Starter dj needs help with finding affordable dj gear.

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

Starter dj needs help with finding affordable dj gear.

I’m looking for DJ Gear you can control over the control such as Virtual DJ.
I didn’t like Technics Sl1200 because the vinyls were too expensive. and The Technics was a friend of mine i borrowed but he wanted a lot for them.

I’ve been looking at these;
http://www.123dj.com/audio/mp3s/ctrlsix.html
http://www.123dj.com/audio/mp3s/typhoon.html

http://www.123dj.com/audio/mp3s/reloopmixageie.html

My price range is horrible, and I’m still looking up and down how much I can spend. I’m lookingat $200 - $300 :l

Maybe less.

I want a nice design (Hopefully) big Joggle wheel things.
and I want the Left and right Colored meters..

I’m looking for a little color, but i don’t know. Doesn’t have to be a bit.

Lemme just say this.. A nice Computer DJ Gear that’s affordable.

Post links here, Much apperciated thanks so much!

2

First, If you’re starting, for a better price you could get the Numark Mixtrack Pro, an amazing piece of equipment that will get you started right away and using the mixtrack pro is a great start as a DJ. The Typhoon is good also but it cost more, the Mixage is at almost the same price but between those two, I’d go with the mixtrack pro. You’d also need some headphones if you want to start, Headphones is something you should NEVER go cheap, controllers some might not perform as well but at least they last and get you started, on the other hand cheap headphones break in a day or two and after 2 days of listening to bad quality you will want to break them yourself, I would reccomend a price range of $50 to $100 in headphones. Check Out the Xone XD40, Numark Red Wave, American Audio HP700, these are cheap starter good headphones. So that leaves us with cheap controllers, if you’re going to buy one this is my opinion.

Numark DJ2GO/ Cheap, Basic controller, for a casual or curious DJ. Tiny in size, fun to play with, at just $49 it comes with Virtual DJ but lacks many features.
Hercules MP3 E2/ Cheap, Tiny, Basic controller, Features more than the DJ2Go, although it misses a soundcard and thats another expense. It’s $99
Numark Mixtrack/ this is the not pro version of the mixtrack, cost $140 but misses the soundcard, for $100 more you could get the pro version of the Mixtrack with Traktor, and a soundcard. A better option, just save a little money.
Behringer BCD300/ Getting old now, but great starter controller, it covers most of the features, although you probably will want to upgrade the software. This is my favorite along with the Mixtrack Pro. $150 It has a soundcard.
Hercules MK4/ Really mobile controller, covers the features well and does the job, although its newer, it is the same price as the Behringer BCD3000 and I prefer to go with the BCD3000. $160. It has a soundcard.
Reloop Mixage IE/ Small Reloop Controller, it works amazingly, the Interface Edition comes with a built-in soundcard and it does a great job at an amazing price of $230 more or less.
Hercules RMX/ A WORKHORSE, poor jogwheels, but will last you for a lifetime. It does the job and does it very well actually, it has a soundcard and cost around $240 but at this price range you could the mixtrack pro.
Numark Mixtrack Pro/ The Top Controller for begginers, comes with traktor LE, a soundcard, great jogwheels, great features and leads to a great star, its built to a price (plastic case), but an amazing price of $240, this controller kills any other in price range.
Vestax Typhoon/ Good traktor controller, its vestax so you know it has great jogwheels, it comes with EQ sliders, a weird feature but if you can live with it, great then. $270
Torq Xponent/ Comes with Torq software but if you change to traktor you will have no regrets, this is one of my favorites also, great controller, at only $290 it is like pro to me.
Good Luck, Hope I helped. I spent alot of my time writing this -.-

3

Hey, out of the four I would pick the Typhoon. What are your plans for djing? Do you just want to mix for fun at home or take a serious route and do gigs? … $200-$300 might be a little tough trying to find a budget controller. $500 would open the door to better options. Any plans on speakers?..

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Thanks DJSpin for all that information. You’re really informative and I’m amazed. Thanks.

Also, DJSpin. Is this the same or do I need the “Pro”
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Numark-MIXTRACK-DJ-Controller-106070394-i1545208.gc?&source=4WFRWXX&CAWELAID=564741422#purchasing-used

Also Jsa83.
Mostly Home Use – But I do occasionally have friends wanting me to DJ at their parties.
I’m also being a Guest DJ at a Glow-Party in a few months. I’ll be assisting probably not muhc spinning but my friend who is hosting it said, If I want to and comfortable enough to DJ i can. But he knows I just started so, we’ll see.

5

Definitely put money into the headphones, squeezing a mix through a shitty pair of headphones is like trying to take a beautiful landscape photograph from inside of a dirty window.

