I agree with Jocker on the record part, but everything else is nonsense. Get the best equipment you can afford IF you're serious about spinning (keep in mind that very soon the money you spend on vinyl will surpass the ammount spent on gear). It will save you a lot of money and grief in the long run. If nothing else then at least get one 1200 and one crappy deck, which you will get rid of later and get another 1200. Mixer isn't that important as long as it has per-channel EQ and decent headphone cue ... it will be useful for quite a while before you have to upgrade (I'm still using a Numark 1002x). Jocker, what's with the cocky comment about being a "rich boy" for buying decent gear ? It is called "long-run planing".

Numark TT1520 decks aren't suitable for ANY kind of party. The deck is constructed so poorly (plastic) that it bounces all over the place once you turn the volume up a little, not to mention the feedback it produces due to vibrations. It has amazingly low torque for a direct-drive, the tonearm assembly is embarassing at best and the pitch slider is way too short and inaccurate for the purpose of DJing. Total waste of money, especially since nobody in their right mind will buy them off you once you figure out they're a joke and they're holding back your progress.

And the part about not needing your own gear once you start getting booked is really pulled from thin air too. How are you going to practice in between your gigs ? How are you going to prepare for a gig ? I don't think the club and the partykids will appreciate it too much if you show up and "practice" with your new yet-to-be-heard tracks during the party.

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djskywarp.com
:: Ways of the Wikkid :: Canada's premiere Artist, DJ, Promoter, and Club Portal ::

quote:

Originally posted by Jocker Starting with Technics 1200s???? Bullspit. Whoever starts with those is just another rich boy wanting to have some fun and never goes to the pro level...

I disagree. If you're serious you should always get quality.

I started on 1200s and I'm not rich and I *will* be a pro and I will have fun!

Skywarp... I played a party with 1520s, ok... Yes, I had a lot of trouble. BUT IT IS WHAT I COULD AFFORD TO BUY. Being a person who wants to try everything, I can't spend such a big deal of money on one of my numerous hobbies. Hoping to get serious in the future doesn't mean that a person is serious now. As you could read, that person hasn't even tried DJing yet. Probably, he will dislike it after two or three unsuccessful spins. And you are telling him to throw 600-700 dollars just like that "for a long run". It would be of no surprise to me if you have started not with 1200s either.

Nothing is cocky about bying 1200s off the start. It is like buying Ferrari to learn to drive, hoping you gonna become Schummacher some day. This Ferrari will be dead in 3 months... So will be the top-end equipment. I don't know, maybe it won't say anything to you and will seem irrelevant, but NOT A SINGLE great guitarist started out with Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Pauls. I don't know about the DJs, I just play the guitar much longer than I Dj, and that fact I know for sure. It is just about psychology of a person. Someone can spend 1500$ to start with good equipment and no skills, and someone will be reasonable to understand that "first we try, then we trust". I tried to perform many activities in this life, and if would spend my money on the best equipment right at the beginning, I would be broke with the Fender, the 1200s, the DJM-600, the Double-1.4GHz playing Quake 24/7 (thank godness, I quit playing and concentrated on the programing) and with a shitload of thousands of other very expensive things.

Now about the clubs and the need of equipment. Ok, you have new vinyls. Everything it takes to learn them is just to listen to them a couple of times from the beginning to the end. To learn your playlist is stupid, you have to be creative and to decide at the moment of the party, or it will be as dull as hell. The beatmatching is very easy to learn and this skill won't dissappear or be affected even after a couple of months without practice. The what many people call layering is a little bit more difficult, but it comes with the knowledge of your records. And the music selection cannot be trained. It's like the taste. Either you have it, or not. Ok, I agree that you have to have a couple of decks and a mixer at home for practice. But they don't have to be 1200s and DJMs or Fortune Sound 19"s. As for the occasional local party, it is much more convenient to rent the 1200s and pay 50$ for them (considering you will cover this and get profit by selling the drinks and/or tickets).

Now a couple of words to Joel... The best of luck to you, man.

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writing lyrics aint what it used to be

Jocker, there's a thing called "resale value" ... so if the guy doesn't like spinning and wants to get rid of his 1200s he can do that very easily and without losing a lot of money (the last time I checked they were going for $400 used) so he would be only about $120 short. On the other side, a cheap deck would be really hard to sell since nobody wants them, and he would have to sell them way below their purchase price. So actually if you're not certain if spinning is for you, 1200s would be a better choice financially.

Your ferrary analogy is totally off. I would write a really long reply to that but I'm not in the mood right now - let's just say a newbie is more likely to break a cheap deck than a 1200.

Who ever said anything about playlists ? If your goal is to be a mediocre DJ at best then no, you don't have to learn your tracks and you can just play them without listening to them first. But some people do more with their tracks than just fading them into each other. Ever heard of a thing called "Timing" ? Blending two tracks structurally so that their melodies / basslines flow into each other at the exact point in the track ... (kind of hard to explain) - and I don't mean bar-matching. Yeah. That's what takes practice ... And yes, proper layering takes a lot of practice too - which you CAN'T really get at a party in front of a packed dancefloor. You have to work that kind of stuff out at home which, again REQUIRES decent decks. Ever tried matching tracks for two minutes or longer on cheap decks ?

BTW. I would NEVER use rented decks at parties since they are usually extremely beat up (pitch sliders are the first to go) ... every other piece of equipment is fine if you rent it but decks should be in 100% perfect shape.

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djskywarp.com
:: Ways of the Wikkid :: Canada's premiere Artist, DJ, Promoter, and Club Portal ::

Look if your just starting out Djing buy one of the simple starter kits, numark, gemini whatever, it won't make a difference cause your just starting, you have no idea what your doing anyway. Hopefully you'll stick with it, eventually start making money off of it, Then buy the good stuff.

Your best bet are Technics 1200's and a Stanton RM 80 mixer.
Dont go for the low end crap like the Numark DM1002X which will only baby you.

quote:

Originally posted by drizztt Your best bet are Technics 1200's and a Stanton RM 80 mixer. Dont go for the low end crap like the Numark DM1002X which will only baby you.

I use the Numark DM2000X and have no problems with it though.

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