That's it, that's the post.

Longer version:

I'm a full-time creative freelancer for 15 years, so luckily, I got plenty of experience useful for DJing: How to negotiate money and conditions, only taking gigs that fulfill at least one of the big three (passion, clout or money - almost no gig fulfills all three) and how to protect my own time and sanity from people demanding too much or not giving a shit about the arts.

I know my taste and how to stick to it, even though I'm still working on being able to fully transfer it technically into my sets. I also know that AI cannot reply the soul and love I put into my work and that I don't want to go viral with my sets because I prefer to actually work on getting better at playing music.

Since I started DJing last year, I've played around 10 public gigs, including weddings and birthdays, some of them paid, some of them I gave away for free as gifts. Luckily, I have a very big network and live in a very open minded city where lots of people truly appreciate creativity and I got really good feedback from everyone after every gig, which I love, because my goal is to share happiness with others, especially in these demanding times.

After every gig, I realize: I love doing this. It is so much fun. Unfortunately, some of the gigs I played turned out to be annoying: People telling me what to play, hosts not trusting me and giving requests in the middle of the set, men explaining CDJs to me even though they know less about them than I do, crowds only reacting to the most banal songs they already know and taking years to start dancing even though the music is on fire. Especially weddings are extremely stressful if the people getting married want the day to be "perfect", whatever that means (more stress for everyone involved, I assume?). Finding that out is life and part of the deal.

But I've come to the conclusion that - unlike my other work which pays the bills monthly, as DJing is still a side gig for me - that I want to stick to my why. And my why that got me into this is: I DJ for fun and for the love of music, not to provide a service. I want to make people smile and dance. I want the whole room to have nice energy. I want them to wake up the next day and feel lighter and less stressed. And I cannot do this in stressful contexts where people try to tell me what to do and/or control what I play.

I am sharing this because often I see people in this subreddit who seem unclear about their why. And as someone with lots of experience in related fields who's still learning, I thought I'd share my why. Cause I keep going back to it whenever I ask myself if I should do something or not. And I'm also more protective with cooperations to be happy with my choices and to humble my ego.

What's your why?

I have a Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 and I'm looking for my first speakers. Right now I've just been practicing without proper speakers, and my budget is really low (under $200 if possible).

I mainly want something for practicing at home and maybe the occasional apartment or very small house party. I know I won't get club-quality sound at this price, but I'm looking for the best value that I can upgrade from later.

I'm okay with buying used if that's the smarter option.

I recently got a gig doing some work with my local hockey team, announcing and doing some DJ work for the games. I’ve been using Rekordbox and building a library of tunes, but I come from the radio world. It seems I’ve reached the point where a DJ controller is inevitable. I’ve been looking at the Pioneer DDJ-FLX4. Am I in the right wheelhouse? Any advice would be much appreciated!

It's honestly pissing me off how demanding they were becoming. I was expecting to just play some tunes for their afterparty but turns out they want us bring my partner's full PA setup for their 600 capacity wedding hall and stay there for 8+ hours excluding the setup and teardown. Then asked us to dish out ~$600 in Uber rides and transport all the equipment ourselves knowing we don't have a vehicle. My said friend figured the trasportation part out somehow but I'm not happy with the overall entitlement at all so far. But unfortunately I've already ignored too many red flags and it's bit too late for me to back out now.

What are some of things I should be discussing with them prior? I feel like I got screwed over because I didn't confirm how long I'm expected to be there and now they want me to stay until 12AM for the takedown. At the moment I'm trying to confirm the overall timetable for the day so I can figure out how many songs I need to prep for each occasion etc. I'm also feeling like I really should've came up with a contract of some sorts considering the several grand of equipments like the PA speakers and my XDJ but I'm bit lost on where to even start.

I apologize for the shitty writing just a bit too overwhelmes right now. Honestly if anyone could give any advices in general please I would really appreciate it. Thanks everyone.

