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My son is quite the little earner and recently got the DJ Hero game from me.
He loves the DJ thang so naturally I want to help him along. I am confident when he is in 9th grade he will be doing dances and earning money. He already has a paper route and makes about 45-60 bucks a week.
He wants a laptop w/software but want a real turntable to spin vinyl with.
I think I bit off more than I can chew though.
I went to The Needle Doctor and was shocked that the cheapestr TT I found was 900 bucks, and they went up to 30 Large....
Surely you kids out there know of a better way to get him going w/o using USB ( Putos ) and I can spend a couple of hun, but I was shocked at how expensive they are.

Also I am thinking a laptop w/ Ableton, because Guitar Center has an Ableton teacher... my old Bose, and 3105 Barbettas, and then a turntable. Am I missing something??
I know we have phono adapters for Scope but surely Ableton has some type of connections.

Thanks In Advance.

you want a direct drive table and numark and gemini make cheap tables that work just fine that can be had for $100. get a good stanton dj cartridge.

there's also stuff like this:
http://www.zzounds.com/cat--DJ-Control-Surfaces--4041

Of course, you're going with traktor right?

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/ ... ratch-pro/

Ahh...My 2 most trusted Cabrones..
Thanks for the ideas. I know you guys have looked into these things before so you're saving me hours.
I have seen way too many opinions and choices for outrageous amounts of green.
This is more affordable and can always be upgraded.

Thanks..

Don't use Traktor, if you want turntable + laptop software I would suggest he use Serato Scratch Live (I own and have used both for years). The SL1 interface offers all he really needs, and is about the same price (SL3 is a bit easier to 'preview' with due to the aux output but is more costly.) Any Mac or PC laptop with decent power will work for just mixing though the pricier SL-3 requires usb2. For just straight 'mixing' like a techno dj even a 1.6Ghz celeron (p4 era on) will do the job, but for doing hiphop/battle/dmc style 'scratching' (requiring fast cue work and loading songs quickly etc) and/or using any of the looping/video out you'll want something from the last 3-5 years.

For turntables I just recommend a good used set of Technics 1200's (mk2 are fine and mk3d, mk4 & mk5 are all since on the market.) Pawn shops in Vegas might be pricey, but I can usually find a set of mk2's for $250-300 (mk5's new from guitar center are under $500) and these will be saleable for not too far off that mark if he bores of them (which will not be the case with any gemini/numark decks.)

Needles for 1200's can be pricey, if he's capable of caring for gear though I think Ortofon needles are the best investment-- nightclub or Dj Pro(blues) in the 'S' or spherical model ('E' or eliptical wears vinyl more and is much shorter lasting.) All of the Shure 'scratch' needles (like the whitelabels on up) are so flexible an inexperienced Dj will chew through needles like crazy, meaning you'll wind up spending more than you would have on Ortofons to begin with. Trackmasters and other numark offerings (as well as technics) are serviceable and probably almost as sturdy as the ortofons. The one downside to the Ortofon is the 'concorde' type stylus (which I prefer) has narrower contacts in the rear which can cause poorer contact if the needles are constantly removed, though this is actually an issue for any non-technics needle: all vary in spacing thanks to the patent from Technics on their spacing. So the best solution is the cartridge that mounts into a headshell, and use the stock technics headshells if you can find them. The downside is learning how to mount those and maintain them (the concordes are simple, just install them and don't do anything but swap needle tips and you'll be fine.)

However before even going there, what aspect of the Dj culture is it that appeals to him? Battle/DMC? House/techno style mixing? Not having played any of the new dj games I'm guessing they do more of the former?

It's probably best to have him start out on the classic setup of 2 SL's and a mixer. This is probably also the cheapest option. Later he can always move up to Serato/Traktor/Ableton.

I do a bit of dj-ing with Ableton myself and it works quite well. I mostly build mixes at home with it but I've also done a couple of "live" performances using a Evolution UC33 controller and a Audiophile Firewire interface.

