The Official Beginners DJing Thread

i found ableton to be fucked, personally. fl studio on the other hand was easy to get my head around and muck around with. there are some people who talk shit about fl studio and honestly i can't understand for the LIFE of me why they do that. it's easily the most versatile DAW program. just record some genuine samples instead of synth and bam with a bit of skill you are a professional
 
curseorange said:
alright well first off i have no clue on how to use ableton very well, so i want to learn more about that, im not sure what card to buy etc... im pretty low on cash atm so im wanting to get started with as little cash required and i would love to start by using my pc as my studio, as i have no want to use turntables.
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Hey curseorange.
Try to drop by BL to give advice when i can, but busy with my label and on the tour at the mo so sorry for the late reply.
First off, you want to start Djing you say?
The definition of a DJ gets disputed here and there and to be honest I dont have time to devote to splitting hairs on forums, but what essentially a DJ does is mix tracks together by matching the bpm (manually/anologue/digital whatever) and bringing in the selected track to fit the one playing already and then by whatever means fading from one to the other.
of course their is lots more to it than that especially when it comes to turntablism and scratching.

ableton is great, i love to use it, but its not the first choice for mixing. in fact you cant really "DJ" with it easily, as it is best for making music/designing a set etc.

if you want to get started with DJing and you have a PC I suggest you use software that emulates turntables.
Virtual DJ is a good starter - but you will need an audio interface (cheapest adequate one is M-Audio Connectiv)
the reason you need this is to seperate the sound to two channels of a Dj mixer, and so you can hear the upcoming track in your phones.
without this, you only have one audio output so you cant easily mix from one track to another.
Another thing you'll need is a cheap DJ mixer. Anything will do. just make sure it has two channels and a crossfader. something like vestax Pcv will suffice.
Using virtual Dj you can load mp3s to two virtual turtables and manipulate them as you would real records.

if you have a bit more cash i suggest using something like serato or traktor and buying the audio interfaces that come with them.
this is because you can use vinyl control records to manipulate the mp3s, and therefore "beatmatch" on real turntables. this is not necessary but it will gain you more respect (if you care - personally i think anything goes), but most importantly it will give you better experience as a dj, and make you more versatile and able to mix using a range of media. For example, you will be able to go "back to back" with another DJ, where you each play a track and mix in to the others last track. if that person is playing records or cds, you wouldnt be able to do this if you dont learn to beatmatch. Also if your pc crashes, you cant resque the situation by whacking on a cd or records and mixing in.

if your broke go M-Audio and cheap mixer. and use the supplied Torq soft or "Virtual DJ" which is better if you aren't planning to use vinyl control.

Hope this helps.

DJ
 
DJ 303 said:
Virtual DJ is a good starter - but you will need an audio interface (cheapest adequate one is M-Audio Connectiv)
the reason you need this is to seperate the sound to two channels of a Dj mixer, and so you can hear the upcoming track in your phones.
without this, you only have one audio output so you cant easily mix from one track to another.
Click to expand...

Ah thank you so much. You just saved my ass from going to buy a dj controller only. I would have been pissed when I realized I couldn't cue up the track, or would have just asked someone at guitar center. Either way you saved me a trip to guiatarcenter/$150. I wish I had enough to throw down on the connectiv tho.
 
DJ 303 said:
Hey curseorange.
Try to drop by BL to give advice when i can, but busy with my label and on the tour at the mo so sorry for the late reply.
First off, you want to start Djing you say?
The definition of a DJ gets disputed here and there and to be honest I dont have time to devote to splitting hairs on forums, but what essentially a DJ does is mix tracks together by matching the bpm (manually/anologue/digital whatever) and bringing in the selected track to fit the one playing already and then by whatever means fading from one to the other.
of course their is lots more to it than that especially when it comes to turntablism and scratching.

ableton is great, i love to use it, but its not the first choice for mixing. in fact you cant really "DJ" with it easily, as it is best for making music/designing a set etc.

if you want to get started with DJing and you have a PC I suggest you use software that emulates turntables.
Virtual DJ is a good starter - but you will need an audio interface (cheapest adequate one is M-Audio Connectiv)
the reason you need this is to seperate the sound to two channels of a Dj mixer, and so you can hear the upcoming track in your phones.
without this, you only have one audio output so you cant easily mix from one track to another.
Another thing you'll need is a cheap DJ mixer. Anything will do. just make sure it has two channels and a crossfader. something like vestax Pcv will suffice.
Using virtual Dj you can load mp3s to two virtual turtables and manipulate them as you would real records.

if you have a bit more cash i suggest using something like serato or traktor and buying the audio interfaces that come with them.
this is because you can use vinyl control records to manipulate the mp3s, and therefore "beatmatch" on real turntables. this is not necessary but it will gain you more respect (if you care - personally i think anything goes), but most importantly it will give you better experience as a dj, and make you more versatile and able to mix using a range of media. For example, you will be able to go "back to back" with another DJ, where you each play a track and mix in to the others last track. if that person is playing records or cds, you wouldnt be able to do this if you dont learn to beatmatch. Also if your pc crashes, you cant resque the situation by whacking on a cd or records and mixing in.

if your broke go M-Audio and cheap mixer. and use the supplied Torq soft or "Virtual DJ" which is better if you aren't planning to use vinyl control.

Hope this helps.

DJ
Click to expand...
Well ive decided i want to start producing my own music before i start Djing ya know? mix tracks and make my own.
 
