Newbie equipment question..

[Rob C]

So..... I haven’t been behind the decks for many, many years. Now, my son who is nearly 18 and Autistic and is wanting to learn how to DJ. I’m a little torn in what direction to go in, in relation to equipment. For him, I don’t think he wants to make a career out of it, but that could also change. I have been thinking of getting a simple used system, such as some Pioneer CDJ 100 and a Numark mixer, but in saying that, DJCity do a full package for a Pioneer DDJ decks, monitor speakers etc pretty cheap as well, but need a laptop to work with them. Can anyone suggest a good basic setup for a first time beginner???

 

Thanks

[Mitch]

I’d stay away from anything that doesn’t have USB input these days, as CDs are obsolete now. 

Some things that may help make a decision:

- I’ve been doing this 10 years now in clubs and there’s still only a very small percentage in the scene that can make a career out of it. The ones that do typically have other revenue streams as well, such as producing, composing for film etc. as the market is so saturated and pay isn’t great. Again, my experience is purely clubs - you can prob make more money doing weddings, bdays, other mobile gigs (which I did a little bit of in early days) but you also need to play trash and cater to client taste, as opposed to getting booked  for ‘your style’.

- Pioneer is still the industry standard, but I have seen some Denon equipment making its way into the scene of recent, which people are raving about. I’d stick to one of those two brands, keeping in mind the Pioneer layout is still by far the most dominant. 

- Pioneer DDJ range are typically USB controllers. These are the cheapest way to get up and going as they require a half decent laptop to run. As it’s all running through the computer they also typically have more visual cues on the screen. This makes it easier to blend two tracks together, but makes it harder to transfer for your skills to club equipment  

- Pioneer have a range of ‘all in one’ setups (XDJ range) which are half way between a controller and a full CDJ+mixer setup. These require you to export tracks to a USB, then you plug the USB into the unit and off you go. Cheaper than a full CDJ setup, takes up less space, and easy to transfer skills to a CDJ setup in future if desired. I’m a fan of these for home use - some smaller bar venues even rock these now. 
 

The path I personally took with equipment was:

- purchased a cheap USB controller (less than $500), used that for about 9 months to make sure I was right into it.

- bought a mid tier cdj setup.

- added turntables a few of years later to learn mixing OG records.

 

TLDR: assuming you’ve got a half decent laptop which can be used with the setup, get a cheap controller (even look on gumtree/fb marketplace for used - just be careful to make sure appropriate software license is included in sale) and use that for a year. If they take to it, upgrade to an all in one unit/better controller with some more features!

 

[Cupe]

Great reply.

First I would go for a cheap second hand setup. If he decides he's not into it after a week no biggy.

Big ups for getting your kid involved in music.

[LabRat]

Having something USB is perfect. As Mitch said, Pioneer are a dominant force in the industry and you'll find what you're looking for across whatever budget you have. The Rekordbox software allows you copy your library with all your cue points and other markers onto USB, or SD card, and walk into any venue in the world with CDJ's and start playing. Their link system is great, meaning you only need 1 USB or SD card and multiple players will read the data of that one device.  

Another look would be Native Instruments. The Traktor range is quite good. Software wise, it may come across a bit daunting compared to Serato and Rekordbox but has a tonne more features, if that's something your boy could be interested in. The Traktor software and controllers allow you to be more creative control over samples and your set overall. As their controllers are unique to their software, it's quite easy to drop and drag samples and music. 

Alternatively, there are a lot of other products, mostly linked with Serato, that are perfect for anyone playing around or looking to get a feel for it.  

[Cupe]

14 hours ago, LabRat said:

Alternatively, there are a lot of other products, mostly linked with Serato, that are perfect for anyone playing around or looking to get a feel for it.  

True I didn't even think of controllers. compact, easy to move and quick to use and get used to. Does everything really. And you could start with a cheap one to see if he's into it then resell it and upgrade (then choose decks if he's really into it)

[Rob C]

So, which would be better Pioneer DDJ200 or a Traktor Pro??? 

[Mitch]

1 hour ago, Rob C said:

So, which would be better Pioneer DDJ200 or a Traktor Pro??? 

DDJ 200 is nearly half the price of the 400 which makes it an easy choice if just going for the cheapest unit. Just note it has no sound card built in - it uses a splitter to separate the headphone out on the PC into to two mono-only channels to allow your separate cue and main outs. Hope that makes sense?
 

the DDJ 400 (which has a sound card for separate stereo cue and main outs) and the Traktor S2 are a better comparison and a similar price. The Pioneer unit will probably be easier to get going on, + have a more familiar layout if/when moving up to larger equipment (larger pitch faders make it easier to learn beat matching), whilst the Traktor stuff is a bit more advanced. Either will be fine, but I’d lean toward the Pioneer unit in your circumstance. 

[LabRat]

For something to start with I'd say the DDJ200. Serato / Rekordbox doesn't look as intimidating as Traktor can