Your Thoughts On This One

[Lynden]

Hey there,

Was wondering if you could shed some light after spending your hard earned cash on dj equipment. Ive fallen for the dance culture and would like to start djing but dont know the best way to start. Can you answer these questions?

1. CD or turntable? Pros and Cons
2. Whats the best way to get into djing?
3. After mixing in the quiet of your own house, whats the best way to get out there??

I appreciate your response

Lynden

[Cosmica]

Hi Lynden,

Pros for Vinyl

1. You learn the very basics of beatmixing
2. Equipment not as expensive

Cons

1. Expensive to buy vinyl unless you raid second hand stores or manage to buy in bulk

CDs

Pros

1. Music more accessible, easy to find music on cd including compilations or you can burn tracks to CDs

Cons

1. Equipment expensive (top shelf equipment)

Basically it comes down to personal choice and considering vinyl has been on its way out for a long time, probably worth going with the CD option unless you have a strong vinyl collection to begin with. It wouldnt hurt to get your hands on some cheap decks to play around with though.

[trenthalliday]

When i first was looking into going down this path of beatmatching I really wanted to go down the vinyl path. However after some research and a bit of time talking to different people I realised cd's are just that much easier to access the music.

The one quote I remember was from a mate of mine, he said its like buying an old V8 over buying a brand new 4 cylinder, upfront it will be cheaper to buy the V8, but very soon after that you are regreting it because it cost so much to run the damn thing!

But I kinda wish I was a millionaire and could afford to run my vinyl aswel as cd's...

Another tip from my experience.....if you think your ready to venture outside your bedroom....chances are your not....unless you can get 95% of your mix's perfect your probably not ready....I know im not, which doesnt bother me, im just enjoying the ride in my spare bedroom! Which leads me to my other tip, when your in your bedroom nobody can see you, dance around, fuck about, turn the lights off and enjoy every second of it!!

[Lynden]

Lol thanks guys. is there any where in Bris that you can just have a go before buying. Like i love the music and would love to be able to mix but you always here for people forking out 2 grand for the gear and selling it two months later.

Comments are appreciated, thanks,

Lynden

[pomrocks]

dont buy stuff the day after a big night out......

[gamblore]

Don't even consider playing out. You should be doing it for the love of the music. If you are doing for the free beer and bitches, you will sell your shit after a month or two. Let it come naturally or after you have a better knowledge of the music and feel you can match with some people around, then consider persuing playing gigs.

Don't buy new gear, it's a waste of money especially if you are only new to the game. 2nd hand is much cheaper and there are not normally that many problems with 2nd hand equiptment (knock on wood!).

Start out with either 1200's or a basic set of CDJ's and a simple 2 channel mixer, all second hand. If you buy CDJ's, upgrade once you know you are serious about it. If you buy 1200's, you wont have to upgrade them, probably ever, but you will want a better mixer eventually. I find you get hooked on DJing when you first start, but once you get the basics, you kind of fizzle out. If you buy new gear, it motivates you to keep playing.

The whole CDJ vs vinyl thing is a totally personal preference. Cosmica pretty much outlined all of the pro's and con's. Personally, I started on vinyl and loved it, but it got too expensive, and I was disapointed with the unpredictable quality of vinyl. Some pressings were soft and EQed very poorly, some had scratches or warps, etc. Also vinyl never seems to be as good as the first time you spin it, so if you don't look after it (or lend you wax to a mate that fucks half of your collection) the quality degrades. That really pissed me off. If you buy CD's and scratch them or fuck them, you can simply burn another copy, and it never degrades, it always crisp and clear and clean. I also wanted something to get a bit more creative with so I brought 1 CDJ and loved it, now it's all I use. But it is a personal preference.

If you want to try before you buy, it's probably not much use unless you know what your doing. It's kind of like snowboarding, you need a bit of initial direction, then time to master it. Get someone to show you the ropes, then play around by yourself for a few hours. If someone is there you rush things, get nervous, get frutrated, etc. If you serious about it, you can pick up the basics of beat matching in half a day and that will keep you stoked for a while!

[DJ D one]

The good point is that you don't have to fork out 2k to start.

At the end if you get into it on a budget, you will always want to upgrade or expand, try different gear, re sell, buy etc.... it is all good....

Some people get the best stuff there is and then 2 months later it is on ebay. When you gradually get into it, you appreciate more, it keeps everything exiting knowing you have options, it gives you hand on experience on different gears and you are not restricted should you ever be confronted to gear that you are not familiar with. Well that is my opinion anyway.

