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How did you get the cash to start? (pg. 5)
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| Nemesis44 |
Yup, I know I know, will probably end up sounding like a 'You don't know how good youv'e got it' sketch from Monthy Python but here goes.
Back in the days before the internet and lets face it, before DJing as the masses know it.
You often found that you had to make do with what you could get, me and a couple of friends used to listen to the Street Sounds 'Electro' compilations and were amazed by how they were mixed or the impression of one big song being made up of little songs.
You got hold of any mixer you could, as long as it had more than one phono input it was fine.
My friends and I played on some real whacky set ups and it took a long time before we got technics.
A friend of mine got two BSR decks (really low budget) that were made to be mounted in a console so you had only the deck plate and tone arm, the rest had to be mounted as if you were fitting a kitchen sink, and he placed them in camera cases giving the effect of flight cases and he was the man for a while.
A friend of mine also managed to get a cheap technics deck with similar build to a 1210 but the pitch was a dial rather than a linear fader type effort. We often discussed later if that was a 1200 mk1 as opposed to mk2 but apparently it's not, but I have seen them turn up in old school hip hop vids.
Everything came together when a friend bought a beaten up ex club GLI PMX 9000. This mixer was the ultimate for us and we had never seen anything like that before, but brand new they cost over £200 and back then that was silly money especially when you told your parents that you needed it so you could play two records at once...
These days most parents will have a point of reference as to what a DJ is, back in my day it was some geriatric fart who talked a lot on the radio and what were were doing or trying to do had no roots in anything they understood or had any point of reference to.
Ultimately what we would do is take our individual bits around a mates house to make a complete set up and tunes to go a long. We would each take it in turn to make mix tapes. Looking back a very sobering experience as you would get instant critique from your mates or laughter if it went too wrong, but we were often too excited about the thought of just doing it to be too concerned with the outcome. Most of us still DJ, and all of us that DJ have been working in clubs for a long time.
As a side note, the GLI 9000 mixer later became the Melos PMX 9000 which was then bought up, merged or became Vestax.
In about 86 we started getting known as a mixing crew locally and people were paying us to play in about 87/88 at acid house parties, after that we all had techs and money wasn't that much of an issue, although back in those days £30 was a lot for a DJ to be paid.
Played alongside 'Wildchild' R.I.P. (He wrote the Renegade master which was then remixed by Fatboy Slim) in 1989, he was paid £70 and I was paid £50... awesome he he.
Still got an old mix tape of his, which by anyones standards today is total e but it was more about the music and the vibe.
Dropping tracks like the ones listed below although some are from a little bit later. Check them out if you are curious to hear what was going on in the UK late 80s early 90s.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai8g6vNqSng
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FEdiOBz4zeM
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsXHvg_mKlE
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gROQ6fLOiCQ
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=S4OmnqRzFiM = Chooooon!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=THCj2AJuNVE = Total crowd pleaser!!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rureC7bsDfM = My old classic signature track...
Back in them days people making music didn't give a monkeys about which samples they stole, was more about creativity and breaking new ground, not to mention that when this hit the music scene it took it years to catch up.
I have rambled for far too long... he he, too much Christmas spirit.
Cheers
Nem |
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| squats |
| I was working @ satellite records b4 they went to and got some good discounts, working at a dj shop. ;) |
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| Stu Cox |
| quote: | Originally posted by Nemesis44
You got hold of any mixer you could, as long as it had more than one phono input it was fine. |
More than one phono input??
You were lucky!
It was all about having one turntable plugged into the left phono jack and the other into the right phono jack of your dad's hi-fi and using the balance control as a crossfader. |
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| DJ_Rafnel |
| Saving lots of money, stocks, and being patient. Took at least a year to save up enough for what i wanted. Now i just add things one at a time. But the initial investment took around a year. |
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| TWD |
Wow dug up one year later. Well I've come a long way since when I started the thread, might as well share. I did a few things:
Modular approach buying it one component at a time. At first I just had one turntable, and I did all the EQing with the mouse. Then I got a midi controller, then a 2nd turntable.
