Things needed for Digital DJing

Welcome Mayahari,

I would start here. This was an article from the site titled “5 Tips For DJing With Just A Laptop”
http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2011/11/djing-with-just-a-laptop/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+digitaldjtips+%28Digital+DJ+Tips%29

There are some alternative, free, softwares listed you may want to download/try also.

Yes, you can beatmatch without a controller as there are virtual pitch faders on the screen you can drag up and down with your mouse although not as easy as using an external device.

Yes, most (if not all) controllers include a mixer section.

Many controlers has built in soundcard why it might not be a good thing to get the Traktor Audio Interface 6
before you know what controller to get….

Hello there! I just wanted to say also look into downloading Audactiy. Its a great tool for editing the mixes that you do. I know you mentioned Ableton which does this also, but I find Audactiy a little more simple and great for just basic editing.

I didn’t understand the setup you described at the beggining (Audio 6, Ableton and Traktor). But if you’re starting I would definitely reccomend a controller to get the hang of mixing and then buy ableton and all that gear like the Akai APC40 which is one of my favorites btw. If you have a laptop then you’re done, to begin you only need the controller, a laptop and some headphones, possibly a audio interface depending on the controller you buy, most now a days come with the audio interface included. I agree with DJ Hane K about the Numark N4. Ableton is for making music, if that’s what you want, I would reccomend saving more money since you said your money is tight. You don’t wanna start bad believe me. You should make a list of what you want, get a price, and save that amount of money.

Forget Ableton for the moment. Trust me I want a lot of things, including Ableton, but that’s not what I need. There is a big difference. Numark N4 is released in January I think, you’re very confused for when it comes to this… You should ask someone to explain it slowly with details.

Okay, um… So you say you want to learn the ‘art of DJing’. Others may disagree with me, but I would definitely say that Ableton Live is NOT the best way to start learning – as I said before, it’s really geared more towards music production and as such, has tons and tons of features that will confuse you and get in the way of actually learning how to mix tunes together.

Here’s what I’d suggest:

Step 1. watch this video:

[media=youtube]IIt0ola2HOQ[/media]

Step 2. watch all the other videos by ellaskins – for easy access go to http://www.djtutor.com/tutor/ellaskins/
Step 3. get something to practice on – be it your dad’s old turntables, a couple of 2nd hand CDJs and a mixer, or a digital controller such as the Numark N4 (which, at least here in Europe, is already out and shipping)
Step 4. Practice.
Step 5. Repeat step 4.

Then, after you’ve got the hang of maintaining a decent mix, and maybe with a few gigs under your belt, dig out the Ableton Live box you’ve ordered and start playing around with that – this way, the tons of features offered by ableton may not seem as confusing and intimidating anymore.

I hate to be harsh here, but I really, truly and honestly believe that Ableton will mostly likely only get in the way of you learning how to DJ, seeing how confused you seem to be about the whole thing. I mean no disrespect, just the opposite, I think it’s great that you want to learn to DJ, but trust me – learn to walk before you try to learn how to breakdance!