Investing my money into DJ Equipment?

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

Investing my money into DJ Equipment?

Hey guys,

I have been a DJ in the game for a while now. I’m 19 and I started when I was 15, I pretty much DJ’d all my school dances and events as well as gigs for my city’s youth events and other miscellaneous things I could find.

So I’ve come to a crossroads.

I started on Turntables with serato, but when the vci 300 came out I took it for a spin and loved it. I really didn’t see any downside from the machine other than the fact that it did not have the physical “cool factor” that turntables do.

So I sold them and picked up the vci-300.

Now I am trying to advance my DJ career and I am wondering if I need to re-invest in some 1200s and Serato or if I will survive just through controllerism. I really feel more comfortable and versatile on controllers, but do I need TT to earn myself legitimacy if I want to do bigger things in clubs, festivals, etc.?

Please let me know what you guys think!

2

I’ve encountered this question too, when someone actually said my Kontrol S2 didn’t look professional enough. When you think about it, a controller does the exact same thing that vinyl emulation system will do, and possibly better because control vinyl usually requires another midi controller to have all the extra features mapped to it.

I always think it boils down to the listener, will they be able to tell the different between a vinyl scratch system or a controller? Hell no.

That being said, If I had more money to burn, I’d probably have the “scratch” setup at home too, but I don’t.

3

Has your lack of vinyl turntables affected you in any way when trying to get a gig?

4

Well it is true that controllers do the same job, maybe even better but also they do look like a toy, and unprofessional.

5

That’s a difficult question to answer. I pondered that for a long time. In the end I figured if one person was saying it there could be more out there. Eventually I decided to take all equipment photos off my site. One of the rotating images on my homepage was of me playing my old controller the M-Audio Torq, which I felt looked really amateur or “Fisher-Price” as someone on the M-Audio forum suggested, but I couldn’t undoubetly say that the controller has diminished my ability to get gigs. Not having a website was a huge factor. I started off getting about 5 gigs a year, then immediately after the website that tripled. Since then (2 years ago) the business has grown about 2-5% annually…But that’s for mobile DJ’ing. When I DJ’d in the club I didn’t have a website, but then again I played at the same place 2-3 times a month for about 7 years or so and I played vinyl because that’s all they had.

I can tell you one thing though, if it’s all about “getting gigs” it might require some “testing”. There’s no one thing that will guarantee you getting gigs, so you might have to feel it out with the controller, then buy some tech 12’s and see how that works out. I know it’s expensive but this is the same reason why so many big companies spend money testing products in the marketplace.

I personally have only stuck to the controller for the last 5 years because I do mobile DJ’ing and it just makes sense. Having to hook up two tech 12’s or CDJ’s along with the audiocard, control vinyl (or CD’s) takes 10 times longer than just plugging in a USB cable.

6

I think there’s some truth to it. I’ve heard a lot of people say that using a controller simply doesn’t look as cool as a controller, or even vinyl control at that. I heard a girl say once that there’s just something sexy about a guy digging through crates of records and spinning actual wax.

Although it’s difficult to say without a shadow of a doubt whether this would hinder someone from getting gigs.

To the OP, what kind of DJ’ing are you looking to do? If it’s mobile I’d say it’s easy to hide. Use stock photos on your site of some CDJ 900’s or 2000’s, and when you go to gigs, use some kind of cover and masks your DJ’ing area so nobody can see, unless they walk right up to your booth.

If you’re planning on doing festivals and clubs, well then you have another problem, where to put the controller, and also the question of if you really want to do that if the club has CDJ 900’s or 2000’s where you could just show up with flash drives instead.

7

Thats misleading man. If you can’t play on those things don’t put pictures up of it and hide it. Be proud what you are playing on.

8

Who said I “CAN’T” play on them?

You should work on your reading comprehension because you missed the part where I mentioned the stage where all I played was vinyl.

I’ve been doing this from 14 years and have transitioned through vinyl, CDJ’s and now a controller.

9

Thankfully controllers are starting to look less toy like, with creases between the jogs and mixer section, more professional colors and design all around on most every thing I’ve been considering to buy in the past year. There are entry level exceptions but the gear is coming around.

10

If you’re really at the point where you’re misrepresenting your equipment with stock photos to boost your image, you might want to really take a second to think about how you market yourself.

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Think about the stock photography or the gear I use?

Millions of reputable and successful companies use stock photography. I used to work in marketing at a corporation that had almost 30,000 employees across the country, and they used stock photography for some of the platforms I launched for them.

Stock photography can be done well if chosen with some discretion and taste.

If it’s about “misrepresenting my equipment”, then I can assure you it’s a non-issue because I can use any setup with the same level of proficiency. I’ve DJ’d for 14 years in both clubs and mobile events, and have gone through vinyl, CDJ’s, and now digital. I haven’t played CDJ’s in years but I always school my friends at their places, manually beatmatching on their tracks that I’ve never heard before, so I have no problem mixing on any medium, or any equipment. I always explain to my clients what “digital DJ’ing” is and what the benefits are to them. I don’t see why it would matter if I use a controller and want to advertise CDJ’s on my site. I used to have CDJ’s with control CD’s and M-Audio Torq but got rid of them for the more convenient all-in-one controller.

Customer feedback is the most important thing in mobile DJ’ing, so if a customer makes a comment about your gear, you have a few choices, change your gear (which I can’t afford right now, nor do I think it’ll make a difference in what I can offer), take off all pictures of your gear and not show any (which is what I’m currently testing right now), or use pictures of someone else’s gear (possibly including stock photography).

