The BeginnerDJ

Equipment Guide

BeginnerDJ.com - 2012

Chapter 1: The New DJ Manifesto

DJing has come a long way since its early days of 12 inch records

and dad’s old turntables.

Today we have hundreds of equipment pieces, millions of tracks,

and an ever increasing exposure to the Electronic Music

community. In short, you have easier access in starting and

getting found but now you’re up against millions.

You would have found yourself sending out massive amounts of

mix tapes, promo CD’s, running the local circuit, trying to get

your name out there but that’s all gone now (for the most part).

The big thing now is getting found through the web. You can

easily amass a large following through the use of videos on

Youtube, a Facebook page, and running your own website.

However, this also means that we have to wade through a landfill

of mediocrity. Like the radio, TV, and other forms of media – the

huge push to the web means that any and every would-be

producer is pushing out music – some good, lots bad. On top of

that, we have the ever-growing catalog of existing DJ’s and

producers that can be found on sites like Beatport, Mixcloud, and

streaming on uStream.

In a lot of ways, beginner DJ’s are becoming lazy.

For $200 and a connection to the Internet, you can buy a starter

set of DJ equipment, snag a few terabytes of music, and start

pushing out sets to the many thousands of websites. The issue,

here, is that the barrier has been so far removed that many

potentially great DJ’s are getting in too fast – so fast that they

miss out on the essential DJ skills and conduct for not just mixing

up music – but putting on a great show to boot.

Over the last decade, we have seen the rise of celebrity DJ’s.

We’re hearing Dubstep in car commercials. We’re getting

bombarded with music on our Facebook feeds. We’re going out,

hearing the same crud, from the same local DJ’s, over and over

again – we’re getting indoctrinated into enjoying the lower quality

music and DJing.

This, however, isn’t the case for everyone and by no means

should my opinion sway you from jumping right into DJing but

take a look around and form your opinion about what the ‘scene’

is like today. Dig back through some classic footage of 90’s raves,

watch documentaries about the rise of Chicago house, go out to a

local music festival vs. strictly hanging around the clubs. You’ll

find a massive amount of party-goers that don’t want some

rehashed remix of some popular song – they’re looking for good

times, good vibes, and most importantly: good music.

From this point onward, I’ll be sharing the basic equipment and

programs you’ll need, this day and age, to get started in your

own DJing but keep in mind that these items are merely tools –

what you’ll be using for the end result: playing awesome music,

putting on a show, and making people happy.

Make it your mantra to always expand your knowledge not just of

what’s ‘big’ today but also the techniques, music, and

showmanship of the past – if you can nail this down than you

have a very bright future as a DJ.

Chapter 2: DJ Equipment Essentials

Welcome to the ‘meat’ of the BeginnerDJ Equipment Guide, here

you will find a run-down of each piece of DJ equipment that’s

available on the market today. What I’ve done, with this section,

is break things down for the different types of DJing you may end

up doing such as playing strictly with vinyl or maybe using micro

controllers – we’ll be taking a cross section look at what we can

call “industry” standard for each piece of gear within the main

types of DJ equipment.

Before we begin, however, I want to stress that it’s important

that you develop some kind of budget.

A budget is important, at this stage, because quality matters

more than ever. You could easily drop $500 - $3000 for your first

DJ setup but you may not necessarily be getting the best bang for

your buck.

There are times when it’s good to balance quality and price which

I aim to cover as we look at the various pieces of equipment.

I know it may seem hard but waiting the extra month or two can

be all the difference when it comes to buying gear. If you were

able to save up enough to pick up the next level ‘tier’ within each

piece, you’ll be doing yourself a favor in the long run because

your gear will be far less likely to break down and you get the

benefit of using ‘industry’ gear that you’ll run into if/when you

make the transition to clubs or music festivals.

But, it’s your money and I’m not the one to tell you what to do

with it so let’s take a look at what’s available for starting out (or

making the upgrade down the line).

Vinyl DJ Turntables

Vinyl is where it really took off – there’s a certain feel and sound

to vinyl that captures music junkies like you and I. The sound

seems a tad richer.

The art work and feel of the vinyl grooves bring back this sense

that you’re more involved with the music. There’s a certain thrill

of digging through dusty crates to find old and new tracks.

Despite the huge shift toward digital music, there are still a lot of

producers and labels pressing vinyl.

