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Pure newbie Question..

Ohokay people don't flame to much but i've got a question. Okay so I want to start learning how to dj etc, but right now I do not have the cash to buy the whole set-up, hopefully after summer I will have it, but before getting it I want to know. Should I pratice my skills in traktor pro without the setup? Or is it pretty useless to do that?

found this on mark sherry's wall lol

it wasn't to tease you btw, just it explains very well what you were asking

if you wanna learn beatmatching, i suggest you getting 2 turntables and two vinyls of same track and try to make them fit perfectly. You need to develop your ear to music and even better learn to read it, this is what many djs lack of. Playing softwares is not making music imo.

Thank you for the suggestions. I'll watch the clip once i'm home, in the library right now studying. And thanks fran for the advice i'll do that for sure .

quote:

Originally posted by Fran666 Playing softwares is not making music imo.

Btw that was an EPIC video though it makes me feel like a kid cause I don't know anything oh well . I'll have to learn from scratch

@ Ammar

it really depends on what you want to do with DJing....

if you really want to persue gigs, and make a 'real' hobby out of this, then save up and get the whole shabang

if you really just want to grasp the concept and screw around at a few house parties, and play around here and there get a MIDI controller, you'll save about 3,000-3,500$

i have a MIDI, all i wanted was the above so im happy, i hardly use it, but im happy i didnt invest over 3k on equipment...

most looking to get into djing are faced with this problem about acquiring gear. just do what most do, buy a inexpensive second hand setup (either used entry level turntables/cdjs, a mixer and a cheap sound system), maybe a piece here and a piece there, and just get the basics down.

quote:

if you wanna learn beatmatching, i suggest you getting 2 turntables and two vinyls of same track and try to make them fit perfectly. You need to develop your ear to music and even better learn to read it, this is what many djs lack of. Playing softwares is not making music imo.

because playing with CDJs and Vinyl is?

Hi Ammar,

don't listen to this. It's the perfect kind of bullshit that non-DJs are spreading around.

Playing vinyl didn't develop my ear, experience did. Recording myslef, playing in front of a crowd, my taste in music, as well as my personnality.

Just like people playing vinyl didn't have to learn to mix with a fckn phonograph or tape deck to understand music and it's effects. Just like people that started with CDJs didn't have to learn vinyl.

Technology is evolving very fast and it will only be exponential. And when beatmatching and vinyls will be a thing from the past, DJs will not be better or worse.

If you are a douche, you will play like a douche. Either you get it, or you don't. Gear will not change that.

If DJs today lack understanding of DJing, it's because they became DJs before being good. Not because they didn't learned to beatmatch. And that is the path that most of us will take before being actually good. Cause experience you acquire live is priceless.

It doesn't matter the why and the hows. You start however you want by getting YOURSELF informed. Know your shit inside out. READ infos on the web about your gear. Make your OWN decision about how YOU want to do it. STOP listening to 95% of people that are not DJs. If most people say don't do that, then you be the devil's advocat and see why not.

After that, you will be convince that YOU are right.

That's how you get good.

After doing all kind of different ways to DJ, today I am 100% software and controller. But that was my personal choice, after testing and see the pros and cons of all options. By then, I didn't give a fck about what people may think about it.

You could have the best set-up in the world, DJing is 90% about you, not the gear. It's mostly a learning and emotional process about your passion for it, how you want to do it, and finally, figure out if you have the chops to bring it to a professional level, or if it's just an hobby.

So start slow and have fun with it. Then add quality gear when you feel you reach a point where you think your gear is stopping you from getting better. See why, and how.

Gear will change every year until then.

martin comes in with an overhand right of rage....i'm going to transfer that text into a berite big ball vid

Like Charlie Sheen would say, it's not rage, it's passion.

The only thing I agree with Charlie Sheen about.

I also agree with Charlie Sheen that taking drugs is EPIC.

and to answer the op the best answer is: no answer.

i've seen countless threads like these on audio nerd boards that i frequent. At the end of the day the advice of 20 different people that took 20 different paths in their adventure into picking up mixing isn't worth that much. If you are serious about this, no one is going to give you the answers.

Like everything else it is work, you will have to do your own research and go from there. If you are not willing to invest the time into learning a minimum of musical theory (hint: djing becomes easy and second nature to guys because of these basics), you probably are not serious about this and should not invest a ton of money on it.

If you want to be a dj for cash and women...don't bother. If you have no one to help you learn (which drastically reduces the learning curve) you are in for a few months of bad hygiene and yelling at a mixer because you can't get 2 tracks to fit no matter how hard you try. It doesn't matter if you don't learn to beatmatch (on the grand scale i think this is important, but this is a personal view.) even 2 perfectly matched tracks won't fit together unless you know the "how to". Do this only if you are interested and really want to, and not because it seems like the cool thing to do. There are more djs now than ever before...and I can tell you that 99% of them are losers that would not know a vagina if it hit them in the face and said, "hi, i'm a vagina!."

