Starting off mixing, need some pointers! - Saxperience

Chris_O · 9th October 2010, 00:13

It's come to the time where i want to start having more fun with my music and not just listening to it. Might sound a bit strange to some people but o well lol.

Main music interets are dnb, uk garage, house, dance etc.

Always had a big love for dnb and is what I grew up with. Would love to be able to do some nice little mixes, about 30 mins long, of some old school flavours, maybe dropping in some recent tunes here and then. Moving fusion, commix, dj krust, digital, andy c, dj die, john b, shimon, bukem, adam f, konflict, nasty habits, etc.

Can anyone give me any pointers of where to start? Bearing in mind all i've ever done in my life is just listen to it, mainly under the influence.

Start with cd decks? or proper decks? I dont know!

Jamb0 · 9th October 2010, 08:42

vinyl ftw

Saxo-SX · 9th October 2010, 13:17

Personally I wouldn't start out by spending £££ on some proper decks, plus the extra costs of buying vinyl.

I'd go for an MP3 system which just plugs into your computer and uses mp3 files. I'd go for something like a Hurcules RMX or Numark Total control (cheaper but requires an external soundcard + less controls).

IMO there perfect for beginners, and you can also advance to something more expensive like CDJs or Vinyl Decks once youv'e got the hang of it.

If you dont want to go down the MP3 route, personally I'd chose CDJ's over Vinyl. Its just so much easier to burn your own music to the discs, rather than having to track down the song and order vinyl (which can become quite expensive too). A lot of DJ's do tend to frown upon CDJ's though.

samjac68 · 9th October 2010, 14:31

like he says above, mixing on computer is a good start and teaches you how everything fits together (i dont even properly understand DNB meself tbh lol)

i mix hardcore, hardstyle and gabba on cdj, if you do get cdjs a good cheap one are the citronic mps3/american audio cdi 300's, ive learnt on them, best budget deck imo

Benji-Westcoast · 9th October 2010, 17:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by samjac68

and like he says above, mixing on computer is a good start and teaches you how everything fits together (i dont even properly understand DNB meself tbh lol)

i mix hardcore, hardstyle and gabba on cdj, if you do get cdjs a good cheap one are the citronic mps3/american audio cdi 300's, ive learnt on them, best budget deck imo

Still using those badboys today, gonna have to upgrade soon but they do the job - perfect for beginners

got some citronic pd45 ultima turntables aswll and i actually prefer then to my 1210 mk 2, and my mates pair of 1210 mk 5 G's. Just so much torque in the citronics and really easy to hold a mix

Carlvtr88 · 10th October 2010, 12:28

I suggest you go on ebay mate, Get yourself a pair of axis 9's for cheap ish.... then take it from there with your cd collection

Dont get vinyl yet until you are confident that you will carry on the interest for a while, Theres no point in forking out 400 on some decks and then a shitload of vinyl and then loosing interest in about 6 months..... From past experience, the amount of people that start djing, call themselves dj's and 6 months down the line cant even be arsed any more. Then sell there decks for half price and just loose out in the end. Main point. Its not a cheap hobby. Ive spent like 3 - 4 grand on music equipment in my studio and im still always eyeing up new products. lol

Pair of axis 9's as i say ( recommended ) and a two channel mixer, Your cables/headphones and your away.

Ryyy · 10th October 2010, 14:48

Vinyl maytee, even if it is just about extinct, mind you Im gonna sell my 1210's soon cos theyre just collecting dust, should fetch atleast £4.50 for 'em.

Depends what you prefer, if you prefer the "artificial route", playing with the tune more but not being able to actually "feel it" then go with some CDJ's, if you need to feel the authenticity and actually feel vinyl under your fingertips (cheesy much?) then 1210's are the ONLY option, no Stanton ST154729108J bullsheeet!

Ive got a few DnB records that have been played like once, literally once.

Anyone interested?

Carlvtr88 · 10th October 2010, 21:15

too be fair mate... agree'd, yeah. technics are industry standard and have been for years, but lots of other turntable manufacturers have caught up and to try and convince a guy that technics are the only option for his 1st set of t-tables.... well its a bit silly....

