It used to be the rock stars that got all the girls. Nowadays, it's the celebrity DJs! Whether you're dying to remix a tune or two yourself, or you have a child or friend that shows some inclination that way, here's how to get started with a simple, portable, digital set up. This allows complete customizable control of the music without any of the fuss of turntables, records, and needles.
Think of this as your virtual digital record crate. Download music (because you don't want the party to stop if the cell signal is bad!) to your laptop or tablet. Find tracks in the highest resolution you can get, because you're going to be playing loud and quality matters!
Beatport is a 15-year-old DJ music store. They offer premium digital music tracks curated by professional DJs that encompass all kinds of genres from Afro House to Garage to Indie Dance to Dubstep to Reggae and Dance Hall - you're definitely going to find something you like here. You can check out the top charts in each genre, or follow a specific DJ to see what they're featuring these days.
Bandcamp is another long-time music source. This is a great place to find complete albums by new artists. It's an indie-friendly storefront that's perfect for people looking for new music.
SoundCloud is a great way to find new music, often for free as producers try to establish themselves. It's also a good place to get previews on tunes that link to iTunes or Amazon where you can purchase full tracks.
Now you need to get the music from you laptop or tablet to someplace where you can mix it. An easy way to do this is to connect via USB to a controller.
Controllers range from entry-level to hosting-a-party-in-Rio. Numark is a popular brand that comes bundled with Serato Mixing Software. Here are a few models to think about:
Controller brands popular in this space include Pioneer, Roland and even Denon. For more mixing software options, check out Traktor, Virtual DJ, or if you have a Mac, Mixxx open-source software.
If you have a Tidal account, create tracks in the cloud: Tidal is built in to the Serato app.
If you already have a Spotify subscription and a Mac, consider DJay Pro: it integrates Spotify natively so you can test songs, try out new mixes, and then buy the music you want to work with.
So far we've got our music, we've got our mixer - but how can we hear what we're doing before we share with an audience? Headphones. Eventually, you'll be in a venue with a lot of noise, so investing in quality headphones with good full-ear coverage is key.
Things you should look for:
Here are a few models to check out:
I can say with certainty you will never read this anywhere else on our website, but this is one time where a flat, neutral sound may not be what you are looking for. DJ'ing is really dependent on good bass, so buying headphones that emphasize bass is a good idea.
Okay, you're all set: you have your mixing board and software, your tracks and your headphones. Now, how to share the music?
Easy as pie . . . Raspberry Pi, that is! If you've got an AxiomAir N3 Force, simply use the RCA output to connect to your controller, and you're there!
What's important in a portable speaker is bass. Bass is primal. Bass makes us want to move. And speakers with poor bass response will not get the party started. So pay attention to this spec when selecting your DJ speaker.
One of the AxiomAir programmers, MadBeggar, has been DJing in clubs for decades. Here's a video showing his set up using an AxiomAir, a Numark, and a computer.
