beginning dj..

pandemonium

New Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2004
i wanna get some decks and start mixing some stuff in my room (just a bit of fun like, i aint trying to make a career out of dj'ing) the thing is i dont know anything about anything, i aint got a clue where to start, cus i only listen to dnb at the moment. anyone got any suggestions where i could get any advice on buying some decks, and where i could learn to mix? thanx for your time.
 
there's plenty of places to get tables and mixers online for pretty descent prices. You could try prosound, or 123dj, or even musicians friend if you want (these are all american mailorders im pretty sure). If you don't have too much money and think you'll only be doing it for pleasure or whatever start off with a cheaper DIRECT drive turntables (from stanton or numark or gemeni). If your going to be mixing don't get belt drivin ones they are horrible and won't keep a steady beat after a few months or so of use. I started off with the stanton str8 80s and they were a good beginer turntable for me, they had strong motors, the tone arm didnt' skip around the record much, and mine still keep a pretty steady rotation (the pitch doesn't change and fuck up your mix after you've found the perfect speed to match the two records at).

Mixerwise i'd say it's all up to you really, stanton makes a lot of good affordable mixers and get one that has at least two eq knobs (for high frequencies and low frequencies) they make mixing more interesting than just throwing a song right on top of another.

For cartridges you really don't need anything too special for begining. I've just recently started to notice the difference from high quality and standard dj ones, at first you really won't know a difference other than ones being a lot more expensive than others. Just go for a straightforward one that advertises holding grooves well and not wearing your records down much.

If you really get into it and start wanting all the top of the line equipment Technics and the many different types of 1200s are the way to go for decks. Recently alot of other companies have been putting out tables that are about as good as (and some say as good as) 12s but i know so many people (me included) that are just die hard technics users. Also freeagent can answer just about any question you have about 1200s it seems cause he used to fix em himself i think.
Vestax and Allen & Heath usually have the best mixers (which you can see in their price) but there's plenty of good affordable ones out there. A lot of places have used "top of the line" ones for good prices and are usually still in great shape because the quality of em is so great.
When you notice your cartridges getting spent or whatever and want some new ones that sound great go for Shure they have the best in my opinion.

Finding a place to get the goods is easy though, you can usually find at least one in any major city. And if you go to google and just search for online dj shop or whatever you'll get an ass load of places to choose from.

As for how to mix just be patient and learn to do it all yourself, it'll give you your own style and make you stand out more from all the copycat djs. It doesn't hurt listening to the ones with some real talent like Zinc, Friction, Andy C, Mampi Swift, Hype, Futurebound, Dieselboy (who all have the intense technical skills) to Bailey, Bukem, Randall, and Marcus Intalex (who know how to put together a diverse yet well transitioning set and mix things out long and smooth) to get ideas from them. Basic rules of thumb for mixing though are to match the beats try just using the pitch adjust and not touching the record/platter at all. Start off mixing with simple beats (not crazy amen/apache cut ups) and listen for the snares on the second and fourth beat of the 4 beat measure. Theres more i'd like to tell/show you but i can't do it with just words. Haha oh yeah don't be a pussy and do the thing where you mix the two songs together where its the part where there aren't any beats (like a breakdown before the drop) and just cut it over real quick when the song your mixing in drops. That's cheating, all the real heads know that you aren't shit if you do that and you wont get any better at beatmatching if you just do that. Good luck, and develop your own style and play what you like not all the crowd pleasers (but don't think you can't play the crowd pleasers that you also happen to like).
 
cheers man, that was a help.
just one more question - do you know if people do lessons for dj's teaching them how to mix cus i'd learn alot better if someone showed me how to do it.

thanx
 
JimJapBap said:
there's plenty of places to get tables and mixers online for pretty descent prices. You could try prosound, or 123dj, or even musicians friend if you want (these are all american mailorders im pretty sure). If you don't have too much money and think you'll only be doing it for pleasure or whatever start off with a cheaper DIRECT drive turntables (from stanton or numark or gemeni). If your going to be mixing don't get belt drivin ones they are horrible and won't keep a steady beat after a few months or so of use. I started off with the stanton str8 80s and they were a good beginer turntable for me, they had strong motors, the tone arm didnt' skip around the record much, and mine still keep a pretty steady rotation (the pitch doesn't change and fuck up your mix after you've found the perfect speed to match the two records at).


As for how to mix just be patient and learn to do it all yourself, it'll give you your own style and make you stand out more from all the copycat djs. It doesn't hurt listening to the ones with some real talent like Zinc, Friction, Andy C, Mampi Swift, Hype, Futurebound, Dieselboy (who all have the intense technical skills) to Bailey, Bukem, Randall, and Marcus Intalex (who know how to put together a diverse yet well transitioning set and mix things out long and smooth) to get ideas from them. Basic rules of thumb for mixing though are to match the beats try just using the pitch adjust and not touching the record/platter at all. Start off mixing with simple beats (not crazy amen/apache cut ups) and listen for the snares on the second and fourth beat of the 4 beat measure. Theres more i'd like to tell/show you but i can't do it with just words. Haha oh yeah don't be a pussy and do the thing where you mix the two songs together where its the part where there aren't any beats (like a breakdown before the drop) and just cut it over real quick when the song your mixing in drops. That's cheating, all the real heads know that you aren't shit if you do that and you wont get any better at beatmatching if you just do that. Good luck, and develop your own style and play what you like not all the crowd pleasers (but don't think you can't play the crowd pleasers that you also happen to like).

