Music… music is everywhere. It becomes an integral part of our life. Any party cannot be without a musical accompaniment. And the main figure at any party – DJ. However, it is impossible to make a party without professional equipment. Today, professional DJ equipment costs a lot of money, and the main thing to do when choosing equipment is to look closely at the functions and capabilities.
Who is a DJ?
A DJ is a person who puts on music at a party. Its task is to create the right atmosphere so that guests do not get bored and, if necessary, dance. To do this, the DJ must have some kind of collection of music and the ability to work with it.
DJs play in nightclubs, private parties, weddings and banquets, restaurants and bars, raves, and dance festivals.
Often a DJ is also a musician at the same time: he writes his music, processes someone else’s, does voice acting for advertisements, films, writes soundtracks, mixes, and prepares other people’s works for publication. All super successful DJs are known primarily as musicians or remixers.
A DJ is a job in the service industry. There are many creative elements in it. So, the core of a modern DJ setup is a computer, most often a laptop, with a powerful processor to which a professional sound card and a midi controller are connected, sometimes the set is supplemented with decks and an external mixer. In this article, we will try to consider in detail everything you need to start a DJ career.
Headphones
Every DJ should have a pair of good headphones that greatly enhance the performance. They are primarily used for personal listening to tracks. First of all, headphones must meet some important parameters:
Insulation
Headphones are used to navigate the work with works right on stage. You should get a clear and loud sound that will be heard even in the noisiest place.
Comfort
Since the headphones will be either on the neck or the head for a long time, they should not be inconvenient. If you feel uncomfortable in the headphones, it will not in the best way affect the performance.
Cord length
Make sure the headphone cord is long enough as the DJ’s activities are quite fluid. At the same time, the cord should not be too long, otherwise, it will become tangled.
Strength
Sturdy accessories will last much longer. Headphones are constantly damaged in the bag, on the neck, and head. Therefore, it is still better to spend money once on good headphones than to constantly buy new ones.
Notebook
The computer must support the software required to create electronic music. It’s safe to say that most modern laptops are suitable for DJing.
If you decide to buy a new laptop, pay attention to the characteristics of the models, decide which parameters you want to pay more attention to.
USB ports
The laptop must have at least three USB ports. In this case, the more the better. Most controllers require two ports, and you also need to connect something else, like a mouse. If there are not enough ports, you can always buy a USB hub.
Battery life
While you are likely to plug your laptop into the mains while you work, a good battery will be a great backup in case you cannot recharge your device. A DJ needs to be able to work with music while on the go.
In addition, with the growing popularity of mobile devices, as well as the emergence of powerful iPad PRO, more and more DJ programs appear in the mobile segment. Along with this, it becomes possible to simplify your DJ setup. All you need is a tablet, adapter and mixer. Such software like Traktor is already on mobile platforms.
Mixer
There are many types of controllers and mixers. Look for a controller that connects to your computer via USB, has a built-in sound card and audio interface because they are simpler to connect and operate than other mixers. Using the sound cards of the controller and computer allows you to hear what sounds in the main microphone and headphones.
Software
There is various DJ software out there, and it is not easy to single out one as the best. The most popular programs are Traktor and Virtual DJ. Well, every DJ chooses the software to his taste. We advise you to try several free trial versions and determine for yourself which one to purchase for permanent use.
For example, Traktor. The program can be controlled with just one computer – a key and a mouse, or controlled by numerous Native Instruments controllers. But it is not at all necessary to be limited to “native” controllers, hardware of any other manufacturer is also easy to configure in the program interface.
Turntables
Designed to be played from vinyl or CD. The quality of the set itself depends on the characteristics of this equipment. The turntables of vinyl discs are quartz (the motor is connected to the rotating part directly) and belt (connection through a belt). One of the main definitions of good turntables is Pitch-control, which is used to adjust the speed of the composition. To keep the turntable mechanisms in good condition, so-called slipmats can be purchased so that the rotating part of the turntable does not slow down when scratching, for example. To play from CDs, pitch-control in turntables is required.
