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.

How is a keyboard instrument different from a workstation?  Basically – nothing, the sound shaping chain is the same anyway: keyboard, tone generator, effects processor. However, additional functional blocks such as sequencer or harmony and form factor separate these devices quite clearly into categories.

Besides the midi-keyboard, there are several other devices that work on the same principle, that is, electronic keyboards. Let’s try to understand the nuances of this technique.

Digital piano

A digital piano is the simplest keyboard device in terms of electronics: a minimal assortment of timbres, simple effects for imitating the sound of a hall.  All efforts in creating such instruments are aimed at neutralizing the difference in feel from playing them and traditional acoustic pianos. This is facilitated by a weighted 7-octave hammer action keyboard and a solid floor body with classic pedals. The digital piano also most often has a cover to keep dust out of the keys, and a music rest, which is a music stand.  The price of an instrument equipped with a full keyboard and an acceptable tone generator usually does not go below two thousand dollars. 

However, in a concert grand piano, the timbre also changes slightly from note to note, since the strings differ in number (three strings per note at the top, one in the bass), braiding material, length, and also the weight of the hammer.  It also recreates resonances when the pedal or other keys are pressed, and the natural decay of notes when the pedal is not fully pressed.

Midi keyboard

A MIDI keyboard is a keyboard-type instrument that is only used to record parts of other instruments.  It also allows you to quickly control the software used to process the received audio data. A laptop or stationary computer is used as a connecting link.

Some users are mistaken that MIDI can be used separately from the recording system. However, the keyboard will not sound unless you connect it to your computer.

 A distinctive feature of MIDI is the absence of timbres and built-in effects, as well as speakers that could play sound.  Therefore, a connection to a PC is required.  Also, the keyboard is configured through the software.

The advantage of midi keyboards is that they have digital input and output functions. This eliminates the need for a separate audio interface when used as a digital audio workstation.  But for live performance, a synthesizer with outputs for mixers, amplifiers and speakers is more suitable.

The smallest MIDI keyboards and synthesizers have only 25 keys, while full-size digital pianos and organs can be operated with 88 keys. The right choice for you depends on how much space you have to place the keyboard, its portability, and the music you plan to play.

Synthesizer

A synthesizer is essentially a textbook device that allows you to get the desired sound by pressing the keys.  There are no tools for recording the game in synthesizers, as well as other systems that help create a composition.  Today synthesizers are used primarily in recording studios and at concerts – for playing live.  There are many types of synthesizers, but one thing is clear: they are hardly suitable for the role of a universal home instrument.

Music workstation

The music workstation is potentially the most powerful standalone solution for composers who reject templates and stamps.  The stations do not have automatic accompaniment and other means that make it possible to rivet a song quickly and ingeniously.  However, in manual mode, you can do almost anything you want.  Like the best keyboard arrangers, flagship workstations allow you to create studio-quality compositions, including adding live instrument tracks and vocals (mic input and basic audio processing are available on many models, although the mic itself is not included).  A kind of compact home studio “in one box”.  The cost of truly outstanding models ranges from 4,000 to 7,000 US dollars, and simpler options are offered for more than 3 thousand dollars.

The workstation combines:

Piano keyboard

Like most keyboards, the music workstation has a full piano-style keyboard.

Drum machine

Sooner or later, you will want to create drum samples. And workstations have ready-to-use solutions on board.  In reality, the drum machine is more often presented in a virtual form.

Synthesizer

That is where the signal processing algorithms are loaded, and it is the very node that synthesizes the sound. Maybe without a keyboard, since in this context it is generally a computer program.

Sequencer

 The main emphasis is placed on recording, processing and playback of midi messages. In practice, this means that if you do not like the sound of the instrument that you recorded, then you can easily change it and put, for example, instead of the sound of a guitar, the sound of a church organ.

