Hey all, I've noticed once every once in a while someone will want to know how they can become a DJ and ask for advice so I've decided to write a quick reference guide to help out. This is only my personal views on all this and if you are serious I'd advise you to ask and look around in addition to reading this. Although I did actively DJ I no longer play anything other than house parties so my info could be out of date. This will only cover DJing of vinyl because if you are going to spin out that's what you will need unless you want to be a club DJ, and I can't help you there. One thing I'd like to cover before I go on is cost. DJing is really expensive. Even if you get the cheapest "DJ In A Box" setup it's going to be $300 and records are $10 a pop for only 2-3 tracks, of which probably only 1 is playable. And a good setup with all new pro gear is going to run at least $1,000. If you buy 2 records a week that's another $1,100+tax in the first year of DJing. Keep that in mind before you go out and start buying gear.

The second thing I'd like to address before getting into gear is the new or used issue. I always always tell people that are getting into DJing to buy used gear. It costs way less and if you decide that DJing isn't for you then you can just sell the stuff for what you bough it for (or more sometimes) so you don't lose a ton of money. But you need to be careful when buying used gear. If you can bring along an experienced DJ with you to just check the gear out for 5-10 minutes that's great, if not then you are or course taking a risk.

Some general guidelines I can give when checking out used gear are: Tweak all the knobs and buttons to make sure they work. Turn up the volume on the mixer pretty high and wiggle the mixer crossfader around the left and right extremes. If you hear any crackling or other weird sound distortions then the crossfader is shot. They cost about $40 to replace. Put records on the tables and get them spinning then repeatedly crossfade and make sure it sounds smooth, if the sound cuts out, crackles, or gets louder very abruptly then the crossfader is shot. Get the tables spinning and set them in the center for pitch, now look at the little dots/guides on the side to make sure they are still. If they are moving then the tables probably need to be calibrated and have probably seen a lot of use. And if they are still and then start moving in some direction after a few minutes or randomly jump around the tables are shot.


Gear:

I strongly advise everyone to avoid the "DJ In a Box" packages. If it all comes in one box then it's probably gonna suck. The tables that come in those are belt drives and really hard to use. They are also very much different than direct drive tables and it's gonna be hard to make the transition when you do. I'd take a random set of used decent gear over a new DJ in a box setup any day.

Turntables-
I'd strongly advise getting direct drive (DD) turntables. All the pro tables are DD and if you ever play out that's what you will be using so it's good to get experience on them. The 2 clear choices I see right now for DD tables are Technics MK2 - MK5 and the Numark TTX1's. The Technics tables are the industry standard and have been for decades now. They are really solid and have a smooth feel to them. If you play out 95% of the time you will be using Technics tables cause that's what everyone bought until recently. The Numark TTX1's are Numarks first good product (yay them) and I love them. They are cheaper than the Technics, heavier and seem just as solid, and have way more options. Personally if I were to buy tables right now I'd get the TTX1's, but that's just me and most people will still chose the Technics. Some people like the Vestax and Stanton tables too. I've used the 2 latest models of expensive Vestax tables and didn't like them too much (might just be me) and I've never tried the Stanton ones.

Mixer-
If it has 2 channels, a crossfader, and EQ's then you are all set. If you want to get a more expensive model take a look at the Pioneer DJM series with the effects, they are really nice and have loads of options but run $600+. Basically there are tons and tons (and tons) of mixers and I can't give specific model advice without knowing your price range first. If you desperately need help on this ask and I or someone else can probably help.

Cartridges (aka needles-)
The Shure cartridges are the only ones I've ever liked. Stantons you can get cheap and they work, but i've owned numerous pairs and they are all kinda weak and skip easy even if you set them up perfectly and tweak them. The expensive Ortofon's are nice too but all the cheap Ortofon's blow, i have friends that swear by the nice ones. I personally don't like them enough to spend $300 on a pair though. One thing to look for is the required tracking pressure. This is a big reason I like the Shure cartridges since they require about 1/2 the pressure most other needles do. More pressure on the needles equals more wear on your records.

Headphones-
Both Sony and Technic make really nice DJ headphones. I personally prefer the Sony MDRV700's. I strongly suggest you bring a CD to a store and listen to them all, especially for good bass response and a nice fit. Headphones I consider an all-or-nothing kind of deal. You either use a crap $5 radio shack pair or one of the pro DJ $100+++ pairs. Anything in between you will probably just blow out or ruin. I destroyed 4 ok pairs of headphones in ~2 years and finally decided to just get a good pair and I'm finally happy.

Setup-
OK so you have all your gear, now what? The last step and one of the most important in gear is properly setting it all up. Read the instructions and guides that came with the tables and needles. It's very very important to set the right height and weight for your needles. If height and weight are off your needles can skip easily. And if you put way too much weight on your needles you are going to ruin your records. If you got your gear used you should be able to find all the guides and manuals on the web at the manufacturers sites.