^^that may not be the smartest idea unless you want to be the only one playing your tracks. I have a friend that did this, and while his tracks sound good together, they are absolutely unmixable with anyone elses tracks.

DJing first gives you a feel for how a song is supposed to build and move, where to put the breaks, where to stick in effects, length, etc. It will also expose you to more types of sounds than if you are simply messing around on your own.
 
bump for still being lost with ableton and FL 9 with no clue on how to start Producing some music or mixing some tracks.... would love it if i could contact someone who could assist me with starting off with these programs or something.
 
Help on getting started??

Hey everyone i was just looking for someone who has experience with programs such as Fl studio and virtual dj or could suggest any other programs to get started. Music is my passion and i think about producing music everyday but just have no idea how to get started any help would be much appreciated thanks!
 
gonna leave this alone and allow for some responses since you were fairly specific about the programs, etc you wanted to learn..... there is a beginners dj/production thread though if you search you should easily find it, it also may answer some of your questions.
 
Virtual DJ is sufficient if you've never touched or seen decks before. FL I would never suggest using, but Virtual DJ is fine, and Traktor is fine, in fact, id go with Traktor instead as its a lot better.

Most important thing to learn though, is to beat match. Dont just become a sync-button pressing "DJ"!!!!

Any way, i'm going to just merge this now.
 
This thing is cool:

harmonic.jpg


From here.
 
curseorange said:
bump for still being lost with ableton and FL 9 with no clue on how to start Producing some music or mixing some tracks.... would love it if i could contact someone who could assist me with starting off with these programs or something.
Click to expand...

Curseorange my friend.
I gave you my best advice.
You chose to ignore it as you want to produce first.
No worries sir, that is your perogative.
I do not claim that my advice is rule, you can take it or leave it.
As I have said, I can only speak from my years of experience as a musician, DJ, organiser, promoter, producer, and now record label owner.
I can only base my advice upon rational deductions from what I have learnt subjectively, and witnessed objectively.

If you read my numerous and lengthy posts, you will hopefully grasp that what I humbly suggest is to begin with some simple DJing practice, whether through the medium of CDJ, Turntable, or mixing soft such as virtual DJ or Traktor.
And even before this you need to be building up a knowledge of how the tracks sound, how they are constructed, and how and why they sound good when they are strung together.
You need to aquire knowledge of your desired genre, the history of electronic music, and what it is that you and your target audience responds to. ie what makes good music good music.
And of course to do this you fundamentally need to build your music collection, listen to it, mix with it, and understand it.
Then in my opinion, you are ready to produce.

Of course you could start producing now, and i could help you. But if you had some knowledge and experience, then you would not be so entirely confused if i said "synchopate your rhythms" or "compress your kick" or "send your LFO to the Cut off filter" or even if i was to talk about the nature of basic sounds like the difference between a 909 or a 303.

Mate. This is my opinion.
get some mp3s off beatport/mates of a specific genre.
listen to them.
download/buy virtual DJ/traktor.
load one track to deck a, one to deck b, and try and mix them together. Just get a feel for it man. understand what tracks go together, when to bring them in, how to adjust your eq, what you like/dont like, and the basics of tempo and time signature etc.
Then you could always get a cheap pair of decks and either vinyl control records or regular vinyl, and learn how to beatmatch and mix hands on.

Then start worrying about being a producer.

I had to learn my abc's and read the hungry catterpillar before I was able to comprehend the basics of cartesian dualism, nuclear fission, or the works of the existentialists.

FL9 and Ableton are great pieces of software, but without experience and musical knowledge, you can hardly be surprised that you still have no idea what your doing. Do you think Fatboy Slim or Richie Hawtin or any of the successful DJ's began their music careers in a studio? No sir.


try youtube for tutorials or pm me.
ill try to give you advice/soft/samples etc when I have the time.

good luck man

DJ 303
 
Favorite Music Production Tool?

This thread may have been posted b4, if so go ahead and delete it. But I am curious what programs people prefer when producing electronic music? I know people who swear by Ableton and others who love FL Studio and Acid Pro.

I am not a producer, but would like to try it at some point. And I'm curious what software ppl prefer :)
 
renoise
part of the explanation why is here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnjUuu0_zFQ

the 'render selection to sample' feature is great

playing the pattern, stopping where i want and punching a note with my keyboard, start it back where i stopped and stop and put it an another

compared to drawing it in with a mouse on a piano roll, but i like the piano roll features of fl studio "strum" "arpeggio" etc

and i like drawing an automation envelope than scrolling the pattern back and forth while playing an instrument, so the automation parameters goes back and forth as i scroll

and i like reason for its combinator patches

all can be combined with rewire
 
FL Studio is good and I've used extensively. Costs money, unless you are into torrent `software evaluation.`

Reaper - Free. And damn good. (Edited - I mistakenly wrote Reason... wtf me?)

Other than those I've only used Cakewalk (years ago) and it sucked. I've heard it's improved, but cant be bothered to try again with options like Ableton and Pro Tools to still experiment with.
 
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Rebirth is also free. It has two 303s, an 808 and a 909.

I don't know about authentic though. I've tried a bunch of 303 plugins and none of them really come close to the real thing. Especially with the resonance and cutoff all the way up. It's really hard to replicate that sound. But the best one I've heard is ABL2.

Anyways, I use FL Studio and Ableton. Each one has strengths and weaknesses. I wish someone would combine the piano roll and automation from FL with the rest of Ableton. That would be the perfect program.
 
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