Starting djing

Drum boy

As the title says i want to start djing!

Now i need your help on a couple of things:
-Where is the best place to buy decks in Dublin
-What should i be looking for
-How much should i be looking to pay for starter decks that are scratchable and won't break(NB i don't want to buy belt drive!)

Thanks alot

Peace . . . .BB

Zascar

If you are going to be taking this seriously and its not just a fad that you'll get over in a few weeks, you might as well just go ut and get a set of Technics 1200's/1210's straight off, as if you buy something crappy you'll enevitably end up getting these anyway. They are pretty expensive new but you can find a good set second hand, there are loads in Buy and Sell. just bring someone along that will know if they are in pwo or not.... Good Luck!

Drum boy

Cheers Zascar! Check out music for sale section could you?

I would really appreciate it! What do you think of those decks for sale?

snappieT

There are 3 1200s

DJ Mixer.Technics 1200, worth #500 sell #350. Contact: 01-4580350.
Conn and Leinster
Technics 1200 Decks.MK2, brand new needles, unwanted gift, #400 ono. Contact: 087-9039947.
Conn and Leinster
Technics 1210 Turntables (2).Mk2, 1 yr old, c/w Stanton RM3 mixer, new spare Stanton carts, new DJ bag, headphones, new slip mats & techno records. #1200 ono. Contact: 086-2708979.
Conn and Leinster

And 10 1210s

echnic 1210 MkII.Needed, good and working condition, will pay reasonable price. Contact: 087131660501-8603593.
Conn and Leinster
Technics 1210 Decks (2).C/w needles, as new, #1,320. Contact: 087-7947999.
Conn and Leinster
Technics 1210 MK2 (2).Vestax PVC 175 mixer, 2 Ortofon Concorde carts & 4 niteclub needles in ltd edition, cases, black Technics record box, perfect cond, #1300. Contact: 086-8615755.
Conn and Leinster
Technics 1210 MKII's.Headshells missing, but in perfect working order. #700 Contact: markc@deafireland.com / 086858430801-4328521.
Republic of Ireland
Technics 1210 MkII.Also Numark 2 channel EQ mixer, slip mats, needles, flight cases, ex cond, #1,000. Contact: 087-9325095.
Conn and Leinster
Technics 1210 Turntables (2).Mk2, 1 yr old, c/w Stanton RM3 mixer, new spare Stanton carts, new DJ bag, headphones, new slip mats & techno records. #1200 ono. Contact: 086-2708979.
Conn and Leinster
Technics 1210's Decks.MK2'S, perfect cond, #100. Contact: 087-9512462.
Conn and Leinster
Technics 1210's Mk 2.With Gemini 66 mixer, needles & slip matts, #900 ono. Contact: 086-8496793.
Conn and Leinster
Technics 1210S.2 Stanton mixers, Ortofon gold stlyus, headphones, record box, bag, 335 records, offers. Contact: 087-6253685.
Conn and Leinster
Technics 1210s.Slip mats, needles, mixer & a very lrg selection, approx 200, of hip hop records, albums & singles, old school, #1500. Contact: after 6pm086-8403747.
Conn and Leinster

Best of luck

Jivin Turkey

Technics are as reliable as anything, so you should have no qualms buying a second hand pair, it works out way cheaper for you as well. You should be able to pick up a pair for about 700 no problem. Lots of people buy them with the intention of picking up dj'ing which never really materialises and hence sell them on.

I bought mine second hand and they are still like new.

Saving yourself on second hand technics means you can buy a decent first hand mixer and head phones, all for less than 1000.

Drum boy

ONly have €600 so i can't really go for them . . . .

What you guys think of the one's in the musical equipment for sale section?

penexpers

If you're just starting off then just get something like Traktor and doing mixing on your PC for a while. Obviously it doesn't compare to mixing on decks, but it'll teach you a good bit of stuff about mixing which you can then transfer over onto decks.

Zascar

penexpers wrote:

If you're just starting off then just get something like Traktor and doing mixing on your PC for a while. Obviously it doesn't compare to mixing on decks, but it'll teach you a good bit of stuff about mixing which you can then transfer over onto decks.

I use AtomixMP3 and VirtualDJ have done for years I love them. Not quite a good as the real thing as penexpers said, but I can throw out mixes way better than some of the crap you hear around... It will do the beatmatching for you, but once you master it you'll end up doing it yourself. You can get loads of skins etc, so mine looks exactly like the Pioneer CDJ1000's.

Give it a go!

Drum boy

What do you guys think of that DJ in a box kit!

Theres one for sale for €250 on the site!

Chucky the tree

Drum boy wrote:

What do you guys think of that DJ in a box kit!

Theres one for sale for €250 on the site!

chances are there belt drives, so avoid them.

http://www.aquariussound.ie/


try there, in lexlip. Got a starter pack there a few years back for 600. Doesnt have ito n the sit, but if you can ring and find out.

woulndt bother with internet mixing, wont teach you much.

monkeyman

Dropped ya a PM there Drumboy. Have a set of decks, mixer, headphones etc for sale in your price range. They are 1 1/2 years old and I'm letting them go for half price.

penexpers

Chucky the tree wrote:

woulndt bother with internet mixing, wont teach you much.

