hey, im interested in getting into the whole dj thing and just want any recomendations for a begginer’s rig. i dont really know where to start as far as gadgets/software/whatever.. uhm, and for style of music, im interested in a very wide range, but i like dub step, some of the more colorfull techno, uhm, i like crystal castles a lot.. and bassnectar’s cul.. i have some experience recording, and writing music and im always looking for new sounds, so im def gonna be all over the place as far as genres.
uhm also, i guess i want to have alot original tracks, as opposed to using others beats.. though id like to use others’ as well.. i guess..
search the forums, there are so many threads like this.
i recomend you something like the bcd3000. a cheap controller with soundcard to get started and get to know if this is a thing for you. after a couple month you want to upgrade though..
They all have different pros and cons and it all comes down to own personal preferences really. Im a hardcore software guy. I feel i have much more freedom when mixing with my computer and a controller. For me its the most effective way of mixing. I dont have to burn any cd’s or buy any vinyls. If i want any of my knobs to control something completely different i just remap it. I dont have to buy any FX-hardware and my whole setup basically fits in a backpack.
Downsides are that computers will always be computers. They lag, they mess around and are just dicks in general. That is until you buy a laptop solely dedicated to DJing.
Would say that its cheaper but I wont. If you want a crazy, buttsmacking, bitchslaping godsend computer/controller setup it will cost you about the same as anything else, but you could get a decent software setup cheaper than a decent pair of TT’s/CD-J’s + Mixer.
If you are just starting out, then just get traktor and use a keyboard and a mouse before you spend a ton of money. Sooner or later you are probably going to want to learn to beatmatch (not every club will let you use a laptop but they all have CDJs). If you get CDJs I’d probably go for used 200s and a used 2 channel mixer. You should be able to get your money back out of them if you ever plan on selling.
Traktor, Audio DJ 4, Used VCI 100. I think this might be your cheapest point of departure where your upgrade will be in the realm of the midi controller… now, if you happen upon used CDJ’s or turntables, I’d go that route instead of the midi controller route so that you can learn the basics of beat matching for those moments when you can’t use a laptop.
I started with Traktor LE and a BCD3000. Waaaaaaay cheaper, and it was good to confirm that I enjoyed it enough to spend a smidge more cash and get a VCI 100 and TSP …
Started 2 months ago. Laptop with Traktor Pro Demo. Just trackpadded it all the way. Sucked a lot but kept me busy and taught me the basics until I found a VCI-100 SE on ebay I could afford. Soundcard is also crap, bought it used from a friend and works about half the time. Barkeeping at a good club helped as well just from listening.
I’ll add perks when the bank account allows for it, like a working sound card, Firmware 1.4 kit plus yellow knobs. That’ll do for a while.
Be careful, you can spend so damn much money buying really quickly, since you still have to get music to go along with your gear. Actually that’s what cost me the most until now. By far.