Chris_O · 10th October 2010, 21:44

Cheers for the replies lads. I think i'll follow most of your advice and get some cd decks. So the citronic mps3's are good to start with?

samjac68 · 11th October 2010, 00:36

yerp, i know loads of people who swear by them, and swear theyre better than pioneer cdj100's, as for a mixer, id go for a better than basic one, the bog standard ones generally have no levels/bass/treble/high etc

Carlvtr88 · 11th October 2010, 10:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris_furio

Cheers for the replies lads. I think i'll follow most of your advice and get some cd decks. So the citronic mps3's are good to start with?

No... do not get Citronic.... should of mentioned this before but they are crap. Jog wheel is terrible. Me and my mate thought it was just the battered studio decks, and maybe a fault on those particular decks but when another friend of ours got some and they were excactly the same, I was appalled.. lol Seriously, they are not very good at all.

As i say mate, about the best budget deck your going to come across is a numark axis 9. Scratch mode, Jog wheel, Only gripe is they dont read mp3 discs but hey i can live with that, at least the touch/ jog wheel is amazingly responsive. Hey even as a beginner you could get a pair of axis 4's.

I may be gettin the models mixed up as to which citronic ones you were going to get But these are the ones that IMHO are shite. http://www.htfr.com/more-info/MR349827

Also as i said in PM, i have an excellent mixer for a beginner / Intermediate DJ... Numark DXM o6. has effects and things, Im selling it in immaculate condition for half price from new. Brand new they're around 160 - 170. Im after 80 quid, got manuals, powercable and everything. Can even bung in a pair of numark DJ headphoned for you that have never been used. Let me know if your interested mate i have pics.

Ryyy · 11th October 2010, 20:08

Worst advice EVVVVAAR.

Numark Axis decks are known amongst every DJ to skip and stutter, even when your CD's are fine...bad CD Decks = Avoid.

Citronic..erm...just avoid them aswell lol, along with Gemini.

Stanton make some top CD Decks, a cheaper alternative to Pioneers, which cost the earth..literally, to be honest matey, if youre serious about DJ'ing invest in some second-hand Technics (vinyl) or possibly some Pioneer CDJ's, and it WILL pay dividends, just remember its a verrryyy expensive hobby, my decks, mixer, amp, speakers, cartridges, vinyl all cost nearly twice as much as my old VTR, and I got bum-raped for that price-wise.

Just be looking out for good deals yes, but dont waste your cash on shitty equipment, and a shitty mixer, oh and for mixers..you'll want a Pioneer or a Denon..nothing else.
You never want to waste your money on shit-decks that youre gonna sell 2 months down the line, cash out ait more and youll enjoy it more.

Carlvtr88 · 12th October 2010, 10:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryyy

Worst advice EVVVVAAR.

Numark Axis decks are known amongst every DJ to skip and stutter, even when your CD's are fine...bad CD Decks = Avoid.

Citronic..erm...just avoid them aswell lol, along with Gemini.

Stanton make some top CD Decks, a cheaper alternative to Pioneers, which cost the earth..literally, to be honest matey, if youre serious about DJ'ing invest in some second-hand Technics (vinyl) or possibly some Pioneer CDJ's, and it WILL pay dividends, just remember its a verrryyy expensive hobby, my decks, mixer, amp, speakers, cartridges, vinyl all cost nearly twice as much as my old VTR, and I got bum-raped for that price-wise.

Just be looking out for good deals yes, but dont waste your cash on shitty equipment, and a shitty mixer, oh and for mixers..you'll want a Pioneer or a Denon..nothing else.
You never want to waste your money on shit-decks that youre gonna sell 2 months down the line, cash out ait more and youll enjoy it more.

Mate i speak from experience.... i have two axis 9s and they have never skipped for me. Also my mate has some that we brought to a club once because some prick never turned up with the pioneers.. and they performed incredibly well. So its not the WORST ADVICE EVARRR at all. You can judge something based on what youve heard. Total tosh !

