Complete Noob to Djing

M

marcelkennard

Storms comin in Annie
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May 30, 2008
Location
Brighton
Hey lads, I want to know some things so that I can eventually start Djing at clubs etc...
Firstly I am really stuck on deciding which format of djing to use- Vinyl, CD, Digital, Timecoded...
I want to know- what is the average DJ booth setup at clubs??? Do they always have the equipment set up for you on the night? And will it be CDjs or Vinyls? or what???
I'd rather not go down the vinyl route so what is the best alternative?
I currently have traktor but no cdjs or turntables but am looking to invest in one or the other
 
Most clubs these days have vinyl turntables and CDJ's so I would go down the CDJ route personally. I have only used tracktor a couple of times and don't really like it but then again I'm an old skool vinyl junkie so somebody else might be able to give you a better opinion on that side of things.
 
As much as it pains me I would recommend going for CDJ's but make sure you get at least Pioneer 800's or around that area. Vinyl set ups are pretty fucked these days.
 
Thanks lads, not sure about the whole timecoded traktor thing but i think it has the capability.. all i know is that SERATO is pretty expensive to set up...
I was just thinking that you'd have to lug around your laptop to clubs as well with digital mixing although it would be easier to mix, for a noob like me.
Does anyone here use CDjs and rate them as a mixing tool? And how do you go about it- do you ever prepare a setlist using just 2 cds and alternate the cd tracks for your mix? that seems like an easy way to do it if your just starting out
 
in regards to cds it is really up to you how to organise them man.
i burn a cd for an artist and have anything between 4 and 8 tracks per cd. i have about 150 odd cds at least by now so its a fair wedge of music.

with serato/traktor you would have to lug your laptop around but its no different to lugging cases full of vinyl or wallets rammed with cds..
 
marcelkennard said:
Thanks lads, not sure about the whole timecoded traktor thing but i think it has the capability.. all i know is that SERATO is pretty expensive to set up...
I was just thinking that you'd have to lug around your laptop to clubs as well with digital mixing although it would be easier to mix, for a noob like me.
Does anyone here use CDjs and rate them as a mixing tool? And how do you go about it- do you ever prepare a setlist using just 2 cds and alternate the cd tracks for your mix? that seems like an easy way to do it if your just starting out
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you can get timecode vinyl for Traktor, but I would probably stay away from them as most TT's in clubs are pretty fuckered.
 
Jwood27 said:
in regards to cds it is really up to you how to organise them man.
i burn a cd for an artist and have anything between 4 and 8 tracks per cd. i have about 150 odd cds at least by now so its a fair wedge of music.

with serato/traktor you would have to lug your laptop around but its no different to lugging cases full of vinyl or wallets rammed with cds..
Click to expand...

This is true.
I think I am currently favouring the CDjing option because it seems the most universal, also two more questions then I'm happy :)- I understand that when your mixing with cds you use whatever desired cue points to mix a song into an already playing one, but do you have to always find the cue point you want on each track during your set or can the cdjs save cue points for different tracks??? My guess is they cant, just wanted to confirm though.
Secondly- do any of you guys note down the bpms of each track to make mixing easier? or do you always do it by ear? I've found it hard to figure out which tracks are ahead or behind in the past
 
marcelkennard said:
This is true.
I think I am currently favouring the CDjing option because it seems the most universal, also two more questions then I'm happy :)- I understand that when your mixing with cds you use whatever desired cue points to mix a song into an already playing one, but do you have to always find the cue point you want on each track during your set or can the cdjs save cue points for different tracks??? My guess is they cant, just wanted to confirm though.
Secondly- do any of you guys note down the bpms of each track to make mixing easier? or do you always do it by ear? I've found it hard to figure out which tracks are ahead or behind in the past
Click to expand...

Most new cdjs come with hot cue points nowadays, think you can have like 300 of them or something.

You can make a note of the bpm if you want but after a while your brain will store them anyway, I knew roughly what bpm most of my tunes were when I used to mix daily and I never wrote them down.
 
marcelkennard said:
This is true.
I think I am currently favouring the CDjing option because it seems the most universal, also two more questions then I'm happy :)- I understand that when your mixing with cds you use whatever desired cue points to mix a song into an already playing one, but do you have to always find the cue point you want on each track during your set or can the cdjs save cue points for different tracks??? My guess is they cant, just wanted to confirm though.
Secondly- do any of you guys note down the bpms of each track to make mixing easier? or do you always do it by ear? I've found it hard to figure out which tracks are ahead or behind in the past
Click to expand...

1. depends on the make/model, most higher model Pioneers have that feature, but my CDJ800 mk2s for instance dont.

2. 90% of CDJs have a fairly accurate BPM counter anyway, and as you practice youll remember what tracks need to be pitched to where anyway
 
Oh wicked mate, this is definitely making me want to get some cdjs asap. How much would you recommend spending at least, baring in mind I am a student and pretty darn skinnt lol- any chance of being able to get 2 decent cdjs and a mixer for under 500?
 
