Members buzzsaw228 Posted December 17, 2008 Members Share Posted December 17, 2008 Hey, I'm just getting into the world of DJ'ing and I am at a loss on the best place to start. The first thing on my list is the equipment and I'm not sure the best stuff to get while just starting. Nothing top of the line, just a full set up to learn the ropes on. Any input is greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 6ftabovsealevel Posted December 18, 2008 Members Share Posted December 18, 2008 More information required... What music format do you want to use- Vinyl, CD, PC? What type of music do you want to play? (Certain types of music lend themselves to certain mixing styles, which certain types of equipment are better for than others) How much money can you spend? There is a big gap between top of the line and something just good enough to learn on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members buzzsaw228 Posted December 18, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 18, 2008 My budget is under $1000, I plan to use cd's and mp3's. And I want to mix techno, but I plan to first learn and then do jobs wherever will take me with whichever music they need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 6ftabovsealevel Posted December 20, 2008 Members Share Posted December 20, 2008 Okay, so you've got some cash to work with. That's good. My philosophy on dj equipment for the beginner (or really anybody) is to buy the highest possible quality equipment you can afford, with used gear being an excellent way to get better stuff for around the same price as lesser new gear. I would look for two tabletop cd players from either Denon or Pioneer. Compare the different features of each model you see and make sure you're not paying for anything you don't need. For instance, some high end decks can simulate scratching very realistically, but if you don't plan on doing any scratching you don't need to pay extra for the ability to do it. There are a ton of things that DJ cd decks will do that a normal one will not so that could be a little bit overwhelming to grasp at first, but spending some time on the manufacturer's web site should help clear up what they all do. The mixer choice is tricky, but assuming you have a couple hundred left over you'll still be able to get something decent. If you'll only be using two cd decks you only need two channels, but if you think you'll ever be adding a 3rd source to be available at the same time as the cd's, you'll need 3 or more channels. Again, if you're not going to scratch it's better to get something besides a purpose-built scratch mixer. Companies like Rane and Allen & Heath make the best stuff, but is very expensive. Vestax, Pioneer, and Ecler are more middle of the road. I'd advise that you avoid mixers from companies like Gemini, Numark, Behringer, and Stanton like the plague. Also remember to set a little cash aside for a decent set of headphones, though this is probably the least important of the items mentioned so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members buzzsaw228 Posted December 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 22, 2008 Thanks for the input! So 2 decent CD Decks and a mixer (give or take headphones) will run me around 1000? thats not too bad. And thanks for tips on choosing from the masses of different hardware. That alone should help a tonne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 6ftabovsealevel Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 So 2 decent CD Decks and a mixer (give or take headphones) will run me around 1000? It doesn't have to, but that's a good ballpark figure for quality used gear or slightly lower end new stuff. Take a look on ebay and see what things are selling for to get an idea of what you like. Again, don't pay for anything that you don't think you'll use, hit us back if you've got any more questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khazul Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 What do you actually want to do? ie why bother getting into DJing? Why bother with CDs vs say MP3s off a PC? Do you need to learn to manually beat match off CDs? Does the style of music you are into call for a bit more than basic skills - for eg scratching etc? If so - then maybe you should consider starting on turntables. If you just want to string music together, do the odd thing for some mates etc, then TBH - get DJ software for a laptop. These days the reason to buy CDs/Decks is to learn how to play off them because you intend to become a club DJ or (as in my case) your a producer who sometimes needs to DJ off CDs/Vinyl and this need to be able to do a clean job of it without relying upon software (becasue thats whats there). Mobile DJs can pick choose their own rig according to their needs/ability etc and TBH most are better off using software. If have any aspiration on playing out in clubs - then you absolutely need to be familiar with the gear they have - thats usually Pioneer DJM-600/800/1000 and CDJ-1000 Mk2/Mk3 and maybe vinyl decks - technics 1200 type. Learning to play off vinyl is optional, but I still mantain that even today - its still a very a worthwhile learning experience that translates well to other media, better IMHO than learning of low/mid range CD decks and translating that to other media, unless you only even plan to use cheapo CD decks or software+controller. Also try out software - if you cant string together a decent mix without having to worry about the technical skills - not much point in spending loads of money really Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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