What's the best DJ Equipment to buy for Beginners?

Everyone loves the DJ, as many a DJ will tell you. As a DJ you have control of the mood of the party, and its a huge responsibility. From Eric Prydz, Judge Jules, Pete Tong, David Guetta, DJ Tiesto and many more world class DJs tour the big clubbing spots like Ibiza, Miami, and all the other sun drenched holiday spots every year. It is no wonder every day more and more people want to start and get into DJ'ing. Even 5 years ago, being a good DJ involved spending a lot of money on buying turntables, and buying vinyl copies of your tunes that you wanted to play. Purists would say that vinyl records still provide the best quality sound, AND let the world know you are a great DJ. However, what DJ equipment do you buy if you are a bedroom DJ and just simply want to try it out? Whether that involves building up your DJ skills for a party up in Skegness not San Antonio. Or whether you just want to learn a new skill and make your own mixes.

If you are just starting out then check below where we'll look at various DJ equipment, at various price points, to see whats right for you. As mentioned, not everyone can afford vinyl, and if you are just getting into the DJ world and want to try it out, then being able to use your current MP3s and CDs is a big consideration. If you get into the DJ world, you will probably spend more on vinyl than your decks. Having your library ready on MP3 or CD is a huge saving for your start up.

Mobile Range - MP3 / CD Mixer

Hercules DJ Control MP3 e2

The Hercules DJ Control MP3 e2 is a smart looking all in one mixing station, ideal for computer DJs (PC or Mac). USB powered, it is ultra portable due to having no external power supply needed. It comes with a two deck controller to mix digital tracks, and features VIRTUAL DJ 3 DJC Edition software which is great for beginners. It even has a shoulder strap and transport cover, which shows how portable this "mini" DJ booth is. Ideal for taking to a friends party, or just to move room. Its has many features of more upper market mixers, including 2 handy stereo inputs to add MP3 or CD players into a digital mix. A great feature for beginners, and people in a hurry are the automatic looping software for detecting beats. The deck also features two jog wheels, cross and volume faders, and pitch and equalization features. The outputs are standard, one for preview, and one for the audience. Being so compact and light is a great advantage for the DJ that wants to take their turntables out and about, or simply if you dont have room to have them on display at all times something not everyone would have considered.

Premium Range

Hercules DJ Console RMX

If you are looking at doing more with your mixing, or want more expandability than the MP3 e2, then the RMX is a great upgrade from Hercules. It comes with the VirtualDJ 5 DJC Edition software, which features settings specific to the Hercules DJ Console RMX. Everything about this product says advanced or professional DJ. The solid metal casing feels quality, and its design has been thought about. Every button and dial is easily accessible and precise. The RMX also offers four inputs and outputs, which mean you can add everything you could ever want for 99% of DJs. For what you are getting the price is great. In theory, if you are a beginner you could just plug in similar equipment, like a MP3 library and CDs and just go. Installation from out of box to PC is 10 minutes maximum. Then once you get more into it, or if you are already, you can just plug in decks and get going. Again it supports PC or Mac, and a wide arrange of files, MP3, WAV, OGG, WMA, and of course CD audio. Its even fairly portable and comes with a nice carry case.

DJ Headphones

If you are a DJ, you need a good set of DJ headphones. iPod ones just dont cut it. DJ headphones need to be comfortable for long periods of time, as well as durable for the fast take on take off nature of a DJ working the room. Sound, and sound immersion when playing other tracks out of speakers are the other things you need. This is why most DJ headphones are large, robust and can feature incredible sound quality in any environment. So if you are starting out, what are some good DJ headphones to go for?

Budget

Behringer HPX2500 High-definition DJ Headphones

To call these headphones budget is wrong. As they feature very high quality sound. Comparable to a $60 headset easily. The headband is very strong, and feels very durable. The headphone is light at only 1 pound in weight and features a good oval cup for your ear. We have highlighted the HPX2500, but most Behringer DJ headphones are premium on features at a budget price.

Premium Choice

Pioneer HDJ-1000 DJ Headphones

Even if you have never touched a DJ turntable you know of Pioneer. Car stereos, Speakers, and anything audio they are one of the world most recognisable brands that offer consistent quality. Pioneer DJ headphones are no different. The speaker units inside the ears are huge, and offer virtually nil distortion from the music. The housing has joints which help protect the headphones when stored, as does the handy black vinyl carry case. The range of features specific for DJ in credible. You can even have a stereo mono switch to have left and right channels for one ear monitoring. Conveniently the 1/4" jack is also removable, so it plugs into almost anything. Weighing in at less than a pound mean you can DJ all day without any comfort issues. The buy price is fairly high, but if you did get the HDJ-1000, you probably wont need to buy another DJ headphone, or any headphones again. They look rather stunning too.

Brief bit on Vinyl Turntables

DJ turntables now come in various different forms, not just analog. Many turntables are available with USB connections, so they can directly connect to PCs to be used as controllers. They double as being a great way to get your vinyl music onto PC. These are the biggest sellers. Some brands such as Numark turntables come with software especially for this purpose. If your getting into DJin or have a nice collection of vinyl already, then gettting a set of turntables is a costly, but ultimately worth while investment. Just check what they do to your requirements.

If you have started getting to grips with your equipment, and have made a mix you are proud of there are some great websites out there to post your mix. Your mix then gets rated by fellow DJs and fans of the genre. DJforums.com is a good one for more advanced users. But my personal favourite, and great for beginners is DJmix.net. DJmix is a great site that has a large following for a wide range of electronic genres, and a great selection of DJ's posting their mixes online from around the world. It has useful search feature for getting mixes you may like, as you can search for artists and tracks in mixes, as well as genre. This gives you a good idea of the type of music contained in the mix, on top of the genre. Both the DJ and the mix get rated too. Most mixes are posted on DJmix itself, so grab yourself dta for Firefox so you can download them really fast. Other mixes are hosted on sites like rapidshare, so you can download but have to wait for the 30s or so to filter free users. Enjoy! Post your DJ mixes in the comments!