Hell yah bro, i started off with Stanton Str8-80'z and i still use em'. Work great for me!
I like to touch the record platter when i'm mixin'. Helps me match the beats a lot faster. :shades:
 
pandemonium said:
cheers man, that was a help.
just one more question - do you know if people do lessons for dj's teaching them how to mix cus i'd learn alot better if someone showed me how to do it.

thanx

Where are you from? I saw a flyer called Dj School:School of Mixology a couple years ago. It was some place located in Tarzana, near the record store Grooveriders.
Other than that, try to find a friend or someone to show you how to mix. Maybe watch some videos? :zest:
 
pandemonium said:
cheers man, that was a help.
just one more question - do you know if people do lessons for dj's teaching them how to mix cus i'd learn alot better if someone showed me how to do it.

thanx

http://www.s-s-r.com

theres another one, but i cant remember what its called, both are up north manchester way...

if you live too far away, just pop down the local club, n ask the dj. if the guys nice he might sort something out so you can go meet him or whatever n get some tips n shit
 
dude! in all honesty! go with the top end product, because you wont regret! when you do get better in the future, even if its for a hobby! you are going to want better equipment, and by doing so, youll still have your older equipment, therefor spending more money, when ya could of just made the initial investment! trust me!

illv//


pandemonium said:
i wanna get some decks and start mixing some stuff in my room (just a bit of fun like, i aint trying to make a career out of dj'ing) the thing is i dont know anything about anything, i aint got a clue where to start, cus i only listen to dnb at the moment. anyone got any suggestions where i could get any advice on buying some decks, and where i could learn to mix? thanx for your time.
:jackson:
 
illv said:
dude! in all honesty! go with the top end product, because you wont regret! when you do get better in the future, even if its for a hobby! you are going to want better equipment, and by doing so, youll still have your older equipment, therefor spending more money, when ya could of just made the initial investment! trust me!

illv//



:jackson:


yesh !!!
i bought decent decks
and a shite mixer, and now 2 mixers later i've wasted £210..
but now im happy with my vestax pmc05proII :D
 
dopedragon360 said:
:oscar: hey fellas iam new!! thought id drop in here.... erm... how do you get your pictures etc onto your post boxes?... iam not sure you see.....

you need 100 posts
 
Cube said:
yesh !!!
i bought decent decks
and a shite mixer, and now 2 mixers later i've wasted £210..
but now im happy with my vestax pmc05proII :D


dude, i was the same way, I went with buying a NUMARK DM 2002-X mixer first starting out, thought it was all coo coo! but NO! numark sux0r's hard! so I just bought that behrenger 700 PRO mixer, AMAZING! I love it!!!!

:rave:
illv//
 
dm905.jpg


that was the 1st piece of shit, fader went in 2 months

Pro_Mixer_VMX200_lg.jpg


2nd one, very nice mixer for £90, works fine, fader was still perfect after a year, but then it wasnt that good for scratching, so i got this baby..

PMC05pro2.gif


:inlove:

had it 3 months, and its fuckin lovely.. :D
 
You know what I noticed with my behrenger 700 mixer, even though this really isnt important, is the BPM counter doesnt work exactly?? some tracks it recognized as like less than 100bpm, which i dont really believe, know much about this issue??

illv//

anyone here know how to properly work the BPM counter?
 
illv said:
You know what I noticed with my behrenger 700 mixer, even though this really isnt important, is the BPM counter doesnt work exactly?? some tracks it recognized as like less than 100bpm, which i dont really believe, know much about this issue??

illv//

anyone here know how to properly work the BPM counter?


well on mine old one, i pressed the beat assist in time with the tune, and it tells you an accurate bpm for about 2 secs then goes out of sync

the bpm counters on behringers are wack. :monkey:
 
Cube said:
well on mine old one, i pressed the beat assist in time with the tune, and it tells you an accurate bpm for about 2 secs then goes out of sync

the bpm counters on behringers are wack. :monkey:

the best BPM counter is your ear ;)
 
Hi Pandemonium,

Im a beginner too, and just looking to play in my home and for friends.

Another excellent site in addition to the ones suggested that i've found is upstairsrecords.com, excellent deals--Im starting out too and just bought my new mixer from them, it's like 65% off. U do have to ship via USa so I dont know if that screws anything up.

Michelle
Toronto
 
BPM counters dont usually work for dnb coz they're configured for house/techno/trance, ie, they pick up the kick drum, as theres only 2 in the avaerage dnb bar (rather than 4 in other stuff) it usually measures at half-speed. Just learn to count along to the beat (count 2 and 4 on the snares) and in a few weeks/months you'll be able to do it easy.

Theres an old trick for dnb that allows you to use a normal BPM counter for dnb, if any1s interested I'll tell you, you need quite solid decks though.
 
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