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DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:35 pm
by eddiecarr
So im thinking about doing some DJ ing. Nothing big, just for messing around with in my room and recording mixes. Im a bit clueless when it comes to this sort of thing so what sort of packages or starter kits do people recommend. Something thats not too pricey but wont fall apart. I had a look around and found this starter pack:
http://www.djstore.com/item/startersyst ... lepack.htm
is this completely shit or is it ok? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:38 pm
by dubmatters
I never bothered until I could afford 1210's.
Anything else seems like a waste of money.
buy cheap buy twice...
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:49 pm
by Mad_EP
I swear... not trying to be a hater (tho 18 months of these same threads does wear on one's sanity)... but someone with true dj'ing in their blood will find a way with whatever they have on hand,
I started by pseudo-beatmatching on a dual cassette... riding the ffd button for pitch control, master of the pause and rewind...
just fucking get on with with it.... if you are that concerned about your kit, you are probably shit anyway.
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:54 pm
by lyons238
depends if you want to do with cddjs, time coded vinyl, or all digital. if your just messing around its probably the best idea, and cheapest to go digital.
check out the vestax vci-100 MKI NOT the MKII. its an amazing controller and has tons of support on djtechtools.com. on that site they have DIY kits to customize your vci-100 with arcade buttons, cutom mapping, and custom firmware that upgrades the way the unit performs (higher jog wheel/fader resolution etc)
it comes with Traktor LE and works perfectly with any of the traktors. it also can be mapped to work with just about any DJ software as its a midi controller, but it works best with Traktor
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:00 pm
by eddiecarr
lyons238 wrote:depends if you want to do with cddjs, time coded vinyl, or all digital. if your just messing around its probably the best idea, and cheapest to go digital.
check out the vestax vci-100 MKI NOT the MKII. its an amazing controller and has tons of support on djtechtools.com. on that site they have DIY kits to customize your vci-100 with arcade buttons, cutom mapping, and custom firmware that upgrades the way the unit performs (higher jog wheel/fader resolution etc)
it comes with Traktor LE and works perfectly with any of the traktors. it also can be mapped to work with just about any DJ software as its a midi controller, but it works best with Traktor
ok thanks man. ill have a look.
@Mad EP
Chill out man its just a question. And if your so tired of the same threads then why did you reply?
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:15 pm
by Mad_EP
it's not about chillin out... it is about taking some initiative and just doing.
most of the best djs out there didn't start with a perfect set-up..... they made due with what they had. you might see my words as being old and cranky, but anybody humble enough will take them at face value and realize that the best way to shine is not worry about who has what.... but to take what you yourself has.... and be better than anybody else. practice practice practice - and it doesn't matter what anybody else has....
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:22 pm
by monte-m
Mad EP wrote:it's not about chillin out... it is about taking some initiative and just doing.
most of the best djs out there didn't start with a perfect set-up..... they made due with what they had. you might see my words as being old and cranky, but anybody humble enough will take them at face value and realize that the best way to shine is not worry about who has what.... but to take what you yourself has.... and be better than anybody else. practice practice practice - and it doesn't matter what anybody else has....

+1 etc
When I first started I used my friend's decks, mixers and records, but I just loved doing it. After losing touch with it for a few years I wanted to get back into it, but didn't know where to start. All I had was my computer, my music collection, and my mpk49. After doing some research I found one of my old friends from high school had made a FREE digital djing program like serato, traktor, etc! It's called
Mixxx. Well anyways long story short I learned to use that program in no time and setup all my mappings on my mpk, and it works lovely! Now, after a lot of practice I am looking at getting a proper controller, but with those sort of programs you don't even need a midi controller you can simply use your keyboard!
Moral of the story: The age old adage it's not what you have it's how you use it couldn't be more true in my case, and hopefully yours OP!
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:24 pm
by eddiecarr
Mad EP wrote:it's not about chillin out... it is about taking some initiative and just doing.
most of the best djs out there didn't start with a perfect set-up..... they made due with what they had. you might see my words as being old and cranky, but anybody humble enough will take them at face value and realize that the best way to shine is not worry about who has what.... but to take what you yourself has.... and be better than anybody else. practice practice practice - and it doesn't matter what anybody else has....