It is always an intersting choice between getting an all-in-one controller or getting an audio card and a separate controller. I went the route of having a separate audio card and controller. (Gigaport HD and x-session pro) where I bought the audio card first and the controller later. Having the audio card lets you mix with your mouse and the buttons, it leaves much to be desired, but in the process you’ll learn what kind of set up you might want.

6

Thanks for the infomation.

I original posted this question on Yahoo Answers and got nothing.. so i ended looking up a DJ Forum.

I’m so happy I came to this forum!

I know how to Scratch (Basics) since I’ve been playing around with a technics 1200. But I wanna go Basic.

7

One more thing, Can someone tell me whats the difference of

and

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Numark-MIXTRACK-DJ-Controller-106070394-i1545208.gc?&source=4WFRWXX&CAWELAID=564741422#purchasing-used

What one do you guys recommend for me to get?

The secound link is obviously cheapier and I’m headed for that.

I don’t need any professional equipment..
I have Licensed Virtual DJ and my friend is happy to share his traktor pro or something he called it.

I just need the DJ Controller.. and I want it cheap but a great quailty. since I need to buy headphones as you guys said.

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i think they are the same. the one from guitarcenter is used…

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I see what the difference is now.
The Pro has an Audio I/O and the regular doesn’t.

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if you have a vdj pro licence I would get the standard mixtrack and an audio 2 soundcard.. same price as the mixtrack pro but better sound quality.

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I just got a VCI-100 for $300 new on amazon, but you can get them used for much cheeper (look in the buy/sell forum). Yes, it’s been discontinued, but personally I like it more then the version that just replaced it, and it’s a very tested controller with a huge following here. you will need a separate soundcard, but for the money, I dont think it can be beat. There’s a ton of info on it in the blog here, and here’s the link to the new one on amazon.
[ame=“Amazon.com”]Amazon.com: Vestax VCI-100 USB MIDI DJ Controller with Platter Controls (Silver): Musical Instruments@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dCFXPiQqL.@@AMEPARAM@@51dCFXPiQqL[/ame]

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It’s the same exact thing as the Mixtrack Pro.. Except without the Soundcard.

I think Mixtrack won this one.
I don’t really look the look on it as well, looks till silvery to my opinion.

But I’ll think about it, Thanks.

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Thanks, Could you post a link of a good quailty one that’s cheap?

14

The VCI-100 is in a different class compared to a Mixtrack, which works fine but is definitely a budget controller. Get a Native Instruments Audio2 for the soundcard, and you’re set.

15

$399 plus Tax and Shipping is out of my league.
I wish, I can’t spend that much. I simply don’t have it.
I’m 14 almost 15.
I’m earning literally nothing.. My neighbor pays me $25 To do her drive away once in-awhile since her husband has a Hernia.

Anyways – I really like that MixTrack.

DJQA - Thanks for being so informative. However, is the MixTrack compatible with Traktor?

16

Mate the mixtrack is okay for bedroom djing but if you ever want to play out you need something sturder. If i was you id get the vci 100 off ebay :slight_smile:

Joe

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Plus there’s a great free mapping which dj tech tools put together a while ago with continued support, just look in the mappings tab.

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Well, I’m only gonna do probably a few live. and 90% in my room.

Lemme say this. Is there any other good affordable DJ Controllers out there?

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I always try to tell people, figure out what software you are going to be using first (if you’re going to be using a computer in your setup).

After that, take a look at the available options for controllers for that particular software that you want to use.

After that, apply your budget to what you like. If you can’t afford something, save up a little more to get what you really want.

There is nothing worse than having to rebuy and resell gear in my opinion. Don’t get something you won’t be happy with for at least as long as you can save up to get something different.

As others have said, I’d look at the Mixtrack Pro. The one with the included sound-card. The thing about that, as opposed to having the separate sound-card… is that it’s Serato DJ Intro compliant. Which means free software basically. It’s also very viable for other software choices.

Otherwise, you can find some really good deals on stuff here on the forums (the buy/sell section) and through craigslist and ebay.

I waited about two years before I finally bought the setup I wanted. Given I would have gotten it much sooner, but I lost my job for 6 months right before I was about to pull the trigger on getting some gear after spending about a year saving and doing my research. So I’m a bit biased toward the “wait and get what you want, and don’t regret what you get” view.

20

Okay, I see where you’re coming from. As we’re talking about a big chunk of your savings, the question is - is this something you want to plunk your money into? If yes, and if you’re serious, you would do well to buy something that is built well and will last you a long time - so you won’t have to waste new chore money buying another cheap controller.

My advice? Don’t settle for the “budget” stuff, it will be more expensive in the long run. Save up a little more, and get a VCI-100 and an Audio2DJ, both second hand. If you buy new, a lot of the gear’s value is lost the second you open the box.