tom cryonicangel

15″ with Intel i5 is fine and will run without problems with the actual VDJ and other DJ software and it is powerful enough to run any DJ software in the next 3-5 years.  AMD should work, but most people are using Intel – more power for the same money.

4GB RAM is enough, 8GB is nice to have.

HDD is fine, SSD makes it faster and is better for transport. Some people change the DVD/BluRay for a caddy with a second HDD.

GPU – if you dont want to play or do VJing, any onboard GPU will be fine.

Everything else depends on the model, some laptops are just great, other have weak spots.

4x USB is nice to have.

I have a Lenovo N581 with 2,3GHz i5 Ivy Bridge CPU and Intel GPU, 8GB RAM and SSD+HDD. Works fine, is cheap enough (OK, SSD + RAM upgrade was not so cheap) and it works great.

Ultrabooks & Netbooks are too slow and not worth the money – you lose some weight and you pay for it.

Resolution – as high as you can get it. FullHD is nice. VDJ has skins and is looking fine on small resolution, other software like Traktor dont scale down and dont show anything on the display if the resolution is too low.

This small controllers are designed for a modular setup (mostly), so you can combine 2-5 of them, do your own mapping and use it. Its going more into the production & live remixing way.

The standarts are even higher – try to get a nice controller, not too expensive and good enough – there are so many of them – if the unit is bad, it will not sell at all.

The software is pretty good today, you can do anything what you want with the music (if you want) – its just an option. You can still get your vinyl or DVS and go your oldschool way.

I´m happy about the options today.

Serato, even Intro is nice. Its plug&play. You dont have to deal with audio routing, mapping and other things (but you can if you upgrade to Serato DJ). And Serato DJ is powerful like Traktor – the full version allow you to do almost the same stuff – more than a usual techno DJ usually use.

And having the option to use stuff like remix decks, up to 8 hotcues and other stuff that is not avaliable for vinyl DJs – its great, if you dont need it – turn it off. You can run Traktor in basic mode with 2 decks, no hotcues, disable anything that you dont need (you can turn off almost anything) and use it.

I dont know how the jogwheels are on the newer pioneer gear, but they should be fine.

Find a shop with all this stuff and test it. This will be the best.

And Traktor is always an option. It works with any controller on the market, if needed.

All of this can help. I got my first gig in my main club where i was well known (already had some radioDJ expirience). And further gigs were in the same location, after this i asked for a gig in other clubs where i was once every month or 2. Connections = anything. Speak with other DJs – that can help too. I got like 5 or 6 gigs just because other DJs were sick or got a gig but they already had one somewhere else.

The best way is just to do social work and start uploading mixes and get the connection to the right people (other DJs, event manager) – you can ask them, write them online with a link to your soundclound etc. Ask for warm-up slot, like 2 hours. Stay till the end of the night, so you can meet all the people who work in the club after they had a good night – its usually a great time to ask them quick.

Its definetly helpful when you know the club, the gear and the crowd there (here in Germany its extreme – 100km and people run away from tracks that usually works great).

Keep it going and dont think about it too much – just try to get a gig. You will get a chance – and if you are good, it will be soon.

Same here. DJing is all about working hardware and stability.

Anything can crash or break during a set, this is why the old technics became popular – it was just working. Any time.

There are already some nice wireless toys like the Numark Orbit, but i would never use the main audio source over internet or a wireless device. Numark Orbit is only a controller, no audio interface – even if it lose connection or shut down, you will still have music playing and a working software (mouse/touchpad & keyboard shortcuts are working, maybe a second controller).

Try to avoid additional stuff that can break, keep it easy.

I know many DJs who are still using Traktor Pro 1.2.x just because its working with their hardware and its stable.

And have a backup any time – last gig my traktor software got a problem (freeze, but the track was running) – so i got enough time to switch my controller to analog input and use it, while restarting the software). That saved my butt – nobody noticed a break, just me going crazy in the booth.

Yeah its getting better. DJ Software is not so expensive anymore (remeber the NI sale?).

Music is cheaper too – so many free tracks (legally downloadable from the musician itself),  nice online shops that allow you to buy any track or if you like it – a sampler or a whole album (and an older sampler is a great way to save some money ~10€ for 45 tracks is amazing – found some on amazon).

And dont forget the promotion, promo-pools. With all the digital stuff, huge bandwith and almost unlimited traffic its easy to get a huge mp3-database to many DJs without a lot of money. That is not only a way to save some money, its a great way to get some unique and interesting tracks – most of them are not avaliable on beatport&co.

That will make your set a bit more different because you dont play the top100 that any DJ has nowadays..

I have it – got it on the release day in Germany – even took a 100km ride to see this baby in the shop.

Same here, working with the Traktor Pro 2.6.6 without problems.

Its looking pretty bad (took a beating in all the time – plastic VS solid metal mixer > mixer wins) but anything is working great.

Hotcues – i have a Novation Launchpad for some extra button power.

Custom mapping inc. 8x hotcues (deck 1&2), 8x instant loop, kill EQ, moving grid on the fly and some other things. Thats all what is missing on the N4.

The integrated mixer and XLR outputs saved me more than once (clubmixer died… master down, plug the XLR in and you are ready to go).

But yeah this controller is not so popular, compared to other Numark controllers.  But specially for mobile DJs this is a great and cheap unit, the only controller that is in the same price range and can offer all the features is the VMS4.1 – and its really heavy and the older version had many problems.

I will keep it, but really wanna upgrade.. Still waiting for the NS6 MkII – that will be amazing.. Metal body, better soundcard and jogs and all the missing buttons & functions.

Numark is amazing, they have so much great hardware out there – from cheap units like Mixtrack and the M6 mixer to the amazing NS7 & NS7 MKII (damn expensive and really heavy.. but just amazing).

Maybe i will grab the NS7 MkII if i can found one used (the unit it built like a tank, so i have no fear of buying it second hand) with a case.