Alright i can agree with that. I have been playing around with traktor tbf
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:26 pm
by wub
eddiecarr wrote:So im thinking about doing some DJ ing. Nothing big, just for messing around with in my room and recording mixes. Im a bit clueless when it comes to this sort of thing so what sort of packages or starter kits do people recommend. Something thats not too pricey but wont fall apart. I had a look around and found this starter pack:
http://www.djstore.com/item/startersyst ... lepack.htm
is this completely shit or is it ok? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Check your local free ad paper. You can probably get a pair of decks & mixer for sub-£50 if you don't mind having some real low quality ones. Try DJing. If you like it, practice your ass off whilst you save up for some slightly better kit. If you don't, sell the kit you've bought and at most you'll be down £20/30.
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:30 pm
by lyons238
i still recommend the vci-100 for you man. thats what i use and its sickk. plus if your not serious yet its great because its small and you can take it to parties with minimal equipment. plus its good for advanced users too. i mean ean golden uses the f'n thing and he is a dj master. he is the main man at djtechtools, and he is the one that has created all of the custom kits and support for the vci-100. seriously check it out.
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:38 pm
by eddiecarr
monte-m wrote:Mad EP wrote:it's not about chillin out... it is about taking some initiative and just doing.
most of the best djs out there didn't start with a perfect set-up..... they made due with what they had. you might see my words as being old and cranky, but anybody humble enough will take them at face value and realize that the best way to shine is not worry about who has what.... but to take what you yourself has.... and be better than anybody else. practice practice practice - and it doesn't matter what anybody else has....

+1 etc
When I first started I used my friend's decks, mixers and records, but I just loved doing it. After losing touch with it for a few years I wanted to get back into it, but didn't know where to start. All I had was my computer, my music collection, and my mpk49. After doing some research I found one of my old friends from high school had made a FREE digital djing program like serato, traktor, etc! It's called
Mixxx. Well anyways long story short I learned to use that program in no time and setup all my mappings on my mpk, and it works lovely! Now, after a lot of practice I am looking at getting a proper controller, but with those sort of programs you don't even need a midi controller you can simply use your keyboard!
Moral of the story: The age old adage it's not what you have it's how you use it couldn't be more true in my case, and hopefully yours OP!
Ok cheers ill download it now. I have used tracktor before but had some trouble with it crashing all the time.
wub wrote:eddiecarr wrote:So im thinking about doing some DJ ing. Nothing big, just for messing around with in my room and recording mixes. Im a bit clueless when it comes to this sort of thing so what sort of packages or starter kits do people recommend. Something thats not too pricey but wont fall apart. I had a look around and found this starter pack:
http://www.djstore.com/item/startersyst ... lepack.htm
is this completely shit or is it ok? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Check your local free ad paper. You can probably get a pair of decks & mixer for sub-£50 if you don't mind having some real low quality ones. Try DJing. If you like it, practice your ass off whilst you save up for some slightly better kit. If you don't, sell the kit you've bought and at most you'll be down £20/30.
Yeah thats what i was thinking. Something cheap that i can just play around with and get to grips with the basics. What sort of brands are recommended?
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:40 pm
by wub
eddiecarr wrote:wub wrote:eddiecarr wrote:So im thinking about doing some DJ ing. Nothing big, just for messing around with in my room and recording mixes. Im a bit clueless when it comes to this sort of thing so what sort of packages or starter kits do people recommend. Something thats not too pricey but wont fall apart. I had a look around and found this starter pack:
http://www.djstore.com/item/startersyst ... lepack.htm
is this completely shit or is it ok? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Check your local free ad paper. You can probably get a pair of decks & mixer for sub-£50 if you don't mind having some real low quality ones. Try DJing. If you like it, practice your ass off whilst you save up for some slightly better kit. If you don't, sell the kit you've bought and at most you'll be down £20/30.
Yeah thats what i was thinking. Something cheap that i can just play around with and get to grips with the basics. What sort of brands are recommended?
that sort of price range, you'd be looking at Citronic, Stanton (STR8-60s would be a good example), Gemini and Numark. Only brands I'd say properly avoid like the plague are Soundlab and Behringer, unless you're really strapped for cash.
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:44 pm
by eddiecarr
lyons238 wrote:i still recommend the vci-100 for you man. thats what i use and its sickk. plus if your not serious yet its great because its small and you can take it to parties with minimal equipment. plus its good for advanced users too. i mean ean golden uses the f'n thing and he is a dj master. he is the main man at djtechtools, and he is the one that has created all of the custom kits and support for the vci-100. seriously check it out.
Yeah had a look and it looks good. Around the same price as the other one too. plus bringing it too house parties would be a laugh
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:50 pm
by lyons238
eddiecarr wrote:lyons238 wrote:i still recommend the vci-100 for you man. thats what i use and its sickk. plus if your not serious yet its great because its small and you can take it to parties with minimal equipment. plus its good for advanced users too. i mean ean golden uses the f'n thing and he is a dj master. he is the main man at djtechtools, and he is the one that has created all of the custom kits and support for the vci-100. seriously check it out.