JamesR^m · 12th October 2010, 10:31

I have Gemini CDJ505s and they have never let me down, not the most advanced CDJs ever buy i love them tbh

Chris_O · 12th October 2010, 17:46

I don't know who to believe now!

Ryyy · 12th October 2010, 19:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlvtr88

Mate i speak from experience.... i have two axis 9s and they have never skipped for me. Also my mate has some that we brought to a club once because some prick never turned up with the pioneers.. and they performed incredibly well. So its not the WORST ADVICE EVARRR at all. You can judge something based on what youve heard. Total tosh !

I'll just simply repeat what every other DJ knows about Axis 4s and 9s:

They skip, stutter and jutter all the time.

You can't (if you really are a DJ), say that the more expensive options out there dont pay dividends and that they won't llast much longer without incident, if you or anybody for that matter thinks that Gemini/Numark/Citronic decks live up to Pioneers or the more expensive decks out there, then you ought to broaden your horizon and wake up!

Period.

Ryyy · 12th October 2010, 20:06

Like I said earlier CHris-Furio, if you're serious about DJing and don't wanna waste your dough, then save up some more coin and buy some worthwhile decks, nobody can argue with that IMO!

Carlvtr88 · 12th October 2010, 22:50

...lol stupid response.... i just actually listened to what the guy asked, AS A DJ STARTING OUT.... I and many other djs i know have used axis 9s and found them to be a very competant cdj. Please remind me at which point i said they were better than a pioneer cdj.... think about it logically, the guys just starting out and your telling him to go buy a pair of pioneers... yeah, great advice that is, considering thats going to be near enough two n half grand on a setup, when, whos to say 6 months down the line he isnt into it any more.... with a good 2nd hand budget deck off ebay, a pair for around 300 squid... it will get him started at little cost..... i dont want to come across as some numark employee or something, cause im not, but the way your slating the axis 9's just tells me maybe you havent used them and just didnt get the concept of the guys question......if he asked for a recommendation for a step up cdj then yeah, pioneers if your willing, but most people i've seen with a pair of pioneers as their first deck dont even know how to use them properly, i rest my case...

Ryyy · 13th October 2010, 11:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlvtr88

...lol stupid response.... i just actually listened to what the guy asked, AS A DJ STARTING OUT.... I and many other djs i know have used axis 9s and found them to be a very competant cdj. Please remind me at which point i said they were better than a pioneer cdj.... think about it logically, the guys just starting out and your telling him to go buy a pair of pioneers... yeah, great advice that is, considering thats going to be near enough two n half grand on a setup, when, whos to say 6 months down the line he isnt into it any more.... with a good 2nd hand budget deck off ebay, a pair for around 300 squid... it will get him started at little cost..... i dont want to come across as some numark employee or something, cause im not, but the way your slating the axis 9's just tells me maybe you havent used them and just didnt get the concept of the guys question......if he asked for a recommendation for a step up cdj then yeah, pioneers if your willing, but most people i've seen with a pair of pioneers as their first deck dont even know how to use them properly, i rest my case...

Aint a stupid response at all mate.

Look, Axis 9's may well be alright with you and others, and yes I aint used them, you may say 'then how the fuck do you know they skip?.... simply because I was 'this' close to buying them and read many a review on the interwebz, and they all said the same thing, they stutter like Gareth Gates buying M'n'M's.

All im saying is, if the lad wants to spend abit on Numarks, then go ahead, but if you come across a problem, any problem for that matter, dont be suprised, Numark arent a HUUGGE name in DJ Equipment..well-known yes, known to be reliable..nuuuuuooo.

Pio's these days, yes, cost the bloody earth and some might argue that theyre not worth the money, but if you (not specifically you lol) bargain-hunt, you could find some 2nd hand Pioneers and you'd be better off with (and ill stick by that forever no matter what ya say), maybe some CDJ800's (Mk2), top decks.

I actually said ' if the lad is serious about DJin' and he wants to get somewhere with it, he's better cashing out abit more for top-quality-decks rather than saving more buying half-hearted turntables, selling them, then going on to the higher-level, because then hes wasted money no?