However, for professional work, a computer studio is potentially better in everything (a computer with a monitor, a MIDI keyboard, an audio interface) and licensed software, including sound libraries, then it can be even more expensive than the best keyboard station, and it will be disproportionate in setting up and using more difficult.  In this regard, the keyboard station is much more attractive: you can work immediately after plugging into the outlet, there is an instruction with a detailed description of each operation, and using an arsenal of functions is no more difficult than operating a smartphone.  But even the best keyboard stations are not suited for active recording of live instruments and processing / editing of such tracks.

The legendary British band Blur – the founders of the “Brit-pop” style, winners of a huge number of music awards. The band was born in the late 80s of XX century in London (UK). The original line-up: Damon Elbarn (vocal, author of texts and frontman of the band), Graham Coxon (guitar), Alex James (bass guitar) and Dave Rowntree (drums). The first full-fledged album of the group “Leisure” was released in 1991.

The history of creation

The group was founded by two childhood friends, Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon, who went to college together. Originally Damon Albarn played in another band, but due to changes in the line-up, he was soon joined by college friends Graham Coxon and Alex James. In this line-up, together with drummer Dave Rowntree, the band gave its first concerts in the summer of 1989.

One day during a live performance, a very unpleasant incident occurred with the band. They performed in one of the nightclubs, while some drunk visitor sprayed a gas can. The entire group spent the evening after the concert in the hospital, blindfolded.

The band came to the name Blur not at once, but only after the newly baked musicians were interested in the representative of the recording company Food Records. After heated debates and various options, the band members stopped at the bright and unusual name Blur. And already in 1990 the band goes on their first tour in Great Britain, and in October the first single called “She’s so high” is released, which is very warmly received by both public and music critics. The band was talked about in the most prestigious British music magazines, such as NME.

In 1991, the first studio album called “Leisure” was released, but the difficulties the band encountered while recording the album did not allow it to make any headway in the British charts.

In 1992 the band goes on tour to the USA, but numerous concerts bring only disappointment to the band members: America did not understand and did not accept the new British wave. Returning to England, Damon Albarn sat down in the studio to write material for the band’s new album. And so in 1994, a record called “Parklife” is released. The first track from this album titled “Girls & Boys” was well received by BBC Radio 1 and hit the top lines in the British charts. As a result, the album “Parklife” gained extraordinary popularity and held the first place in the charts of 90 weeks.

The long-awaited fame came, and the band won four awards of the famous BRIT Awards 1995 in the categories “Best Group” and “Best Album”.
Around this time, a real confrontation with the Manchester rock band Oasis began between the band Blur. It is surprising that the band members not only competed, but also felt an outright dislike and disgust towards each other. The apotheosis of the rivalry was the release of new singles of both groups on the same day.

By the end of the week the single of Blur group called “Country House” was selling much better than “Roll With It” Oasis (in ratio of 274 thousand copies to 216 thousand copies).

In early 1998, the band started recording another studio album of the band called “13”. The musicians immediately gave up the services of their previous producer Stephen Street and decided to work on a new sound. Having not found a producer yet, they decided to record three songs with the famous electronic musician William Orbit. It turned out that working with Orbit was very productive and interesting, so in the end Blur decided to record an album under his guidance.

After that, the band had several successful albums. To date, the last studio album of the band is “Think Tank” 2003. Since 2004, the band was on the verge of disintegration and did not produce new material. For six years the members of the group actively participated in the creation of other interesting projects. For example, Damon Albar, organized a virtual group called Gorillaz, which released two successful albums. In addition, he wrote a Chinese opera, gathered a new group to create the album The Good, The Bad And The Queen.

Guitarist Graham Coxon was engaged in a solo career all this time, drummer Dave Rowntree hit politics, and bassist Alex James went into business.

Nevertheless, in summer 2009 Blur returned: they gave several successful concerts at the famous British music festival Glastonbury. Although, there were quite significant changes in the composition of the band, as one of the founders of the band – guitarist Graham Coxon left. The year 2010 was marked by the fact that the band released a long-awaited single called “Fool’s Day” – the first joint work of the band since 2003.