Best way to get started dj'ing (rather than producing)

[phrase]

Yo, sorry if it sounds like a gormo noob question (i know it does ha)

but basically signed up on here to ask for some tips on getting started in the world of dj'ing, i apologise if this is in the wrong place at all, even though i've been lurking this board for a while i haven't got to grips with it yet.

Yeah so basically the reason why i haven't taken the plunge by myself yet is mainly down to me being intimidated by the apparent amount of equipment i'm gonna need straight off. Is it neccessary to straight away need a full set up with monitors and all? I've been messing about with dj software for a few months now but there's only so much you can do with that

so as i know there's some experienced guys on here just asking for a bit of advice as far as how you started out, what you bought and the best approach?

I should mention i'm doing this for a love of the music, having been into dubstep for about 2 and a half years now and still being unable to get my head around production i'm wanting to get involved in the live side of things, any help would be massive, cheers

[Pada]

Get some second hand technics and any mixer with EQs for low, mids and highs, volume faders a crossfader and a headphone socket (might be able to get all this for £350)

Hook it up to you Hi-Fi, some shit powered speakers, whatever and start buying vinyl!

Or use ableton on your laptop.

probably the two cheapest options starting out CDJs are expensive!

[phrase]

Get some second hand technics and any mixer with EQs for low, mids and highs, volume faders a crossfader and a headphone socket (might be able to get all this for £350)

Hook it up to you Hi-Fi, some shit powered speakers, whatever and start buying vinyl!

Or use ableton on your laptop.

probably the two cheapest options starting out CDJs are expensive!

cheers for that man, so if i go the ableton way, what else will i need? midi controller, i'm guessing, which would you recommend? anything else?

[nitz]

Get some second hand technics and any mixer with EQs for low, mids and highs, volume faders a crossfader and a headphone socket (might be able to get all this for £350)

Hook it up to you Hi-Fi, some shit powered speakers, whatever and start buying vinyl!

Or use ableton on your laptop.

probably the two cheapest options starting out CDJs are expensive!

cheers for that man, so if i go the ableton way, what else will i need? midi controller, i'm guessing, which would you recommend? anything else?

Laptop/Computer, Midi controller, Midi keyboard. Thats the basic, rr you could just get Akai APC40 Ableton Controller(specially made for Alt Live)

[suicidesound]

being in a similar situation to you not too long ago I went for 2 1210 turntables, cheap ol mixer and timecodes and would have it any other way

[notch]

Think about this..
Do you want to dj around the world? If not please disregard below.

Your working Dubstep backwards if you start djing before you start producing.
Producing tracks is 100x better promotion then producing a dj mix without any of your own tracks.
If your tunes are big enough everybody is going to want your tracks. Every promoter is going to want YOU to play there event. Think about the artist you get excited to see perform dubstep sets now? You might have to give up little of the glam dj life now but it will pay off in the end.

Unless you introduce Dubstep to an entire country, it's Nice to get them skills.

[phrase]

Think about this..
Do you want to dj around the world? If not please disregard below.

Your working Dubstep backwards if you start djing before you start producing.
Producing tracks is 100x better promotion then producing a dj mix without any of your own tracks.
If your tunes are big enough everybody is going to want your tracks. Every promoter is going to want YOU to play there event. Think about the artist you get excited to see perform dubstep sets now? You might have to give up little of the glam dj life now but it will pay off in the end.

Unless you introduce Dubstep to an entire country, it's Nice to get them skills.

thats a very good point dude i haven't thought about it like that before to be honest. i'd love to be able to produce like a said in the first post but a) i have no experience of using any DAW, i have ableton and reaper but have absolutely no idea where to start with them as i've never been taught anything about it before, i tried looking at the manual on here but that's mainly faq's for things i don't yet understand. How did you start producing? b) Producing seems like the most competitive thing imaginable at the moment, what if i invest a lot of money in it and it just falls through and i have nothing to show for it?

[tavravlavish]

Think about this..
Do you want to dj around the world? If not please disregard below.

Your working Dubstep backwards if you start djing before you start producing.
Producing tracks is 100x better promotion then producing a dj mix without any of your own tracks.
If your tunes are big enough everybody is going to want your tracks. Every promoter is going to want YOU to play there event. Think about the artist you get excited to see perform dubstep sets now? You might have to give up little of the glam dj life now but it will pay off in the end.

Unless you introduce Dubstep to an entire country, it's Nice to get them skills.

thats a very good point dude i haven't thought about it like that before to be honest. i'd love to be able to produce like a said in the first post but a) i have no experience of using any DAW, i have ableton and reaper but have absolutely no idea where to start with them as i've never been taught anything about it before, i tried looking at the manual on here but that's mainly faq's for things i don't yet understand. How did you start producing? b) Producing seems like the most competitive thing imaginable at the moment, what if i invest a lot of money in it and it just falls through and i have nothing to show for it?

seems like all you did was invest a few gigs on your hard drive to me what makes you think you have to invest a lot money? just nerd out on the program you got and watch a few tutorials.

