Tips ForA Beginner With A Modest Modular Set Up

[strumlord]

Hi all,
I just got some DJ Gear for my son for Xmas and wanted to get some feedback to get him off on the right foot. He's set up with the the Kontrol S2 and the F1. I have two questions.
1. Should he start with just the S2 and get dialed in on that before using the F1 or should he just dive right in on both pieces of gear?

2. Should he start with a custom map (I've downloaded BB's S2 mapping) or stick with the the default S2 settings for now?

About my son....
He's 15 and loves making beats. He's actually gotten pretty decent at getting around in FL Studio and is dabbling around a bit in Ableton as well. He's A.D.D. so his patience can run short sometimes. He is LOVING his new rig and I want his learning curve to be as sweet as possible. He's spending a lot of time with it but is really hard headed when it comes to reading manuals or watching video tutorials. I'm doing that myself and helping him but I'm just as new to dj'ing as he is. I realize that these questions are subjective and that there is no "one" way to go. I'm just trying to get a little feedback. So please sound off! your comments and opions are welcome and appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

[MYE]

I reckon he should get good at mixing 2 decks on the s2 before he starts getting too involved with the f1. The f1 is a lot of fun and can make his djing really creative but like i said earlier he needs to get the basics down first. Also if he or you maps the f1 to ableton it turns into a killer production tool he can launch clips, use the knobs to control the mixer area of ableton and the pads can be used to play synths and make up drum beats. Good luck

[strumlord]

I reckon he should get good at mixing 2 decks on the s2 before he starts getting too involved with the f1. The f1 is a lot of fun and can make his djing really creative but like i said earlier he needs to get the basics down first. Also if he or you maps the f1 to ableton it turns into a killer production tool he can launch clips, use the knobs to control the mixer area of ableton and the pads can be used to play synths and make up drum beats. Good luck

Thanks for your feedback. I've been messing with Ableton for a few months but have really gotten into it over the last few weeks. And it's all because of this whole new DJ adventure. After researching Traktor and the related gear, I saw the possibilities right away! And although I have pondered using the F1 with Ableton, I'm shying away from it for now because I don't want to Hijack his new piece of gear. But I may or may not have snagged maschine and slid that under the tree for myself while I was picking up my son's gear . (My wife is still pretty pissed about that!) And push is coming......

[Emery]

Don't get overwhelmed with the hardware. Get him comfortable on the S2 mixing from one track to the next with the original mapping. Once he gets bored of that he has the F1 to master and can try new maps. Don't worry about him learning text book methods right now. If hes musically inclined he will realize what sounds good and what doesnt. Im personally a strong believer in unconventional art. When you teach someone a "proper" way to create art then they may become bounded to that limiting their potential creativity in the future.
Its great that you are doing this for him! I hope he appreciates it as many of us had to convince our parents that it wasn't a waste of time and money