Starting out...CDJ or Turntables?

serox · Post by **serox** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:07 am

Practice on some friends first and see what you prefer.

What you are asking is something you should find out for yourself really bro.

serox · Post by **serox** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:51 am

Righteous wrote:Thats the only problem :\ i actually don't know anyone that has a setup.

You will prob get bored mixing alone

kidlogic · Post by **kidlogic** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 1:31 pm

I mixed alone for the first year or so that I was learning... it wasnt bad at all. No outside influence on my style

and I didnt have to wait my turn to get up.

You have the benifit of the internet to learn the actual methodology to mixing, so you dont really need anyone to show you what to do, there are plenty of youtube tutorials out there.

Aside from the actual mechanics of it - CDJs are very different than TT's - think about the other aspects of what you want to do with mixing.

Do you want to be stuck playing vinyl only?
Do you want to have to burn everything to CD before you can play it? Are you willing to miss out on certain tunes because they are only on vinyl?
Do you want to play your own stuff / stuff from the forum here / just dubstep all the time?

My suggestion, from personal experience is this - go with turntables, and get a digital vinyl system as your next DJ related purchase. This gives you the best of both options - you can play vinyl, and you can play mp3s/wavs. You can get Torq for around $200US. Another reason I suggest TT's over CDJs is that most CDJ manufacturer's products are different feeling. They all have different options and settings, different feel, etc. If you get to the point you are playing out, and have to rely on CDJs, you may end up on a pair you're not familiar with. With turntables they are all essentially the same in function and only vary in quality and feel. Most clubs/raves will have a pair of Technics and a pair of Pioneer CDJ 800s or better, if they have CDJs.

My other suggestion is not to get a DJ-in-a-box starter kit. Buy everything separately. Look on want adds and ebay. Find yourself some used Technics, pref MK3d's or MK5G's - trust they are worth it. If you go with the starter set and you like it, youre gonna wanna upgrade sooner than later. If you buy the Techs and dont like it, you can re-sell them for probably as much as you paid for them. If you do go with a different model make sure they are DIRECT DRIVE. I cannot stress that enough.

I learned how to spin on a pair of belt-drive, Gemini XL-500s - possibly the worst turntable ever made for djing. My mixer was a two channel with no EQ and the needles were impossible to find. I spent $300 on the Gemini DJ in a box kit and wish I would have heeded my friends advice when he told me to wait and get Techs. Mixing on those was like running in quicksand.

teqh · Post by **teqh** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 1:41 pm

Im in the same position and since I already have a macbook running logic I figured id go get actual vinyl turntables and then have a look round the digital route as well as kidlogic said

Infact just read that post again

poepsnor · Post by **poepsnor** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:31 pm

I'm not sure how the prices are in the uk but if you don't have the money to spend on gear just go for cdj's and only pioneers then. It doesn't really matter which one, even a cdj 100 does the same thing as any other edition just not with all the bling bling. And the most attractive part of cdjs, and i can't say this enough, mp3 is so fucking cheap. Everytime 6£ for 12" is alot of money for a student. There is been a good amount of dubstep out now and i just can't cope with it, at my recordstore there is so much aside...

If you really want turntables, directly buy technics, the money you will put in to it will be a 100times more worth it then any other brand that sell tt's for a price which is ridiculous.

Technics= Tanks, buy a used technics of a bedroom dj and really the only difference of buying it new is that one little scratch at the bottom that doesn't do anything.

On the mixer part i'm not that sure:
I bought myself a numark dmx 09, a fucking hell good 3CHANNEL mixer for a price that is peanuts compared with a 3channel ecler or pioneer mixer.

If i were you buy cdjs, a 3channel mixer and then you can still buy a turntable or even 2, you can switch from cdj to tt on the same channel while your spinning.

rarekind · Post by **rarekind** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 9:39 pm

Dont get CDJ's Get 1200 / 10's CD Mixing is for pikies nuff said

mumble · Post by **mumble** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 9:50 pm

I got some CDJ's for my first decks but if I had of been into music with such a big dubplate culture back then e.g Dubstep, Id of probably gone for some 1200's.

serox · Post by **serox** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:46 pm

Dont bother with Vestax.

