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Forum: General Discussion

Topic: ok so what should my first hardware be?

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Only enjoying EDM music (some hip hop once in awhile) I feel sometimes I can do a better job when I'm in certain clubs or venues, so I want to get my feet wet in the industry!

Obviously I'll have to start in my room, making sure the tunes I crank out isnt going to boo me away, while slowly working my way up to house parties, and then eventually in a bar-club scene if I'm good enough.

Question is where do I start? Besides DJ tutor and the forums, I know the first place I got to start is the hardware... and looking in the hardware page the PIONEER DDJ-ERGO interests me so... but it is quite a steep price (used ones goes for 400$) and was wondering there are better cheaper alternatives to the noobie?

There are so many resources and as a noobie I'm very overwhelmed although I have read the great stickies on the forums, but wondering if there are more advice out there?

Thank you for reading :)
 
Inviato Wed 20 Feb 13 @ 9:40 am
A decent LAPTOP!! Spend as much money on it as possible as it is the heart and soul of digital deejaying........ everything else comes second.
 
I'm sure you've heard the phrase "you get what you pay for".

It's true for DJ equipment, especially if you want something of mid to high quality that'll stand up to regular use and not get you laughed at when you take it to a venue. :-)

I'd say it's better to invest wisely at the start than to try and save money, realise it's rubbish and end up having to buy something else.

The Ergo is one of the new breed of "lifestyle" DJ controllers, designed to look good on your coffee table rather than stand up to life on the road. The DDJ SX is the one you're more likely to see a working DJ using.
 
You need to narrow down what "type" of DJ you want to be, as this will narrow down your list of equipment to purchase.
If you're mobile, or a bedroom dj, are you going to aim for club work or the local bar/tavern/pub?
Do you want the ability to cut and scratch like a hip-hop dj as well?
All of these questions should be answered so you can narrow down your equipment choice.
The laptop is your brain, it better be off life support so you can get full function from the rest of your gear.
 
great questions so ill get on to answering them!

- my laptop currently is a beast back in 2011 (asus g73) so I don't doubt its ability to run the software (which i have the free version) while not hiccuping in intense moments. The specs are i7, 8 gigs of ram, decent video card, and a 17 inch 1080p screen so hopefully that's boss enough :)

- I am really into EDM type of music but once in awhile I like the r and b songs (or pop radio songs) that are remixed into dance. So I guess hip hop scratching is not really my thing as I can see that crowd and the dance crowd is pretty different.

The Ergo is one of the new breed of "lifestyle" DJ controllers, designed to look good on your coffee table rather than stand up to life on the road. The DDJ SX is the one you're more likely to see a working DJ using.

I actually don't mind the toy look of the Ergo but what I liked about it was a good beginner set without the price tag that will break my bank (yeah 599 isn't easy money but if I look hard enough in the used section i can probably score one for 300 or so). What I don't want end up happening is yeah ok I go big and invest big in equipment and then after a month or so practicing in my bedroom I will realize perhaps I just suck at DJing and aren't good enough to host parties. Which is why the Ergo was attractive as a starting unit for practice although...

... one person mentioned that the Ergo looks silly to bring to a professional place... didn't I read a sticky thread that the equipment doesn't matter (well it does... .but in a theory sense) its all in the DJ skills itself? Although reading reviews on the Ergo I do notice it does not live up the wear and tear very well, so when checking out used units I will be wary.

I have problems finding the DDJ SX though since I couldn't find it on the hardware page

You need to narrow down what "type" of DJ you want to be, as this will narrow down your list of equipment to purchase.
If you're mobile, or a bedroom dj, are you going to aim for club work or the local bar/tavern/pub?
Do you want the ability to cut and scratch like a hip-hop dj as well?
All of these questions should be answered so you can narrow down your equipment choice.
The laptop is your brain, it better be off life support so you can get full function from the rest of your gear.

very good question! I guess I'm inspired by trance artists mostly and since I'm a rookie I would practice in my bedroom until I felt I was good enough to go to a house party and hopefully shake things up or get kicked out. Club work is a bit optimistic for me so I would do a local tavern/pub/bar and do shows for free just to get some practice. DJing for me is more of a hobby thing right now and I wouldn't invest heavily so I can make money off of it. Although I do realize most of the local/bar/taverns here are into rock music (white canadians/americans) so I'd have to do some research to where is an ideal place which is why the house party/friends party would work better :)

I remember one time I was at a friends house and he had some nice dj equipment. I was messing with it and I transition one song to the next without a hiccup and then these two girls started dancing. And I thought to myself, wow I bet I got those girls wet!

and that's when I was interested in becoming a DJ haha
 
So you may want to look into a controller that allows effects mapping to buttons etc. for on the fly remixing.
What is your price range?
 
