Which DJ Equipment Do You Need?
The equipment that you are going to need to be a DJ is not as clear cut as it was back when every DJ was spinning on vinyl. Now there are multiple ways the job can get done and many different choices of DJ equipment that can be used. The first thing that you have to do is decide what kind of DJ you want to be. There are three types of disc jockeys out there, vinyl, cd, and laptop; each has its own specific equipment that is necessary.
The most vital piece of equipment for a vinyl disc jockey is the turntables. Without them you are not going to be able to spin any kind of music, so they will be the first thing that you are going to want to invest in. There are hundreds of different makes and models to choose from and even more needle choices. Needles can have a large impact on the quality of sound and are just as important as the tables themselves. You will also need two cartridges and two slipmats to go with your turntables. In order to combine music or add special effects to the tracks a mixer to use between the turntables is what you are going to need. If you do not have a mixer then you are going to be accomplishing nothing more than playing a record for the crowd, you could do some old school scratching, but that would be all. The last piece that you must have to DJ vinyl is a pair of headphones. It is impossible to get a feel for the timing of crossovers, or the overall outcome of the sound if you cannot isolate particular tracks, or certain sounds. Headphones will allow you to do that, making your job a hundred times easier.
CD DJ's make use of turntables much in the same way that vinyl disc jockeys do, but they require a whole different type of table. CD tables are much smaller, digital, and have a range of options that are not available on most vinyl tables. A mixer and a pair of headphones are also required, for the same reason that they are used for Vinyl. There is no real difference in the equipment necessary between mixing vinyl and mixing cd, except for the technology that the equipment offers. Many newcomers to the industry prefer to go with cd's because it is easier to find music or download music onto the media, it is also considered to be the less hands way to spin, therefore not readily accepted by traditionalists.
Laptop DJ's are the most recent addition to the industry, they require the least amount of equipment, but it can often be the most expensive. One laptop and a set of headphones is the only hardware that you need to become a laptop DJ. The software you choose to use is the critical part of the equation, you have to have the proper program or you will never be able to achieve the mixing and effects that are needed to be an entertaining DJ. There are many different programs you can get that will suffice and will offer you the options that are needed to be successful.
No matter which route you decide to take, research is crucial; a good place to start is therecordbin.biz. Once you have decided how you are going to DJ, do yourself a favor and put the time in doing the proper research so you do not end up wasting your money on sub par equipment that can not do what you need.