The most important DJ gear is definitely going to be your decks; if you skimp on the decks then you'll regret it - maybe not today, but probably tomorrow. So if you have a limited budget to kick off your DJ career with, you'll want to spend most of your gear money on the decks themselves.

Remember to get direct drive decks, unless you're really broke and are looking for the absolutely cheapest way to get started.

Some DJ Gear Suggestions

If you're on a tight budget, you might want to have a look at some of these cheaper direct drive models:

• Citronic PD-1
• Numark TT-200
• Kam DDX-580
• Soundlab DLP-3R
• Numark TT1625

• Gemini XL-500/600

These models will do a decent job on basic beat matching and mixing tasks for relatively simple rhythmic structures such as those found in much house or trance music; however, they will not really be up to the demands of complex scratching when you need to push the boundaries of the music that bit more.

Have a look at the Online DJ Tips website for more information and advice about choosing DJ Gear.

Remember that a good deck will have a high torque rating - this is vital for scratching. The quality of your DJ Gear will have a huge impact on how advanced your skills can become; it also makes your life much less frustrating. There's nothing more annoying than having your discs fall out of sync due to dodgy pitch control or low torque DJ decks.

Get Your Own PA

Although most pubs and clubs have their own in-house PA system, if you're going to be doing a lot of private parties, weddings or other special events then you should get your own amplification system if you can. You'll need an amplifier and two speakers at the very least, and a bass bin would be a good idea too. If you're in the UK you can check out iMusician for some good PA deals, or Gear4music is also quite good.