Wow these are great ideas. I appreciate them. He gets good grades so the little shit ass gets good gifts for Christmas.
He won't settle for anything that doesn't have vinyl. His mentor is a 22 yuearold DL who lets the kids come over and jam on his gear. To keep my son in good with the local ruffians I dontated my Samson 2404 4U Mixer for nothing. Sadly pops isn't there 24/7 and he can take care of himself fine, but local 22 year old kids have my back when I'm in Vegas.

Thanks Again. I will investigate further. I remeber you were doing some B & D studd Valis so I thing I might be hooking up with you pretty soon.
King Of Snake has the wise choice for a kid for sure, but this guy takes after pops and digs into something with his teeth. Knowing him, he will be making money this summer and being paid to meet fine trim. I am trying my hardest to keep him abreast of things.....no pun intended....

oh yah, and serato. my friend uses searato.

kensuguro wrote:Of course, you're going with traktor right?

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/ ... ratch-pro/

Traktor can get kindof clunky, but it's nifty for DJ stuff.
Ableton with a bunch of loop libraries, etc. will suffice - but is better with a surface controller, but alas - you HAVE to have those two thingy's spinning (for the looking cool mode).


Greg

DJing also could be done by some other programs:
virtual dj (atomix)
deckadance (fruity loops)
Quadscratch
http://www.myspace.com/quadscratch

and a cheap controller may also do the job, however it may or not feel like using vinyl...

valis wrote: For turntables I just recommend a good used set of Technics 1200's (mk2 are fine and mk3d, mk4 & mk5 are all since on the market.) Pawn shops in Vegas might be pricey, but I can usually find a set of mk2's for $250-300 (mk5's new from guitar center are under $500) and these will be saleable for not too far off that mark if he bores of them (which will not be the case with any gemini/numark decks.)

100% agree on a nice pair of used Technics. I bought a pair used over 10 years ago and they're still going strong with daily use.
Ive noticed they're selling really cheap on ebay these days so plenty of great deals to be had!
In my opinion you simply cant beat the classic 1200/1210 mk2

Mixers and needles are more subject to personal preference and music styles so hard to recommend without knowing. Personally i prefer Ortofon Concordes and Rane mixers

Serato is the best digital option using timecoded vinyl to play digital files as if they were records.

Ableton is a tricky one.. its a great way to compile studio mixes or perform your music live - But i wouldnt consider it DJ'ing

Brotha'Man Jimmy

I still have a set of 2 Technics MKII (silver ones) lying around and a pioneer djm300 mixer, all in very good shape and would like to sell it. But it's too expensive to ship to Las Vegas I think... However, whole set would be 1000$ plus shipping...

Cheers
Roman

I shall do some pricing and see.
I have nothing to buy this year, I have everything I need, I don't think I say that much.
But kids are only kids once.
I would love to see him get something happening.
These DJ's in Vegas make a sick amount of pay. Always got great sound and fine Ho's too.

Thanks Roman.

That's a good mixer to learn on as long as he's not trying to learn to battle/DMC (scratch) as the fader isn't up for it, it will last for home use. For 'straight' mixing (house/trance/techno/etc) it's got a clean signal path and the eq's function the same as mixers you're likely to find in the club. For any serious 'club' or 'party' use (ie, carted around & used a few times a week by more than one dj) he'll eventually need something more. Also if he's going to be carting turntables and a mixer around he'll eventually see the need for crates or a coffin (which can either be independent per turntable/mixer or unified for all 3.)

A lot of 'budget' mixers try to cater to the scratch crowd butl have shitty faders and build that won't last a year under that kind of use. They'll last ok for bedroom dj's but many add eq 'cut' features that kick in an extra cut at the end of the travel or have buttons for very steep eq cuts/crossfader cuts etc that will wear out fast. They makes straight mixing a bitch since the phase-shift results in a carefully aligned mix being noticeably off.

I think Numark do a mixer with a curve response control, continuously variably between fast cutting and smooth fading, for not much money.

I'll echo the 1200s/1210s recommendation though. Any monkey can press 'Sync' on a bit of laptop software, but it'll never be the same as spinning vinyl - the tactile response doesn't come close, even when using vinyl-to-timecode stuff!

1200s or 1210s all the way.

Cheers!

Chris