Think I'm going Jekyll 'n Hyde on this DJ'ing business!

[RobDeLarge]

Now where was i. awww thats right I had tied an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time.

HAHAlolHAHA! Omg that shit made me laugh!
Gotta love Abe!

[RobDeLarge]

They were no phone cards and pay phones cost 10 cents. And... if you remember the cell phones started as a car install only, then there was a phone in a bag that was about 1ft x 8in. x 3in., then there was the phone like Chris Katan and Will Ferrel got from mom on Night at the Roxbury (this was my first cell).
Well from the ages here you probably wouldn't remember, lol.
VanGogo=Old Fart

Back to the thread for a sec. As others have said, doesn't matter what you use, as long as you are good at what you do.

Haha! That phone from Roxbury!

And thanks for the pointers, judging by the comments I am kinda leaning towards the ts4, but I might wait until after the NAMM's on the 16th and see what the controller technology has to offer.

[RobDeLarge]

my opinion: you worry too much.

to me, it seems like you've done enough research to make a somewhat competent decision regarding the gear you are going to use, but you're holding yourself back by worrying about the wrong things.

you have a clearly set goal. you know what the technological possibilities are. why do you care what other DJs will think about you? why do you care about bookers? the only thing that matters is that you do the things that make you happy; I'd call it "a healthy dose of ego(centr)ism". play the music you love, the way you love it, and only that. adapting to other people's expectations isn't going to get you anywhere, just focus on doing what you need to get the sound you want and be authentic in what you do.

there's a ton of DJs out there nowadays, but you don't have to be an über-skilled tech nerd to make yourself stick out from the crowd. you don't have to chop up tracks and remix them on the fly to play a good set. you can, but it's much more important to feel the crowd and give them exactly what they want; in the next step, you can try giving them something they didn't yet know they wanted and make them want more of it. track selection is key and you can do that with an ipod if you want. going the S4/ableton route is fun, but way overkill when you're just starting out. DJing is definitely evolving, but don't try setting new standards before you've grasped the basics. you can get an S4 now, but if you don't know how to take advantage of its functionality, don't bother because the next shiny toy will be out before you've mastered it. most of us are gear sluts, but upgrading to hardcore equipment only makes sense when you have gained enough experience to know exactly what you want to get out of it.

for now, just do your thing, be cool to people and stuff will come to you naturally. networking and putting out content is much more important than technique. there is a lot of stuff you can't learn in your bedroom - I've seen a lot of technically excellent DJs waste their talent because they didn't invest time in getting people's attention. I'm one of them, actually; turns out there's a lot of stuff I'm pretty good at, but my perfectionism has been holding me back for a couple of years. if there's a lesson I've learned, it's this: no matter how good you are, nothing's gonna happen if you just sit on your ass and wait. go to parties. talk to people. hand out mixes occasionally. don't be obtrusive, but be present. you'll end up playing out before you know it and it doesn't matter whether you'll be using CDs, vinyl or controllers. use whatever you're comfortable with - if you end up using some weird combination of gear, you'll have to bring it with you anyway. don't worry about that, it's become commonplace.

regarding producing... I think it would be best if you focused on one thing at a time. the game has changed. there's a lot of young producers out there, almost as many as DJs, but most of them suck really bad because they're trying to imitate stuff that already exists. only a very small percentage of them can be called "artists". in my opinion, if you want to be a good producer, you have to become a good DJ first. getting to know how crowds work and finding your unique sound takes time, but it's the foundation of your style as a producer. a couple of kickass tunes is better than a ton of shitty ones that people will forget a month after the release date

Really appreciate an answer like this, thanks for taking the time to reply.

I understand your respons, about the worrying too much, I am really a guy who don't give a fuck about what others say I still am, but I am also smart enough to think a about the DJ'ing as a serious besuiness and think this is actually what makes a DJ into a good DJ, really respecting the line of work and understanding that nothing comes for free, there are way too many "DJ's" out there who think they are going to become superstars just from getting the Numark Omni Control, and doing everything the easy way.
The main thing is since I am now about to spend about 3-4 thousand dollars on my gear right now, I really want it to be the gear I will use for the next couple of years from now on, and don't want to go through the hassle of selling to quickly, In that sense CDJ's might be best since then I really now the gear that the clubs usually have at hand, but this is what makes me so hesitant, since I don't know if it'll be a must or not.

