Well, people sure as heck didn't kid when they said DJing was rather expensive.

Stanton DJLab2

Rather cheap for a complete barebone package, $400 in most places. Are there any other alternatives at about the same price or would this be a smart choice for a newbie?

Think long and hard about how serious you are about wanting to DJ.

If you just want to do it for shits and giggles in your free time, then that's not a bad package.

But if you aspire to take it more seriously, you need to realize that while a relatively cheap package like that may seem appealing now, you're going to eventually grow out of it and you'll be hard pressed to sell it and recoup a decent percentage of what you originally paid for it. In this case, it is better to save your money. Think about it: if you're about to drop $400 on this package, you're only $200-300 away from a good second hand pair of Technics. Tighten that belt and wait a bit longer. If you do opt for a pair of Techs, you will be able to re-sell them for a good amount down the line (you will also have them for life if you decide to keep them).

If you're unsure, then I recommend that you find someone who has a decent setup that you can play on to see if you like it, or get yourself a copy of Traktor or Ableton or whatnot and make some mp3 mixes for fun for your friends, and see if it tickles your fancy.

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hehe, That setup right there is the exact setup i use to have when i first started out. I loved them.. Even though i didn't quite master the ability to mix on them in the whole year i owned them before my ex sold them on me the bitch..

After that i saved like nuts and eventually got some shitty stanton CDJs.. till i could afford a pioneer CDJ200.. now im using 2x Pioneer CDJ200s and a Pioneer DJM700 ..

its up to you man.. But i kinda wish when i had the cash in the first place i put them straight onto my CDJs.. Kinda wish i kept the old slipmats off the Stanton T60s to

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Well, the problem arises in the fact that there is really only one kid I know that possibly has a setup and I've been meaning to ask him about it (which hopefully I'll be seeing him tomorrow).

As for computer programs, I do have Ableton and though its interesting... there is some odd allure about physically mixing with the vinyl at your hands. I guess I can more then wait to save up for a better mixer no problems if I keep at Ableton because I really don't want to go and buy something only to "upgrade" down the road and end up wasting money as previously mentioned.

My thing started with Omnitronic - and i enjoyed it alot. IMO, it's not important what gear u have in first time. Try to learn the basics first, and that you can do also with cheaper equipment.

I would say that it's more exciting to upgrade when you know what dj'ing all about.

Man you need to sit yourself down and ask a few questions first off..

Being serious about it or just playing around is the big one.

Vinyl/CDs is the next..

Money flow and decent stores to buy Vinyl from, not to mention the time to buy it.. I use to make a habbit of traveling to my city to buy 3-4 records once a week but it burns you in the end.. burns the pocket and traveling that much for 3-4 more songs every week.. Grrr

If you're starting out, and already started using Ableton.. Personally i think you should save up and get some CDJs.. patience is the key here.. I don't have alot of it myself.. So i brought the crappest CDJs.. learnt to mix on them.. then i upgraded to some decent CDJs.. and now that techs are so cheap.. i will be buying a pair of those babys soon enough for my vinyls.

ST860s are O.K .. but with the torque they have.. And even the new T60s.. Just wind up making mixing so much harder, It will probably turn you right off mixing altogether.

Save up.. Buy some techs.. Or if you really wanna get a good headstart in DJing and your serious about it.. Buy yourself some CDJs and a 3-4 channel mixer.. So you can add your Turntables/Ableton to the mix

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the guy above me hit it on the nose.


Also this is the best phrase in life. Buy it right the first time around.

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you get what you pay for, remember that
i spent $1200 on my first setup, its been almost 2 years and i'm using the same equipment and its all fine.
so if you're into it or you think you will be, spend the little extra $ and get yourself something you'll use for a long time.

Appreciate everyones help. Though I do have one more question.

Certain places (like Guitar center) have return policies such as you can return a product within 15 days (or even 30-45 days in some sites, I sent an e-mail asking if it covers DJ equipment to those place) and get a refund.

Now, since I'm entering the Summer, I'll have a lot of freetime on my hands since I don't work that many hours a week. If I got some cheap equipment to try out and then lets say at the end of the period, I return it. Then based on rather or not I liked it, either ditch it or save up more for the good stuff.

Would 15 or 30 days really be enough to know if I want to invest over a thousand dollars into this?

quote:

Originally posted by PGS Would 15 or 30 days really be enough to know if I want to invest over a thousand dollars into this?

IMO, probably not mate..