I was thinking on getting back into djing and looked what was available entry level wise and saw 2 options which spoke to me: the Traktor mx2 and the flx4 which you all probably know.

both devices cost roughly the same.
the mx2 seems like the better value proposition for me like way better than the flx4. not only you get the pro software Traktor 4 for free, the features of the device itself speak for themselves. the only downside is I heard that pioneer seems to be more of a standard in clubs so you won’t have the muscle memory needed if the opportunity arrives to work somewhere where you can’t bring your own gear.

what do you guys think? i like everything I saw about the mx2 and it seems like a more fun device to me which I think is important to consider. but I also don’t want to learn something if the system will be useless to me later down the line. sure the djing basics are essentially the same everywhere but still many features are slightly different on both so getting them down to muscle memory is important I think.

the only feature I think would be nice to have on the mx2 is the keyboard feature where you play the cues like a piano. maybe I’m missing something else

thoughts?

Bonjour , je viens ici a la recherche de conseils concernant la manière de traiter les sons .

Ayant récemment changer de contrôleur , j'ai désormais accès a Rekordbox, aux hot cue et bien d'autres choses qui ne nous intéressent pas ici .

En fouillant internet j'ai trouvé que Lexicon DJ était très bon pour analyser, créé les beatgrid , trouver les tonalités et placer les hot cue en mode automatique.

Alors pour les tonalités et les hot cue c'est pas mal (certains sont à améliorer mais sur plusieurs milliers de tracks c'est des dizaines d'heures de gagnées

Mais pour l'analyse du BPM et du beatgrid c'est une catastrophe, j'ai des bpm doublé hors du range ( des morceaux a 150bpm , affiché 150 dans la tracklist mais 300 en lecture avec un beatgrip qui du coup est doublé, les hot cue faux de fait , et c'est très déroutant / désagréable.

J'ai voulu rendre ma vie plus simple et elle est devenue encore plus compliqué que avec l'analyse de RB et ses beatgrid décalé une fois sur trois .

Est ce un problème de paramétrage de lexicon ou juste lexicon est nul et il faut utiliser autre chose ?

Précision importante , toute mes tracks sans exception sont en FLAC , pas de MP3 pourris télécharger depuis youtube

So I’ve been messing around with DJing in my free time, just messing around with jungle, DNB, and Breakcore that’s about it. Im in my local punk scene and one person owned a online radio station, they were looking for more DJs and I randomly joked if they played Jungle, they said no and invited me to do a show, I did and it felt amazing, they wanted me to come back and keep doing it. I currently have two sessions and I’m preparing for the third one now. So, recently someone in my local town was looking for people into DNB music, and I told them about the radio station show, and they invited me to play live! I’ve been wanting to do break into my local scene for awhile, but now the reality is making me nervous, is there any advice on how to do your first gig?

I've recently started DJing (for 3 months) Neurofunk DnB on a Pioneer FLX4 (2 decks), and I'm trying to improve my overall skills.

One thing I'm struggling with is introducing the next track without losing the energy of the current one. Sometimes I feel like I need to load the next track while the current one is still an important part of the mix, which can make the energy drop.

I'm curious how experienced Neurofunk DJs approach this on a 2-deck setup. When do you usually load the next track? How long do you typically keep double drops going? Do you maybe have any other techniques that could help to improve this? Hope anyone understands these questions...

You must have seen those reels where after every 8 beats they transition to next track - kind of to showcase a bunch of tracks in one reel - within a minute

How do you exactly do those transitions that quick?

reference: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY1qRCvRNjl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I'm a newbie to this, I know starter transitions and before anyone judges me for taking this path, my goal is to promote dance music in my locality - DJing is secondary bonus for me. To get some paid gigs. I primarily want to showcase tons of tracks in bite sized format so that people are able to discover tracks - for the love of music.

I’ve given up on trying to play on Lot Radio, they don’t check their Google form anymore and you just have to have a friend with a show to get a slot. I’m looking for smaller but similar quality dj platforms that have solid YouTube or other streaming quality, like Elevator Music, Gas Station FM, etc. Any other DJ platforms you recommend?

Learning how to DJ for fun for my own backyard parties. I have a ddj flx4 and using rekordbox while mixing more reggaeton, afrobeats and Caribbean music.