About the producing and knowing what people like, I think this is my main strength knowing what gets people going, I have my own taste which is very heavy and trashy, but I also know that this is only what I want to produce for myself and the people I am networking with around the world in this genre, I wouldn't play solely one genre and only what I like at different venues, and of course understand this, I will be attending the SAE (sound and electronics) at sunset in L.A to take my producing to the next level, the school is very expensive, but I think I'll need it for the routines, and also the networking in the business in L.A on so on. I don't have any illusions that this will make me super famous or even take me anywhere special, BUT since it's what I wanna do I'd rather spend my money on this education than go to law school or whatnot.
Your post was very helpful to me though, and confirms a lot of what I know of course, but it's always good to get it confirmed too.

With this being said I am now leaning towards getting controllers, and maybe get two usb CDJ's to just fiddle around with. Since I'm not that used to em'at all, and suck on em', but yeah, I wanna know the business and maybe it can't hurt to get em both. Maybe get a controller that can act as a mixer along side with the usb cdj's. But still haven't decided.
Now I pretty much only care about what I get for the value of my hard earned money.

Thanks again!

[RobDeLarge]

tl;dr. Sorry if it's not relevant anymore.

Talk to the promoters and local DJs and see how they feel. That'll do more for your career–regardless of what they say–than all the forums in the world.

Thanks for that opinion!

[RobDeLarge]

^^for sure. its always awesome walking in with just your speakers and a backpack and therye like wtf?





play what makes the ladies dance. thats all you gotta do. quite simple really.and once that happens everyone there will be in the palm of your hands

Speakers? Wtf you bring speakers to the gig?

And that is very much true, the ladies rule the dancefloor, IF it's not a big venue. Then the guys decide, more energy..

Thanks for the post!

[photojojo]

my opinion: you worry too much.

ctrld speaks the truth. I think the S4 is fantastic for beginners though because it makes learning the basics so much easier and you're not wasting money on upgrading later on.

If the CDJ issue is real in your area rent some kit every once in a while so you can get familiar with how to use it.

[Nesquigs]

Speakers? Wtf you bring speakers to the gig?

And that is very much true, the ladies rule the dancefloor, IF it's not a big venue. Then the guys decide, more energy..

Thanks for the post!

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-P...38-i1500775.gc

i got a wicked deal on these from the place i work at, they were buying a new set and sold these to me (only a yr old - used 2x for $400) when they were upgrading.

being as im a small time DJ - Bars (Brittish beer company - local bars ect)/Private parties/events -(field days, school dances, ect), i need my own equipment because the "club scene" and the "club standard" are non-existant in my area (S.E. MA), unless you go to one of the big bar/clubs in boston, so you need to BYOS. so when youre booked as a dj, theyre thinkin TT's/a mixer, basically a cart full of shit, and i show up with the fender in one hand (all together, thats it) and my backpack with my controller, laptop and X1 in it and i get looked at by the people running the event like :eek: "SHIT WERE FUCKED!" then i blow the house away. \

i hope that clarifies.

most bar managers/promoters ive dealt with only care if the ladies are happy, cause the dudes are gonna go where the bittys are at regardless, so if they like you as the DJ because you let them slut out on the dancefloor, theyre gonna keep commin back for more. = more money, more gigs, more fun

ps..... i tend to when i get a long track playing make my rounds real quick to see how my friends/people who i see all the time at these things are doing, and theres nothing better than getting a few groups of hot girls dancing their asses off because they think tehres some kinda contest - basically its a hug and a pic with me while i buy the "winner" (IMHO-) a shot. was a great move back when i was single. my girl hates when i do that shit now, but hey gotta keep the masses happy right?

[wrong chris]

to a certain extent i suppose it depends on your community and what scene you are trying to get gigs in.

more importantly it depends on what you can do with the tool, not about what tool you use.

look at someone like Girl Talk for instance, he doesn't even use a controller - he uses a mouse and a laptop yet is one of the most well known dance music performers in the world.

[Kh3MiC4L]

if your wolrd is shit create your own ....become a promoter that promote digitalism. Cahnge the world dont let the world change you. Sadly these day all the promoter are dinosaur taht promote quantity over quality. Popularity over talents /skills live with it or change it dont just QQ its 2011

[Conall]

Yeah I don't care about that shit either, my main issue is if the club owner will pick the CDJ over me if I have a controller, I mean I'll learn and master the CDJ's IF that's a must but I'm just not sure on what's the future or the easiest way. And I'm talking about gear wise, not the easiest way to fame.

just use traktor scratch with cdj's all ull need to take with u is your laptop and soundcard. job done.