Vinyl seems to attract the type of DJ that wants to keep things at

its roots – where DJ came from. With vinyl turntables and the

rest of your setup, it’s just you and the music – no extra controls

and features that may take away from the raw experience of

spinning a mix.

Technics 1200’s

The 1200’s are the industry standard for vinyl DJ’s; they’ve been

around for decades and have only just seen the end of their

production. These turntables are pure workhorses that can take

any amount of beating which is why they’ve been so widely

adopted within the industry.

The 1200’s have a simple but effective design, hardware to

handle anything you throw at it, and will be found in just about

any type of venue. They’re a bit expensive but they hold their

value. If you want top-of-the-line vinyl turntables than consider

snagging a pair of 1200’s (there’s a few models ‘MK’s’ over the

years but they’re all good).

$450 - $1000 on Amazon

Stanton ST-150

The ST-150’s are built to be nearly identical to the industry

standard form you’d find in the Technics and they’re priced

reasonably. What the ST-150 offers that you wouldn’t normally

find on other turntables is a wide variety of additional controls

including: reverse, key lock, and pitch select.

At this time, these turntables run around $500 a pop but the way

they’re built means that you’ll probably never need to replace

these unites in your setup.

$450 - $600 on Amazon

Stanton T.120

The Stanton T.120’s are a great entry level turntable, especially

for those that want to do some scratching in their sets. Much of

the features mentioned about the ST-150’s can be found the

T.120’s such as an instant reverse. The design is solid, motor

powerful, and priced at a cool $350ish.

The only issue is that this line of turntable is now discontinued so

you won’t have much modern support but you can definitely get a

steal of a deal online or on Craigslist.

$275 - $375 on Amazon

CD DJ Decks

The successor to the age of vinyl DJing came about through the

use of CD’s. DJ’s no longer needed to lug around huge crates of

vinyl which also meant that their time was freed up from crate

digging; the rise of the net allowed people to easily snag their

music and burn tracks to a CD and, as you know, there’s an

unlimited amount of music to choose from, online.

The CD decks got smaller but didn’t remove features. In fact, CD

decks have an incredible amount of flexibility with newer, built-in

features. These new features opened up a different amount of

control when mixing but some, such as automix, get abused. CD

decks are probably your best entry point into DJing because it’s

so widely adopted in clubs and you get the best of both worlds

when it comes to music selection and going digital.

Pioneer CDJ-2000

The CDJ-2000’s maybe burn a hole in your wallet but if you want

the biggest and best when it comes to CD decks than look no

further. The 2000’s have been built like a rock and comes packed

with features such as, most notably, the built-in LCD screen

which displays a ton of information about your tracks (BPM,

naming, time, etc), the ability to use almost any source (USB,

SD, CD, Digital, etc), being able to link up to 4 units together,

and that you’ll have much greater control on your mixing from

the larger jog wheel size.

These decks are far more expensive than others, running about

$2,000 each, but in terms of getting the best in CD DJing, the

2000’s is where to go.

$1,700 - $1,800 on Amazon

Pioneer CDJ-800MKII

Two Pioneer models up for recommendation? Definitely. The CDJ-

800’s is really where CD decks became a solid player in clubs and

DJing because they’re built to take a beating, have every major

feature you could want, and set the standard for the look and feel

of CD decks.

These come at a recommendation because they’re tried and

tested, you’ll be able to find a massive community for support,

they’ll handle anything you throw at ‘em, and they hover in at a

great price, about $800 each which is far easier to obtain than

the 2000’s without giving up quality.

$600 - $800 on Amazon

Numark V7

The V7 is a CD deck that shouldn’t escape your attention when

you’re picking up gear. Numark put a lot of work in the V7 which

shows from its sturdy design, down to the laundry list of features

and controls built into the unit.

The V7 comes packed with Serato ITCH which is a big bonus for

doing the crossover of analog and digital play. One especially

attractive feature is the vinyl feel of the touch platter which

definitely gives an old school vibe while mixing.

At about $500 each, the V7 is a very excellent choice if you’re

making a move for CD DJing and production.

$350 - $500 on Amazon

Virtual/Midi DJ Controllers

The new wave of DJing is upon us and with it comes a variety of

inexpensive, highly flexible DJ gear. Controllers give you the full

control of DJing at your fingertips yet in a smaller form factor

with many new, exciting options.

