In which order should you buy your setup?

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

In which order should you buy your setup?

I have been creeping on these forums for a while, and still haven’t found out some of the main things I’ve been looking for. But i have found out a lot of useful information, now i’m just wondering in which way i should i buy my setup.
like i already got a laptop, VmS4, traktor, virtural dj, ableton launchpad(still don’t know how to use ableton, so atm useless)
I want your opinions , should it be like

Midi controller
mixer
Tables
Etc..

2

soundcard and a 4 channel mixer. then you are set for any party.

3

What a broad question. What is your ultimate goal with your gear? What is your budget? What are your preferences? Are you trying to make money off this? How are you trying to achieve this? Help us out here.

4

My goal is to do gigs etc.. Budget doesn’t matter, since i’m building it up slowly, so i’d rather buy quality. I mean i guess Traktor/Vdj and i’m asking for some of your preference so i can get ideas, maybe. Practice/patience.

5

It doesn’t really matter mang! It all depends on what you want to do and how you want to learn! Jester is correct tho, the bare minimum you would technically need is:

I was dj’ing school parties in the Caribbean with only an X-Session pro mixer and a soundcard (and Traktor) ! Boom!

6

The way I did it (aside from software - should be pretty obvious when to get that anyway) was:

  1. Buy a midi controller with good resale value (I bought the VCI-100 and actually sold it for more than I bought it for new).
  2. Buy a soundcard, ideally one with DVS capabilities (Audio x, SL box with core audio drivers/ASIO like the SL3) to save yourself from having to rebuy later.
  3. Get a mixer - a quality mixer - so you can get better sound quality, maybe external effects, etc. and you can still use your midi controller for transport.
  4. Get turntables/CDJs and start using DVS. People have different opinions on this, but IMO you’ll be a better/more versatile DJ in the long run if you at least are able to use these.

You should also get a good set of speakers at some point. There’s little point in spending money on a mixer to improve sound quality if you’re playing through $20 computer speakers. For my purposes I picked up a pair of studio monitors (JBL2325) which are powerful enough for small house parties and have good enough sound quality for production and DJing. If I did more house parties or wanted to be a mobile DJ, I’d grab some decent PA speakers like the JBL Eon 15 or equivalent. I guess you could call this step 2.5.

And honestly, you don’t need to go all the way to step 4. Especially if you aren’t planning on playing at a club within the semi-near future, there isn’t a whole lot of point of getting used to DVS/a real mixer in order to more easily play out. Something like an S2 or an S4 would be more than adequate for the majority of DJs. I’m not gigging out currently, but one of my goals is to pick up a residency or at least a regular gig at some point within the next year or two and that’s part of why I picked up the mixer and turntables. I waited to do so though for about two years - I wanted to make sure that DJing would be a lasting hobby/interest/possible source of income first. It was a hefty chunk of change, but I use my setup every day for at least an hour so; even if I don’t end up gigging out or making money off of this, I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth.

Just make sure you don’t get caught up in Rapid Gear Acquisition Syndrome - buying more and more gear will not make you a better DJ, it’ll just make you a better customer for the credit card companies :wink:

7

Traktor > DJ Controller > Headphones > Speakers = DONE!

8

PC, keyboard and NO soundcard. I win :slight_smile:

9

@OP - I’m confused. You’re asking in what order to buy a setup, yet you already have a setup that’ll enable you to DJ?

10

I can definitely tell you in what order you should buy my setup. You can start by buying my 80,000 watt Funktion One rig. :slight_smile:

11

laptop/software/controller/soundcard/powered speakers/…these are essential to playing out and would have to be bought all at the same time. You can buy a controller with a soundcard and comes with software and then you need speakers. But all these are absolutely needed to playing out. All except the speakers are necessary to play at all.

12

I am amazed at how long I used just a PC (5 years). The way I look at it, if you can use your Keyboard mapping as your sole controller, than you will definitely be good to go when your VCI/DVS/whatever crashes, and the keyboard is all you have. That’s always a good thing.

This is exactly what I did. Honestly, if you can mix on a VCI-100, then when you switch to DVS it’ll feel like your upgrading and simplifying your setup at the same time. It’s a win-win. Just try to avoid buying an S4. While it is a controller and can function with DVS, it isn’t really a club standard. If you get used to playing on YOUR mixer, you’ll be more adapt to go to a club/friend’s house/whatever and use what they have lying around. If you play on an S4, you run into the whole “can I take my S4?” thing. Easier to just get a standard mixer to start with, and go from there.