I want to start spinning house music for fun and to relax, and I'm trying to figure out what sort of mixer I should start out with. I'm just using Atomix Virtual DJ until I get a better program, but it can be used with an external mixer and I want to start practicing on one. Anybody have any recommendations?

12/28/2009 12:37:02 PM

DJ'S ARE NOT MUSICIANS! THEY ARE MUSIC PLAYER PLAYERS!

/Rollins

12/28/2009 12:50:50 PM

that guy never saw a Jonathan Peters show

12/28/2009 12:55:45 PM

i pretend that i'm one

12/28/2009 1:07:06 PM

Here are my recommendations:

1. Start with vinyl. You want to develop the skill to mix records by hand.

2. Get two Technic SL-1200 turntables. Used.

3. Any two channel mixer will do. Don't worry about "battle style" or whatever the fuck. Just get a standard two channel DJ mixer. All you really need is crossfade and volume knobs on either side. Something like this is fine:

http://www.samash.com/p/PS121X%2065%20DJ%20Mixer_-49982190

12/28/2009 1:09:01 PM

Any two-channel mixer will do just fine, but I'd recommend getting one with a cue fader instead of a cue knob or switches. A long time ago I had a mixer with cue toggles on each channel instead of a fader, and those toggles were a royal pain in the ass.

12/28/2009 1:17:49 PM

there really is no need to start with vinyl at this point. don't get me wrong, i definitely think it is the preferable way to dj, but between the cost of the records themselves and having to carry them to your gigs, it's just not worth it. especially when programs like Serato and Traktor are out there

12/28/2009 1:18:12 PM

True, I agree on the cost issue, but there's something to be said for learning how to actually mix a record. It's a great skill and it really improves the beatmatching ability.

12/28/2009 1:20:03 PM

I can never decide whether it's better to have iPods and be prepared for a night/party to go anywhere the crowd takes it, or to think carefully about your set during the day and bring the two crates of records that will make it happen regardless of where the crowd might lead. I lean towards the former, but maybe only because I'm too scatterbrained to do a good job with the latter.

12/28/2009 1:21:23 PM

i think at Jackpot the first option is usually the better one. mainly because of the variety of the crowds that come in

though i did always enjoy going to Alibi (when it was cool) and seeing djs spin from their crates of old funk/reggae 45s all night

12/28/2009 1:26:40 PM

12/28/2009 1:41:16 PM

God nailed it.

practice practice practice

and by the way...DJing wont help you "relax" in an way shape or form...its a little stressful.

12/28/2009 2:22:12 PM

while I don't usually find it stressful where I DJ, I will admit that I've had a few dreams where i'm djing and something goes wrong, so it's gotta cause some anxiety apparenty

you've got a what.cd account, check out Traktor. it's free and a small download. not that different than Virtual DJ, but i like it a little more. i still need to buy an external soundcard so i can hook it up to my mixer, anyone have any recommendations for those?

12/28/2009 2:32:01 PM

the soundblaster ones at best buy are good for that.

12/28/2009 4:30:53 PM

you gonna do some choppin and screwin man??

if you do gotta let me hear it

12/28/2009 4:43:07 PM

haha nah I'm a house music guy

tribal is my shit but I love minimal as well as progressive

I am def going to learn vinyl, but I think that will come when I get more serious about it (i.e. have more money to invest)

I also want my mixer to be able to handle three tracks at once (I'm assuming a two channel will only handle two)...while not actually DJing, I've been working with mixing tracks for a while and have some nice mashups I'd like to be able to fuck around with. I also dont wanna have to upgrade a few months after buying

At this point I'm going to recommend all fans of electronic music go and get Fabric 46 mixed by Claude VonStroke...you are sure to fall in love with a few tracks on there and of course CVS is the fucking man.

I'm going to have to keep this thread alive!

[Edited on December 28, 2009 at 8:55 PM. Reason : as]

12/28/2009 8:55:13 PM

http://www.amazon.com/Numark-M4-Three-Channel-Scratch-Mixer/dp/B001EO13V6/ref=pd_cp_MI_1

What say you wolf web?

12/28/2009 8:58:03 PM

never knew you had it in you... there are like 5 people that like house in NC...

the "1200" in my screen name wasnt random


but that part when died when I moved to Raleigh and discovered people dont like to move much and prefer bars. I miss 1994-2001

[Edited on December 28, 2009 at 9:02 PM. Reason : d]

12/28/2009 9:00:08 PM

wow I must say I am shocked I figured you for a mostly johnny cash guy hahaha

when I get back to Raleigh we should throw a HOUSE PARTY GET IT

12/28/2009 9:04:49 PM

hahha, I do like Johnny, but I was a hardcore club kid from middle of HS until moving to Raleigh, I think I had sat in bar maybe 5-10 times in my life before coming to Raleigh (not counting sporting events). Had really trusting and open parents, even in HS they would let us drive to Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville, St. Louis, Indy, etc. for events



[Edited on December 28, 2009 at 9:15 PM. Reason : d]

12/28/2009 9:08:57 PM

fuckin a man did you see oscar g at mosquito a few months back?

12/28/2009 10:30:39 PM

I live in Atlanta now...

