dj starting out!!

demakinz

:Dhi im just starting out doing live djing(21st 30th etc...).im concerding using my laptop and virtualdj software..is this a good idea?
and also i would like your opinion on what lighting set up i should use..im a complete novice and been searching the web for lights but there is thousands...i have a budget of about 300euro

thanks a million in advance:D

highlydebased

The laptop and vdj isint a bad idea, but are you just going from the headphone socket on the laptop into mixer/amp? Usually the quality isint the best, you should look at getting a USB/PCMIA soundcard

With regards lighting, generally you get what you pay for. I'd be big into pushing anyone starting out to go make a proper investment in some Martin lighting fixtures, they will pay for themselves after a while. Otherwise there are some reasonably priced LED fixtures on the market. They have numerous advantages- Low power consumption, dont get incredibly hot and no bulbs to replace.

demakinz

thanks a million mate...
what would you say is a good sound card but reasonabley priced?:D

franklyshocked

demakinz wrote: »

:Dhi im just starting out doing live djing(21st 30th etc...).im concerding using my laptop and virtualdj software..is this a good idea?
and also i would like your opinion on what lighting set up i should use..im a complete novice and been searching the web for lights but there is thousands...i have a budget of about 300euro

thanks a million in advance:D

The only thing I'll warn you about is to always have a backup.
If you're only using laptop you could be in trouble if it crashes. You could pick up a cheap CD deck that'd save your bacon for a few minutes while your system re-boots. Its all fine and well using your laptop at home for an hour or so at a time but when you're playing a gig it'll be 3+ hours (I'm guessing) in a warm environment and if your system overheats it could crash or start glitching. Its happened to me so be warned.
I was able to switch to a long track on CD and restart the Laptop without anyone copping.

andy_g

i would have to agree wwith ya there lads always have a cd deck with you full system crashes are not uncommon occurence in a warm dance hall/conference room type venue's

seannash

demakinz wrote: »

thanks a million mate...
what would you say is a good sound card but reasonabley priced?:D

what exactly is reasonably priced.not being funny but i need to know your budget before i could recommend you something

seannash

oh and the advice for a cd player is good but you could just have a few songs already mixed on your ipod in case the laptop goes kaput on you and you got to rebooth

demakinz

yeah i have a numark cd decks..well my budget would be nothing more than 150euro am i been unrealistic?
can i have the decks set up the same time as the laptop?

thanks alot for your help mate!!!

seannash

no 150 should be good ebnough to get you something
http://www.zzounds.com/cat--USB-Audio-Interfaces--2424

check that link and look for one with a few inputs and outputs
then look for reviews on them

i cant recommend an soundcards in that pricerange unfortunatley(i only used a n rme soundcard,have no experience with any other brand)

demakinz

ok my last question for you because im been a pain now.
is an audio interface the same as a sound card will an audio interface do me

thanks alot mate for all your help:D:D

seannash

demakinz wrote: »

ok my last question for you because im been a pain now.
is an audio interface the same as a sound card will an audio interface do me

thanks alot mate for all your help:D:D

yep same thing.
ask away man,im not got anything else to do ha ha

demakinz

do you dj yourself with a laptop?
iv done a few gigs family/friend with cd decks they went ok no complaints,,havin a bit of trouble getting a decent play list together! grouping songs of same beats/granra etc.
iv over 40,000 tracks on my external hard drive but getting them in a class play list is my problem..
any advice on how i get orginised?
im thinking of getting lessions from a dj on beat mixing etc..i think this will help my confidence alot..iv heard if ya wanna be a good dj you need buckets of confidence

seannash

no i tried djing with ableton before but i found it boring so i went back to cdjs.
make up playlists in itune(or tracklists if your just gonna do it on the fly).i think you can browse in itunes with most vdj software

copeyhagen

stop startin the same ****in thread over and over