I am trying to figure out how to mix in key while also phrasing and trying to figure out the best way to set my hot cues. Any advice here?

Hey folks! Noob here with a couple of loop questions for you veterans:

FLX4/rekordbox:

1) I'm wondering why it isn't possible to have more than one active loop on the same track. I've got one loop to intro and another to outro my track. Once I've 'introed' my track and exit the loop, why can't the next/outro loop then become active? (I'm aware I can use a hot cue instead - just genuinely curious if it's a technical limitation of some sort or if there's a reason I'm missing/not thinking of.)

2) Setting a loop is inconsistent: sometimes I'll hit 4 BEAT / EXIT and can use CUE LOOP CALL <> to extend the duration of the loop. Works fine. Sometimes CUE LOOP CALL <> does nothing and I need to every so slightly nudge the jog wheel for the button to work. Any idea why that is?

Thankyouuuu!

Looking at the Rockville xl and a flight case. I’m about 6 ft and don’t want to hunch over all night. Also looking for something like 47 x 24 or larger

Just picked up a white DDJ-FLX4 and I’m completely new to DJing.
I’ve been producing in Ableton Live for a few years and mainly make melodic techno, melodic house, UK garage and a bit of progressive/deep house.
I’m trying to decide whether to invest my time learning Serato or Rekordbox.

A few things about me:

- Ableton Live user (not planning to switch DAWs)
- Mostly interested in mixing electronic music
- I’d eventually like to mix my own tracks with commercial releases
- I currently use Spotify (so I’ll probably need to move to Apple Music or buy tracks)
- No plans to play clubs yet, but I’d like to keep that option open.

For someone in my position, which ecosystem would you recommend and why? Is Rekordbox the better long-term choice because of club-standard Pioneer gear, or is Serato a better experience for beginners?

Would love to hear from anyone who also came from music production before learning to DJ.

There’s a lot to this so bear with me. I’m just starting out to learning to mix. I feel like it’s coming along well so I wanted to start upgrading my set up and future proof.

For context here’s what I have so far:

Controller : ddj flx 4 (Ik Ik the dj epidemic whatever i wanted to start for many years and finally can!)

Pc/ software : desktop and rekordbox
( if i later want to expand and dj for money and side gigs i can get a laptop but im just wanting to be bedroom dj for myself and friends for now )

Audio : my godamn gaming headset….🤦🏻‍♂️

So my issue is I’m djing blind at the moment. Everything I’ve learned is by phrasing, mixing in key, beat matching etc. I’ve yet to be able to use a cue function before allowing the tracks volume to come in on my master mix. So I run into some tracks i actually didn’t want to bring in or the wrong part and yada yada. I want to properly do this now that i have the basics down and am doing well.

Time to upgrade audio:

Stumbled across many resources and audiophile info… i just want to get something that lasts and potentially later help in music production if I start making my own chunes. So 5 inch bookshelf woofer set should be nice.

Get this… was only looking at 5 inch woofer bookshelf speakers and found these bad boys on mega sale: Presonus Eris E7 xt ($140 a monitor) https://a.co/d/0iNZVOa1

So for extra $80 i would have spent on an active passive setup now might turn into a two separate active monitors for a true bi-amp setup.

My issue: i will use the computer for personal use outside of dj mixing. How can I seamlessly connect this setup below:

From flx 4 (when using) : rca to 1/4” into an A/B switch

From pc : 3.5mm to 1/4” into A/B switch

From A/B switch to speakers : a L/R channel for two 1/4’’ cables to each monitor

I’ve been suggested a Mackie Big knob but i don’t need volume control. I just simply want to switch from pc audio to flx4 audio without the hassle of moving cables each time. My volume will be controlled by windows or through master knob on my flx4. The Mackie big knob also has reviews about it darkening sound etc which is odd for it being a passive hardware piece. I don’t want to lose audio quality ( I’m in this deep now gotta keep the quality)

So my question is - how do I set up the cable map above? Without expensive converters, i want a simple interface to switch from a to b and no gimmicks. Or am I overthinking this i have no idea?!

