Thing is if you do get better, slightly more expensive equipment you'll get more money if you would sell it, vs. some cheaper equipment. And CDJing is better IMO to start out with nowadays because vinyl is so expensive and your not spending all of your money on them. I wish I started off that way, as I had two Numark TTXs. One crapped out after 6 months, sent it to get the motor replaced, and it came back with things falling off of it, including part of the plastic top on the side. The second TT was fine, but those just couldn't hold pitch very well. I have like 150 records myself. I was going to get the CDJ 200 or the 800, but I figured with the CDJ 1000s, I would never ever have to upgrade and if I were to sell them, i'de probably get close to $800 for each. But for someone who knows nothing about mixing, CDJ 200s are your best bet. They are probably the best made, inexpensive CDJ you can get, better than anything Gemini, Numark, Stanton or American Audio has.

for my first CD player setup, here's what I did.

2xGemini CDJ-20, used - $180 total
Behringer DX626 Mixer, new - $50 total
Technics RP-DH1200, used - $80 total

I scoured eBay for good deals. The CDJ-20s were fun, but they just weren't everything I needed. I had the chance to play with some CDJ-200s and I loved them. So after careful scouring of eBay, I got

2x CDJ 200, used for $220 each

I sold the Gemini CDJ-20s for $400, which was very lucky on my part. I used that to help fund the CDJ-200s.

It just takes patience and some careful bidding skills and you can get some good deals.

I'm in love with CDJ-200s. The price is right also, even new. There is definite value in getting CDJ-1000 MK3s, but the amount of features you gain for the price just isn't quite justified in my mind for where I am.. (yet).

In short, I spent money on crap stuff trying to get a cheap starter setup, and ended up turning around and selling it within weeks because it wasn't enough.

I'm still saving to buy a decent mixer. The behringer one does the job, but it's serious crap. The Numark DXM06 that Spirit9 suggested would be a great starter mixer. I just found another deal on eBay for a Pioneer DJM707, which will essentially pay for itself when I resell the stuff that came with it. Buying used equipment sketches a lot of people out, but I've never had a bad experience.

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You might want to consider the Ableton option, that's what I went for. The package is supposed to arrive tomorrow however. It's just an external soundtrack, midi controller, headphones and Ableton (cost depends on your accesibility to Ableton. I paid around 380$ for the whole setup (international shipping costs, taxes etc.)

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quote:

Originally posted by The 3am Junkie You might want to consider the Ableton option, that's what I went for. The package is supposed to arrive tomorrow however. It's just an external soundtrack, midi controller, headphones and Ableton (cost depends on your accesibility to Ableton. I paid around 380$ for the whole setup (international shipping costs, taxes etc.)

As this may sound like a good idea, I think the guy is wanting more of a traditional DJ set up, whether it's dual CD players, CDJs or TTs. Ableton would be too complex I think for someone just starting out. I think Traktor might be a better program for someone just starting out, esp for someone who wants something closer to the operations of an actual DJ set up.

quote:

Originally posted by Spirit5 Thing is if you do get better, slightly more expensive equipment you'll get more money if you would sell it, vs. some cheaper equipment. And CDJing is better IMO to start out with nowadays because vinyl is so expensive and your not spending all of your money on them. I wish I started off that way, as I had two Numark TTXs. One crapped out after 6 months, sent it to get the motor replaced, and it came back with things falling off of it, including part of the plastic top on the side. The second TT was fine, but those just couldn't hold pitch very well. I have like 150 records myself. I was going to get the CDJ 200 or the 800, but I figured with the CDJ 1000s, I would never ever have to upgrade and if I were to sell them, i'de probably get close to $800 for each. But for someone who knows nothing about mixing, CDJ 200s are your best bet. They are probably the best made, inexpensive CDJ you can get, better than anything Gemini, Numark, Stanton or American Audio has.

i must say i agree on what you say. starting off woth good (expensive) equipment has more plusses then starting simple, cheap and/or 2nd stuff. perhaps my opnion is based on the fact that i have only spun with vinyl up till now (cdj's are too expensive for the moment for me, next to TT's), and im a vinyl-lover. a real dj shoudl (imo) start with vinyl, because its the basis of dj-ing (from historical point of view). but cdj's appear to be much easier on the handling with repsect to beatmatching, because of the decent bpm-indicators. i have bpm-counters on my mixer, but there not that accurate, and not very up2date (they only calculate each 10 seconds the bpm)

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quote:

Quoting Lucien Foort House was ooit house. Een gevoel, een scene, een stroming die recalcitrant was. Waar je 's middags in Outland Records, Basic Beat, Hotsound of Kareltje netjes op je beurt wachtte om platen te scoren die je in de nacht ging horen. Waar als Roderick & Anne Fleur gingen hockeyen, Jack stoer verklaarde: “Laat er house zijn en housemuziek werd geboren”. Waar ongelovigen toch predikten “God made me funky, and I’m glad He blessed me this way”.

