practice beatmatching on a computer

[Contra]

Im currently assembling a PA system and buying a laptop , trying to get started DJing some house parties just for fun at school. Hopefully it will lead to bigger things but for now, I just want to go the super cheap route and do it on a laptop till I get used to mixing....

I really could care less about scratching or beat juggling right now, i think the technique ppl notice the most about DJs is song selection and beat matching. Ive got the song selection part down just from fantasizing about DJing years, but the beat matching im not too sure about...

i have a DJ mixer I plan on sending two outputs to with the playing song on channel 1 and the next on channel 2

what programs can I use to beatmatch and cue songs? I am not looking for anything real fancy, so I would prefer a program that doesnt take up too much cpu

i was reading something about virtual decks, do you set those to different outputs, and do they each have their own playlists?

thanks for any advice on a good program that can get me started on some fundamentals b4 I invest in any more equipment...

 

[dansta2k]

hey there - you will have to make sure that your sound card supports as many outputs as you will need.

Check out programmes like MixMeister or VirtualDJ - theres millions more out there.

However i would recommend you still save up for some decks if u really want to become a dj.

 

[tonyb]

virtual dj is a good starting program

then move on to serato

 

[Contra]

thanks,

yea id really rather just putz around on the computer for a while, because its mostly gonna be my friends parties and ****, so they really dont even think of me as a DJ in the first place. if I get real into the whole mixing thing, i might get some form of decks, but for now, having a good PA system with a sub and just being able to do some simple beatmatching with a laptop and a crossfader is all i really want. I used to be one of those vinyl purist people, so I know all about the "respectable dj" ****. Right now I just wanna have fun, get people dancing playing the songs I wanna play...

thanks for the tips, the laptop Im getting is gonna be an IBM with a pentium M processor (1.5 ghz) with 2 gigs of ram

should that be enough to handle a program like virtual DJ without crashing... also, I heard many of these DJ programs, like traktor, have all kinds of glitches and skipping problems... is that just because these people do not have fast enough comps w/ enuff ram?

cuz if these programs are prone to skipping and blips and all that nasty ****, I'll just load up two instances of vlc media player and have each of them on a different output lol...

 

[Dj Tweek]

hey there - you will have to make sure that your sound card supports as many outputs as you will need.

Check out programmes like MixMeister or VirtualDJ - theres millions more out there.

However i would recommend you still save up for some decks if u really want to become a dj.

I definately agree.....you should get you a set of decks...Dont get me wrong, computer softwares are cool and all, but they lack the overall control that u have with the vinyl.....you cant do things like scratch the beat in or anything like that with software. But software does have its advantages....Such as availabilty of music cause u can use mp3's or songs that you have ripped on your computer....And we all know that u have to dig and dig for records when all u have is turntables........But if you have the decks and the software, there's endless opportunites.....

I would recomend Mix Vibes Pro 6.0...lots of cool features...up to 4 channels plus it has extras, such as a turntable that hooks right up to the computer (that could be purchased seperatly of course!).........Good Luck with everything

 

[Contra]

ive been using virtual dj for a few days and im liking it alot

sorry but spending hundreds of extra $ just to scratch is a waste to me, i think that **** really throws people off when theyre dancing (mainstream rap that is) ...

if any of you can reccomend a cd or link me to a video where a dj uses alot of scratches on popular rap, i'll gladly admit im wrong

 

[DisoBAYish]

Go and g00gle something called the pacemaker, it's a psp sized mp3 djing tool with a large memory, effects,looping, and a crossfader, I personally get down with vinyl professionally but I'm bout to pick one up to play with a work, they look dope.