What gear should a beginner get

[Jrad]

Hey all.

I'm just starting out and i really have no idea what type of gear i should get. I am thinking of going Vinyl (because my mates who DJ tell me it is way more fun), but i'm not sure if Vinyl is better than CDJ. Also, i am willing to spend around 2.4 grand to get a set up, as this is something i want to continue with for years to come.

If anyone could give me some advice on the best set up i could get for that price, that would be great. Also, is it worth buying a program like Serato for the laptop, as i am most likely going to be using a laptop whilst DJing.

Cheers.

[Jaz]

i personally like mp3/electronic DJing but thats just me, im still very fresh, about month and a half, maybe 2 months, when i was looking at cdj i got recommended to get cdj400 the most,a good started that will teach me lots and wont need an upgrade for ages

i didnt go with it but thats what i got the most if that helps

[Buck_Choi]

Welcome. post in the intro section, as for gear depends what music you like. if dance/house music go the CDJ's if the rnb hiphop, go the Technics 1200's

[tubby]

Serato or the like for sure if you want the feel of vinyl. $2-3 a track instead of 20, pays for itself in no time

that's a good budget so you just need to confirm the tt or cdj side

2nd hand technics will be around a thousand, maybe xone 22 for the mixer. Few hundred fir you software and 1-200 for decent headphones

[Jrad]

Ah right, sorry didn't realize there was an intro section

Yeah i'm more into house music, so you think CDJ would be the way to go? I did have a look at the Pioneer CDJ 350 and DJM 350 and the package was about 2500. Would that be a good starting off point?

Cheers

[siker]

hey mate i actully think the cdj400's are better, just take a look at what they both have on them and see what one you like, the cdj400 pack (2Xcdj400, 1Xdjm400) is 2199 i think from store dj and shipping shouldn't be to much more, good luck with what ever you go for

[Skank]

if you wanna get ready for the club quicker go cdj if its just gunna be a hobby go vinyl and if your caught in the middle go either with serato

[ill_spector]

look @

turntables (~$1k 2nd hand pair)

technics 1200/ 1210

stanton st-150/ str8-150

(account for new needles and carts if needed $200+)

mixer go for a 2chan to start.

pioneer djm 350

it's an awesome piece of gear, makes recording a breeze, deff check it out, ~$800 new

Allen&Heath Xone 22 ~$400, shop around,

or even basic Numark M1 goes for $200 new

and is a good place to start.

dvs

pretty much have to decide between the big 2

serato or traktor, do your research, try use both and see what you like, they are both excellent and it's more of a personal preferance.

they both go for around $900 new

there are less popular alternatives, but if you're on a budget "torq" is an affordable soloution at about $350

headphones

everybody asks, and it's alot about preferance, so it's up to you. some popular choices are:

sennheiser HD25- ~$300 (very popular/great sound)

pioneer hdj1000- some say overrated, try steer clear unless you HAVE to haev all pioneer (which alot of clowns do)

also sony/ technics/A&H cans have a good rep

if you're on a budget just try get the most expensive sennheisers you can afford

and with the laptop, just try get the best specs you can for the money, fast cpu/ lots of ram.

mac if you can afford , but it's all good

obviosly, do research shop around for used gear/ diff shops/ retailers, look at reviews/ vids etc

so for $2.5k (not including laptop)

$1k on loaded turntables (ur choice)

$900 traktor/serato

$200 numark m1 mixer

$300 senn HD25

so you could go with torq instead to save money but then spend the savings on a better mixer etc, its up to you.

/end rant, just some of my thoughts (i'm bored haha)

:edit, also think about speakers, maybe try homestereo gear/ computer speakers or even cheap studio monitors when you're just starting out

[Jaz]

hearts, thats some good shit there, great for his budget, but if thats his max budget good luck getting a mac pro (mac basic...no!)

[CBG]

he doesnt need a mac for djing, big overkill. pc wuld be fine

[tubby]

I would assume the budget doens't include the computer, otherwise that's a big chunk out of the dj gear side

[eggssell]

hearts +rep man that was great thorough advice!

for OP, in my opinion if you can afford to go vinyl with dvs i'd say go that. just read the million posts re: i wish i had started on vinyl etc. etc. etc. and with the dvs it mwans you can use all the cd's you already have while learning on vinyl.

else cdj's will be keep you plenty busy and be more than enuff to play electronic dance music. also you prob won't need dvs initially if you go the cdj way so you can get yerself some alright ones.

as to what ones refer hearts epic post.

