DJ's of 3dmm.com

[Pirate Balloon]

Mikepjbell, Allergic2Life (i think) i'm looking at you...

I want to start, and it'd be hip-hop oriented.

I eventually want to be using summat like this beast, but for now i was realistically thinking of just getting a second hand set-up to learn scratching/mixing/the basics.

What do i need to start off with, and what cost? I'm guessing it'd be 2 decks and a cross fader; what features or spec should i look out for when choosing them? How do i know if they're suitable/good for scratching etc?


nice one lads

[Mikepjbell]

I use traktor scratch pro 2 and it is an excellent piece of software. To be honest, with that software you're better with a midi controller rather than buying two decks/cdj's and a mixer. I have two cdj's/mixer running traktor scratch and I always wish I'd spent money on a decent controller instead.

If you want to scratch (which you probably will with hip-hop) you'll need two platters regardless of what you go for. Also if you want to scratch you'll need a sturdy system - (there's no point getting a cheap system to learn on because it'll disintegrate into pieces). When you're mixing you'll be slamming the crossfader into oblivion so you'll need something that'll stay together.

Allen&Heath or Pioneer are a good option:

http://www.decks.co.uk/products/allen_heath/Xone_DX
http://www.decks.co.uk/products/pioneer/DDJT1

You can download a version of Traktor Pro 2 with a crack to enable scratching so all you'd need after buying your controller is a nice pair of speakers.

[Lowgain]

Ideal: Serato w/ 2 Technics decks

[Pirate Balloon]

Originally Posted by Mikepjbell

I use traktor scratch pro 2 and it is an excellent piece of software. To be honest, with that software you're better with a midi controller rather than buying two decks/cdj's and a mixer. I have two cdj's/mixer running traktor scratch and I always wish I'd spent money on a decent controller instead.

If you want to scratch (which you probably will with hip-hop) you'll need two platters regardless of what you go for. Also if you want to scratch you'll need a sturdy system - (there's no point getting a cheap system to learn on because it'll disintegrate into pieces). When you're mixing you'll be slamming the crossfader into oblivion so you'll need something that'll stay together.

Allen&Heath or Pioneer are a good option:

http://www.decks.co.uk/products/allen_heath/Xone_DX
http://www.decks.co.uk/products/pioneer/DDJT1

You can download a version of Traktor Pro 2 with a crack to enable scratching so all you'd need after buying your controller is a nice pair of speakers.

Thanks for the advice. Those digital ones would be a huge advantage, seeing as how i could just download whatever i wanted. I was learning toward vinyl though, and then acquire the Traktor or Serato gear later on. That why i'd have the best of both worlds.

About the "sturdy system", i've reluctantly accepted its best to shell out a fair bit more than i anticipated to avoid disappointment.

Lowgain yeah, that seems to be the common consensus. How much should i be realistically shelling out for 2 second Technics? Gotta keep the budget down as much as possible. Looking at these:

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/2-...mixer/84234194

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2608464603... 4.m1423.l2649

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2208453856... 4.m1423.l2649

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3207517811... 4.m1423.l2649

[Lowgain]

From what I've experienced you can probably get a pair of technics for a bit over $1000, but then i guess you also need the mixer/serato gear on top of that - if you're looking to buy used a lot of people selling their tables would probably bundle all that stuff with it as well though

[Mikepjbell]

I've been thinking about this for a bit.
If you're going to be digital DJ'ing I honestly think you could save quite an awful lot of money by buying a controller.

[Allergic 2 Life]

what mike said.