Could use some guidance?

[G mons]

I'm new to djing and I want to get started but don't know where to start with equipment and such. I don't want to spend a ton of money to start of with ($1500 max to start with I guess). But I don't know what kind of setup to get? My influences are crookers, duck sauce, dj a trak.

So how should I start off? With cdj's or vinyl? and should I go digital with serato?

I was personally thinking I need:
-mixer
-software? (I have a pc)
-cdj's or vinyl turntables?

Much help is appreciated :)

[ampnation]

G mons, I assume from what you've said, you're planning on doing scratch style DJ'ing vs. mobile DJ for weddings and the like.

And I assume you're looking at just the equipment up to and including a mixer or controller and not PA speakers, right? Because you $1500 budget could cover PA or the rest of it, but not both.

I won't recommend a specific product for you but lay out some information you might use...

First, if you're brand new to this, you need to learn some skills. The most basic DJ skill is beat matching. You can read up on that by googling if you don't know what it is. It takes time to learn. Even if you get Serato or some other software that has a sync function, DON'T use it, at least at first. You'll be doing yourself a favor if you learn to do it by ear for a variety of reasons.

So what do you need?
Starting from your source:

Decks -- vinyl turntables or CDJ's (you obviously already know this) or both (but not on your budget),
Mixer
Audio Interface
Computer with DJ software
Headphones
and possibly a microphone
cables to connect everything.
Monitors

When you're learning you want monitors playing the output... the live mix... so you can get used to hearing that in one hear, and the "on deck" feed in the other ear through your headphones, one cup of them anyway. That way you get to adjust your incoming track before bringing it in live.

These days of course, people don't lug around crates of vinyl records, they get Serato or Traktor or Virtual DJ (as examples) and timecode vinyl if they're going to use turntables. And a lot of DJ's love the feel and control of using turntables like the Technics 1200 which is pretty much the gold standard. However the same type of setup can be gotten with CDJ's and some people really like the feel of the platters on some of the CDJ's as much or more than a turntable (not many from what I've seen). The thing is, those who do, are generally using CDJ's in the upper half of the market which may cost $1500 or more EACH.

What you get for monitors depends... are you going to be doing production? If so, get studio monitors. If not, get a powered PA speaker and you can use it later with another, as your mains if and when you need your own speakers to do a gig.

You can get a controller instead of CDJ's, mixer and interface for less but there are compromises... like the platters are usually not quite as good with some exceptions.

Now that you know what you need, start browsing the individual hardware sections and just start reading what everyone is recommending and trashing. Put together a spreadsheet and compare the products and features of the ones that seem to be worth considering. Take your time and you can put together a decent system. And here's a clue -- from my persepective anyway, it seems that if a certain brand or model is worth considering, no more than about 10% of the comments will be negative. More than that and it is quickly into the Do Not Consider category in my book.

[G mons]

Ok so before I go out and buy any major equipment you suggest I obviously learn the basics at home first? So what's a good software to learn the basics I'm thinking virtual dj and would it be beneficial for me to pick up a cheap controller to make using the software easier? So to start off my equipment list would look something like this:

-software (virtual dj, etc.)
-headphones
-controller (i want a cheap one just to learn basics on)

And eventually after I learn some stuff I would go get a mixer and turntables. I already have some small monitors.

Does this sound right?

[Subprime]

Sounds like a good plan. Always good to start out cheap, just in case you find that DJing isn't for you. There's plenty of cheap controllers out there, DjTechTools is probably a good place to look for reviews of them etc.

[ampnation]

Yeah, don't try to learn using just the software without the hardware.

I think a good pair of headphones that aren't too expensive are Sony MDR-V500.

If you don't already know, check out how Serato differs from the other programs in the respect that with it, the software is free but requires specific hardware to operate. This usually ins't a problem with controllers though from what I see (just from reading) in that most controllers if not all come bundled with software and again, almost always if not always, it is the light version such as Itch or VDJ LE. One notable exception are the Traktor Kontrol S series which I know at least one of those comes with full version Traktor. In fact I think if you went with an S2 or S4 you might end up being content with that and never going to the mixer+decks option.

If something like an S2 is a bit much money, a couple of controllers to seriously consider would be the Hercules RMX or the Vestax VCI-100

[ampnation]

I should add, that for the slightly higher price, I think the S2 is a much better value than the RMX or VCI-100. Solid build, balanced outputs (which becomes important once you decide to connect a PA) and full version software are well worth the little extra IMO.

[Subprime]

S2 is a very nice piece of kit, and pretty bloody cheap at the moment to boot.

[mostapha]

If you start out cheap, you won't get your money out of your equipment if you decide to upgrade later. The S2 wasn't a bad suggestion, but it's kind of a big choice towards the controller thing.