Why not?

Zascar

Chucky the tree wrote:

chances are there belt drives, so avoid them.

http://www.aquariussound.ie/


try there, in lexlip. Got a starter pack there a few years back for 600. Doesnt have ito n the sit, but if you can ring and find out.

woulndt bother with internet mixing, wont teach you much.

Not ture, it can tech you lots... the program I use is designed to be a decks simulator, everyhing works the same. Loads of big dj's use them, (obviously not exclusivly, but enough to make animpact). check the website and you'll see they haev partys where Tenaglia and Carl Cox play full sets using them.

I have made mixes and given them to others and they had no idea it was on a computer.

rabbitinlights

I bought a pair of Numark TT200 (~€240 each) and a Numark DXM06 (€230) from germany, and they are great. I was gonna save up for a pair of 1210's, but I just could not afford it,I saved a fortune and spent the rest of Vinyl! Ive a few mates who do have 1210's and they really like my tt200's, You probably would not have to get such a fancy mixer, so you could get it under your ~€600 total.

http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/thoiw6_index.html
http://www.musicstorekoeln.de/englisch/

Sean.

Scubadevils

I went for the 1210s 10 years ago and went through the same dilemma in as far as how much I should spend. Being stupid with money then (and still now!) I ended up getting my set of 1210s on finance with I think RTV at the time. If you feel like paying stupid interest it is an option! Got my dad to go guarantor for me at the time. Paid them off then quicker than the finance agreement so didn't pay too much more in the end.

Moral of the story though is they are still going strong 10 years later after being dragged to several parties and moved house three times so I reckon twas a good investment!

Chucky the tree

Zascar wrote:

Not ture, it can tech you lots... the program I use is designed to be a decks simulator, everyhing works the same. Loads of big dj's use them, (obviously not exclusivly, but enough to make animpact). check the website and you'll see they haev partys where Tenaglia and Carl Cox play full sets using them.

I have made mixes and given them to others and they had no idea it was on a computer.

have you used decks yet? Chances are you will find it alot harder to mix on decks.

the computer things allow you to pitch your tunes to .1, normal decks dont allow that so its alot harder to get them done accurately. You need to learn to touch the platter, and speed them up aswell. I doubt cos uses them all the time to be honest. And at least he learnt on decks. If you jsut learn on computers you will never get any gigs.

Also, how do you listen to your cued up track?

Zascar

Yes decks are definitely way more difficult but programs like these are good for learning the basics of mixing, and things like song selection, set progression, etc, etc.

You can set it up with 2 sound cards to listen to the cued up track. You can hook up an external mixer, and even timecoded vinal - like FinalScratch, but not quite as good i'm sure.

Bri

It's probably some sort of musical snobbery twisting my views, but I would advocate learning to mix in this order of priority, if feasible:

a) Vinyl
b) CD
c) Computer-based

Each to their own but that's the way I did things and it's nice to know what the original is like to understand what the others are emulating and building on.

Cake Fiend

I mix a bit with Traktor (with a proper external mixer, using a dual-channel sound card).

Anyone who thinks you can't learn from mixing on a computer hasn't done much of it. Any monkey can learn to beatmatch on a pair of decks, all it takes is time - the real skill is in the actual mixing and programming. You can learn these with Traktor and the like. Also, chances are people will have a large catalogue of mp3s they can mix with (or can easily get some), instead of having to go out and spend hundreds on records right away just to get a collection started. It's a much cheaper way to have a go of DJing and see if you like it.

Plus, Traktor has a load of other stuff built in (filters, loops, etc) to play with. Lots of DJs are combining Traktor with decks, especially seeing as Final Scratch is now built around it.

Chucky the tree

Sico wrote:

I mix a bit with Traktor (with a proper external mixer, using a dual-channel sound card).

Anyone who thinks you can't learn from mixing on a computer hasn't done much of it. Any monkey can learn to beatmatch on a pair of decks, all it takes is time - the real skill is in the actual mixing and programming. You can learn these with Traktor and the like. Also, chances are people will have a large catalogue of mp3s they can mix with (or can easily get some), instead of having to go out and spend hundreds on records right away just to get a collection started. It's a much cheaper way to have a go of DJing and see if you like it.

Plus, Traktor has a load of other stuff built in (filters, loops, etc) to play with. Lots of DJs are combining Traktor with decks, especially seeing as Final Scratch is now built around it.

thats all well and good, but if you want to make it big you will need to learn on decks, either vinyl or cd.

if you have a large collection of mp3, then i recommend cd decks. If you want to go down the traktor route for the short term till you save up grand.

But he will still need to spend money on a mixer. Even buy one cd deck and use it with the computer, but hes gonna have to learn on decks if he wants to play in clubs properly.

Zascar

Sico wrote:

Anyone who thinks you can't learn from mixing on a computer hasn't done much of it. Any monkey can learn to beatmatch on a pair of decks, all it takes is time - the real skill is in the actual mixing and programming.