Vinyl:

Purchasing-
There's some defects you need to look out for when buying vinyl at a store. The main thing is warping. Watch the needle go around the record, if it bounces up and down a lot then it's warped. If the warp isn't too bad and they don't have another copy of the record then this can be ok. Spin the record pretty quickly and if it bounces up in the air then it's way too warped. The other kind of warp is harder to notice but just as bad. Some records are concave in the center, if you backspin the record pretty hard it shouldn't spin more than 1 revolution backwards before the slipmat catches it and it moves normally again. This kind of warp is really bad if you try and spin out cause when you release the record forward it'll spin a bit before starting and it screws up your mixing.

Other things to look for are double cut center holes and chunks of paper IN the record. Chunks of paper will normally be white and they will always just look like a piece of junk on the vinyl. Try to scrape it off with your fingernail, if it won't come off then it's pressed into the record. With regular use this chunk of paper will eventually fall out and leave a nice hole in the record making it totally unplayable. It's pretty rare, but I have at least 3 records with this defect. If the center hole is double cut or miscut and you must own it then you can glue a 45 adaptor on to the side you like and it'll be fine. If you are in a shop and your record has any defects just grab another copy. If you mail order all your records then you'll have to return badly defected records which is a pain.

Handling-
I'm personally really anal retentive with my vinyl cause I like it and want it to last. If you want to treat your records well and make them last then never ever put your hands on the grooves of the record. You have oils on your hands and if oils get on the record they will help dust and dirt collect on your records. Also if you ever play an outside party and there's a lot of dirt and dust being kicked up only play your records once and then clean them when you get home. If there's a bunch of dirt and dust on your record and you keep playing it the needle rubbing against larger chunks of dirt will scratch the grooves and make the record sound crackly.

Cleaning-
I suggest you buy a record cleaner to dust your records before you play them. Either the cheaper felt ones or a carbon fiber record brush. The felt ones will collect crap and need to be cleaned and the carbon fiber ones are self cleaning and much better. Felt ones are like $4 and the carbon fiber ones run about $15 but are well worth it IMO cause they clean better and are easier to use. When you throw a record on the table just brush it from the inside to the outside real quick to get any dust/dirt off of it.

If you need to clean a seriously dirty record, like one that got a bunch of dirt on it at an outdoor party, you can wash them like dishes. Just use luke warm sink water and normal dish detergent, preferably without dyes and perfumes. Try not to get the labels wet, pat dry with a towel, and then stick them in your dish rack to finish drying.


Learning to Mix:

Basics-
To start with you need to know some basic DJ terms. Crossfading is when you move the crossfader from one side to the other, this switches from playing one record to the other and in between they are mixed. Cue(ing) is preparing the next track, normally by setting it to right before the first kick drum hit of the track and setting that record to "cue" to the headphones.

You need to setup some (or at least 1) monitor speakers either to the left or right hand side of where ever you are mixing. Preferably at about a 45 degree angle from where you face the tables and 3-5 feet back. Set the main outs of your mixer to go to these speakers. Now play a track out of these speakers and listen to it in the headphones at the same time. Try to balance that volume pretty evenly and it'll make it a lot easier to beat match.

Beat Matching-
Get one record playing over the main speakers and cue another record to the headphones. Make sure your headphones are only on one ear so you can hear the mains and the cue record at the same time, one in each ear. On the cue record find the first kick drum hit (the thud) of the track and make sure the table is spinning. Once you've found it hold the record there and bounce back and forth over that kick drum till you are sure you can accurately place the needle right before that kick. Now while listening to the mains try and let go of the cue record so that the kick sound lands right on top of the kick sound in the main record. Practice that till you can do it fairly well.

Once you get 2 beats layered they will start to float off, and that's where the real challenge starts. You need to listen to the beats and try and tell if the cue record is going faster or slower than the main one and adjust the pitch on the cue turntable till they are exactly the same. But you can't just use the pitch adjust, you need to physically slow the record down or speed it up while doing this to keep the records matched. The best way to do this is to just nudge the record forward or slow it down by putting your fingers on the center label and pushing/pulling gently. Some people use the outside of the turntable platter or the center spindle too.

Beat matching can take a really long time to learn and is the core of electronic music DJing. I've seen people spend quite literally years practicing this and still not be good at it. Others can get it in a week of moderate practice. It helps a lot if you have listened to electronic music already and understand the basic structure of it (like the 16 beat bars and what not).


Where To Buy Gear:
New-
Looking.

Used-
Ebay is always good if you know how to properly use Ebay and have an account. If you are in a major metropolitan area local electronic record stores are a great place to look if they have a bulletin board. Online boards are great too, like Craigs list or whatever might server your area.

OK, good luck and lemme know if you have any questions!

~Soren