[BeatLeSS]

headphones

everybody asks, and it's alot about preferance, so it's up to you. some popular choices are:

pioneer hdj1000- some say overrated, try steer clear unless you HAVE to haev all pioneer (which alot of clowns do)

I can personally un-recommend these, everyone i've spoken to who's had a set of these have had them snap - freaking gay.

Although i haven't had my A&H XD53's for long to give a good thrashing, they come recommended by a few members here and are definitely looking to be a better set of cans.

[chrismak]

headphones

everybody asks, and it's alot about preferance, so it's up to you. some popular choices are:

pioneer hdj1000- some say overrated, try steer clear unless you HAVE to haev all pioneer (which alot of clowns do)

I can personally un-recommend these, everyone i've spoken to who's had a set of these have had them snap - freaking gay.

Although i haven't had my A&H XD53's for long to give a good thrashing, they come recommended by a few members here and are definitely looking to be a better set of cans.

I won a pair of HDJ1000's in a competition. After finding out they are fragile from countless reviews, I decided to continue using my Sennheiser HD25-II's for mixing and the HDJ1000's for light PC use. After about 6 months they snapped.

[Buck_Choi]

wow bad luck on the HDJ1000's i can give rep to the A&H xone xd53's Great Headphones ^.^ kinda big for my head but thats not their fault

[Jrad]

Yeah a mac book pro isn't in the budget, pretty much i'm just working my mates dad's construction site at the moment to get money for the Macbook pro (i felt i needed an upgrade to run Serato as my mates PC always shuts down when he closes the program haha), but yeah the 2.5k is the budget for the gear.

Are headphone's like a massive issue if i'm just starting out? because i was thinking of just getting some skullcandy one's from Dicksmith or something (i honestly have no idea with the headphones so if i'm wrong feel free to tell me haha).

[eggssell]

dont get skull candy's! well not the standard people one's anywho. i got the popular gi or the gt (cant remember but it had a g in it). nice looking cans, and sound actually okay (compared to your out of the box ipod ones); however i dont know how much outside noise they are actually blocking despite being closed type.

but the reason i say dont get em for djing, i had them for normal use for about 6 months before i bought my decks and it was all good, but then when i started using them for djing they broke after about 2 weeks. despite being able to swivel every which way it is quite flimsy. mine broke where the cups are being held.

just my 2 cents from a past user.

oh yeah that and because other djs laff at skull candy users ha ha. but there is a lot of hate in djism. turntable users hate cdj users who hate controllerists who hate vdj users who hate pc users who hate and so on....you get the drift

[Jaz]

Before I got my phones I had a look at those skull candy's, think of them more as a visual accesory, they can look alright with there pictures n stickers n shit but they are pretty average sound, have a listen for yourself and if u like em they only what like 25 bucks when I was looking, so if they suck it's easy to upgrade, as other users have said try go Sony pioneer etc

[Jaz]

Before I got my phones I had a look at those skull candy's, think of them more as a visual accesory, they can look alright with there pictures n stickers n shit but they are pretty average sound, have a listen for yourself and if u like em they only what like 25 bucks when I was looking, so if they suck it's easy to upgrade, as other users have said try go Sony pioneer etc

[chrismak]

Are headphone's like a massive issue if i'm just starting out? because i was thinking of just getting some skullcandy one's from Dicksmith or something (i honestly have no idea with the headphones so if i'm wrong feel free to tell me haha).

I consider headphones to be very important when starting out. You're going to be practicing a lot so you want headphones that are durable, comfortable and don't fatigue your ears too much.

For these reasons I can recommend the Sennheiser HD25-II. The sound clarity is very good but you need to be careful with the volume. These headphones can go very loud and could damage your ears if you're not careful.

The only downside is the cord length is shorter than usual, but it keeps you on the decks

[ill_spector]

a mate gave me a pair of skullcandy hesh's, they are soo bad they are not flexible/ uncomfortable, shit sound over priced and the muffs broke. dont get them

as i said before, buy the most expensive sennheisers you can afford if you want to save money.

http://www.storedj.com.au/products/category.php?id=52

maybe go for the hd215's if you can

[Cupe]

skullcandy are for showing off and pretty colours, not for actual DJ usage

[Jrad]

I've come across a little 'debate' (if u will) about the Pioneer 350 series.

I am pretty keen now to go with CDJ, and the 350 seemed like a good option for my price range and skill level. But i have been reading reviews on the internet about it all, and it seems that people are saying that it is no fun and is just easy because of the BPM lock.

I was just wondering what you guys opinions are on that, coz right now i'm looking at the CDJ and DJM 400s or 350s.

Cheers.

[Buck_Choi]

my 2 cents is go the cdj and djm 400's

[Hobberz]

CDJ400 and DJM400 is a great start. I just purchased some and I am really happy with them.