The rise of the “laptop DJ” could be contributed to the

inexpensive prices of midi controllers, digital downloads, and

virtual programs. Whereas before you’d drop nearly $2 - $5k into

a complete, robust DJ setup, you now can spend just $300 (often

less) and have everything you need to get mixing. Additionally,

you’re no longer limited to just DJing as you’ll find that the same

controllers you use in mixing can also become part of a full music

production setup!

Numark NS7

The Numark NS7 is a shining example of the perfect DJ

controller. It may look a bit bulky but what you’re getting is

everything needed to start mixing (including a copy of Serato

Itch). The controller has all the features you’d find on a

standalone CD turntable yet it’s an all-in-one.

At just over $1,200, you’re saving thousands compared to piecing

together your own system. The software, Serato Itch, is a nice

touch especially when combined with the decks’ functions and

features; in essence, this is the midi controller you should get if

you want to get everything out of digital DJing.

$900 - $1,300 on Amazon

Vestax VCI-300MKII

The Vestax VCI-300MKII is set at a perfect entry point for digital

DJ’s when compared to features and pricing of the other two

mentioned on this list. The VCI-300MKII gets the nudge higher

than the Hercules because of the immense community built

around the controller which is always developing new layouts and

functionality for the unit.

Under $500, this unit gives you everything you’d look for in a

midi controller and the size is perfect for those DJ’s going mobile.

The entire setup comes with a copy of Serato Itch and works

flawlessly with the program and hardware support so none of

your knobs and buttons go unused.

$400 - $440 on Amazon

Hercules DJ Console 4-MX

Rounding out the list is the Hercules DJ Console 4-MX which is

quite impressive considering the small size and price tag. I’ve

played with earlier versions from the Hercules line of DJ consoles

and I can attest that they’re quite solid and contend to be one of

the best entry points for new DJ’s.

The 4-MX takes everything Hercules learned over the years and

ups their offering; you’re buying is basically everything you need

all in one place while nabbing a free copy of Virtual DJ to boot.

$320 - $340 on Amazon

Mixers

Let’s talk mixers for a moment. The mixer is just as crucial as

your decision for turntables, decks, and other fundamental gear

because it’s what ties everything together.

The reality is that the vast majority of your “work” as a DJ is

actually spent around the mixer. How do you think a “mix” is

formed in the first place? By mixing, of course.

Anyone can throw on two tracks and blend them together but it

takes a skillful DJ to bring it all together, tweak the sounds,

match the tracks, add effects, and send out floor stompin’ sets –

and all of this is possible thanks to the mixer.

There are two sides of buying a mixer, however.

On one end, you could go for the bare minimum and keep your

DJing to the core basics; in a lot of ways, the restriction on a

mixer’s features forces you to be creative in your mixing.

The other side is that you may be the type that wants unlimited

control on your music; additional features on the mixer allows

you to finely tweak the sound down to the smallest detail but

could be distracting, at times, because of so many possibilities.

Whatever choice, don’t skimp on the mixer’s budget as with any

part of your DJ equipment because you want this piece to last.

Pioneer DJM-350

Sure, I could have easily mentioned the DJM-2000 but let’s be

honest: we don’t have $2k to drop on a mixer at this point. The

breakout, entry level mixer on this list is easily the DJM-350; it’s

slightly dated but that doesn’t mean it lacks any of the important

features you’re looking for in a mixer.

The 350 keeps things to the essentials but comes with bonuses

for those seeking to be digital DJ’s. Under $500, the DJM-350

should be one of the first mixers you consider when putting

together your gear.

$435 - $480 on Amazon

Denon DNX-1700

On the high end, you’ve got the Denon DNX-1700 which is one of

the most feature rich mixers on the market today (besides the

higher level DJM’s).

This mixer is kind of like going from a car to a spaceship.

Multiple line input/output, robust controls, sturdy design, and

built-in effects? Yup, the DNX-1700 is the mixer you’re looking for

(if you have the budget of about $1,500 for the unit).

$1,460 - $1,480 on Amazon

Behringer DX626

Price doesn’t always necessarily mean quality. The Behringer

DX626, at about $200, is actually one tough piece of equipment

with the bare essentials.

