How to become a DJ and where can I get cheap dj systems at? pt1

admin — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:30:27 +0000

So you may by now be a mix mastering dj or an aspiring dj in the works. Whatever your skill levels are, this guide will lay the basics for you and your quest to become a superiror dj. In this post, I’m going to discuss about the essential dj hardwares and systems required in order to get started.
The subsequent article is the cheap dj systems guide to getting you started.

Turntables:
Ok, so initially, you will require a duel set of turntables. It is doable to use belt driven turntables, at least theoretically, in practice you will require a duel set of direct driven turntables. Otherwise you can opt for one or two CD decks, next to, or replacing, the turntables. With the turntables comes the expected need for a pair of slipmats.
( One turntable and one CD deck is not recommended - this harshlylimits looseness of track choice in a mix, you are forced to play a track from CD, then vinyl, and then CD, etc.

Headphones:
Next step, get yourself a respectable headphone. A headphone has to meet a few requirements - Good bass faux, good fit and sturdy design. As far as the challenge for good bass reproduction goes, you have to favor the closed-back designs. This will also better exclude the ambient sounds, which is, given the situation, very much popular. Better, more precise sound reproduction will assist you hearing the slightest of differences during transitions. A cheap headphone will make this a lot more challenging.

Good fit speaks for itself, you are likely to want a headphone that has a relaxed fit if you want to endure numerous hours of mixing. And for the design – it’s not so much that you’ll need a tough headphone, but you need to avoid using a fragile one, which of course comes down to the same thing. You have to be able to twist and bend the headphone frequently without wear / causing imparment and it has to be able to withstand a drop to the floor. (The twisting and bending happens when you listen with only one earpad on one of your ears, the other pad behind the other ear, or even in your neck.)

How to become a DJ and where can I get cheap dj systems at? pt2

admin — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:29:44 +0000

The Mixer:
The mixer. They come in all uncommon forms and prices. A common mixer will have 2 channels which allows you to mix 2 out of a total of 4 inputs – 2 line ins and 2 phono ins. Some mixers are only 1 input, 1 channel, but most modern mixers have 2 inputs for one channel. A button or flip-switch allows you to choose the input that is put through to the channel, phono in for the turntables and line in for the rest of the equipment.

Each channel requires at minimum a 2-band UE - bass and treble ( or high range) equalizer and the mixer requires a VU meter. From here on it can only get better, more busy and more expensive. Higher quality will show in the durability and toughness of the mixer and the better sound it will pass to the amplifier(s). on the contrary to the previous 2 items, the duel set of decks and the headphone, if you get a mediocre mixer it will not really affect your own mixing skills, the music itself will not sound as good. Using poor decks and/or a poor quality headphone will make it harder to mix right. As such, headphones should be one of the most important things you ought to spend your time researching on, prior to purchase.

Amplifiers and Speakers:
Amplifiers and speakers - This is where things get slippery because it now really depends on what you have in mind – are you a weekend warrior dj’ing out of your living room or are you trying to bring the house down by rocking the dance floor at some house party or club? There are many cheap dj systems in a box out there which will include both the amp and speakers as well. A quick google for dj amps and speakers should yield you w/ some good info.

Recording Equiptment:
Recording equipment is discretionary, but a very useful aid to practice. And if you take it more critically, you’ll also need it for recording demo tapes/discs.
That’s it for the first part of this post. Please stay tuned as we update w/ more dj news and product reviews…