One keyword that come's to mind when people ask about "How do i learn to DJ?"

PRACTICE
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
PRACTICE

Get better..

PRACTICE MORE
PRACTICE MORE
PRACTICE MORE
PRACTICE MORE
PRACTICE MORE
PRACTICE MORE
PRACTICE MORE
PRACTICE MORE

Ah you get the point I'm sure..

And its a real pain in the ass if your in a situation like me and you have nobody local who digs House/Trance/edm.. why? because

A)You have no one around who can tip you some advice..
B)You have no way to really test out equipment and see if you like it.

And it will take longer than 15-30 days to learn to DJ, Hell it can take months if not more. Took me forever to learn even how mixing works.. And cause no one told me things (EG: 125 + 130 BPM tracks don't work well together) it was something i had to figure out for myself.

Youtube is the best place to go these days, And is where i often go if i wan't to learn anything from basics (mostly incase i ever slip into a stage where i forget something so small but so important to know) to something much bigger like how a certain FX is best used in the mix).

To give you a headstart, I recommend you swing over to youtube and search up some vids from username ellaskin's

http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=ellaskins

His an english fellow who (for no finacial gain) decided to setup a camera and make tutorials on how to mix, count bpm (a skill iv yet to master in all honesty), even gives reviews on equipment.. I wish i met the guy when i was in england. His a legend..

Once you've watched a few of his vids and feel you understand the basics of Mixing and how stutter start works etc.. Only then would i even think of getting equipment.

Other ways to get help with mixing are the obvious google. TA forums , MSN etc etc..

IF you still wan't to go with Vinyl.. I am giving you a last warning.. Don't buy cheap shit.. The torque of a turntable means EVERYTHING.. if it dosent have enough speed.. it wont start on time.. And beatmatching will be so hard that you will almost definately throw it in before you even get started. There are certain little tricks that may help if you go with a cheap turntable (Good slipmats, baking paper underneath the slipmat etc) But all in all i can't argue the point across enough .. Don't buy cheap shit.

Coming from a man whose owned both the T60s and the STR860's from Stanton.. Great tables IF you have DJed for a while and your ears are properly tuned to know the difference between a record thats too fast or too slow.

I stick to my first reply where i said you'd be a lot happier to buy Cdjs for starting out. It's costly yes.. But the end result is worth it. Iv been mixing since 14, now 20.. I can't honestly tell you in words how enjoyable it is.. I'm always jumping and dancing to my own mixes whilst mixing them.. Makes me happier.

And before CDJs, I used a little program called Virtual DJ from Atomix, And Traktor. But nowadays im trying to master Ableton Live for my more 'advanced mixing'.

Anyways, Only other thing i can think to mention is to be warey of the CDJs you buy.. You can't go wrong in most cases but every CDJ is different.. Pioneer, Stanton, Technics, Denon are all great brands.

I have an undying love for Pioneer. The CDJ200s are a nice deck if you can't afford the Pioneer CDJ1000s. On the other hand.. CDJ1000s have vinyl emulation and since you were considering Vinyl.. May be worth the money and extra wait..

I leave the rest to you.. Theres billions of threads around the place about starting out, Gear to buy, Pros and Cons of each deck.. Knock yourself out.

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You are way too helpful there fl@k. Greatly appreciate it.

Actually, I did check out Ellaskins for the past week because I remember somebody linked to DJtutor.com on youtube and I've been checking out vids from there.

Uhh, I guess I should have mentioned it earlier but firstly I live in NYC. There are shops everywhere for music needed, there are clubs everywhere for getting to know DJs and stuff. In fact, I know a few people myself that are responsible for music in a few places that can even hook me up and let me mix there when and if I do go and become halfway decent at it. There are a lot of house parties I can go and mix at. Stuff that aint too big. Stuff that doesn't take a pro. Stuff that I might possibly get down and decent at in half-a-year/a year of practice. That I guess can be considered drive and not worrying about what music and stuff.

I didn't really mean by my question if I would understand mixing within that time period. Rather, would I understand if I want to actually buckle down, get a set, and consider it a hobby. I guess though sure I can be all over it for the first few weeks then my interest will eventually die down but thats what I am most worried about. There is nothing worse than wasted money.

However... my 18th birthday in August... my acceptance to a good college... I think I can actually save up and get the good stuff and take that risk. Cheers.

get what you can afford for now then start saving... heh

this becomes quite expensive quite quickly

also... please consider production as well, it's more time consuming and more expensive, but it's very worth while

david

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