quote:

Originally posted by ThaMaestro i must say i agree on what you say. starting off woth good (expensive) equipment has more plusses then starting simple, cheap and/or 2nd stuff. perhaps my opnion is based on the fact that i have only spun with vinyl up till now (cdj's are too expensive for the moment for me, next to TT's), and im a vinyl-lover. a real dj shoudl (imo) start with vinyl, because its the basis of dj-ing (from historical point of view). but cdj's appear to be much easier on the handling with repsect to beatmatching, because of the decent bpm-indicators. i have bpm-counters on my mixer, but there not that accurate, and not very up2date (they only calculate each 10 seconds the bpm)

Well I think that for people who aren't too sure about it, either software or CDJs nowadays are the best way. A few years ago when there weren't as many digital download shops, going vinyl would have been better because you could get the tracks you wanted. But nowadays, more and more tracks are being released digitally. And to spend all of that many on records, only to disocover it's not for you..would really suck. I mean yeah you can sell them, but why go through the hassle?

CDJ 200s can be found for less than or around the same price as TTs like Numark TTXs or Technics 1200 MK2s, and a pack of 50 CD-Rs cost about the price of two vinyl records...around $20, and then digital downloads being anywhere from $1.49 or $1.99 a piece on Beatport, it does save you in the long run..esp because you can store all of those on your hard drive vs. having to buy shelves or cases for all your records. Just another thing for anyone starting out to think about...

Last edited by Spirit5 on Aug-17-2006 at 03:41

I really really appreciate all of the replies guys.

I'm going to *try* to stretch for the CDJ's...

However I'm still considering a dual CD player for an initial setup. Start out with a nice mixer without need to upgrade. The CD players will be shit but I'll get some practice.

I'm looking for a mixer with kills on it, are these common? I didn't see any on the Pioneer? I've been enjoying them on my buddies mixer, are they even necessary?

I will check craigslist, any other websites for used DJ equipment?

Thanks a ton everyone.

quote:

Originally posted by epdarks I'm looking for a mixer with kills on it, are these common? I didn't see any on the Pioneer? I've been enjoying them on my buddies mixer, are they even necessary?

If you mean kill switches, no they aren't common. They're generally seen on low-end mixers, as it is outdated technology. Some high-end mixers have eqs that kill, but no switches. No, they aren't necessary. I think the Pioneer DJM-400 has eq kills, and that's their current entry-level mixer.

after all the shit i've played on

i've come up with a pretty good beginner setup

2 x pioneer cdj-200
numark dxm-06 mixer

it's pretty decent in price and will keep someone getting into mixing a good setup to grow into without having to upgrade within 6 months

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quote:

Originally posted by epdarks I really really appreciate all of the replies guys. I'm going to *try* to stretch for the CDJ's... However I'm still considering a dual CD player for an initial setup. Start out with a nice mixer without need to upgrade. The CD players will be shit but I'll get some practice. I'm looking for a mixer with kills on it, are these common? I didn't see any on the Pioneer? I've been enjoying them on my buddies mixer, are they even necessary? I will check craigslist, any other websites for used DJ equipment? Thanks a ton everyone.

perhaps the reloop rmx 40 bpm mixer is something for you; it has kills, and plenty of other functions. its a 4 channel mxier with vu-meters for each channel, and for the master. it's pretty cheap, i think. i can buy it here for 220 euro's. it has FX-functions on it too i think, and (for you perhaps most important); it has 2 bpm-counters. very easy to have when you need to learn beatmatch ...

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quote:

Quoting Lucien Foort House was ooit house. Een gevoel, een scene, een stroming die recalcitrant was. Waar je 's middags in Outland Records, Basic Beat, Hotsound of Kareltje netjes op je beurt wachtte om platen te scoren die je in de nacht ging horen. Waar als Roderick & Anne Fleur gingen hockeyen, Jack stoer verklaarde: “Laat er house zijn en housemuziek werd geboren”. Waar ongelovigen toch predikten “God made me funky, and I’m glad He blessed me this way”.

quote:

Originally posted by Trogdor If you mean kill switches, no they aren't common. They're generally seen on low-end mixers, as it is outdated technology. Some high-end mixers have eqs that kill, but no switches. No, they aren't necessary. I think the Pioneer DJM-400 has eq kills, and that's their current entry-level mixer.

where are the kills actually used for?

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quote:

Quoting Lucien Foort House was ooit house. Een gevoel, een scene, een stroming die recalcitrant was. Waar je 's middags in Outland Records, Basic Beat, Hotsound of Kareltje netjes op je beurt wachtte om platen te scoren die je in de nacht ging horen. Waar als Roderick & Anne Fleur gingen hockeyen, Jack stoer verklaarde: “Laat er house zijn en housemuziek werd geboren”. Waar ongelovigen toch predikten “God made me funky, and I’m glad He blessed me this way”.