Beginner Starting Up

Z

ZingyZ

New member
Hi, im new to DJ'ing, for a while now i've been creating techno music for my local dj friends to use, but now i'm ready to start out by myself.

I have absolutely no idea what i need (turntables, speakers, cd players, amps, mixers). I don't really know what i need to do the job.

Do i have to use vinyl records to dj, or can i just use cds? I have a nice collection of trance techno cds i can use. Is there someway i can still get the benefits of mixing on vinyl, without really using vinyl records (i.e. a dummy record on turntable that will change the way the cd is playing?)

As for speakers, how many do i need (and how many watts, etc, brand) If i will mainly be playing in a very small environment (about the size of a small restaurant).

Most of the places i will be playing at there will only be a maximum of 60-80 people, so i am on a tight budget of only $1000 dollars. I'm hoping i can get some primo equipment on a budget somehow online. Also if im buying equipment online, how will i know how well things sounds (speakers, etc.).
 
so you want to spend $1000 dollars on sound equipment or on dj equipment and sound..... if you have only 1k for everything you might be better renting sound equipment and spending your $$ on high quality dj equipment rather than having to get cheap everything..

cd vs vinyl is pretty much personal choice... if you think cd will fit what you have better go for it.... some people use cd some turntables some have cd with a turntable so they can records to cd as some records aren`t avaible on cd.... for dj cd decks pioneer and denon seem to be well liked(i play vinyl so i don`t know) with vinyl just go with a pair of technics they`re cool!!

the benifit of cd with the feel of vinyl you mentioned is avaible its called final scratch, however you`ll need a newer laptop to make it run so it may end up being more than FS $500 pricetag(laptops are expensive)

with mixers i highly suggest an ecler midrange price with very good sound... i have the ecler smac-30 and love it to death...

a good idea for you is to use the search function at the bottom of the list of threads to search for everything you`re interested in...
i`ve done it researching stuff and its quite helpfull

oh welcome to futureproducers!!! :cheers:
 
Zingy Z -

Just remember, if you go vinyl, get Tech 1200s. Dont waiver on that. Ebay has them for cheap and you will be able to grow into them, instead of outgrowing bad decks you found for a great price. As for a mixer, it sounds like you will be beat mixing more than turntabling so you dont need a battle mixer. A mobile PA system will run you at least a 1000 on its own unless you buy it used. Dont worry about the speakers as much as what it is you will be learning on - the gear is important. I cant stress that enough.
 
I've decided to stick with cd's for now (and move on to turntables in the future).

What dual cd player would you guys recommend thats under $200? Most of the ones i've found are over $300 and dont appear to be well built.

Thanks again for the help.
 
I've never messed with duals cd players, but inexpensive single decks like the pioneer cdj 300s will do you just fine. You'll find good deals on ebay. It at least looks like and emulates a turntable, with the platter and pitch control. It also has effects. If you want to step it up the cdj 800s or the 1000s are the way to go, but thats bucks.

I hate to go out like this - but dual cd players isnt even really djing, my man.
 
Dead serious.

I make no apologies for loving to mix/ cut/ scratch/ blend - the right way. A dual cd player takes all the guess work out of it. It loops, it hot starts off the x fader, it reverses the track, most high ends have beat counters, and comes complete with effects. My suggestion to go with the closest thing to a turntable emulation is so one can learn - emulate djing - not to emulate a mix cd....if you start from there, then expanding onto different gear will not be a whole new education.
 
man if you cant acknowledge their place in the dj art then you're a lamer. there's nothing wrong with dual cd players. they may not be the same as a 1200 but that doesnt make them any less useful. dj'ing isnt only about two turntables and a mixer like it used to be. that may be its purest form. but its not its only form.
 
sshimosawa said:
Dead serious.

I make no apologies for loving to mix/ cut/ scratch/ blend - the right way. A dual cd player takes all the guess work out of it. It loops, it hot starts off the x fader, it reverses the track, most high ends have beat counters, and comes complete with effects. My suggestion to go with the closest thing to a turntable emulation is so one can learn - emulate djing - not to emulate a mix cd....
Click to expand...

Just because a CD player can loop, hot start, fader start, play in reverse, beat count, and apply effects doesn't mean it's easier to be a DJ. It's just more tools to use. Those tools still don't make it easier to beatmatch PERFECTLY, mix PERFECTLY, or choose good tracks to go with the mood.

Thats like saying a carpenter that uses a nail gun instead of a hammer isn't a real carpenter. It's just another tool that you can use to your advantage.


if you start from there, then expanding onto different gear will not be a whole new education.
Click to expand...

That doesn't make any sense. Everybody has to start somewhere. If you learn on one thing and jump to another, there is still a learning process. Wether it's from turntables to CDs or vice versa.
 
Yah, that's just narrow-minded to think that CD DJ'ing isn't real DJ'ing. I would assume there would be a long line of psy-trance DJ's waiting to kick your arse if they read that...

I say this whenever people talk about crazy equipment that they drool over...the equipment will not make you a better DJ. It will not make you mix better, it will not improve your track selection, and if anything toys will make your set sound about as gimmicky as (most of) the toys themselves.

Effects are ish if not used properly and stylistically. Loops are ish on CD players, because they are practically useless anyway. Beat-counters are ish, because I can beatmatch two tunes much more solidly than a computer can. Hot-starting off of the crossfader? What if you use the channel faders?

When I had the CDN-88, I could get a solid beatmatch down in about 30 seconds, while the beat-counters were still confused on whether the tune was 131.5 or 133.7. Not trustable at all, and if the DJ is going to use those as a crutch, well...have fun and good luck with that :rolleyes:
 
Ouch.

I knew I would get flack for that comment. I'll try and be a bit more pc here. We got a person here who started the freaking thread with 'beginner starting up'. So I suggested decks, then single cd players that emulate decks, because whatever style a beginner rocks, whether it be house, hip hop, db, psytrance, whatever, its a good place to start from.

Although I appreciate the deconstruct on how dual cd players work (and yes, I have used them before), and how the features can be more authenticized, and that its all a learning process, etc. I dont doubt any of that, in fact I agree with all of you. But I dont think the best way to get into the game is to START that way. Having all that at your disposal and not knowing how to use it. Take all the guess work out of it, its a mangled mess of a learning experience. Throw a beat counter dependant dj on two decks, they are screwed. I've seen it happen. Two sources and a mixer in the middle. Just pushing the basics.....
 
An announcer who presents and comments on popular recorded music, especially on the radio; a DJ.

by that definition, anyone who plays music for others is a dj!
 
oh, sorry!

well it basically said in rogets thesaurus that another word for disc jockey is cheat!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top