Hello! I have been reading on these forums for a week or so now and found them incredibly helpful.
I am basically a complete noobie to DJing. For about 3 months now I have gotten myself familiar with the Traktor Pro software and familiarized myself with such basic concepts as beat gridding, fading, and track syncing. I have been running it on my PC, but I wish to get some gear that once I learn the ropes I could actually DJ with.
The problem is I’m not sure what to get. I know I would like a traktor ready controller, and a dedicated laptop to run traktor on. What else will I need? Do I need a mixer as well as a controller? I know I need an external soundcard for the laptop so that I can have two channels.
Any help or recomendations on some equipment would be greatly appreciated!
Also the amount that I am willing to spend is 1500-2000 total on everything.
Taking into account that you are just starting, i believe the VCI-100 would be your best option as there is always support and help available right here on DJTT. Get yourself an external soundcard such as the NI Audio 2 and you are up and running. You don’t need a separate mixer right away, although later on it would be a good idea.
Awesome thanks for the quick responses! I would also like a nice powerful reliable laptop. What specs should I be looking for? Windows 7 vs Mac? Thanks again.
I think most folks round here would recommend a Mac to you, but its more of a personal preference thing mate. Get as much ram as you can for your budget.
These days I’d say at least 4 gigs of DDR3 Ram, and at least a core2 duo processor, quadcores really aren’t necessary for what you’ll be processing. Gfx cards aren’t really important, and I’d personally say 300+gigs depending on your music library. Also check what ports are available, you’ll need at least 2 USB preferably 1 firewire, the more the better in those terms.
Vestax VCI-100
NI Audio to DJ interface
Traktor Pro
So I guess I will shop around a bit for a laptop that can serve my purposes well. What would you guys recommend for a good pair of headphones? Right now I am using these Amazon.com
I think I might need some closed ear headphones though for DJ purposes. Thanks again for all the input.
Sennheiser HD-25II’s. Best ever (at least in my opinion, and that don’t count for much )
This all comes down to budget. If you want to spend $2000 max on everything…
I’d say get the VCI-100SE from these guys at DJTT, the Audio2 and the Senneys, so that’s gonna run you around 900, give or take.
And you need a laptop. I’d say get a PC based lappy with Windows 7 and go from there. Pack it with as much RAM as you can, and if it’s possible fill it up with as much HD space to prevent you from need an external. Keep in mind you already have two USB slots taken up, so if you can find the mythical “4 USB” laptop, I’d grab it.
But I think, with some smart shopping, possibly some customizing of the lappy, you can keep yourself under budget. Yiou can get a regular VCI-100, but you get SO much for the SE that it’s worth the extra.
I ordered the VCI-100 SE from techtools should be coming at the end of the month, I can’t wait! I also ordered some headphones and the NI audio 2 dj sound card. Now I am just looking at laptops. This one seems like a pretty good deal, opinions?
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