I have been DJ'ing at some of the major clubs in Birmingham in the last few months.. 02 academy, oceana, gatecrasher, HMV institute and not one club had a vinyl set up. Infact i struggle to remember seeing any club with vinyl in brum, yet all had very good cdj set ups with at least CDJ 1000's and the equivalent DJM!! on that note your are, rather sadly better of going for CDJ's if your looking to mix out! As only very specialist nights it seems still roll with vinyl.

i started with two Numark NDX 200's and the Numark M1 i think.. the mixer was a pile of shit so dont get that but the NDX 200's have served me well.. they are only the most basic CDJ but without a BPM reader will help you learn beatmatching without sneaking a look at the bpm therefor cheating lol! and would invest the rest of your money (about £250) in a decent mixer. maybe the pioneer djm 250 or something

hope that helps

http://www.decks.co.uk/products/numark/NDX200

http://www.decks.co.uk/products/pioneer/DJM250
 
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If you have £500 I would like to recommend the Traktor Kontrol S2 instead of cheap CDJs (take a look on DJ TECH TOOLS for spec), great piece of kit (I have just upgraded from the mixtrack pro with one) and with it you get a the full traktor pro 2 programe. If you have a half decent laptop its perfect. As for transporting it all to clubs/parties it is small enough to carry in a record bag (check out UDG Midi bag).

Take a look.
 
i completely disagree... surely having a controller takes away the whole point of beatmatching and mixing in general

---------- Post added at 16:47 ---------- Previous post was at 16:45 ----------

may aswell fuck the controller and just use virtual dj on your laptop for free if thats how your looking to do it!!
 
Yeah I'm bare up for CDjs, seems more fun than using a controller, rather not use my laptop at all incase my porn videos start to take over my laptop during a set or something when i press play...
I like the idea of getting some numark ones, they seem cheaper than pioneer.. I just want some I can learn everything on and then not feel alienated using whichever cdj setups are running in clubs. For me its not so much about buying some for gigging with, but just for practicing mixing on and being able to transfer the skills onto pioneers or whatever... Assuming that club cdjs will often have bpm readers on anyway, I might as well still get some CDjs that have one...

---------- Post added at 17:20 ---------- Previous post was at 17:17 ----------
alexanthony said:
I have been DJ'ing at some of the major clubs in Birmingham in the last few months.. 02 academy, oceana, gatecrasher, HMV institute and not one club had a vinyl set up. Infact i struggle to remember seeing any club with vinyl in brum, yet all had very good cdj set ups with at least CDJ 1000's and the equivalent DJM!! on that note your are, rather sadly better of going for CDJ's if your looking to mix out! As only very specialist nights it seems still roll with vinyl.

i started with two Numark NDX 200's and the Numark M1 i think.. the mixer was a pile of shit so dont get that but the NDX 200's have served me well.. they are only the most basic CDJ but without a BPM reader will help you learn beatmatching without sneaking a look at the bpm therefor cheating lol! and would invest the rest of your money (about £250) in a decent mixer. maybe the pioneer djm 250 or something

hope that helps

http://www.decks.co.uk/products/numark/NDX200

http://www.decks.co.uk/products/pioneer/DJM250
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Thanks a lot for your help mate, Those both look perfect, except for the lack of BPM counter on the decks... Are there any as good a value as these which have a counter?
 
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as i said earlier mate... i do play out now and have a weekly residency!! found the transition from my numarks to pioneer cdj's absolutely fine!! no problems at all they there same thing except for a few more buttons and such for looping. numarks have also lasted me a year and and still ploughing through!! is important to get a decent mixer tho as learning your levels is near impossible on a shit 2 band EQ mixer for example which is what i originally bought in a package with the numarks

im not too sure to be honest with you mate.. but to be fair althought it may be a little daunting at first without them... keep on practising and eventually when you can beat-match any tune you will be a better dj than one who needs to know the bpm before hand.. plus at the start you can just find out the bpm of your tunes by putting them into virtual dj or such to help you start out
 
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alexanthony said:
as i said earlier mate... i do play out now and have a weekly residency!! found the transition from my numarks to pioneer cdj's absolutely fine!! no problems at all they there same thing except for a few more buttons and such for looping. numarks have also lasted me a year and and still ploughing through!! is important to get a decent mixer tho as learning your levels is near impossible on a shit 2 band EQ mixer for example which is what i originally bought in a package with the numarks

im not too sure to be honest with you mate.. but to be fair althought it may be a little daunting at first without them... keep on practising and eventually when you can beat-match any tune you will be a better dj than one who needs to know the bpm before hand.. plus at the start you can just find out the bpm of your tunes by putting them into virtual dj or such to help you start out
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VDJ cant calculate bpm's worth dick.


I agree about the not bothering with bpm counters. It'll only take marginally longer to mix without it, and when you do you'll be able to transfer to vinyl with relative ease as well.
 
dick? and if you put a song in virtual dj it comes up with its BPM so il think you find it can

my mate whos started out uses it all the time to find out the BPM of his songs as he hasnt yet learnt beatmatching
 
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