Source: u/That_Random_Kiwi

https://www.reddit.com/r/Beatmatch/comments/1v0dfgk/comment/oykg6x1/

What do you think guys? I just spotted it and I think it's an undervalued comment.

I'm starting to grasp the most basic concepts after purchasing a FLX10 just two weeks ago. I would like to play Techno (dark, hypnotic, raw...) but I think that it's going to be harder than I thought.

But what is driving me mad the most is how to set memory and hot cues.

What are your strategies to set hot & memory cues in Techno?

Hey everyone,

Lately I've been watching a lot of YANAMASTE and Uberkikz sets, and I've really fallen in love with groove techno, I used to mix mostly hard trance, but now I really want to get into this sound and learn how to mix it properly.

Do you have any advice for someone making that switch? I'm interested in everything really—track selection, transitions, building a set, keeping the groove going, BPM, EQ techniques, or anything that's specific to this genre

Sooo I wanna start DJing idk ANYTHING. Is this a good thing to buy lol I saw it at a pawnshop now I’m wanting to start. It’s a Denon dj sc liv4 they want 900**. Is this the right way or can someone point me in the right direction for an absolute beginner please.
I put wrong price I retrd

Hi everyone,
I’m a complete beginner to DJing and I’m looking to buy my first controller. After doing some research, I’ve narrowed it down to these three:
Pioneer DDJ-FLX4
Hercules DJControl Inpulse 300 MK2
Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500
My main goal is to learn the basics, mix for fun at home, and hopefully keep the controller for a few years without feeling the need to upgrade too quickly.
At the moment, I’m using **Serato DJ Lite**, but I’m not tied to it. If another software (Rekordbox, DJuced, etc.) would be a better choice in the long run, I’m completely open to switching.
A few questions:
Which of these three controllers would you recommend for a total beginner, and why?
Is the Inpulse 500 worth the extra money over the 300 MK2?
Is the DDJ-FLX4 really as good as everyone says, or is it mainly because it’s a Pioneer product?
If you were starting from scratch today, which one would you buy?
I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experience. Thanks!

Hello community. I've been djing for around 20 years now. I started with a friend back in my youth, trying out vinyl mixing on his reloop (cant remember which one exactly) and with a bit of a break been digital djing since 2010. The industry keeps moving faster, aiming higher, and constantly pushing forward. But I'm not getting any younger, and over the past few years I've realized that digital DJing doesn't really do much for me anymore. Therefore I'd like to develop and improve my vinyl DJing skills, focusing on mainly Trance, Progressive Trance, and Techno.

In your opinion, what equipment would be the best choice for someone just getting started? I don't need Technics 1210 from the get go, as my budget is also fairly limited. I'll most likely be keeping an eye on the second-hand market as well. At the moment, I'm looking towards a pair of Reloop turntables and a solid 2-channel mixer.

That said, the range of options seems overwhelming, and I'm struggling to understand what really sets models like the Reloop RP-5000 and RP-7000 apart, other than the price tag. From what I've seen, the RP-7000 appears to offer a more robust chassis, higher torque, and additional professional features, but I'm not sure whether those differences actually justify the extra cost for someone who's just getting into vinyl DJing.

I'm also looking for recommendations for a solid 2-channel mixer that doesn't necessarily have to be an Allen & Heath. Ideally, I'd like something with excellent sound quality, reliable phono preamps, and a layout that's enjoyable to mix on without breaking the bank.

Any advice would help me a lot. Maybe some oldschool vinyl djs in here can share their opinions and experience. Thank you!

Not sure if this would be better suited for an audio sub but wanted to get other DJs opinions.

I am starting to get recognized and will most likely be doing house parties soon. I currently have a JBL EON712 and it’s more than enough when I am practicing at my house but I have heard negative posts about it for parties. Before I do my first house party I am thinking of buying a sub and I am torn on if I should buy the matching JBL sub to go with the 712 and eventually get a second set or if I should pivot to different gear to build around.

If I pivot to different gear I am torn that I spent ~$550 on a speaker to not build around it.