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Beginner DJ products? Books, DVDs etc.

Hey guys,

I know how to produce but now want to learn how to DJ.

There are a number of products out there that teach new DJs the basics of gear, mixing and how to get gigs. Some examples are:

http://www.idjondemand.com/
http://learnhowtobeadj.com/
http://clubdjguide.com/

I haven't decided which one to buy yet but I plan to buy one of them.

Here's my question: Why shouldn't I buy one of these programs?

Have any of you had bad experiences with them? I see a lot of questions on this forum that claimed to be answered by these programs.... so wouldn't you guys buy these programs?

Your advice is appreciated because I don't want to waste my money!

Thanks in advance,

~Michael

Did you buy a guide on how to produce also? To me, guides like those are no different than a book titled "how to get good ideas" or "how to be creative".

If you are passionate about learning how to do something then you should be passionate enough to learn it the hard way. Finding resources on the basics of DJ'ing isn't too hard. If you know how to produce then you already know about song structure so thats a good start. Beatmatching is a simple concept but takes practice to master.

You can't be taught creativity. My advice is to listen to as many DJ sets as possible, figure out different techniques and styles. Learn techniques that match your DJ vision. Find DJ's that are similar to your tastes and see what kind of tracks they play. That should give you a good start.

Don't waste your money on those DJ "guides". If you want specific info about techniques, hardware, etc. then just ask around whether it be on this forum, another forum, or a DJ you know in person. Their are plenty of resources available if you take the time to look

Beginner DJ products = waste of your time.

Unfortunately DJing is something you have to figure out for yourself. Listen to DJ sets as much as possible and just figure things out.

dj recess used to have a great beginners guide on line, not sure if it's still around but it's been made into a good book now, look that up.

beginners guides are good for learning the very basics that everyone needs to start with, you can't be creative or develop your own style if you cannot figure out how to beat match.

if you have friends who play, buy the beer and ask them to give a few lessons to start with

Thanks for the feedback so far!

quote:

Originally posted by jayxthekoolest Unfortunately DJing is something you have to figure out for yourself.

This seems to be a popular answer. "Figure it out for yourself."

Why would I do this when I can learn from someone who has already made the mistakes and is where I want to be?

quote:

Originally posted by HouseLVR Why would I do this when I can learn from someone who has already made the mistakes and is where I want to be?

Just fucking go at it. Have fun and mess around, spend as much of your time as you can on it and eventually you'll start to get something out of your mixes. Read some forums for some info or something, but that won't make you a DJ right away.

I just throw whatever records I choose on the turntables and start mixing. When I fuck up I just go at it again. And again. And then once more.. And no way I'm gonna stop there if I really want to learn something.

Anyways, DJ Tutor has some nice videos out for you to watch and learn something from them. It won't make you a DJ but it can be helpful

http://www.youtube.com/user/ellaskins
http://www.djtutor.com/

Practice and enjoy

don't get any of those programs. if you aren't buying real CDJs/Turntables and you're planning to DJ using programs then get Traktor as it has the traditional DJ setup as an interface.

Okay. Are there any programs out there that ARE worth getting to help me learn about gear, how to mix, and get my first gigs?

One of the programs is made by Danny Rampeling so it should be pretty knowledgeable?

quote:

Originally posted by HouseLVR Okay. Are there any programs out there that ARE worth getting to help me learn about gear, how to mix, and get my first gigs? One of the programs is made by Danny Rampeling so it should be pretty knowledgeable?

Ok this might sound a little harsh because I don't want you to go around wasting your money but don't fucking buy any how-to guides on how to DJ. They are a waste of money.

Why? The only thing those books can teach you are the technical aspects of DJ'ing such as beatmatching, etc. and you know what? There are tons of tutorials online about how to do that stuff. Here's and example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlB_OQ9bZbg

If you need even more basic tutorials then just check out youtube until you get a feel for how its done. You said that you already produce music which is definitely a big help when learning how to DJ. DJ's are constantly learning new tricks and trying out new things, even the most famous ones.

So what can't these tutorials teach you? Answer: how to express yourself. Those guides can only teach you the essentials but you can learn those by seeking out information via youtube, or a million other places.

If you have specific questions then ask around. I mean, how did you learn to produce?

You can't just pick up a book and "learn" how to DJ and get gigs. It doesn't work like that.

The people over in this forum are pretty good at specifying things out for beginner djs:

http://www.**********.com/index.php?showforum=32

I mean, the rest of the forum is good reading too, but that one in particular caters to beginners.

quote:

Originally posted by Ted Promo The people over in this forum are pretty good at specifying things out for beginner djs: http://www.**********.com/index.php?showforum=32 I mean, the rest of the forum is good reading too, but that one in particular caters to beginners.

WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those people need to be fucking shot

I can't belive sites like that exsist

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