Exactly. Anyone with rhythm can learn to beatmatch, but being a good Dj is all the other things that take skill, creativity and talent.

If like me you have 1000's of mp3's and don't want to spend 1000's of € on vinyl, then its pro a good idea to get CD decks lie the Prioneer CDJ 1000's - they are pretty much industry standard equipment in any club, and are as near to vinyl as you can get. I've seen loads fo big DJ's do sets using just these and no vinyl at all.

Bri

Drum boy wrote:

What do you guys think of that DJ in a box kit!
Theres one for sale for €250 on the site!

Hell no! They're belt-driven and crap. There's no point in spending triple-figures on a set of decks 'just to start you off'. It'll just postpone getting your hands on an acceptable pair.

Basically be sure you want them before you buy...hard I know. Best I can suggest is the usual 'ask a friend option' or else ask yourself just how much your music means to you (honestly!) and if it's a hell of a lot then you'll probably get value of out having decks regardless of how successful your DJing career is. I don't play anymore but still happily mix away to my hearts content and try to improve on what I've learnt.

Here's a picture of Traktor DJ studio if your considering that too...there's a downloadable demo AFAIK:


from http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?traktor_us

Cake Fiend

The guy's only finding out about starting DJing, it'll be a long while till he can even think about playing in clubs and that. I don't see the point in him spending thousands on decks and vinyl if he's not sure he'll be DJing long enough to need to mix on decks. Plus, he'll learn the more important stuff (mixing and programming) just fine with Traktor or the like.

Zascar

I just downloaded the Free Trial of Tracktor. Its brilliant. I tried it a few years ago but never liked it. I think its way better than Atomix & Virtual DJ - however it is a fair bit more complicated and probably not the best fo a beginner. For a beginner I'd recommend having a go with Atomix and when you have got the hang of it give Traktor a try. I've only been using it a few hours but it seems far more professional than the others. Still to work out how everything works but I can't wait to start using it properly.

Can anyone else who usued this program please share some tip & tricks?

penexpers

Chucky the tree wrote:

But he will still need to spend money on a mixer. Even buy one cd deck and use it with the computer, but hes gonna have to learn on decks if he wants to play in clubs properly.

That's a load of bull. Being a good DJ has very little to do with technical ability and much more to do with choice of songs etc etc.

Bri

penexpers wrote:

That's a load of bull. Being a good DJ has very little to do with technical ability and much more to do with choice of songs etc etc.

Oh this is developing into such a petty little argument. Each to their own. I doubt the OP is getting much out of all this.

This still has to be said:
Did it ever strike you that a "good DJ" is a relative term and varies from crowd to crowd and genre to genre? :rolleyes:

Zascar

Bri wrote:

Did it ever strike you that a "good DJ" is a relative term and varies from crowd to crowd and genre to genre?

Good point, I've heard big name dj's say how they have had some sets absolutely go off in one club, and clear the floor in another. Song selection is the most important part, many big DJ's are not great mixers, but that doesn't mean they can not pull off a savage set that gets people going. I suppose the best DJ's take serious pride in their mixing as it sets them above everyon else.

Drum Boy, my advice to you is try a few DJ programs to get the hang of it and see if you still like it after a few weeks. DJ'ing takes a lot of time and practice, but most people who do it just love every second of it so its doesn't really seem like hard work. If you get really into it, then spend a few quid on an external mixer and take it from there. If you want to take it further still you can then buy Vinyl or CD Decks and you'll already have a mixer (don;t forget you'll also have to invest in an Amp & Speakers etc). It all depends on how far you want to go.

Question: Have you always been into dance music, or is this a recent thing? Why exactly do you want to start DJ'ing? are you content being a bedroom/party dj or do you have higher aspirations?

Personally, yes I'd love to be a big name DJ and get paid squillions to gig all around the world, but for me I'm content with playing at home, always trying to get better and impress myself as I progress. I give friends CD's that I make, and occaisionally if I have a few people round to my house for a party, I will mix all night long. I just like being educated in the subject and somehtimes being in a club and knowing that I have more ability that the current DJ who is getting paid. I would love to get maybe a 1 night a week residency in a 'good' club but I'm not looking at it as a carreer. There are too many at it and its a very closed scene in Dublin anyway afaik.

As long as you love the music everything else will fall into place. Any more questions please let me know.

Chucky the tree

penexpers wrote:

That's a load of bull. Being a good DJ has very little to do with technical ability and much more to do with choice of songs etc etc.

i never said technical ability was more important then song choice. :rolleyes:

[nicK]

i've built a nice collection of songs thanks to broadband and have messed around with some mixing software but would like to take it a small step further by buying something like the Hercules DJ Console.

I was thinking about getting it last year but for lack of money, decided to leave it a while. The price hasn't changed at all and i'm wondering if Hercules are the only company doing this kind of thing or are there alternatives around the 500euro mark?

penexpers

There are alternatives, check out something like the XP10 made by Virtual DJ. I have the Hercules DJ Console and it's grand for messing around with at home. I've seen it used in small clubs as well.