Yeah had a look and it looks good. Around the same price as the other one too. plus bringing it too house parties would be a laugh
yeah its fun. what price did you find it for btw? i may be able to find it for you cheaper.
and with a few bucks you can make your vci-100 look like this
thats got the
- Djtechtools overlay (black sticker you put over the whole thing with new mapping labeled)
- green djtt knobs
- arcade button kit
- jog wheel vinly stickers
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:53 pm
by gen_
I just got me a mixtrack pro to start with. It was £180 new, which is way cheap compared to a pair of pioneers and a mixer, but I know you can get your hands on the normal mixtrack used for sub £100. Of course thats assuming you don't mind bringing a laptop and audio interface out with ya when you gig.
The problem everyones told me about getting decks is that the cheap ones dont translate well to the club, that is, you can be great mixing on your citronics at home, but when you get to a club and try to mix on pioneers, the controls are all over the place and you make lots of mistakes, so I went digital.
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:08 pm
by Basic A
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:20 pm
by eddiecarr
lyons238 wrote:eddiecarr wrote:lyons238 wrote:i still recommend the vci-100 for you man. thats what i use and its sickk. plus if your not serious yet its great because its small and you can take it to parties with minimal equipment. plus its good for advanced users too. i mean ean golden uses the f'n thing and he is a dj master. he is the main man at djtechtools, and he is the one that has created all of the custom kits and support for the vci-100. seriously check it out.
Yeah had a look and it looks good. Around the same price as the other one too. plus bringing it too house parties would be a laugh
yeah its fun. what price did you find it for btw? i may be able to find it for you cheaper.
and with a few bucks you can make your vci-100 look like this
thats got the
- Djtechtools overlay (black sticker you put over the whole thing with new mapping labeled)
- green djtt knobs
- arcade button kit
- jog wheel vinly stickers
About 350-400 quid. And that looks sick. Although the normal one looks pretty swish
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 10:01 pm
by lyons238
eddiecarr wrote:lyons238 wrote:eddiecarr wrote:lyons238 wrote:i still recommend the vci-100 for you man. thats what i use and its sickk. plus if your not serious yet its great because its small and you can take it to parties with minimal equipment. plus its good for advanced users too. i mean ean golden uses the f'n thing and he is a dj master. he is the main man at djtechtools, and he is the one that has created all of the custom kits and support for the vci-100. seriously check it out.
Yeah had a look and it looks good. Around the same price as the other one too. plus bringing it too house parties would be a laugh
yeah its fun. what price did you find it for btw? i may be able to find it for you cheaper.
and with a few bucks you can make your vci-100 look like this
thats got the
- Djtechtools overlay (black sticker you put over the whole thing with new mapping labeled)
- green djtt knobs
- arcade button kit
- jog wheel vinly stickers
About 350-400 quid. And that looks sick. Although the normal one looks pretty swish
yeah if you can get it for 350 that would be good. also if u want cheaper go here...getting a vci used isnt a problem. everything is easily replaceable.
http://www.djtechtools.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=23
the ones with the arcade mod and overlay and stuff will be a bit more expensive but just look around on there
Re: DJ kits for beginners?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 11:27 pm
by eddiecarr
lyons238 wrote:eddiecarr wrote:lyons238 wrote:eddiecarr wrote:lyons238 wrote:i still recommend the vci-100 for you man. thats what i use and its sickk. plus if your not serious yet its great because its small and you can take it to parties with minimal equipment. plus its good for advanced users too. i mean ean golden uses the f'n thing and he is a dj master. he is the main man at djtechtools, and he is the one that has created all of the custom kits and support for the vci-100. seriously check it out.
Yeah had a look and it looks good. Around the same price as the other one too. plus bringing it too house parties would be a laugh
yeah its fun. what price did you find it for btw? i may be able to find it for you cheaper.
and with a few bucks you can make your vci-100 look like this
thats got the
- Djtechtools overlay (black sticker you put over the whole thing with new mapping labeled)
- green djtt knobs
- arcade button kit
- jog wheel vinly stickers
About 350-400 quid. And that looks sick. Although the normal one looks pretty swish
yeah if you can get it for 350 that would be good. also if u want cheaper go here...getting a vci used isnt a problem. everything is easily replaceable.
http://www.djtechtools.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=23
the ones with the arcade mod and overlay and stuff will be a bit more expensive but just look around on there
Thanks Mate