There’s nothing really fancy about this mixer other than the fact

that you’re getting what you need to piece your equipment

together. There are some flaws to the unit (not enough

input/output) but, for the price, you can’t really beat it especially

if you have plans to upgrade at a later time.

This unit will teach you the basics, that’s about all.

$75 - $130 on Amazon

DJ Headphones

You’re not going to find DJ headphones at your local mall and you

definitely don’t want to substitute a solid pair of DJ headphones

with some cheap-o brand you can pick up at an airport.

DJ headphones are built to withstand the constant abuse coming

from the DJ and the sound. They need to be able to handle the

stress of being constantly tugged and twirled, dropped and

packed, blasted with high and low frequencies.

A heavy investment of $200 for a pair of headphones may seem a

little crazy when you’re used to snagging some earbuds for $10

but your headphones will play a vital role in your DJing so it’s

best not to go cheap on this essential piece of DJ gear.

Pioneer HDJ-1000

The first set of DJ headphone you should consider would

definitely be the HDJ-1000’s. They’ve pretty much became the

industry standard due to their great sound quality, sturdy design,

and flexibility.

The overall form is what you’re looking for; being able to twist it

in any direction all-the-while retaining the right sound quality to

monitor your mixing.

$84 - $130 on Amazon

Sony MDR-V700DJ

If a design works – keep doing it. Sony’s MDR-V700DJ

headphones are right up there in the charts but at a cheaper

price compared to the HDJ-1000’s (about ½ the price, actually).

They’ve got the design, sound quality, and durability you need

when you’re heavily into mixing.

$80 - $100 on Amazon

Technics RP-DH1200

Rounding out around $100 for a pair, the RP-DH1200’s follow

what Pioneer and Sony has set as the design standard.

There’s not much I can say about these pair of headphones that I

haven’t about the others; it’s a different brand name but still

comes with the quality you need.

$85 - $130 on Amazon

A Note about All-in-One DJ Systems

You’ll be tempted to purchased one of the all-in-one vinyl/cd DJ

systems when you’re first starting but I can’t recommend these

whole-heartedly (midi controllers are another story though). It’s

like buying a pair of shoes: you could purchase a decent pair for

$20 and have them worn out in a year or sport $100 and have

shoes that last for many more.

These all-in-one systems have low quality gear that generally

ends up breaking far more often than if you went with the trusted

brands. However, if you’re extremely tight on budget than you

can wave this thought because it’s better to get started than not

doing so, at all.

DJ Hardware (Optional)

Outside of your normal DJ setup is a wide range of hardware that

goes along with everything whether it’s for traveling, setting up

your equipment, organizing your music, and more. These pieces

are completely optional but may be a good investment, at some

point, when you start landing gigs and need to ensure your gear

is well taken care of.

Flight Cases

The role of the flight case, as you could guess, is to protect your

gear as you’re moving around. The flight cases are built for the

different types of equipment to ensure that everything fits snug.

You can’t really do wrong as to which flight case you’re buying as

long as it’s sturdy enough to take the banging about when

driving, in case you drop it, or if people are smashing up against

your DJ booth.

Tables

You can score a table anywhere (hell, you can build one for about

$30 with some cinder blocks and an old door) but there are a lot

of really cool designs and features in some of the new DJ tables

on the market. The main thing to look for, if you pick one up, is

that it can handle the weight and you mixing. You don’t want

your table legs to give out and crash all your gear – pick

something sturdy.

Laptop Stands

No one said that DJing didn’t have its occasional follies. The last

thing you want is your laptop to flip off your table, yanking out all

the cords, breaking, and ruining your set. Likewise, simply setting

the laptop on top of your table may make it difficult to navigate

and select tracks if it’s part of your digital setup. Laptop stands

are a good choice because it keeps your laptop anchored down

and a bit out of the way so you don’t have any of those “oops,

dropped a drink on my computer” accidents.

Slip Mats

Vinyl DJ’s use slip mats to allow their records to freely move

around while on the platter all-the-while protecting them from the

rubber/metal from below. The slip mat is highly used in

turntabalism and scratching but play an important role in mixing,

as well. Slip mats run about $5 - $10 a pop but you really don’t

need to replace them for quite a long time since they hold up for

many years on end.

