New dj

[Marcus A. Wilson]

Hey Everyone I'm new into the dj game. I usually play music for family events such as BBQs and house parties but i want to grow and hopefully become a mobile djay. Right now i don't have any equipment besides my macbook which I play music of. I'm looking for equipment to start off with or must have components. I'm looking into investing and getting a controller but want to know which direction to move in and stuff to get first and I'm not looking into spending tons of money because i want to upgrade to the more better equipment when i learn more and host other events in the long run

so I'm just looking for some tips and some advice on what to invest my money in so i can look more professional and not just bringing my laptop

[DJ Highline]

Welcome to the forums...

The first thing is you have to read all the stickies on here...lots of info in them

Next you need a list of basic gear which I'll give you:
Laptop (you already have)

Software - You need to look at the options and decide if which platform is right for you. The 3 major platforms are Serato Itch, Traktor and Virtual DJ...with other platforms like PCDJ, RPM, and a few others.

Controller to control said software - If you go with Serato Itch, then you will need an Itch controller where as most of the other software can be Midi Mapped.

Case or Bag - This is one of the most over looked things for newbs. If you want to keep your gear looking new and professional, you have to protect it...especially when transporting it. Invest in a high quality case or bag to put your gear in...for controllers you can get cases and bags for about $150

Microphone - If you want to do mobile work, you are going to need one. You can get away with a corded mic when first starting out but you are going to want to invest in a nice wireless one if you are serious in doing mobile work. A decent corded mic will start off at about $40 and an OK wireless system will start at about $300 - 400

Speakers - You will have to decide if you want the amplifiers separate from the speakers (passive) or built into the speakers (active/powered). I recommend going powered. Its easier to set up and less stuff to carry. Now you can get OK powered speakers for about $300, good speakers for about $600, really nice speakers for about $800 each. And don't forget the speaker stands.

Headphones - You will need a set of good headphones...this is a personal choice so I would go and try many of them on and see which ones gives you good isolation deep bass and clear mids and highs...

Accessories - You will need several cables, maybe some adapters, and little things to finish everything off. You will probably want to get a laptop stand of some sort if your case doesn't have one built in. Maybe a portable table to put your stuff on and a facade to hide everything..


So now that you know what you need, you will need to set a budget. One you know your budget, you have to figure out the importance of the things you need and how much of the budget to spend on each. So if you have a budget of $2500 maybe having good speakers and an OK controller is the way you want to go, then you might get something like QSC K12s ($800 each) and a Numark MixTrak Pro ($225) or maybe the other way around great controller like Denon MC-6000 (what I own) ($800) and Mackie Thumps ($300 each).

The final step is to practice practice practice...