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DJ Equipment - DJ Software Reviews and Price Guide:If you have left the house in the last 10 years then you have certainly seen a DJ at some point in time (maybe a wedding, party, club, restaurant, etc.). Most people hire a DJ to play music in a live environment, usually the music is sampled (by mixing together other pre-recorded music) and ocassionally you will find a DJ who writes and records their own tracks (mp3s, midi files). Hiring a DJ is great for most social events and parties because they can play a wide range of music (house, dance, rock, rap, etc.) that is sure to entertain your guests. To get a live band to play an event is usually going to cost between $500 and $1000, although it really depends on what city you live in and how long you want their services for. "DJ" is short for disc jockey, but nowadays nobody thinks of a disc jockey like they did years ago when you would picture a guy at a radio station playing music and taking phone calls. We found that in most cities across the country you easily find a quality DJ for under $500 to show up and play (or spin records). I personally would rather have a band play than a DJ because I love live music and the big sound of guitar, drums, and a cool singer. If you want to become a DJ and hope to have a career in the business just be aware that it's very competitive and unless you live in Vegas or Los Angeles (some big city) it can be very difficult to find consistent paying gigs. We reviewed most of the equipment that you will need to get started being a DJ and hopefully our research will save you some time and frustration.
Buy DJ Equipment - DJ Mixers / DJ Turntable:Before you can consider yourself a "Professional DJ", you had better make sure you have the right equipment (mixer, turntable, software, music, mics, speakers, stands, etc. A great piece of gear to start with is to find the right mixer that will be sufficient to handle your live gigs or recording sessions. Some of the big name brands that makes DJ mixers are Mackie, Gemini, Stanton, Technics, and Urei. We found a great Numark CM200 DJ Mixer for sale at Samash.com for only $249.00 that can help any beginning DJ (or even a seasoned pro). This mixer comes with 5 channels plus DJ Mic control and 10 lines input along with a 3-band EQ on every channel. The CM200 is perfect for any DJ who is starting out and does not want to spend too much money on their gear in case you plan to upgrade soon. The next thing you are going to need is a good turntable so that you can make the party a real party. The "Stanton T 50 Belt Drive Turntable" is a perfect entry-level turntable that features skip-resistant straight tone arm, two start/stop switches, a pitch control slider and removable target light. Plays at a speed of 33 of 45 RPM and according to the consumer reviews this turntable is durable and reliable for only $99.00. If you can afford it you should try to purchase a CD Deck/Mixer Combo which will really set your DJ equipment apart from a true beginner. Stanton makes a nice mixer combo that we found at Samash.com for only $299.00. The Stanton CM203 CD Deck Mixer Combo is perfect for gigs in clubs, bars, parties, basically anywhere that requires you to be mobile. Comes with dual top loading CD players and built-in line inputs for your iPod along with other portable media devices. We didn't find a lot of customer feedback on this specific product, but Stanton is known for it's quality so I'd recommend you check out combo unit.Download DJ Software - Buy DJ Software :DJ Software and mixing gear can get expensive so you should shop around before you decide on what you are going to purchase. There is some DJ software that you can download for free online, but if you want reliable high quality software then you would be smart to buy it. We found a decent website that offers free dj mix software for download at newfreedownloads.com/find/dj-software.html where you can find virtual dj software, dj mixer software, and many more free downloads. Having software is essential if you want to become a decent DJ so look for software by one of the following companies, Rane, Numark, Native Instruments, and M-Audio. Good DJ software will cost you between $80 and $300 (you can find dj software for under $75 but it's worth spending the extra $). We reviewed 3 of the better DJ software programs on the market below. 1. Rane Serato Scratch Live Software Solution - great hardware and software solution for bringing together the analog and digital computer world, lets you scratch or mix files from your Mac or PC, so many features to list but requirements are: Mac: G4-500 / OS X 10.2.8 / 256MB RAM or PC: P3-700 / Windows XP / 256MB RAM - $539.00. 2. Native Instruments Traktor DJ Studio 3 DJ Software - great for clubs and parties, software for live mixing and production with an integrated 4-channel club mixer that's highly flexible, integrated access to the Beatport Online Music Store allowing you to listen to music and download right into your system, minimum requirements for Mac OS 10.3.9, G4 1.5 GHz, 512 MB RAM - Windows XP SP 2, Pentium III/ Athlon 1 GHz, 512 RAM - sells for $199.99. 3. M-Audio Conectiv 4 x 4 Torq DJ Software - M Audio is known for their high quality and this product lets you work with Cubase, Protools, and Logic, 16 bit rate and 4 channel recording options, compatible with Mac and Windows and has 4 x 4 USB 1.1 audio interface with 16-bit/48kHz fidelity - $249.00. Talk to some other DJs and find out what software they use before you spend your hard earned cash. You can find all the deals above at samash.com
Hire a Professional DJ - Find a Mobile DJ Service:Do you need to find a DJ for your wedding or birthday party? Years ago most people would simply hire a live band to play at their wedding (events), but nowadays a lot of people are discovering that buy hiring a DJ you can save some money. I live in Las Vegas where you can find DJ services from about $250 and up. Of course it depends on what event you are hiring them for and what kind of preperation is going to be needed on their part. Craigslist.org or Gigmasters.com is a great place to start your search for a DJ although there are a few things you should consider when hiring somebody. 1. Plan ahead at least 3 weeks in advance to ensure you can find somebody. 2. Get a written contract so that you have a legal arrangement and know what the cost will be. 3. Ask for a few references. 4. Try to meet face to face just to make sure you get along and get a good vibe. Nowadays all DJs are mobile because they can literally fit their equipment in a bag (or at least a little travel cart), but you definitely want to supply the DJ with all the details you can to make sure your event goes over well.
DJ Speakers and DJ Accessories:Are you in the market to buy some DJ Speakers? Maybe you need to buy a new gig bag to carry your equipment. Some of the big name speakers in the DJ world are Peavey, Yamaha, Pulsar, and Phillips. You can easily spend upwards of $1,000 if you want to on some great dj speakers, but we recommend checking out some of the lower priced models. Peavey makes some great speakers for under $400 that we found online at samedaymusic.com. They carry the "Peavey PV115 STAGE SPEAKER" which has 2-way trapezoidal sound and a 15 inch voice woofer, the speaker also features 400 watts program, 800 watts peak and weighs 53lbs. Another great DJ speaker by Peavey is "Peavey DJS 5 2-WAY 15" DJ Speaker" that sells for $368.00 online. These speakers come with: 15" Scorpion Plus woofer, trapezoid shaped enclosure, Kevlar impregnated cone and an RX 22 compression driver, and a built-in standmount adapter. Both of these speakers received great customer feedback. If you need to buy a DJ equipment bag then be prepared to spend about $45 for a decent bag that will be able to handle your headphones, cables, microphones, cds, etc. Burton and The North Face make some great bags for under $70. Another popular item is DJ lighting which is an important part of any show, especially if you have a gig in doors and need to set the right party mood. Check out the "Festive Lighting Package" by American DJ for only $99.00. It comes standard with strobe light, color ball, continuous color spinning mini light and works well with a fog machine.
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