I’m brand spanky new to the world of DJ’ing and after thinking for over a year about “I could make this track better” I’ve decided I want to get my myself into the game (for hobby purposes).
After looking at the various types of hardware available I think being a DDJ would be better for me as Vinyl is quite expensive and I’d prefer to have my music portable and record things I can just slap on my mp3 player.
so i need help choosing a mixer/decks combi unit yet I’ve got no clue which product I should go for.
I’m an absolute beginner, so I’ve just purchased How to DJ for dummies but I want an idea of the hardware I would need before purchasing.
I’ve been told I’d need something like a Behringer BCD3000 but then again I’ve been told it’s not that good lol.
so something cheap that will help me into the world of DJ’ing.
Controllers:
If you want to go all digital, go for a controller.
Options:
Like you said, a BCD-3000 is good for a beginner, get one off e-bay for cheap, so if in a year you want to upgrade you can sell it again for cheap. Playing in a club with this one isn’t really an option though.
Cost: $100-$200
If you want to buy something that will serve you right for a few years, get a VCI-100(SE) and an Audio 2/4 You won’t run out of option for this one for years to come. And it’s nice to have an external card anyway. Personally I’d go for the Audio 4, since you’ll also be able to use it with DVS.
Cost: $500-$1000
CDJ:
If you would like to learn playing with CDs, you could get a pioneer 350 kit: 2x CDJ-350 and a DJM-350. This is a very nice set. Combined with an Audio 4 you could use your laptop with traktor scratch and time-codes. They also accept usb-sticks and come with rekordbox, sou you can prepare a set on your laptop.
Cost: ± $1900
A more expensive option would be getting some CDJ-1000s and a mixer. It is very hard to put a price on these though, since you can go MKII or MKIII and go new or second hand. If you get them second hand be sure to test them. Especially PLAY and CUE since some DJs really kill these buttons.
I hope this helps!
(PS: You could also wait and see what NI will be bringing soon!)
Nope, you can control both decks with just the X-Session. The left side has volume, pitch, high, low, etc. controls for one deck, and the right side as the same controls for the other. However, you can actually set it up so that each knob controls whatever parameter you want (the “magic” of MIDI )
numark total control with dj storm eagles mapping for traktor pro
and a djio sound card
headphones can be what ever you like, but ive only heard good things about denon hp 1000 i personally own them as well
The new Numark Mixtrack plus a budget DJ soundcard (ebay…) would come in at just over 200GBP, and it’s getting some very good reviews - great value for the money, and again no need for decks etc as it’s a pure digital solution.
In that case, you can’t really go wrong for $150. A couple of colleagues who are using them have contributed to this review, and there’s some good comments attached that may help make your mind up: http://bit.ly/bq5Itv
That’s the thing. Maybe someone else can help us here? If you have a 5.1 soundcard ie designed for surround sound audio, it may be possible to use 4 of those outputs to emulate a dedicated DJ soundcard via Traktor. I’m not a Traktor expert so not too sure about this.
I tried out DDJ with BCD3000 (with my laptop) and a set of monitors. i must say this was the least expensive option for me and has got me hooked on the digital side. extremely light so very portable and help to get the basics (my opinion) of digital DJ.
I have since upgraded to more after a few months of this wanting more"hands on" approach…
I really would love a vinyl collection, and learn to mix vinyl as it’s always been for me the cooler side of dj’ing. however I lack the money to buy vinyls as they can be quite expensive I’ve heard and I’ve got used to mixing in VDJ at the moment so i’d prefer to go Digital then maybe start going vinyl for fun after I’ve gotten used to it.
also if my soundcard wouldn’t work, would it be better to use the DJ/IO as a dedicated soundcard?
also going round to my friends house and showing off without carrying a load of vinyl around would be uber.
if you want to learn to mix on decks, pick up a pair of used techs and a stanton battle mixer to start along with either Traktor Scratch or Serato. the whole set up should run you about 800 USD. but, you won’t be spending money on vinyl and you can learn to beatmatch and mix using blog tunes for a bit. Also, entry level needles are about 30 bucks a pop.
(for hobby purposes).
)