Long story short, before even attempting any mixing start reading up on song structure, phrasing, eq'ing. Watch one of the jillion youtube vids that show theory in practice. Listen to your favourite dj sets. Pick out a transition or 2 that sounds great to you. Spend some time listening to the 2 tracks used (in full, not a mixed version. intro and outro are a must), and without actually attempting a mix beatcount, and try and wrap your head around how it is done. Copying is unoriginal, but in the learning process it can be a great tool. As previously mentioned playing 2 of the same tracks at the same time and learning to juggle to one from the other flawlessly will also help your timing and to better understand song structure.

Ask yourself why you want to learn. If it is for any other reason than because you really want to...stop yourself right there and just get a hooker. It's cheaper, easier, and purists won't be angry if you don't beatmatch her. If you are serious get ready for a long process (to be good).

That's a really good post Jay.

I would also add, that DJing starts with a strong feeling that you are different, and can bring something new to the table. Even maybe a sense that what you want to do isn't out there. You are not good yet, but you know.

If it starts from being tired of clubbing and that you think it's the next natural step because you heard a lot of music, don't.

If you want to do it because you want to copy exactly the latest Hernan Cattaneo set that changed your life. Don't.

If you like to dress up as a drag and wave your arms in the air. Please don't.

Buy the cheapest equipment you feel comfortable on at first. Practice a lot. Record your mixes and listen to them, asking yourself what you want to change. Watch other people spin, incorporate what they are doing that you like, and ignore the parts you don't. Listen closely.

quote:

Originally posted by Ravemontreal That's a really good post Jay. I would also add, that DJing starts with a strong feeling that you are different, and can bring something new to the table. Even maybe a sense that what you want to do isn't out there. You are not good yet, but you know. If it starts from being tired of clubbing and that you think it's the next natural step because you heard a lot of music, don't. If you want to do it because you want to copy exactly the latest Hernan Cattaneo set that changed your life. Don't. If you like to dress up as a drag and wave your arms in the air. Please don't.

yep.

if you already have a dj name and don't even know what kind of gear/software/type of music you want/need, its time to take a step back and realize that you are going to end up like all those other kids that can't even mix on traktor playing to empty rooms on st laurent.

I'll also add that if you are getting into it because you want to be able to play what you want. Don't.

You won't be able to do that until you make a name for yourself. Until then djing tends to be about playing that you must, and not what you want. (looks in direction of clueless locals starting opening the night at 128bpm when the headliner rarely goes over 122.)

ps. i tried out one of these dj in a box kits the other night at my neighbors house and was actually pretty impressed with how it handled. For the price it would be a great thing to learn on because the pitch resolution is the same as on cdjs and other than the sound quality works pretty well.

I'll get the model, i think he paid only 400 for it.

Not everyone need to be a serious innovator to enjoy DJing. It can just be a fun hobby. I've spent countless days in bliss playing for myself, as well as for a few friends, or at (non-club) parties. It can be just fun and not a shedload of work if you just want to enjoy music.

Thanks jay, witty, and rave for some posts and advice. Enjoyed reading each one, And no i'm not doing it for the BItcHeS.. So can you give me a round estimate of how much I should be looking to spend on the most basic of dj setups, i have the speakers so thats okay, i need headphones+ all the rest.

quote:

Originally posted by WittyHandle Not everyone need to be a serious innovator to enjoy DJing. It can just be a fun hobby. I've spent countless days in bliss playing for myself, as well as for a few friends, or at (non-club) parties. It can be just fun and not a shedload of work if you just want to enjoy music.

you don't need to learn anything to enjoy the music. that being said this thread is not on how to learn how to enjoy music

it is already implied no?

quote:

Originally posted by Ammar.Hasan Thanks jay, witty, and rave for some posts and advice. Enjoyed reading each one, And no i'm not doing it for the BItcHeS.. So can you give me a round estimate of how much I should be looking to spend on the most basic of dj setups, i have the speakers so thats okay, i need headphones+ all the rest.

the thing is you don't have the speakers unless you have proper dj monitors. Multi media speakers are good to play around with, but unless you can hear the frequencies you need to eliminate they won't be of much use

As far as how much to spend? Go to moog this weekend and look around and try things out. It will also give you an idea of how much things cost. Telling you how much you need isn't going to help because we all have different gear on here yet still manage to put together cohesive sets. Get a budget and work with it.

I'll get the model and make of the dj in a box thing...i really really think it is a good piece of noob kit.

Moog sounds familiar, but i'm not sure where it is?

if you can't master google, give up now

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