Hey, let me first introduce myself I’m 17 and about to graduate high school. I was looking for a job that could potentially pay well. And based on my love with partying, music, making people have a good time, and making things original I figured djing and making techno would suit me well while in college. That being said, I absolutely no idea on how to start, what equipment to get on my limited budget of 700 dollars, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Unfortunately, $700 won't get you much. What I might suggest for that price is something non-Pioneer <gasp!>.

Go and get Torq. It's software which gives you 2 virtual decks and a boatload of features. I don't suggest Serato for you (which some would consider a better software app) because you don't have a big budget to spend on controllers -- turntables or CD decks. With Torq you can use any MIDI controller or eventually use audio timecode from a turntable or CD. Use the extra money to get more music or even an inexpensive MIDI controller.

If you've literally never DJ'd, then before you go spending any money at all on software/equipment, why not try some free software like Mixxx - runs on Windows, Mac or Linux. It lacks a few features compared to Torq but all the basic ingredients are there and it will enable you to have a go and assess seriously whether you have an affinity for DJing.

Thanks for the input, what should I be trying to accomplish as an aspireing dj, what are some goals i should set for myself?

The main thing is that you should love doing it. Because realistically you only have an outside chance of making serious money from it, so that shouldn't be your main motivation.

You'll soon know if you love it, long before you're any good at it. That's how it was for me anyway, back when I was mixing between a tape deck and a belt-drive turntable with no speed control other than balancing the lever between 33 and 45...

quote:

Originally posted by djpuzzle:
Thanks for the input, what should I be trying to accomplish as an aspireing dj, what are some goals i should set for myself?

Just like quaestor said, you've got to first figure out if you love music or not. Without being under the influence of some substance either. You have to love music for what it is. If you find yourself picking up a cd off the 3 dollar deal bin because its got some jam that used to be a hit, then thats a plus.

After you figure that out, then its on to beat matching. Read about it, learn it, do it. The rest falls into place after that.

Reading about it is entirely optional. I learned by trying it for myself; I didn't know any other DJs, didn't read any howtos (doubt there *were* any back then), just experimented, and listened to plenty of mixtapes and if I heard something I liked, taught myself how to do it.

puzzle's already says he loves music, which is a good start, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll love DJing -- you won't know that until you try it.

buy a bunch of tracks you like and listen to TONS of mixes from dj's you like.
start there first.