Starting Out as a DJ?

[ktan09]

I just became interested and figured it'd be a nice hobby to pick up. I'm a complete noob when it comes to equipment or anything about it. I've done some Googling about it but don't understand all the lingo at the moment. Anyone have any advice/tips on how to get started, what equipment to get, the pros and cons of vinyl/CD/MP3 etc.?

All info and help is greatly appreciated, Thanks!

[mariokarter]

maybe try asking your questions on a DJing forum instead of a bargin hunters site? Just sayin.

[tinlunlau]

You might be able to directly ask Hong Kong actor Sam Lee or maybe DJ Miss Yellow about it. Apparently, he has been doing alot of DJing on the side and entrepreneur work on his brand of clothes these days. You can contact him at www.alivenotdead.com. And yes, he can speak English.

You'll probably have a better time talking DJ Miss Yellow about it as she often replies to people.

[warlandsboy]

House Addict (http://www.houseaddict.com/forum.php) is ALL you need IMHO. :D

[john widow]

http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/142/14280894.html

It's coming out just in time for you.

[XxXSnake23XxX]

House Addict (http://www.houseaddict.com/forum.php) is ALL you need IMHO. :D

not necessarily... but depends on your music taste.
basically if u want to start up you need a laptop, basic speaker set, 2 CDJ's or turntables, and a mixer.

it will run you alot of cash... this is the main reason why i held of on starting. I was in the same position you are in.
download a crakced version of virtual DJ or another mixing program and try it out and work with that for a while before you make the initial investment!

[sexyj]

get a copy of virtual dj and get cracking. once you have master beat matching, you can get onto real equipment

[M-e-X-x]

get a copy of virtual dj and get cracking. once you have master beat matching, you can get onto real equipment

+1

Then, pick up a CDJ1000 MKIII since the CDJ2000 is now out and everyone's dumping the old one. Couple that with a proper mixer and you should be good to go.

[XxXSnake23XxX]

+1

Then, pick up a CDJ1000 MKIII since the CDJ2000 is now out and everyone's dumping the old one. Couple that with a proper mixer and you should be good to go.

someone's not afraid to throw around money!

how much really would the OLD 1000km3's go for?! 1000 used?!

[M-e-X-x]

someone's not afraid to throw around money!

how much really would the OLD 1000km3's go for?! 1000 used?!

Well, do it right the first time. You could go a bit further and add a laptop to it.

[sexyj]

oooooo btw... beatmania and dj hero is not dj-ing ....

[Happy13178]

not necessarily... but depends on your music taste.
basically if u want to start up you need a laptop, basic speaker set, 2 CDJ's or turntables, and a mixer.

it will run you alot of cash... this is the main reason why i held of on starting. I was in the same position you are in.
download a crakced version of virtual DJ or another mixing program and try it out and work with that for a while before you make the initial investment!

-1 on the laptop, for a lot of reasons....+1 on the rest. Turntables can be a pain in the ass to start learning on, but most decent clubs use them. If you want to do mobile DJing of small stuff like birthdays, school dances, etc then a good starter speaker set are JBL Eons...only because they're pretty quick and easy to set up and the amps are built in. Mixer for sure, and if you're not going the turntable route then you can go with a dual cd player set...I always liked denon and numark, but obviously you can make your own choices.

[XxXSnake23XxX]

Well, do it right the first time. You could go a bit further and add a laptop to it.

i guess your right.. might aswell get the best equip so you dont have to keep upgrading

[M-e-X-x]

i guess your right.. might aswell get the best equip so you dont have to keep upgrading

Yeah, not like DSLR equipment lol. Generally what you spend it'll last a long time, they're built tough.

[thendless]

CDJ 1000 MK3 goes for around 1000 used. I can't believe some of you guys are suggesting a total n00b to djing go out and buy 2 of these overpriced cdjs. These things are reliable for club use and the jog wheel is great to use (well if you are not scratching, ala EDM, a nice jog wheel doesn't make a big difference at all) but for home use and for a DJ starting out there are far better options out there for a much lower cost. Another big thing with the MK3 is that it can only accept one form of media, CDs. You will want to get a cdj that accepts usb and can interface with your computer because trust me, it makes a huge difference.

My recommendations:

Denon dn-s1200
Pioneer cdj-400

I have used numerous cdjs, cdj100s, 400 , 800MK2 , 1000MK3, denon dn-s3700, dn-s1000, dn-s1200 and honestly the best IMO in terms of value and features for someone on a budget is the dn-s1200. This cdj has usb capability, midi capability (works great with traktor), ASIO sound card built in, has been proven to be very reliable, has a nice small footprint and lastly is reasonably priced at 500 brand new a piece in canada (you can find them cheaper online if you get them from the US i imagine). The second I would recommend is the cdj-400, which is alright, however it costs a lot more in Canada, around 900 per cdj and feature and feel wise is similar to the dn-s1200 (inferior in some IMO, however it has full native HID support with SSL if that is your thing).

Anyways I am too lazy to explain more about the denon unit, but i recommend you search on the many dj forums about it.

[thendless]

I guess we should be asking you first what kind of music do you intend on spinning? Do you plan on scratching? Do you have a low budget?

There are many options in DJing these days, here are a few that come to mind and i'll try to summarize each very briefly:

Vinyl - When people think of DJing this is what comes to mind. Two turntables connected to a mixer.

Vinyl Emulation - Part of the digital DJ realm. ex: Serato Scratch live. It is exactly what the title suggests, Vinyl Emulation. This interfaces turntables with your computer so that you can get a real vinyl feeling without having to lug around a hundred records with you. In essence your computer is actually playing the music, however your using your turntables to control how the music is played. Generally speaking, most people who scratch and play hip hop/top 40 music use this. This is what you see most of the time in clubs these days.

CDJs - ex: all the mentioned CDJs in my previous post. Essentially CDJs are glorified cd players which play music from CDs (or nowadays USB is being added). CDJs are a lot more popular with electronic dance music, and generally speaking do not involving having a computer.

Controllers - Part of the Digital DJ realm. Controllers are devices that interface with your computer that you can use to control software such as Ableton. This and Vinyl Emulation are definitely getting bigger as time goes by. In terms of cost, this is the cheapest.

I think that covers the basics. If anyone has anything to add let me know. There are more that mix many of those categories together but this should give the OP an idea of his options.