Slow down big shooter, the girls probably liked your song selection not your technique, lmao!! But on a serious note, don't go cheap like Groovin said in the end it'll cost you just as much as buying quality equipment.......... plus when you do get serious you'll already have the proper gear.
 
If you go cheap, expect to pay more in the end. Trust me, I've learned that lesson.
I say look at the higher end Pioneer Controllers and the Vestax VCI 380
 
....plus if it doesn't work out (like that would ever happen) then you'll be able to resell decent kit much easier than the low end beginner stuff. You'll probably find it easier to learn on good kit too - you won't be making compromises, and it'll stand you in good stead if/when you have to use some top end gear in a club.
 
It kills me as this is a ego thing. I can dj with a peice of shit and still kick ass. The lap top is the key. I have had 6 in my dj career. even a touch screen , desk top and custom. When you first start out , start like this. 1. down load home to learn key elements of the program. 2. when you have saved up. Buy the pro version. It is updated to you for life. 3. Buy or see if you can rent a controler. I have had 20 and the thing is I would rather have 4 peices set up in my rack or on my table then one expencive peice as the gear almost comes out every week something new. 4. virtual dj is about to come out with version 8 and some of the features are going to be so awesome that a older controler is not going to be able to do all the new features. 5. multi screen. Make sure that your laptop has the awesome video output as most of the new controlers have the sound cards built into them. change the controler , change the sound card. 6. Learn the features of the program. 7. join a dj record pool I was working with zipdj for a while. they still rock.. 8. play every chance you get.. 9. for more gear always ask people in here as everyone is using something different and some of the features in the original design might have been remapped by one of the awesome people here ... 10. play and pratice till you can be stopped...

p,s there are dj schools everywhere. I teach it in Calgary Canada and so does the company that I sub contract for.
 
thanks for all the advice given! im going to try to look for the controllers mentioned in this thread, hopefully I can score a deal. Since I cannot find the ones mentioned in the hardware section of the web site. Will post when I find one worth buying!
 
Honestly not gonna get into a urinating contest, :-), but don't knock the ergo!!!.. lol

i've had mine over a year now, and it has most definately been up to more than a coffee table ornament, travelling well, (Protected) with a decksaver and a Gator Padded Case, and has never failed (Let me down) yet,

yes it looks and even moreso feels plasticy, but with some due care, it'll do all you need and serve you well :-)

don't be so quick to dismiss any and all options.... but i will say this......

Damn!,.... i hope they get some stock of the SSX in the uk soon.... lol (Not because i need to replace the ergo, but i just want a new toy) Ha Ha
 
as huey pointed out... start by collecting songs that you like. I bought about 50 records before I bought turntables. In a digital world it is a little different as you can get music at your fingertips with torrents and share sites. The problem with that is you will download any old thing and end up with a library you don't know of mostly stuff you won't like. I think you should limit yourself to getting no more than 10 tracks a week. listen to everything and shortlist around 50 then narrow it right down to ten tracks. This will ensure you know and love everything you buy which is the only way to become a good club dj in a specific genre of music.

In regard to a controller you should get something you can learn to beatmatch on like the reloop terminal mix 4 because CDJ's don't have sync and 90% of the time in clubs that is what you are expected to use, because no one want's a change over where a noob is unplugging their controller and laptop. When you get some respect in the scene from other dj's at the club then it's cool to bring in extra controllers and "express yourself" until then just K.I.S.S 'keep it simple stupid'.
 
I got the Numark Mixtrack Pro. It's a small boy compared to the other stuff they have available but it was still worth some $300 bucks, but like someone said before, I can DJ like a pro on any piece of crap, it's all about your laptop. I run a MacBook Pro 10.8.2 with a 2.3GHz i7 and 4GB memory. I've never had a problem. Further than that make sure your sound system is good. I mean seriously. Spend $700 on a professional amplifier and raise the roof. Your DJ controller will be fine whatever you choose to buy and if you get better and more serious and decide you'd like to open a mortgage, then spend a couple grand on a huge, heavy, mad piece of hardware. But don't worry, it'll only be obsolete in a year anyway.
 
