So you want to be a DJ?

So you want to be a DJ or even a better DJ?

There's a lot to know, a lot to buy and a lot to listen to.

This lens helps filter what's hot and what's not in the dj market and who is great to buy from!

Please rate my lens and give me feedback!

Thanks!

What Equipment Will You Need?

Technics (the king?): Most DJ's say Technics makes the best turntable and yeah they're great but they may be too expensive to start on (most going for over $400). With over 30 years in the DJ market Technics and their 1200 turntable are the market staple.
Vestax (closing in?): Vestax, the long time heavy hitter in the mixer market, is giving Technics a run for their money. Many competitive scratch dj's have been using their new line of turntables introduced in the early 2000's, instead of the Technics 1200 workhorse. The Vestax PDX-2000MKll has several options the Technics 1200 does not provide. Running around $400/table a pair doesn't come cheap but will last years.
Stanton Magnetics: I have a pair of the old line of Stantons and they have taken the abuses of 4 years of heavy use and still work great. The new line is well suited for club style dj's and boasts more torque (turning power) than any other tables out there. Lower end models make a great place to start.
Numark: Numark's top of the line tables are used by DMC Champions but watch out for lower end offerings as many people I know, me included, have had a less than peachy time using Numark.

One cool point to note they have just released iDJ2. The first iDJ was a total bust. They forgot to put pitch control on the unit rendering it a very expensive piece of crap to play two songs off your iPod.

iDJ2 has everything you could want. But we'll get to digital dj'ing later

Turntable Lab: One of the best sites for equipment, vinyl, and everything else you could need. great reviews of all items and you can listen to just about every record on the site.
Musician's Friend: This is the guitar Center of the internet. Sells all the gear you need. If you want to try stuff out I suggest a trip to the nearest guitar center to play with all the gear.
Music 123: Often cheaper for gear than Musician's Friend. They also sell on ebay.
ProSound: These guys specialize in live sound. They have a great website and great stores. Often their retail locations can fix broken gear (factory certified!)

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Vestax: These are the top choice for profession scratch DJ's. Longtime market leader. Great for hip hop and scratch dj'ing. Not as well suited for club dj'ing.
Pioneer: These guys make great all-round mixers. Great rugged construction and often lots of cool extra features. Check out the 909 model w/ touch screen fx.
Rane: One of the most solid designs out there for mixers. The Empath model was designed by Grandmaster Flash himself! Great solid mixers but hefty prices.

Note: Rane just released (still pre-order only) a mixer that includes the SeratoLive box in the mixer so you have a analog meets digital dj experience in one box. Connect it to your computer and your vinyl controls mp3s
Check it out
Numark: Not durable but cheap - my first mixer was Numark and lasted 2 years while it slowly fell apart. Good entry level.
Stanton Magnetics: I just switched to a Stanton mixer after my Numark broke. I love it. I actually had a Vestax mixer for two days that was used and channel 1 didn't work. So I traded it for a new Stanton.

Great entry-mid level mixers. Great for club style dj's - ok for hip hop - fader is not assignable/reversable. SST technology on higher level mixers means no channel bleed and no hiss when nothing is playing.

by Kurt B. Reighley

Amazon Price: $14.35 (as of 10/12/2008)

by Paul D. Miller aka Dj Spooky that Subliminal Kid

Amazon Price: $16.29 (as of 10/12/2008)

by Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton

Amazon Price: $12.60 (as of 10/12/2008)

by Frank Broughton, Bill Brewster

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 10/12/2008)

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