The biggest question in deciding where to go is how and what you wan to spin. Do you like the controllerist thing? Do you want to jump into hot cues and looping? Do you want to play a straightforward DJ set? What genre? Bars? Clubs? Parties? Mobile? Check out the beginner Mega thread that KLH started for some pretty good advice. Here's mine, mostly because I'm bored waiting for my friends to get off work.

First step, forget CDJs. You can't get half-decent ones for that budget. But, my barrier for "half-decent" is higher than most. I'd rather have a Mac Pro than a pair of what I call half-decent CDJs…for the same money.

For a $1500 budget, having a PC (which I assume is relatively recent and stable), I'd probably get this.

Pair of used Technics Sl-1200 mk2 ($600)
Used Rane SL1 ($350)
Serato Scratch Live (Free @ serato.com; needs a rane interface to run)
Vestax VMC-002xl ($200)
Sony MDR-7506 ($100)
Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 ($250)

You'd still need cartridges, but the TTs might come with them. If not, you can get a pair of okay carts with headshells for less than $100. Shure makes at least one set for that price that's sold at Guitar Center. They're all halfway decent. Stanton also makes good budget carts. If you had to do it to fit in your budget, I'd skimp on the speakers since just about anything works for learning.

After that, it's just music and choosing what/when to upgrade.

Once you get the basics down (which will take a while) you can add something like the Novation Dicers or an NI X1, which opens up some of the more advanced features of SSL.

The turntables will be a pain to find at that price, but it's definitely possible. That's about what I paid for my current set. You could go with any of the high end options from Stanton, Numark, Audio Technica, or Reloop if you can't find them, but I–for one–think Technics are better. Other people believe differently.

The mixer is fairly limiting, but it's the best you're going to get for $200, by far. And it sounds like @$$ when overdriven, so it'll help you learn to run a mixer correctly. IMHO, there really aren't other options in that price range, but there are low-end Denons in that range as well as a few off-brands. In this one, I'd go for quality over features every time.

The speakers aren't great, but they're good for $250 and will easily let you learn. If you already have computer speakers, use those and buy better cartridges (Shure M-447s on any headshells are the best for DVS IMHO). They don't sound great, but they track control vinyl well and are loud as hell, which also helps the computer read the control signal.

Keep in mind that you do have to replace needles occasionally. It's a trivial expense compared to music and all the other toys you might end up wanting, but you should think about it.

The headphones are about my second choice of headphones at any price. If I didn't own HD-25s, I'd still have my MDR-7506s and be happy with them.

If you decide you want to go the controller route, the only one I feel confident recommending is the NI S2. That setup is a bit cheaper, but you're attached to the controller. Considering that CDJs are basically standard in clubs, you'll have an adjustment when/if you start gigging either way, but IMHO, it's easier to go from turntables to CDJs than from a controller to CDJs.

The controller setup:

NI S2 ($400)
Sony MDR-7506 ($100)
Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 ($250)

And you're done.

You could upgrade the speakers to KRK RP5 G2s easily and probably afford an RP10S sub.

Controllers are definitely the cheapest way to get into DJing, and that one is no slouch. I don't like spinning that way, but there's no reason you should follow my predilections.

It really depends on what you want to do and how you want to spin. I did the controller-only thing for a few years (after starting on vinyl, without a computer) and enjoyed it…but ultimately came back to turntables for my home setup.

[G mons]

Ya I just want to learn some stuff first on a controller I'm probably gonna get the hercules RMX, but eventually I want to upgrade to technics 1200 mk2, a good mixer and serato software.

If i could find a pair of technics for $600 I would be more than happy!

I have recently just been playing around on virtual dj just with my laptop until I get a controller. Does anyone know where I could find a good tutorial to beatmatching and some djing basics that I could use when I get my controller?

[danthedj]

Ya I just want to learn some stuff first on a controller I'm probably gonna get the hercules RMX, but eventually I want to upgrade to technics 1200 mk2, a good mixer and serato software.

If i could find a pair of technics for $600 I would be more than happy!

I have recently just been playing around on virtual dj just with my laptop until I get a controller. Does anyone know where I could find a good tutorial to beatmatching and some djing basics that I could use when I get my controller?

Youtube will be your best best. Just type in "beatmatching tutorial" or djing tutorial or things of the like. Also, the RMX is a great piece of hardware and you'll be able to use it for a good while, even after you learn the basics.

Also, just to point out, the Klipsch speakers listed above are only $150, not $250 iirc. And I wouldnt go for them, as ALOT of people have had long term issues with those speakers failing after less than a year.

Goodluck!