DJ gear, page 1

skibastar V.I.P. on March 11th, 2017 / post 70615
I am looking into getting my first set of djing gear but with so many options out there I am feeling quite overwhelmed on where to even start - I guess the first question is what are peoples preferences on traktor v serato?
any suggestions for a first setup? any help would be greatly appreciated!
I would also like to hear what equipment gear other people and using (I know it comes down to personal opinion, what you can afford but just curious)


*I did a search but couldnt find anything recent so forgive me if this already has a topic*
munkynstar Moderator on March 13th, 2017 / post 70620
I would ask first what is your budget? Do you want to go full monty with a pair CDJ 2000s  and a mixer or one of the latest hardware controllers using the likes of Serato, Traktor or Abelton.

I have used 3 types with varying outcomes...started with a Numark HDMix https://www.numark.com/product/print/hdmix (which is about 6 or 7 years old) which is a portable expandable DJ system, with no software involved (all down to your mixing ability, this was the closest I got  having never used turntables and told by a friend to not get hung up mixing the old way, nonetheless a very good skill to have, however nowadays its down to more than being able to mix.

A year or so after I  bought an APC40 and DJ'd with Abelton, which is a steep learning curve as the APC40 is really for producing first and foremost...however I did enjoy using it and found Abelton reasonable once I had got to grips with it even though its a beast!

Right now and today I use a DDJ-SX https://www.pioneerdj.com/en/product/controller/ddj-sx/black/overview/ with SeratoDJ and have to say  I love it, way more choice of functionality than either of my previous 2 pieces of hardware. SeratoDJ works very nice with the Pioneer hardware with upto date software and a reasonable amount of plugins, some are missing in traktor for the ddj-sx as they provide and  an official tsi for the ddj-sx. They're other models (smaller and bigger DDJ-SZ) so it depends on your budget...however lots of other manufacturers who work with Serato.

Having seen the DDJ-SX with Serato and Traktor (a friend uses Traktor on his) I personally prefer Serato DJ as I find the layout easier to ...maybe best to try it out on whatever H/W you prefer and go from there!
skibastar V.I.P. on March 17th, 2017 / post 70625
Thanks for such a detailed response munkyn!

I have used ableton for a while and quite enjoyed it but you are right that there is very much a very steep learning curve and sometimes get frustrating on have some ideas but not knowing how to get it out into the software.
I feel if I had a year locked away collecting samples and editing loops ableton would be so much fun with a push controller - maybe one day :-)

Not really having any experience with any software but I feel like I would prefer to use serato and have been looking at the denon mc7000 https://www.denondj.com/mc7000
My budget is around 1500-2000
Would you recommend the pioneer controllers within my budget?
munkynstar Moderator on March 19th, 2017 / post 70632
My pleasure SKiba, looking at the Denon it certainly has enough inputs and looks the business as it has similar layout to the orginal DDJ-SX (there is a mk2 out with a few more refinements here..)



However I think it would boil down to what brand you like more Denon or Pioneer. I did watch a good review by 2 of your fellow countryman (not to keen on the music, however a good review) who show you the DDJ_-SZ (mk2 now) however checking prices, this would seem to be out of your budget... in $AUD



The DDJ-SX2 is similarly priced to the Denon, so  probably best to go and see which one you prefer in person, try before you buy ( I didn't at the time, but my friend reviewed it for me and I was very impressed with it!

I would definitely recommended SeratoDJ ( you get extra 3 Serato Expansion Packs Included looking at the Denon link)  which you would have to purchase if you went for the Pioneer ( I bought one I think from 1 that was included, however not  used either of them that much).

Hope this helps! :thumbsup:
skibastar V.I.P. on March 22nd, 2017 / post 70640
Thanks again munkyn for another great reply.
I am going to try to get hands on time with some of the gear and I'll let you know how I go.
Such exciting times, next will be learning how to use the hardware haha
munkynstar Moderator on March 22nd, 2017 / post 70643
skiba wrote:
Thanks again munkyn for another great reply.
I am going to try to get hands on time with some of the gear and I'll let you know how I go.
Such exciting times, next will be learning how to use the hardware haha


My pleasure!! Good to hear...in the process of re-learning Abelton with my apc40 for some production attempts! Let me know what you finally decide on! :D
skibastar V.I.P. on July 18th, 2017 / post 71112
For anyone interested, I ended up getting the Traktor S4 and it is an amazing piece of gear even know its a few years old, great to learn on =)
munkynstar Moderator on July 21st, 2017 / post 71168
Very nice Skiba, been wasting many hours on it? :D I don't spend as much as I would like on my DDJ-SX, however its very easy to lose 3/4  hours messing around!
skibastar V.I.P. on July 23rd, 2017 / post 71211
Very much so mate, can get lost for hours finding different ways to mix tunes.
Still got so much to learn but its a lot of fun, wish I purchased some gear a long time ago.
What do think is the best way to learn mate? just practice or take some lessons?
munkynstar Moderator on July 23rd, 2017 / post 71216
skiba wrote:
Very much so mate, can get lost for hours finding different ways to mix tunes.
Still got so much to learn but its a lot of fun, wish I purchased some gear a long time ago.
What do think is the best way to learn mate? just practice or take some lessons?


Very much so, for me I just self taught messing around/still don't use half the fx when I do my monthly mixes, however I enjoy the whole experience and jump around the room when I am sequencing and mixing it...I did watch the basics on youtube to see what I knew and didn't! :D
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