[phrase]

Think about this..
Do you want to dj around the world? If not please disregard below.

Your working Dubstep backwards if you start djing before you start producing.
Producing tracks is 100x better promotion then producing a dj mix without any of your own tracks.
If your tunes are big enough everybody is going to want your tracks. Every promoter is going to want YOU to play there event. Think about the artist you get excited to see perform dubstep sets now? You might have to give up little of the glam dj life now but it will pay off in the end.

Unless you introduce Dubstep to an entire country, it's Nice to get them skills.

thats a very good point dude i haven't thought about it like that before to be honest. i'd love to be able to produce like a said in the first post but a) i have no experience of using any DAW, i have ableton and reaper but have absolutely no idea where to start with them as i've never been taught anything about it before, i tried looking at the manual on here but that's mainly faq's for things i don't yet understand. How did you start producing? b) Producing seems like the most competitive thing imaginable at the moment, what if i invest a lot of money in it and it just falls through and i have nothing to show for it?

seems like all you did was invest a few gigs on your hard drive to me what makes you think you have to invest a lot money? just nerd out on the program you got and watch a few tutorials.

maybe effort would have been a better word, djing goes hand in hand with production though right? and that costs a hell of a lot i'm thinking? unless you just use mp3s but that's not very popular is it.

yeah i'll carry on messing about with ableton, might try and track down a midi keyboard

[kenith copeland]

i donno about the whole "you gotta start producing befor you start Dj'ing" thing.
i started djing because i wasnt hearing the cd's i wanted to hear so i just made my own. that inturn led me to a better understanding on structure of songs from a dj's perspective.
do you wanna just make tracks or do you wanna make tracks that will work from a dj's standpoint.

why not do both at the same time (produce/Dj) i mean you cant crank up the volume an have a mix at 4am but you sure can slap on some headphones an pound away at a beat. the key is to find a program or set up that works for you, you dont need the latest and greatest gear (dispite what some might say) look at john hopkins. he's making beats on technically ancient gear and so is rusko.
so dont blow the bank account and just have fun mate. thats what got you started with this idea in the first place wasnt it

oh and if your in the market for a midi keyboard check out the axiom range, having both key's and pads at your disposal is great when your starting

[rook]

Laptop/Computer, Midi controller, Midi keyboard. Thats the basic, rr you could just get Akai APC40 Ableton Controller(specially made for Alt Live)

I started on tables about 11 years ago, then about 4-5 ago moved to CDJs, and 3 years ago to ableton and I couldn't be happier.
Up until a few months ago I was just using an x-session pro controller ($100) and stealing my buddies trigger finger whenever possible and that was easily enough to do some pretty nutty stuff once comfortable. Just recently got the APC40 and I'm in love. Worth ever penny, all 40,000 of them.

The bottom line is whatever direction you go there are tradeoffs.

Vinyl generally sounds better and the feel (and lets be honest, image) are great, but you're obviously limited only to what you're able to get on vinyl, which can definitely be a frustration (although things like serrato are also an option). It's also heavy as fuck to carry around a fat crate.

CDJs are really fun and I enjoy them thoroughly. Really easy to transport CDs around, but unless you're playing well equipped clubs or parties (and as you're a beginner I don't think this is on the table quite yet) you'll end up having to lug around the CDJs, which ends up defeating the purpose of using CDs in the first place.

Ableton is my favorite hands down. It takes beatmatching out of the equation and that gives back a ton of freedom to do lots of other really neat & complex stuff which would not be possible with any other medium. Transportation isn't bad at all either. A controller, a laptop, an audio interface. All of which fit in a backpack. And when it comes to the money spent on hardware, an ableton setup ends up being the most multipurpose.

No disrespect to any traktor users, but I never really dug it (used it for about a month). Didn't make much sense to me to switch to a computer to emulate what CDJs/Turntables do better.

i donno about the whole "you gotta start producing befor you start Dj'ing" thing.
i started djing because i wasnt hearing the cd's i wanted to hear so i just made my own. that inturn led me to a better understanding on structure of songs from a dj DJ's perspective.
do you wanna just make tracks or do you wanna make tracks that will work from a dj's standpoint.

No way in hell do you have to start producing before DJing, though if you really enjoy the music it's something I would encourage to do hand in hand.
I only started producing seriously 3 years ago, so was DJing for 8 years prior that. I would have started much earlier as I've always been into music but I never felt I had any musical talent, just a good ear. but practice makes perfect and if you put in the hours now, you'll get to where you want to be down the road.

It also is a big motivator, there are times I'll get BURNED out on producing, yet still be really into listening to other peoples music, so I'll usually use that time to put a mix together.

Bottom line is ya gotta start somewhere and you don't necessarily have to start big, just get doing it. :]
good luck!

[kenith copeland]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
i couldnt agree more with your last paragraph