CD would be an easy option, but there is nobody in the world that can prevent you from trying Turntable(s) later on...with all the time coded vinyl product around makes it easier, at the end of the day it is all a matter of interest.

D1

[pomrocks]

Don't even consider playing out. You should be doing it for the love of the music.

Don't buy new gear, it's a waste of money especially if you are only new to the game. 2nd hand is much cheaper and there are not normally that many problems with 2nd hand equiptment (knock on wood!).



that is some awesome advice!

deffinately would suggest buying decent quality 2nd hand gear to start, it will cost a lot less than brand new and if looked after will last a while. and then when you're ready to spend more money you can do so with the confidence that will be a good investment. plus the resale on decent 2nd gear is usually not a great deal less that what you may have paid for it if you do sell it after a short while.....

but buy the gear and go nuts at home....if you love the music so much you'll just enjoy mixing your favorite songs when you want to hear them.

[Lynden]

Thanks for the great replies guys.

1. So what brand of CDJs are the best value for money 2nd hand? Pioneer CDj 200's looked great until i saw the price!!:-0

2. Whats up with 200,800 and 1000's?

3. Also will I need anything else (other than the mixer) will it plug into normal speakers?

Sorry about the dumb arse q's, appreciate your help

[DJSketch]

points have been done, but in my opinion

A) buy 2nd hand untill the eqipment can pay for itself, or you really need it, even then, i play at home once a month ( maybe) because i spend every weekend on a clubs system, so let them pay for it, lol.

B) i had vinyl, for years, untill i left a crate in the car and fell asleep on a mates lounge. about miday the next day 2 crates of my best stuff were ruined, thousands of dollars and time spent. so i bought cds and used them for a bit, especially handy when i was remixing tracks to play out, no waiting for dubs or special releases to come out, just burn and play.

i now play mostly "live", i use a scratch record or 2, 2 CDJ's and Final scratch running over ableton with a midi controller trigger.

i would reccomend cd's to get started mate then think about other options available like FS2, traktor scratch or serato, or ableton if you want to start bringing your own music to the world live.


most basic setup,

2X cdj 200's, Mixer, powered speakers, + beatport and a CD burner

longer lasting setup look for some CDJ 800'S

[pomrocks]

Thanks for the great replies guys.

1. So what brand of CDJs are the best value for money 2nd hand? Pioneer CDj 200's looked great until i saw the price!!:-0

2. Whats up with 200,800 and 1000's?

3. Also will I need anything else (other than the mixer) will it plug into normal speakers?

Sorry about the dumb arse q's, appreciate your help

1) either pioneers or denons....if you want them to last...

2) 200's are good, 800 better and 1000's better again.....and priced as such...

3) 2 x cdj, mixer, headphones and your home stereo and you pretty much set....

[gamblore]

Come on mate, do you want us to hold it when you piss too?

www.pioneerprodj.com

Do some research for yourself.

[Funkedub]

Thanks for the great replies guys.

1. So what brand of CDJs are the best value for money 2nd hand? Pioneer CDj 200's looked great until i saw the price!!:-0



DJing is not a cheap hobby

what ever format you choose ... you're always going to be spending $$$ on tunes ... unless you steal them ... or the better option ... make your own :zabiela:

[cowabungadude]

DJing is not a cheap hobby

what ever format you choose ... you're always going to be spending $$$ on tunes ... unless you steal them ... or the better option ... make your own :zabiela:

haha, making your own tracks is not cheap, but then again i suppose you could steal that stuff too... :-*

[Funkedub]

^^^

you just need a PS2 and a copy of Music :-D

[Bekay]

DJing is not a cheap hobby

what ever format you choose ... you're always going to be spending $$$ on tunes ... unless you steal them ... or the better option ... make your own :zabiela:

Although once you pay for your equipment it's a very cheap hobby (as long as your playing CD's). $20 a week will buy enough new tracks from a download site every week to keep most people happy.

If your playing vinyl best to get a second job, ha ha

[Funkedub]

If your playing vinyl best to get a second job, ha ha


or just not be obsessed with having the top 5 hottest tracks in the club this week :geek:

[Majestyk]

or just not be obsessed with having the top 5 hottest tracks in the club this week :geek:

Or just play 80's Olivia Newton John records that you bought from Vinnies.:rock:

[Cosmica]

Or just play 80's Olivia Newton John records that you bought from Vinnies.:rock:


Nothing wrong with that! :)

[Matty_neal]

Or you could just buy vinyl turntables, and use Torq with Connectiv or any other timecoded vinyl like I do :D

Easy access to all the latest music, using vinyl! how could you possibly want it any other way?

on second thoughts, i just broke a needle. wishing i bought 800's :( lol