And as for using them properly, there is always DJ Forums. YouTube, manual, online-manuals/instructions etc, so dont act like if he got them, he wouldnt know what to do with them...if he learnt what to do with them, he then would..logic huh?

Carlvtr88 · 13th October 2010, 12:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryyy

Aint a stupid response at all mate.

Look, Axis 9's may well be alright with you and others, and yes I aint used them, you may say 'then how the fuck do you know they skip?.... simply because I was 'this' close to buying them and read many a review on the interwebz, and they all said the same thing, they stutter like Gareth Gates buying M'n'M's.

All im saying is, if the lad wants to spend abit on Numarks, then go ahead, but if you come across a problem, any problem for that matter, dont be suprised, Numark arent a HUUGGE name in DJ Equipment..well-known yes, known to be reliable..nuuuuuooo.

Pio's these days, yes, cost the bloody earth and some might argue that theyre not worth the money, but if you (not specifically you lol) bargain-hunt, you could find some 2nd hand Pioneers and you'd be better off with (and ill stick by that forever no matter what ya say), maybe some CDJ800's (Mk2), top decks.

I actually said ' if the lad is serious about DJin' and he wants to get somewhere with it, he's better cashing out abit more for top-quality-decks rather than saving more buying half-hearted turntables, selling them, then going on to the higher-level, because then hes wasted money no?

And as for using them properly, there is always DJ Forums. YouTube, manual, online-manuals/instructions etc, so dont act like if he got them, he wouldnt what to do with them...if he learnt what to do with them, he then would..logic huh?

Yes i get your point but even second hand pioneers aint cheap. Also hes just starting out DJing. He clearly made the point that he knows nothing other than listening to music under the influence. Which clearly shows the guy is a beginner so how could he possible know if hes serious about it yet.
A few of my mates thought they were serious a few years back, bought some Decks, used them for 6 months, Got bored and sold them on for buttons, My point being they wasted their money.
Also to recommend him a pioneer mixer as the only option.... Come on mate, Its like starting to drive and going out and buying a bmw m3 as your first car. Granted yes its better and stuff, But what im sayin ( from owning a pair of numarks ) is that they have never faulted on me at all and performed well.

That night my mate took them to the club as a backup, someone spilt a bit of drink on them but they still held up. The crowd were feeling the tunes, Our mixes werent majorly affected as opposed to haveing some pioneers on the table, No skips or jitters as claimed and everyone had a good time. I call that a good CdJ, especially considering the price even new.

Just to add, i have used numerous setups before, In case you though i hadnt used pioneers. Well i have and yes the quality is far superior. Maybe if you can grab your hands on a pair of the lower down pioneers fair enough, that may be worth it but i cant really see you getting anything with a pioneer badge on it for less than 6 - 700. Then you got to think about a mixer. Which also, to say pioneer is the only option in this deparment is definately ludicrous, there are many manufacturers out there making extremely good mixers at extremely good value..... Take for instance the reviews on the behringer ddm 4000. Can be had for as little as £280 brand new. People compare the effects on this unit to those of pioneers. Its feature smothered with two effects processors. Sampler. 4 channel mixer, everything you'd need. Ok yeah might not be as solid as a pioneer ( cause there all about solid quality) but read the reviews on the DDM 4000, I think you'll be surprised. Also if your going to speak about top equipment you forgot to mention allen and heath as a top top mixer. There one of the best on the market, For a price!. But for a beginner to want to pay at least £600 even second hand, i dont think it will happen. All your doing is confusing the guy into thinking he has to have the best equipment going. Which isnt true. IMO its not about Best and Worst. Some decks are built more solid and have more features, Some decks are not as solid, have some bad words spread about them and are immediately classed as shit when ( for a beginner - intermediate DJ ) they will be more than competent for him in his first one or two years Getting into the hobby. Then maybe after yeah, Go for the big boys If hes still as keen as the day he started. Its all about gettin the best he can with the budget hes got.