DJing First Steps
Ready to start your DJ career, here’s a brief guide to DJing for beginners, covering everything from equipment and mixing techniques to career options and building your brand. If you want to learn how to DJ online and pick up some DJ tips for beginners, this guide is a great place to start. You can pick up more free tips on our Courses section.
What type of DJ will I be?
So its a great start to understand where you want to get to, here’s some different DJ pathways. You don’t have to stick to one but knowing which route to go down, gives you the chance to plan your journey.
CLUB DJS
Club DJs are probably the most well-known type of DJ. Mostly you will be using Rekordbox and CDJ’s (we will go into this shortly) The expected income for a nightclub DJ varies depending on location and experience level. Some DJs play for as little as free drinks, while others earn upwards of $2k for one gig. Most club DJs freelance, although it is also possible to get a residency at a local club.
RADIO DJS
Radio DJs might have to talk about music news or interview musicians, combining their DJ skills with journalism and presenting. To become a radio DJ, you might not need to know how to beatmatch, but you should be familiar with studio equipment and to keep up to date on music releases and trends. Salaries for radio DJs can be quite low for entry-level positions, depending on location or radio station, and much higher for well-known radio presenters.
PRIVATE EVENTS OR MOBILE DJS
Weddings, birthdays, corporate events. Sometimes sniggered at by “cool” club DJ’s. Mobile DJs usually bring their own equipment as part of the deal, so a little bit of technical knowledge is necessary, and they are often open-format or cross-genre DJs. Club DJ’s may snigger but you will not earn more money then a successful private events DJ. With a full diary they can earn in excess of 100k per year,
What Makes A Good DJ
which qualities can help make a good DJ:
Passion: One of the most important traits of a DJ is their love of music! The passion that keeps you searching for new tunes and the joy you feel when sharing them with an audience is one of the best things about the job.
Motivation and organisation: As a DJ you will usually be working for yourself or freelancing, which means doing your own bookwork. Unless you join an agency, you will have to communicate with venues, arrange gigs and negotiate fees. Motivation, good organisation, not being an asshole and communication skills will help you here.
People and networking skills: These will help you get gigs and advance your career. Again not being an arse, as you will need to leave a good impression with the promoters, club managers and other DJs, to ensure you will be invited back.
Technical ability: Although it’s not necessary to be an expert before you start DJing, understanding how your equipment works and how club sound systems work will make you a better DJ.
Equipment
LAPTOP
If you’re planning on learning how to DJ with digital music, you’re going to need a laptop to download and organise your music before exporting it to a USB. If you want to learn DJ mixing with a DJ software and controller, you’ll need to make sure that your laptop meets the technical requirements.
DECKS
CDJs, well this is where things get expensive. You should be able to pick up a second-hand pair of Pioneer CDJ-350s or 850s, or XDJ-700s, for much cheaper then the latest club standard CDJ 3000’s. Older CDJ models won’t have as many features (read: no sync button!), so the learning curve might be a little bit steeper, but they will also help you build more advanced beatmatching skills.
DJ MIXERS
You will find Pioneer or Allen & Heath mixers in most clubs, although other brands like Denon are becoming more common, and rotary mixers are also popular amongst vinyl DJs. For the beginning, a two-channel mixer from Pioneer or Allen & Heath should be enough for your home set up whilst giving you the chance to practice on something similar to what you would find in a club. If your planning on private events or club DJing isnt your bag we’d defo go for the Prime.
CONTROLLERS
A basic controller will give you a similar experience to a two-channel mixer and two digital decks, just much more compact. For this option, you’ll need a laptop with DJ software, which links to your controller. I started on the Numark N4 and loved it, 6 months later I was playing at a festival so don’t let the £100 off marketplace put you off
