I'm a complete newcomer...

Hi, so for over the last 6 months or so i've been thinking of getting into DJing. Just got back from travelling Asia for 3 months, i've got £10,000 in the bank and want to give music a real shot while i'm unemployed. I will prob practice for 3-4 hours a day.

Basically i need advice off you good people on what to actually buy. I've looked at some equipment and the Numark NS6 looks to be my best bet. I've got a laptop but i'm not sure if it would be stable enough. It's a HP G62 notebook, It's got 4gb of RAM, Triple core.

I'm not really interested in becoming an amazing DJ, i just wanna be good enough to play gigs and to be able to put my own songs in sets.
I'm guessing it will take me 1-2 years to get to a decent level? I have no idea :s

So any advice on decks, mixers, speakers, headphones would be very welcome :) I'm prob gunna put a 2000 budget on it, don't wanna spend all my dosh ha.

edit to say i've got some Sennheiser 380 hd pros that i use when making songs on Reason, will these do for DJing? Also got some small but loud M Audio monitor speakers.

Thank you

Have you ever tried or had any experience with it before? £2000 for a very first set-up seems like a lot (unless that includes the laptop cost). I think most people here would recommend you to get a decent controller first, just to see what's what, and whether it's a hobby you'll enjoy and want to pursue.

I did vinyl for a few hours at college about 4 years ago, thats all ha. Ye prob wont spend 2000, more like 1,500 at a push. I think the ns6 is around 700, so maybe might only spend 1200, depends on what recommendations i get.

NS6 is more than good for beginner :lol: which software do you prefer?

I've never used any DJ software so don't have a clue ha

Well NS6 ships with serato and traktor mapping seem to be poorly integrated with this unit. One more bad thing is portability.. I think that you should go for VDJ beginner range controller at this point.

Any suggestions for a begginer controller? Is the pioneer ddj s1 better than the ns6? It's overwhelming looking at all the different reviews on youtube etc :s

S2? it has enough buttons and knobs to keep you busy and is reasonably priced. It sounds like you have everything you need for the time being to get going. Your headphones and speakers are fine for the time being. What kind of tunes are you going to be playing?

Just seen that Pioneer DDJ SX, it's out Nov 1st, would that be a good option? The NS6 seems to very similiar from what i've read though. I will be wanting to play, Drum n bass, electro house, dubstep, brostep, prog house, quite a mix really. I know whats good though, i've got loads of ideas for songs which will mix well. At the moment i'm listening to Knife Party, Kill the noise, Porter Robinson, Zedd, Deadmau5, Feed Me, The M Machine, Skrillex, Koan Sound, Xkore, Zomboy, Tommy Trash, Pendulum, The Prodigy, Sub Focus to name a few. So will prob use quite alot of their songs plus others to start off with.

Personally I would never buy it and rather go for used CDJ's for that amount of money. What do you think of this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odJB...layer_embedded

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Originally Posted by Apex

Any suggestions for a begginer controller? Is the pioneer ddj s1 better than the ns6? It's overwhelming looking at all the different reviews on youtube etc :s

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I think you should decide which DJ software you want to use. THEN decide on the best beginner controller for that software.

The novation Twitch is VERY good.

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Personally I would never buy it and rather go for used CDJ's for that amount of money. What do you think of this one?

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I think the Pioneer is better value for money personally if you are in that $ ballpark

Thanks so far guys! Alot of things to consider....
I guess i will just have to go with whatever software wise. Are there any drastic differences?

Heres a question. If i got the ns6 or the new pioneer ddj sx, would they work well for parties, clubs etc? Also do they have to used with a laptop to work? For example, if the laptop crashed, could i just use a usb drive with songs on to dj?
I've spent hours reading various sites etc and am no nearer to deciding on what to get. I keep seeing conflicting opinions all the time. Very confusing and overwhelming :s
Didn't think it would be so hard to choose ahhhh

Take a look at Pioneer aero.

Looks pretty cool does that aero. Don't really like the idea of relying on an internet connection though. Anyone used it? Thoughts?

It looks a little toy-ish to me but for total beginner it should serve well I guess.

All info:
http://forum.djtechtools.com/showthr...t=pioneer+aero
http://forum.djtechtools.com/showthr...t=pioneer+aero

It's cheaper to get an ns6 which so far is winning for my choice of dj equipment. Gunna wait for reviews of the ddj sx first though.

I only suggested aero because you mention laptop crash scenario and that controller can dig it.