12/28/2009 11:09:11 PM

damn thats right

any decent clubs down there?

12/29/2009 12:22:47 AM

yeah, its a lot more hip hop now than it used to be but there are still a lot... but, its hard for me to get back into it hardcore, Raleigh made me lazy bar guy

12/29/2009 12:25:04 AM

GAY

go to a fucking show you'll be reminded of what you're missing

somebody give me a website where I can find who is spinning where

I'm sure there are some great shows I'm missing in DC or Atlanta or maybe even Charlotte

[Edited on December 29, 2009 at 12:57 AM. Reason : .]

12/29/2009 12:55:37 AM

I haven't read every post in this thread.

There used to be a site called carolinaspins.us or spin.us/carolinas but they closed down a while back. I'm not sure if there are any other sites like this that have taken their place.

I have 2 Technics SL-1200's one MKIII and one MKII I think (not in Raleigh atm, so I can't check) in good condition with a huge ass case, 50 random house records and a shitty broken mixer (headphone jack doesn't work, possibly fixable) that I'm looking to get rid of. If you are interested IM or PM me. I also have God's nice mixer that he might be willing to sell also.

12/29/2009 1:25:24 AM

Quote :

"I am def going to learn vinyl, but I think that will come when I get more serious about it (i.e. have more money to invest)"

Um..

Unless you're mixing with a program on your computer, which is retarded, you're going to need something to back spin the song, spin it forward, etc.

Digital turntables (like a Denon S3500) which simulate the vinyl effect that you can just hook up an iPOD to are REALLY expensive. Like... 5 times the cost of a turntable.

The cheapest initial investment is going to be two turntables and a mixer. Records will run you anywhere between $6-10.

And forget this triple mix mashup crap. The best DJs in the world still use two turntables and a mixer.

[Edited on December 29, 2009 at 8:43 AM. Reason : ]

12/29/2009 8:42:55 AM

Vinyl simulation turntables are silly, but you can get an entire Serato setup to go with your second-hand 1200s that will get you all set to use your computer as the vinyl-controllable music source for $500.

12/29/2009 9:06:14 AM

Quote :

"but that part when died when I moved to Raleigh and discovered people dont like to move much and prefer bars"

There's nothing worse than watching a fucking fat man try to dance.

12/29/2009 9:40:39 AM

I'm getting in to some basic setups for mixing and tinkering with creating my own stuff. Right now I'm just running Traktor Pro and using the Korg Nano series and I love it. It all runs 170, 120 if you don't pick up the nano keyboard, and you can do some cool shit with it all. I plan on adding a lot more, but for now it's perfect.

http://www.korg.com/nanoseries

Video of a guy messing with this setup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy76DoXmTm8

Also, check out this site / blog / thing:

http://www.djtechtools.com/

Good forum too.

12/29/2009 12:19:29 PM

Quote :

"There's nothing worse than watching a fucking fat man try to dance."

You have issues, br0.

12/29/2009 1:33:15 PM

^^^ fuck you and that fucking growth you call a nose you stupid bitch, you dont know shit

12/29/2009 8:27:13 PM

http://www.myspace.com/neonbordeauxtheband

i found fruityloops in a pile of my shit one day.

IM A DJ

12/30/2009 11:03:22 AM

FL is for production, not DJing.

12/30/2009 3:21:46 PM

alrite.

1/5/2010 6:14:49 PM

Anybody else use VirtualDJ?

1/5/2010 6:27:26 PM

House, really? Eww. Trance all the way!!!

1/5/2010 7:08:05 PM

Trance was the first electronic music I listened to.

1/5/2010 7:31:18 PM

trance

1/5/2010 8:18:23 PM

Oscar G @ Moskito in Raleigh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYazOMH8Xsg

I was at this show and it was fucking nuts

I wish somebody could tell me the track that starts @ 5:43

I was blown away when he played it and have been looking for it since I heard it this summer to no avail

1/5/2010 8:49:19 PM

Quote :

"Trance was the first electronic music I listened to."

And not Techno*? Hmm. That is interesting. Granted, my first consistent introduction to electronic music was Happy Hardcore.

*Granted, back in the day it was all called "Techno".

1/5/2010 9:05:31 PM

Paul Oakenfold - Tranceport was the first CD I got

1/5/2010 9:52:07 PM

^ man that makes me feel really really really old...

1/5/2010 10:31:44 PM

Hey man you're only 5 years my senior.

And I simply didn't know anyone who listened to electronic music growing up so I wasn't exposed to it until my Dad got a fucking DirecTV dish of all things. They played that CD on one of the MAYBE 2 electronic music channels and from there I was hooked.

1/6/2010 4:03:12 AM

i had a vestax before i sold my tables (should never have done that). never had or heard a complaint about a vestax product.

i really need to find some 1200s again.. more so now since i came into a bunch of records...

1/6/2010 12:53:24 PM

What records do you have?

1/6/2010 6:35:32 PM

Somebody embed plz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlzTuv7ElUg&NR=1

1/7/2010 2:23:14 AM

1/7/2010 6:06:49 AM

Now somebody find that fucking track!!!

1/7/2010 1:12:20 PM

I can't even understand the lyrics.

1/7/2010 1:13:42 PM