Having something to tide you over. The hardest part was getting together enough for the DVS system. However, once I had Traktor I could have fun mixing with nothing but my computer. That made it a lot easier to be patient on the other gear.
Don't play it safe. I'd always put it off because I'd be afraid something else would happen that month and I'd need the money. I quickly found that the best way to prevent yourself from spending money is to not have any in your account.
Realize it will be worth it, and that the pain is just a badge of honor. I have to warn you that following the previous tip did not come without consequences. I found myself in tight spots on more than one occasion. I've eaten a lot less this past year, and I experienced more stress than I needed to. I often had to find a quick job on the side to pay bills. I particularly remember the day I bought Traktor because I had to travel on the Bus for 4 hours and walk a few miles in sub freezing temperatures in order to get to the store before their deal ended. However, I'd do it every day if I had to. It was worth it.
I just need $300 more for a mixer and I'll have achieved my goal. |
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| djdk |
| quote: | Originally posted by Stu Cox
It was all about having one turntable plugged into the left phono jack and the other into the right phono jack of your dad's hi-fi and using the balance control as a crossfader. |
Are you stealing my story?
Oh and I used to get up 3 hours before I went to bed and worked down t' pit for 34 hours a day |
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| palm |
| i dont really recall exactly but i remember i got some good money from the army when i was finished, which i bought atleast 1210s with. I think I bought the mixer and cdj earlier but i dont quit remember in which order i bought stuff. It was all that year. |
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| epdarks |
| i live at home :wtf: |
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| DjWoody |
It took me years to get where I'm at. I used to record music off the radio, and play at friends house parties with a tape deck and a walkman hooked up to my dad's hifi. LMAO. I used to buy headphones & blank tapes at the 99¢ store. No pitch control whatsoever. lol Belive it or not, I still have them tapes! hahaha
Than eventually, I bought a Technics SL-1600, yes SL-1600 and a Technics SL-D3. I still own those two turntables. I also saved up to buy a Numark mixer. My dad eventually built me a really weird boomerang shaped coffin, speakers, and bass bottoms. lol
I started getting lots of gigs, saved up more and eventually upgraded my equipment.
I also used to save up my bus money and instead walk home from school. Every friday I used to stop by a little record store by my high school to buy one vinyl, two if I was lucky. The owner used to sometimes give me vinyls or we used to trade.
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| miamitranceman |
| quote: | Originally posted by DjWoody
It took me years to get where I'm at. I used to record music off the radio, and play at friends house parties with a tape deck and a walkman hooked up to my dad's hifi. LMAO. I used to buy headphones & blank tapes at the 99¢ store. No pitch control whatsoever. lol Belive it or not, I still have them tapes! hahaha
Than eventually, I bought a Technics SL-1600, yes SL-1600 and a Technics SL-D3. I still own those two turntables. I also saved up to buy a Numark mixer. My dad eventually built me a really weird boomerang shaped coffin, speakers, and bass bottoms. lol
I started getting lots of gigs, saved up more and eventually upgraded my equipment.
I also used to save up my bus money and instead walk home from school. Every friday I used to stop by a little record store by my high school to buy one vinyl, two if I was lucky. The owner used to sometimes give me vinyls or we used to trade.
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Brings a tear to my eye. :toothless |
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| dj jasonF |
I was 15 so i had to hussle a lot.
I got my mom to buy me a stanton mixer first then "stole" my dads turntable (useless, couldnt hold the same speed for more than 10 seconds, no pitch controll) and my moms turntable, an old technics with a pitch knob +/-4 iirc. Plus my pc with tracktor.
Obviously i couldnt do a half decent beatmix with that equipment but i got lucky when a friend dj came home and saw what i was using. He probably felt sorry for me and lend me a 1200mk2 which i kept for almost a year. That was just a week before i had enough money together to buy my first 1210mk2. Then i got a stanton s-450 which never really got a friend since i got serato a few months later.
But i did some crazy stuff to raise money. Like selling an online diablo 2 account on ebay and cracked programs as well. Which is retarded now that i think of it. I wonder why i didnt get cought. |
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