Good luck on your further path mate!

bouth the NS6 and DDJ SX can work as standalone mixers so so if you have an mp3 player or smartphone you can conect it to one othe the 4 channels in case of laptop crass just switch the input select to line and you can run your music from mp3 player while your rebooth your laptop.
And the Aero dos not requier a internet connection it runs on it's own wirless network and can also run frum USB drive alone.

hmmm interesting! So which would you recommend dj gullum? Can you use a usb drive to load sonngs onto the ns6 or ddj sx?

no you can't use a USB drive but any mp3 player can be connected through one of the rca conection on the back. I'm getting the DDJ SX my self and map it to Traktor Pro witch is my software of choise. The NS6 is also a grate controller and a tiny bit smaller then the SX and it's been on the marked for over a year now so it's tested and looks to be a solid controller. I chose the XS mainly for the extra controls it has I like big pads and VU meters for each chanel, better controls of the FX section, indivitual load buttons and filter knobs.

Still undecided ha

this is a great controller for $599 :

http://youtu.be/mgyIzK7lmYc

cheers, just seen a review that put me off it though, mentioned alot more negative than positives. They said it was good but not great.

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Originally Posted by Apex

cheers, just seen a review that put me off it though, mentioned alot more negative than positives. They said it was good but not great.

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what review? I would like to see it. This controller is Boss (as you can see in the video).

>

here's a review for you: http://www.djtechtools.com/2012/04/1...erminal-mix-4/

here's a quote for you from the DJTT review: "With arguably superior sound, nicer jog wheels, and a price of $300 less, the Terminal Mix 4 might be an even better buy than the S4… once the software support catches up."

TM4 is $599 + $89 (Full Traktor PRO 2) = $688

the top-rated NI Kontrol S4 is $899 and includes Traktor PRO 2.

TRANSLATION: S4 killer for $688

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you have two main choices....analog (cdj/turntable/mixer) or digital (controllers)....pick one and dont look back.

analog's learning curve is alot higher. if you want something quick and easy to learn go with controllers. because to most people at regular clubs they dont care how u mix, u can sync button all day on the controller and they dont care as long as ur song selection is good.

Thanks for the feedback everyone :)

Pick up a used S4 or S2 and make sure it comes with the traktor, problem solved. If you're just starting you don't need anything crazily expensive. A basic controller like an S2/S4 will give you an idea of what your needs are and a solid base on which to grow and improve your skills.

What do you reckon is best, an s2 or s4? cheers

I'd rather not get 2nd hand though, don't like 2nd hand stuff.

I was in your boat a few months ago. Wanted to learn how to DJ and probably had about $1500 to spend overall. Ended up deciding to learn on Traktor and got myself a new S2. It was a great decision in my opinion. Just spent a couple hours everyday practicing. It's the perfect controller to learn on because it's not too pricey but still pretty versatile. I'm still far from "good" granted, but I found that with all the mappings available here, I'm able to mess around with it and do things that I never expected to be able to. I found myself loving it and just bought some big ol' QSC speakers and now am just DJing at parties at my place with my friends. They love it, and more importantly I love it :D

You might want to keep in mind that I do it for fun (more of a bedroom DJ) and I don't have any intention at this point to do gigs but besides that, I really don't think you could go wrong with either the S2 or S4. Honestly, if you can really see yourself enjoying it and doing it for awhile, the S4 might be a better option so you won't feel the need to upgrade so soon.

Thanks for that post, it's reassuring :)
I think i will end up going with the S2 after all. I suppose i can always upgrade if necessary in the future.
My love for music makes me think that i will end up enjoying this and i can't wait to get started.

The advice and help from you guys is very much appreciated. I made the same topic on another forum about 6 months or so ago and i was immediately shot down with comments like 'n00b' 'oh look at me mummy, i want to dj' 'just forget it' stuff like that. There was like 2 pages of childish insults, seemed unnecessary, but there you go! It kinda put me off but i thought fuck em i'm gunna do it anyway.
I searched on google for the best dj forums ans this came out at number 1, i can see why :)
I hope to use it for many years to come, thanks again. No doubt i will have loads more questions over the next year ha

Lol i'm torn between the Traktor S2 and the Pioneer XDJ-AERO. Help! I like the fact that with the aero i could play with a laptop and if it crashed then i could just use my samsung s3 or a usb stick. Are there any downsides to the aero?

I vote S2. Its intergration with traktor will make things simple to start off and its been around a bit to have some bugs worked out, whereas the aero is pretty new but i havent heard anything about it honestly. Im just a NI fanboy though :thumbup:

Not to mention the S2-$500 XDJ-Aero-$1400

Ye i'm leaning towards the S2 tbh

Does anyone know any good workstations that can fit an s2 and a 15.6 inch laptop? cheers