---
title: "Behringer Xenyx USB: audio into DMXDesktop"
description: "Send a stereo music feed from a Behringer Xenyx USB mixer to DMXDesktop for Live Wire and beat detection, with a music-only setup."
canonical: https://www.dmxdesktop.com/knowledgebase/behringer-xenyx-usb-audio
lang: en
source: /knowledgebase/behringer-xenyx-usb-audio
---

# Behringer Xenyx USB mixers: audio into DMXDesktop

The USB-equipped Xenyx mixers give the computer a straightforward stereo recording feed. That makes setup very quick, and it also sets a hard limit: what DMXDesktop receives is the main mix, and you cannot pick out individual channels.

This article is part of [Connecting a Sound Mixer to DMXDesktop](/knowledgebase/connecting-a-sound-mixer), which covers the shared rules and the problems common to every console.

## [Models covered](#models-covered)

Any Xenyx with a stereo USB interface, including:

- 302USB, Q502USB, Q802USB, Q1002USB, Q1202USB
- 1204USB, X1204USB, QX1204USB
- QX1832USB, QX2222USB, QX2442USB, X2442USB

## [Setup](#setup)

1. Connect the mixer's USB Type-B port to the computer.
2. Check the music channels are assigned to the main mix.
3. On models with a 2-TR/USB TO MAIN button, leave it off unless you need to hear the computer through the mixer.
4. In DMXDesktop, open **Settings → Audio** and select the Xenyx USB input.
5. Channels **1** and **2** are the only option, and are correct.

There is no channel picker to worry about here. The interface is stereo, so DMXDesktop captures the pair and that is that.

## [What you cannot do](#what-you-cannot-do)

- DMXDesktop gets the main mix. There is no separate USB feed.
- Individual channels cannot be selected over USB.
- If the desk is handling microphones, they are in the feed, and there is no routing option that removes them.

**Watch for feedback.** USB playback on its own is safe. A loop happens when the computer plays the captured audio back into the mixer and the 2-TR/USB TO MAIN button routes it into the main mix, which is also the USB recording feed. If you hear it building, release that button or stop the playback.

## [Getting a music-only feed anyway](#getting-a-music-only-feed-anyway)

If your Xenyx has two usable aux or subgroup outputs, you can build a music-only mix on them and take that into a separate small interface, bypassing the built-in USB entirely.

1. Build an aux or subgroup mix containing only the music channels.
2. Connect those two outputs to a two-input USB interface.
3. Select that interface in DMXDesktop instead of the Xenyx.

Full instructions and cable details are in [Using an analogue mixer with a USB audio interface](/knowledgebase/analogue-mixer-audio-interface).

## [Still not working](#still-not-working)

Work through the shared checks in [Connecting a Sound Mixer to DMXDesktop](/knowledgebase/connecting-a-sound-mixer), which covers the faults that are not specific to one console. If you need to contact support, have these five things ready, because they resolve most cases immediately:

1. The exact mixer model.
2. Your Windows or macOS version.
3. How the mixer is connected, and which USB port you used.
4. Which device you picked in **Settings → Audio**.
5. Which left and right channel numbers you selected.

For a console with a multichannel USB interface, a screenshot of the mixer's USB output patch is worth more than any log file.