…But one thing is clear, it’s naive to hear a comment like that and not consider at least doing some testing in the marketplace, which is what I’m doing. I prefer to not use stock photography either, but it all depends on the hand you’re dealt. I’ve hired photographers to come out, and take shots at my gigs, but sometimes the venue isn’t impressive, the crowd isn’t that great, or the photographer just isn’t able to capture the shots I’m really interested in, and it ends up being a waste of time/money for both me and them…Which is why I’ve bought my own camera and started taking my own shots but that hasn’t been great either without a professional flash, photoshopping etc.

Thinking about how I market myself is about all I do, and I think I’ve been pretty thorough about it…But If you have a suggestion that I haven’t heard already then I’m all ears.

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I actually have an excellent suggestion: stop wasting massive amounts of time trying to min/max your fake image, and promote yourself based on stuff that actually matters, like atmosphere, skill, and personality. You could spend months trying to perfect the optimum fake page to create the ultimate fake image for a client, or you could actually represent yourself honestly, and live the image, rather than trying to create a borderline outright false one. If you’re so concerned that the image of professional equipment can min/max profit, why not actually invest in professional equipment, that will make a real, definite impact on your actual performance, rather than waste all that time and resources creating an illusion to lure in clients.

Saying you have technical skill and outstanding experience is worthless when you subsequently make absolutely no use of it and shoot for the lowest common denominator, but continue to market based on those “credentials.” Marketing to your clients that you’re extremely experienced or equipped, who then hire you based on that experience and equipment, and subsequently playing the gig with absolutely nothing that you marketed on is borderline sleazy. Definitely not the way to get that positive customer feedback you live off of. Hiring a stock photo of a guy playing on ten grand worth of capital, and being delivered an idiot with a laptop and some unlabeled cabs would royally piss off any market-minded clients, and market-minded clients are who you’re hedging on.

13

I agree with some of what you’re saying, but it’s nothing new and re-stating the obvious. As for the rest I’ve either already done it, already perfected it, or don’t think it matters as much as you do.

Thanks for attempting to deliver a fresh perspective though. It was a good effort.

14

I don’t understand what is going on with this argument above but!

Yes you will look less professional with a controller. I know they can do just as much (if not more) than a typical set of cdjs but it’s about looks here.

15

Really, anyone who uses DJ software with turntables/CDJs judging you for using the same software with a midi controller is ridiculous. I made the switch from a vci-100 to an S4 to finally Technics and a DJM900. I enjoy the DVS setup a lot more and it does make me more comfortable that I can do a set using the venue’s equipment instead of having to bring my own. It sounds like you already have experience spinning on DVS though, so that may be a bit irrelevant to you.

As for your career - there are a few questions you should ask yourself.

  1. Are you actually going to be spinning at gigs soon where being able to use DVS would make a difference (clubs etc. instead of mobile gigs)?
  2. Is there actually anti-controllerism bias in your area? Will it prevent you from being able to get gigs? (I haven’t really found much of this in Boston, for what it’s worth)

More important than those two, though, is this question:
Will you enjoy spinning on DVS more or less than spinning with your VCI? At the end of the day, you’re talking about a substantial bit of money to invest for DVS over midi; you’re going to have a massive case of buyer’s remorse if you don’t enjoy it but feel like it’s necessary.

16

Personally I don’t think it matters, if I was still running my own club nights, I wouldn’t care what kit he/she brought along as long as there was room in the booth, most importantly I want to hear them mix good tunes; how that is achieved is up to them.

I say use the lot, in fact I’m in the mix right now on the 1210s hooked up to the S4 (no timecode, just audio in) manually mixing in and out of digital and vinyl on 4 channels. Deep/Souful House anyone? :slight_smile:

17

With the exception of train spotters with infrared night goggles, few see and care what’s inside the booth.

18

Go with what makes you more comfortable.
If they’re biased against the gear, remind them it’s all about the music and performance.
The tools in which you perform are just that, tools.
And the more comfortable you are with said tools, the better you play.
Who’s really important?
The people behind the booth judging you or the people actually grooving and raving to your sounds?

Go with what feels best, not with what looks best.

19

First of all don’t say it’s an investment, unless you’re a full professional. I don’t want to be cocky, but investment means you’re determined to make a profit from the acquisition of a peace of gear. As long as you are amateur, meaning you can’t pay mortgage from your DJing benefits, you should consider it an expense.

Besides that, your legitimacy is only at stake if you’re not performing. The piece of kit you’re using shouldn’t be an issue. Don’t care what others think. In the end, controllers, mixers, CDJs or turntables are all buttons, knobs and faders. The hate you possibly receive is just a defense mechanism from vinyl purists, who can’t cope with the fact that technology is taking over their analogue thing. They’re as conservative as the Catholic Church.

20

While I agree with your point about not calling it an “investment” unless you’re a professional, I think it’s important to distinguish that you don’t have to be making enough to cover your mortgage to refer to it as an investment. Once you make enough money back to break even, anything after that is a ROI (return on investment).

If you look at it from a hobbyists standpoint, then anything you get back for it is better than nothing, even if you don’t break even. I have a PS3 and I’ve burned away hundreds of hours playing it, and I’ve never made back a single dollar. For me it was the same with DJ’ing in the beginning, I did it as a hobby so it was a plus to make money from it. Now it’s a business for me, and I wouldn’t be doing it otherwise…