Save your money up and get a pair of 2nd hand Technics on Ebay for about £250 - £300.

Even if you decide mixing is not for you Technics hold thee price so you can sell them for the same.

serox · Post by **serox** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:47 pm

btw the sound from a pair of Technics playing a 12" is better than any CDJ, hands down.

Getting sick of hearing people playing un-mastered CDs too.

sinic · Post by **sinic** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 11:48 pm

i'm making the same decision myself and i've had a bit of a bash on both, and i have to say i definately prefer the vinyl route.

Quite short on cash atm, so i was looking at some Citronic PD1 Mk3s. ive heard some good things from a couple of people, but whats the general opinion?

piecore · Post by **piecore** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 1:15 am

I own 2 denon CDJ1200's and yeah I had to decide between cd and vinyl. (they are great by the way)

here are the reasons:

1. I can spin all the tracks I download, which some people will disagree, but if you are a part of certain internet groups, you will get more exclusive albums/releases (at 320kbps) than what is available at your local vinyl store, depending on where you live. Also, being able to spin whatever want makes djing more fun and learning to dj better.

2. cds and downloading is way cheaper, especially when you are starting out. vinyl can be pricey

3. cdj's are way more portable than vinyl decks, it's great for when you are spinning for parties at friends places

4. the cdj's i have have flash drive usb plugins, so i can put all my songs on 2 flash drives, and I don't have to rifle through cd's to get the song I want

So those are basically the reasons I chose CDJ's. HOWEVER, where I live there is a strong vinyl community associated with dubstep in the underground shows here. People meet each other at vinyl shops and connect there, recommend shit to each other, etc. And I think people are just generally biased here towards vinyl decks, because of the community associated with it. But I mean, obviously the community is a good thing, so it's not bad, I just think a good mix is a good mix no matter what your spinning on.

But there is no truley noticable difference between cdjs and vinyl decks in quality on a loud system if you are spinning wav's.

bobby_dozen · Post by **bobby_dozen** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 1:46 am

I'd say go for TTs because once you've learnt them, CDs are a piece of piss. Think about it this way, CD decks were originally designed so that vinyl DJs could use them easily...

Also it is definately worth spending the extra cash on technics. Everyone will tell you the same, they're tanks, they hold their value, they're the industry standard etc...

deadly_habit · Post by **deadly_habit** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 1:52 am

i dunno i have stanton str8-150s (love to death and sold my techs for em) and a cheap gemini cdj
personally it's gonna be what feels the best for you djing
i love the feel of vinyl and prolly will get a digital solution like serato soon
on the flip with cdjs you don't have to really worry about tune ups etc with pitch fader going slightly off/wonky
that and cd-rs/mp3s are alot cheaper than vinyl
personally i use both, but starting off i'd learn on turntables as no matter what club you go to a pair of techs will be there

piecore · Post by **piecore** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 2:42 am

yeah, denon cdj's and pioneer cdj's are pretty well known for keeping solid and lasting long. A lot of people I've read on forums attested to that, and so far I've had my cdj's for a while and it's been good, and they feel solid.

Just go with what suites your needs, I don't think one is "better" than the other, they just serve slightly different purposes. Also, note a lot of people who are anti-cdj's don't have a lot of strong arguements for it.

Yes technics 1200's are tanks and industry standards, but cdj's are solid too, maybe you can't throw them down the stairs, but still, they are solid.

Also, if you learn how to mix really well on cdj's, it's not gonna take a lot of time to switch to vinyl, if you want to do that down the road. Beatmaching is the main thing, also just learning or figuring out your techniques for transitioning between songs. Everything else is just gettign used to the feel of the decks, that's no biggie.

Again, the vinyl community is strong and you can meet a lot of people at record shops, it's a good thing, a good reason to get technics.

deadly_habit · Post by **deadly_habit** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 2:51 am

decks are also handy to have if producing for crate digging old vinyl to sample

Starting out...CDJ or Turntables?

Who is online