An Equipment Buyers Guide for DeeJay's
By Ted Knight - 2/22/2000
So that big crack deal finally paid off and you've got some extra cash to burn, hey why not be a DJ! First of all, it's not that easy. Buying turntables will not make you Mix Master Mike any more than a guitar makes you Jimi Hendrix. If you do decide to buy turntables though, be warned, in order to make a good investment and to be a good DJ, buy the best tables you can afford.
For my money that's a pair of Technics 1200's. 1200's come in two models, the MK-II and the MK-III, the MK-III being the first new model in two decades. 1200's are reliable, fairly easy to fix, easy to find parts for, suit any style of music and are like gold on the resale market. Investing the extra couple of hundred will never seem like a bad investment down the line. However, the recent explosion in the popularity of electronic music has woken up the manufacturers and many companies are developing what they see as challengers to the venerable 1200s.
Vestax makes a new table that is designed for heavy scratching, as well as other models that include features such as pitch bend and reverse, if it's features and a higher price sound ok with you these tables would probably be a good bet. The higher end tables from Gemini and Numark, while not on the same level as the Technics or Vestax are still good alternatives for those with less loot.
One thing that is especially important, no matter what brand you buy make sure they are DIRECT DRIVE, not belt drive. Trying to DJ on belt drive tables is like playing the guitar with a ukulele or something; you just don't want to do it. You also need a mixer, and what kind of mixer you want depends on what kind of music you want to play.
There are mixers designed for house and techno, as well as jungle and hip-hop. There are mixers with built in effects, MIDI outputs, effects loops and adjustable cross faders. What do you want to do? If you want to play trance you may want a full rack mixer with a three or four band equalizer and an effects loop.
If you want to be a hip-hop scratch master a two-channel mixer with an adjustable cross fader is for you. For this the Vestax 05-Pro is the industry standard and the choice of the Invisible Skratch Picklz and the X-Ecutioners, as well as others. Companies such as Rane, Numark, Gemini and Stanton are all making tight mixers these days.
Finally you need cartridges; again this depends on what you are going to play. Many house and techno DJ's prefer Stanton or Ortofon cartridges, either mounted in a head shell or the newer self contained styles. There are also many new cartridges designed specifically for cutting and scratching that will catch the eye of hip hop DJ's. Personally, I swear by the Ortofon DJ S, they track well, don't skip when you scratch and have great sound quality. They have proven themselves with every DJ who has come through Headroom. The only problem with them is that they cost about $130.00, they are worth the investment however. You'll probably need some good headphones too, Sony makes several nice models, as do Pioneer and others, again it's up to you and your personal preference.
Again, this is a very rough guide, look around and find equipment that suits your needs and your budget. A good source for equipment is Pro Sound and Stage lighting (www.pssl.com) they will generally match any price you can find and have a huge inventory and fast shipping. Just remember, you get what you pay for, and often a lot less. Don't be afraid to keep shopping so you can avoid a regrettable purchase.
