If you’ve been to a rave, a party or any club in your lifetime, you’re familiar with the disc jockey, dropping tune after tune to set the tone for the night and assembling creative segues between tracks to give the music an easy flow.
DJ-ing has always been about the music: how, when, where and why it’s delivered. Over the years, the sounds have changed, genres have died off and now DJs seem to be a dime a dozen.
In the last few years, there’s been a big change in the DJ world.
The preferred method of delivering tracks to a dance floor was originally vinyl: two turntables, a mixer and occasionally a microphone as Beck laments in his ’96 classic, “Where It’s At.”
The standard equipment for many years has been two Technic 1200 series direct drive turntables and a high range DJ mixer from one of several companies such as Pioneer, Rane or Allen & Heath. The Technic 1200, though discontinued, will forever remain the icon of DJs. A mixer is where the options can sway; anything from a simple two-channel to a multiple-channel DJ mixer with filters, effects and its own bag of tricks.
The needles for the turntables are also important, depending on what type of DJ-ing is going on. Simple record-to-record blends and changing usually need nothing more than a standard needle, while more complex scratches, cuts and tricks are often more easily accomplished with a pair of high-grade scratch needles.
Flash forward to the mid ’90s, when Pioneer introduced the CDJ-500. It began to revolutionize the way DJs played music. With more features than a futuristic jet-car, this Cadillac was destined to take hold of the market—or so Pioneer thought.
It was the first CDJ to have jog wheels, allowing for cueing, scratching and instant search functions of a CD. It included loop functions,
a +/- 10 percent pitch adjustment (up +/- 2 percent from traditional turntables) and a Master Tempo, which would allow the pitch to be altered without losing the tempo.
CDs, however, would only attain mid-stream popularity with DJs. The convenience of carrying hundreds of CDs, the ease of organization and overall cost served their purpose.
But the CD would ultimately lose to its predecessor: vinyl and turntables.
In the early 2000s, laptops and controllers begin to start appearing in bedrooms, small clubs and historic landmark clubs throughout the world. DJ software was gaining some buzz thanks to artists like Richie Hawtin (a.k.a. Plastikman) who began using laptops and DJ software while performing in major clubs. Some of the earliest software included Hawtin’s own designed Final Scratch, an early version of today’s popular DJ software Traktor.
With digital DJ-ing becoming more popular, eventually controllers to manipulate DJ software were released by several companies. One of the most popular controllers to this day continues to be the Vestax VCI-100. With its relatively inexpensive cost, durable build and ease of use, it has definitely found a home with many a DJ the world over.
As the debate thickens, there are many things to consider:
Is there any one tool for DJ-ing that is absolutely definitive? Is there one setup of equipment that easily outshines the rest? What’s the best route to go if one were to get into the world of DJ-ing?
Turntables and a mixer will always be tried and true. Time-tested, durable and easily the most recognized worldwide, you cannot go wrong with a setup consisting of two Technic 1200 series turntables and any performance mixer from companies such as Pioneer, Allen & Heath or Rane. The learning curve of vinyl is relatively low, there are countless books on “how to DJ,” but truly all you need is some good records and a decent ear.
With CDJs the setup is nearly identical, you’ll need a good mixer and a decent ear for mixing. On an opposite side of the spectrum, with a laptop, there are many things to consider: software, controller(s) and other equipment you may need, such as a soundcard.
Whatever you may choose to use, each setup has its own pros and cons to consider. With some practice anyone can move from amateur bedroom DJ to mega club DJ.