Producing VS DJing when buying gear...

Cethina

New member
Did you buy production gear such as an MPC, Push, etc before you bought turntables and a mixer or vice versa, why, and how much did DJing aid you in your production?

Asking this because I'm unsure if I want to dive into DJ gear before midi controllers.
 
Obviously there's a huge difference between DJing and making your own music.

I can't really see how being able to dj would aid you in creating music of your own except maybe the fact that you'll be quite in touch with how things work on a basic level rather than knowing nothing about either.

Myself, I suck at dj ing and I wouldn't even bother getting any dj gear unless DJing is where I want to go. You won't really do much with those turntables in your productions unless you can map those knobs and stuff and use them in the tracks. As for its built in effects and stuff I'd assume your daw (whichever it is) is much more capable of doing that and there are control surfaces better suited for daw control than the dj gear.

But if you're set on going for both, then it doesn't really matter in what end you start, just get what you want and feel would benefit you the most.
 
two different arts... producing will help you dj,,, dj won't help you produce ... but most dj do remixes and what not,, so you can dabble in both
 
I disagree with what been said above that djing wont help your production skillz . Was messing around with virtual dj and a hercule controller making mix and remix trowing acapella over intrumental way before i got into music production . That help me alot in many way like know how to structure a beat for acapella adjusting level and messing with tempo and bpm . Also add effect to a track and the list goes on . I def recommand get into djing before music production its kind of the introduction to music production plus you know what a dj want after you been one .That just my opinion though some may disagree with that.
 
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I agree with anaujiram, the process goes both ways (DJing helps with producing, and producing helps with DJing). If you just want to produce, then just buy production gear. If you want to just DJ, then just buy DJ gear, and if you want both (to become a famous DJ or w.e) you need to master both, therefore you buy both. Be mindful of your choice as it's an expensive hobby, and buying gear towards one direction while you may only want the other will cost you more in the long run.

I started with production, and slowly got into DJing, and now i do both. I honestly have to admit that DJing actually enhanced the flow and process in the studio. If you ever manage to land club gigs, you will more than likely (as I did) practice for hours and hours on the decks. You will likely learn a lot in the process about song structures, places for different effects and hits, etc (pretty much what anaujiram said).

Side tip: Whatever the case, you can sometimes kill 2 birds with one stone in the purchasing stage. For example, you may go out and buy 2 decks, a mixer, and 2 monitors. The problem in this scenario (which most amateurs run into, as I did), is you forgot to purchase an audio interface. Depending on the quality and number of inputs, it will cost you a pretty penny extra. You can work around this problem by purchasing a Traktor Kontrol S4 (I started on this deck, learned a hell of a lot using it) as it has a built in audio interface. so you can purchase a Trakotr Kontrol S4 (boom you have a deck + audio interface all in one), and then 2 monitors.
 
I'm sorry but how exactly does putting 2 tracks on, trying to sync them in time and using simple filters and other such effects help you when you want to sit down in front of a daw and create your own music?

You don't have to spend years djing to understand the structure of the music you like.
 
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I'm sorry but how exactly does putting 2 tracks on, trying to sync them in time and using simple filters and other such effects help you when you want to sit down in front of a daw and create your own music?

You don't have to spend years djing to understand the structure of the music you like.

I uderstand your point but i nevey say that your obligated to be a dj to become good music producers , i know plenty of beatmaker doing great without any dj skill . That been said for someone who have zero knowledge in music may benifit alot from learning the basic in djing before jumping into music production . The fact that you think djing is only about syncing 2 track together and put filters some time def prove you dont know much about it , it take years to master the art of djing same as music production .My point is that it sure will help your production and any dj with experience will agree with me on that point but you can make it without that for sure but as a music producers its always better to have the more knowledge you can in any aspect of music .
 
Sure, I know what djing is and that's it's more than just those simple things that I mentioned. However essentially, that's what it is. Same as music production is just putting sounds together one after the other. Don't assume you know what I know.

I was more curious than sceptical about whether or not it's help with music production as I can't really make 2 relate in that sense. You can almost learn as much about the music you want to create by simply being really into it. Even if you only partly know you basic techniques you can figure out the structures of any song.

But what I don't see is how it would aid you when you actually get to that point where you make the music yourself. If djing is all you know you wouldn't even know how to put out a simple pattern in the sequencer, obviously depending on how you choose to dj. You'd still be left with all the hurdles of learning your software in and out and the never ending learning process of putting together individual sounds.

Help me see :O
 
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I get what your saying but at the same time alot of music producers having sucess are also dj and there is a reason for that . They have way more succes than the poeple only doing one or an other and they seem to be more talented also (im saying this but im not even a dj myself ) . To me is like asking if playing piano will increase your production .
 
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Of course they do that, you need to do that if you want to play in clubs and festivals. It's quite obvious.. Probably has more to do with the fact that they were more talented to begin with to master all the aspects. I wouldn't compare it to playing an instrument.. But all to his own.
 
yea I am sorry for what I said, the other comments are right... both different arts that relates and help each other.
 
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