The Complete DJ Setup

Turntables are the most important pieces of your DJ setup.

The turntable is what plays the music and in this case vinyl records. The turntable is simple yet complicated with many components, however, we're going to skip most of the technical details and focus on the three of the main aspects of choosing a great turntable for DJing.

1. Always go with Direct Drive turntables.
Unlike Belt Driven turntables in which the platter is spun by, you guessed it - a belt, a Direct Drive turnable is directly connected to the motor. Because the platter is directly connected to the motor, you won't have to worry about such things as your belt breaking in the middle of a set, the speeds being off and lack of torque.

2. Invest in nice DJ cartridges
Many times, turntables come with a very basic set of phono cartridges. These are the little things on the end of the arm, which picks up the vibrations and grooves of the vinyl to be played. Great DJ cartridges will be better suited for extended periods of playing and are more durable for the wear and tear.

3. Buy new slip mats
Most turntables come with rubber mats, you don't want these. Instead, you want to have slipmats. Slipmats are often felt, which allows your vinyl to be held in place while the platter spins. Allowing the platter to spin is important because you want to be able to start the song right on que, without it having to rotate.

Finally, I wanted to mention this because you'll always hear it from just about everyone:

Buy Technics 1200's.

Technic 1200's are the industry standard. These turntables have stood the test of time since almost the beginning of DJing. They are Direct Drive turntables, very sturdy and are all around the best pair of turntables you can get to start DJing.

The mixer is also essential because this is where you'll plug your turntables into, so they can be played on speakers.

This also allows you to mix the records together, as it has the crossfader and other controls such as bass, mid, and hi's. The mixer allows the DJ to have a lot of creative control and is just as important as the turntables.

Mixers will have outputs which then go to an amplifier which eventually goes to speakers. You can also set up the mixer to have a pair of monitors which allows the DJ to hear their mix without it being too loud and bassy, hence why they are called monitors.

More complicated mixers come with many effects, something worth noting when deciding which one you want to buy.

A few things to consider:

1. You'll want a mixer with a crossfader. This allows you to transition back and forth between the two turntables.
2. You may want to opt for a mixer which has 3 channels, this allows for an optional 3rd device such as an extra turntable, cd player, or any other sound source.

You'll generally be using a pair of headphones, hopefully you won't have to mix without them as it could be quite difficult. Headphones allows the DJ to listen to the upcoming record and beatmatch or cue appropriately, so that they can mix properly.

A few things to consider:

1. You'll want a pair that has a nice frequency range, usually 20hz - 20Khz. This allows you to hear your records and not miss out on any frequencies.

2. You'll want a pair of headphones which wrap around the year, which encloses them. This allows the headphones to block out some of the sound which allows the DJ to hear the upcoming track much easier.

3. They should be comfortable. You'll be wearing them a lot, so they might as well be comfortable on your head and ears.

4. The headphones should be able to shift around easily, so that you can place one side over an ear and allow you to keep the other ear open to the crowd.

Monitor speakers, unlike stereo speakers, are often flat so you can hear what you are playing clearly. DJs use monitor speakers for just that purpose, so the heavy bass from the main speakers don't drown out what they are trying to listen to.

Much like headphones, you'll want to find a pair which allows for a high level of frequency so that you can hear every little aspect of the tune. You'll want to find a pair that can handle high levels of sound, and won't muddy out after a certain level.

If you have a pair of monitor speakers hooked up, they should be set up correctly to where you can hear them correctly. You don't want to set them underneath or too high up. You'll want them facing you at and angle so that they hit your ears correctly, which allows you to monitor them correctly.

There is one more available option when buying a basic DJ setup.

The complete all-in-one DJ packages.

The all-in-one DJ packages offer all the basic items you need to start DJing immediately. These contain the complete DJ equipment required to get hooked up and start playing your tunes.

These are much lower priced than buying each piece separately, however, if you're on a tight budget and have the real itch to start DJing now, this is a worthy option to choose.