You could look into a Numark Mixdeck as well. This way you can learn to mix and not have to use a laptop right away.
The Mixdeck has CD slots and you can use USB sticks as well, plus it has an iPod docking station that you can use to play songs from as well, then when you get more familiar with the unit you can add the laptop in later, plus Mixdeck comes with Traktor LE software.
I used to own this and it was a pretty nice piece of gear. It had hot cues, loop, effects etc.
In fact I did a wedding reception with this and someone wanted a particular song played that I didn't have, so the person requesting the song pulled out his iPod and I plugged it into the docking station on the mixdeck and BOOM! Song request fulfilled. It's really a versatile piece of gear.
And you can bring your music on Flash Drives and or CD's just in case the laptop crashes, this way you'll have a music back up.
 
hey been looking on kijiji for a few deals and was wondering what you guys think?

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-pro-audio-recording-equip-gemeni-ctrl-six-dj-mixer-W0QQAdIdZ464286903

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-pro-audio-recording-equip-BEST-DJ-DECK-FOR-PRICE-USED-TORQ-XPONENT-200-OBO-W0QQAdIdZ464138315

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-pro-audio-recording-equip-DJ-EQUIPMENT-AMERICAN-AUDIO-VSM4-w-SOFTWARE-BRAND-NEW-IN-BOX-W0QQAdIdZ464024056

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-electronics-Traktor-Kontrol-S2-LNIB-W0QQAdIdZ463766666

hmm any advice would be appreciated for a beginner who wants to practice EDM in his bedroom to house parties to get his feet wet!
 
vap33 wrote :
hey been looking on kijiji for a few deals and was wondering what you guys think?

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-pro-audio-recording-equip-gemeni-ctrl-six-dj-mixer-W0QQAdIdZ464286903

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-pro-audio-recording-equip-BEST-DJ-DECK-FOR-PRICE-USED-TORQ-XPONENT-200-OBO-W0QQAdIdZ464138315

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-pro-audio-recording-equip-DJ-EQUIPMENT-AMERICAN-AUDIO-VSM4-w-SOFTWARE-BRAND-NEW-IN-BOX-W0QQAdIdZ464024056

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-electronics-Traktor-Kontrol-S2-LNIB-W0QQAdIdZ463766666

hmm any advice would be appreciated for a beginner who wants to practice EDM in his bedroom to house parties to get his feet wet!


I can tell you NOT to buy the Torq Xponent. M-Audio is no longer and you will find it very difficult registering the product, getting software and updates, in fact you won't get any support or updates as M-Audio no longer exists as of 2012.

You may want to wait a bit to see what the cost will be on the new American Audio VMS DJ (http://youtu.be/V4jVVw7FJVU)

Of the ones listed above I do like the Traktor best. I don't have a lot of knowledge base on controllers as I'm a tablist, but if you're looking for best bang for buck I would say a new American Audio VMS DJ is the way to go, it's bundled with VDJ so all you'll need to do once you get the laptop is upgrade to Pro for a minimal cost.
 
djsureshot1973 wrote :


You may want to wait a bit to see what the cost will be on the new American Audio VMS DJ (http://youtu.be/V4jVVw7FJVU)

Of the ones listed above I do like the Traktor best. I don't have a lot of knowledge base on controllers as I'm a tablist, but if you're looking for best bang for buck I would say a new American Audio VMS DJ is the way to go, it's bundled with VDJ so all you'll need to do once you get the laptop is upgrade to Pro for a minimal cost.


dont go near american audio, especially new products....
unless you live in reasonable distance of the american audio factory they will fob u off if the product dosent work properly...
then bring out a new version of the product with the defects fixed for new customers.
 
I'll second that - I was another mug who got bitten with the original VMS4.

The whole issue is nicely documented over on the ADJ forum, if you can be bothered to wade through all the posts!
 
groovindj wrote :
I'll second that - I was another mug who got bitten with the original VMS4.

The whole issue is nicely documented over on the ADJ forum, if you can be bothered to wade through all the posts!


had enough of american audio when they fobbed me off with firmware version 5.5 then stopped replying to me when
i said it made no diffrence. strange how on there website 3.11 is still the latest firmware???

ill be upgrading soon to a new controller that takes timecode signals properly ;)

 


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