrong with healthy caution, it's one of the many ways the forum regulars are so helpful to the mod team. Never be afraid to flag something up if you have any doubts or concerns, it's helped us out many times.



Andy

[mikehende]

Guys, if BT technology is as stated then why are speaker companies like JBL incorporating it into their DJ speakers? JBL in particular as we all know is an industry leader so it's hard for me to think they would invest in this technology if it is not efficient?

I realize this doesn't relate to the topic with BT working with Analog speakers so not questioning that. I am wondering if it's worthwhile to invest in BT technology speakers instead? I was told that JBL now has their 18" subs and tops with BT so now you can play music from them through your phone.

[Wonks]

It's an extra option, and for playing back music from a phone it serves a purpose. But it does have a lot of lag, so whilst simply streaming music over it from a single source is fine and you won't notice the lag, the moment you start having to control or react to the music in real time, such as live performance, then the problems begin.

I know nothing about modern DJ kit, but if you are queing tracks using headphones plugged into the mixing desk, then it should still work OK. If you switch to listening to the sound from the speakers though to do that, you will run into problems caused by the delay.

[mikehende]

Yes, I was referring to music playback only for DJing.

[Wonks]

Any wireless sytem is never going to be as reliable as a wired arrangement, so unless you have no other option, wired is still the far better way to work.

[Sam Spoons]

Typical BT latency is in the region of 20ms and can be considerably more. Not really a problem for listening on your phone but IMO completely unusable for anything timing critical. For your DJ use it may work fine but, as has been said, it is not a robust protocol and in a bar full of smartphones all bets are off so I would not risk it for anything important

[Still Vibrations]

Another thing: if you use the DJ technique of listening to the track playing without headphones, and the track being lined up with headphones, the delay would really be a problem.