A Note about DJ Speakers and Systems

I don’t intend to go deep into DJ speakers and systems because

they’re a monster of a topic in their own. These systems will often

cost more than your entire DJ setup which is out of the league

(and scope) for just getting started, wouldn’t you agree? A decent

pair of studio monitors is really all you’d be concerned with at this

time but if you’re itching to setup your own parties or run a

mobile DJ business than I would recommend taking a look

through this guide.

Chapter 3: DJ Programs and Software

The list of DJ programs and pieces of software grows each year

but, to be honest, nearly everyone comes back to the big guns in

the industry. DJ programs have given the bedroom DJ incredible

control over their mixing and, when combined with the web, has

made the leap of learning DJing to be actually quite tame vs.

being on your own just a decade or so ago.

DJ software should always be seen as a tool – the real skill should

come from your mixing. With that being said, most of the big

programs will give you so much flexibility in your mixing that it

may seem somewhat intimidating to play with all the features but

here’s the thing: at least they’re there.

There are many different trials of nearly all DJ programs so it’s

good to give each a test to see how they fit your DJ style and

understanding. Likewise, it’s common to find DJ programs

packaged with controllers and some turntables these days which

is a bonus since you can get going the moment you unbox.

In all, we’re seeing a major shift toward digital DJing these days

because of the ease of snagging tracks online, plus the price

drops of equipment that use to cost an arm and a leg.

In a lot of ways, you’ll probably end up doing a bit of both if you

decide to use DJ programs: some analog play along with digital

production. There are no more barriers for the music you play

and how you do it.

About DJ Programs

The original plan was to do short overviews of each of the DJ

programs like I did for the turntables, mixers, and other pieces of

equipment but, to be honest, the big names in software pretty

much all do the same thing but with different interfaces.

There are some nuances of each that make them their own but,

for you, it’s really about what you want out of the program and

how much work you’ll put into learning the system.

Personally, I’m a big fan of Traktor because of their interface and

overall control on mixing. However, that’s not to say that the

others are any less valuable. In fact, free versions of Virtual DJ is

more than enough to get you started; you may not see Virtual DJ

in clubs but it’ll teach you the basic idea of using programs with

your gear.

Also, as mentioned, many of these programs come packaged with

controllers and other pieces of equipment; they’re usually the

“lite” version of the program but they still do the fundamentals

which is allowing you to cue up tracks and letting you mix.

Worthwhile DJ Programs

So, I’d recommend any of the following:

Serato Scratch & ITCH

Traktor Pro & Scratch

Ableton Live

Virtual DJ

Serato and Traktor are pretty much industry standard; you’ll see

them far more often in clubs. Ableton Live is mostly made for

those doing live mixing and music production but combined with

your gear and skill; it can be an incredible combo. Virtual DJ is a

very basic DJ program but it gets the job done.

Tying all of this together, you’ll be routing your sound, from the

mixer and decks, into your program where you’ll then have full

control over your mixing.

Some mixers include additional support for programs so what you

do on the physical mixer, happens within the program. With midi

controllers, your interface is pretty explicitly the program UI.

Pretty simple (but awesome), right?

Moving Forward

I wanted to create this small book as a complete guide to getting

started with DJ gear. However, there are always new pieces

coming onto the market and others being discontinued. The point

of this work was to give you a great overhead view of each of the

main elements that goes into building your first setup along with

how much you can expect to invest.

Every day there are new ‘used’ pieces placed up on Amazon and

Ebay; it seems like you can constantly find someone selling their

DJ equipment on Craigslist.

What does this mean? People get in and get out. For some, DJing

didn’t turn out to be what they expected. For others, it was

harder to reach a “good point” in their skills. I don’t write this to

discourage you. In fact, see the world of DJing with unlimited

potential as if the road has been cleared and you’re given a

straight shot from so many giving up too soon.

DJing is ever-changing but there is one fundamental rule: people

want to hear great music. Remember that at the end of the day,

people want the experience; they want to go out, have a crazy

night, listen to great tunes, and add to the vibe. Spend less time

focusing on the things that don’t matter such as getting into

debates about proper knob tweaking and spend that time

practicing, digging up awesome tracks, and getting your name

out there. Do big things!

BeginnerDJ is full of great articles on DJing plus there are

additional tips and tricks coming through the email newsletter. On

Facebook you can find people in the community within the BDJ

fan page and there’s always new goodies coming from the rest of

the web so keep your eyes and ears peeled.