New to the DJ world

[Conall]

pfft vdj aint that bad, if you can use vdj then you can get traktor down in a couple of hours easy....

[chrismoon27]

Get off VDJ asap. Its uses are very limited. Thats what I started on back in the day. Wish i would have just jumped right into Traktor. Get Traktor and start learning from there.

Yeah a bunch of ppl have said the same thing also. I have traktor too but haven't installed it yet (was waiting till I get a little better) but I might brake it out so I can just start working/getting use to it.

[DJFragger]

Austin TX is the music capital of the world? VDJ is not a good program. Since you got a Numark Mixtrack as a controller, Just keep using VDJ and save up for Traktor.

[ranzerox]

heyo im a local to austin! pm me or something if you want.

[heaps]

when did this happen?

Exactly what I was thinking

[The Bong Squad]

Pester as many promoters / club owners / bar owners as much as you can to get sets, as I found the most valuable lessons to be learn't are in a live. As you are learning crowd response, how to setup on different systems, what does and doesn't sound good to a crowd and you build up your profile as you progressively get better!

[chrismoon27]

Thanks, yeah I know a couple of djs in Austin who I'm going to "intern for" around the way. Hopefully get some real live experience.

[lethal_pizzle]

Austin TX is the music capital of the world?

Only 50% of texans own passports though, so if Moses won't go to the mountain... then live music will have to go to Texas.

Not sure where Trance fits into the live paradigm exactly but I guess headlining SXSW next year

[Hawthorne]

Back when I used to live in Austin (born and raised, but moved away in '04) there was an electronic music show put on by the kids at UT as part of the radio and media studies. I was fortunate enough to make friends with one of the DJ's there and he let me come and hang with him while he spun and we got to talk about all sorts of music and whatnot.

Of course, that was many years ago, but most DJ's I met through that experience would happily teach you the fundamentals of beatmatching/scratching/beats/bars etc, as long as you didn't screw up their needles or their records and you bought the beer.

I don't know what the EDM scene is like in Austin now, but I'd imagine that if you can strike up a conversation with someone whose style matches up with yours then maybe you can utilize them as a resource for your exploits.

Despite what several people have said when it comes to buying a controller, I'd start with music. Learn about beats/bars/phrases etc. Consider what it is about the music that you love that makes you love it. Narrow down your music to stuff that you enjoy immensely and listen to it over and over and over until you get so sick of it you start hearing it in your sleep. Then you can worry about the technical side of it.

You can have the best controller in the world and you can beatmatch/cut/slam with the best of them, but if your track selection sucks people won't come to see you play.

[lethal_pizzle]

Nah, fair enough mate. Austin's amazing to be honest; great bars, great people, great tech, hippies, Whataburger and yet also the state capital of Texas!