Perhaps there's been a thread like this before but I'm just curious to find out which one of you guys is into DJ'ing?
I just started out last week with a Pioneer DDJ400 and slowly getting the hang of it. Nothing fancy yet, just trying some smooth beat syncs (not the automated beat syncs off course), loops and mixing techniques. I'm having a lot of fun, that's for sure. But the next step should be a good improvised dj booth in my living room or bedroom because I now suffer from back and arm pain because of bending too much downwards to my kitchen table.
I spun for the better part of a decade here in the states, quit few years ago due to life/career/etc. Can give you some basic tips.
Raise your decks and mixer up higher, you shouldn't need to bend over to do much when you're playing. I had mine almost chest high, definitely saves the back.
Practice beat matching using the same song on both decks. Set the pitch on both decks to 0 and make sure you choose a track without vocals (i'd recommend a 4x4 track as it'll be simpler as well). Practice beat matching over and over until you can match thee two tracks up without any effort. Then start moving to other tracks.
If you haven't already, start learning to count beats in your head. Basic 32 count, 4, etc. I'm sure there's lots of vids on how to do this online. I learned all this years ago, so unfortunately I don't have a reference for you. This will become instinctive over time and you'll do it without thinking. this is absolutely a MUST as it's how you get in and out of tracks when you're playing.
If you have some friends who play, get together with them and have them show you some stuff. it's much easier to learn hands on with someone else than all alone.
Practice, practice, practice. shoot for a goal to play for an hour a day. If you can play through external speakers, mix in your headphones. It's about the practice, not the sound. If you can, get a decent set of external speakers. you don't need to blow a bunch of money here, a decent set shouldn't cost more than a $150.
Best of luck!! I loved playing, hope you do too.
