D-Jam

I still have my Vestax PCV-275. Doesn’t have the bells/whistles of a Pioneer, but it’s a beast. Metal build and can take punishment…like a weekend outdoor rave with loads of dust flying around.

IMHO with Pioneer you’re mainly paying for the FX and the name. If you’re mainly using the effects in your software like I do, then it seems to be a waste of money.

We are jumping on a tangent here though.

You get what you pay for people.

Believe me, many of those discount spots will simply toss your name into a load of templates they have and hope you pick one. Your logo should be your brand. It should speak of the image, words, and things that come to mind when people see your name. I wrote about this here:

http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2011/05/how-to-succeed-at-djing-marketing/

My logo looks simple, but I wanted it to be that way. I wanted a logo that would work on a deep house flyer, or a trance mix, or whatever. Think about your sound, and where you might be going in the future. Think about the image you want to portray (raver, clubber, hardcore, pretty, fashionable, sexy, funny, strange, etc.) and build an image from that.

Big companies will pay a million dollars easily for a branding and logo. Not telling you to pay the $500, but also don’t short-change yourself and end up with something you’ll be changing in 2-5 years.

I’ll listen at work.

I think DJs can lose their hearing over time. I’ve heard many times about Richie Hawtin slowly losing his hearing…and why he brings his own super-load monitors to gigs.

My only “secret” to protecting my hearing is to take breaks and not expose myself to too much loud noise. When I worked in a club, I would wear ear plugs when I wasn’t DJing. When I spent time blasting my ears, I’d spend an equal amount of time with my ears in peaceful quiet.

I didn’t even really use an iPod or anything until I made the choice to move back into being a hobbyist kind of DJ. At the time I felt I was blasting my ears enough in clubs, I didn’t want to do it 7 days a week.

iTunes would be my choice for “free”.

I use dbPowerAMP Music Converter. Bought it long ago and just can’t let go of it.

Upload your tunes anywhere you can. Allow people to download for free.

Make videos and post them on Youtube. Maybe even try to make them look cool/professional.

That’s a start.

Pretty much what these guys said. I have an analog mixer at home from before I went midi, but I use it when I need to hook up my mic or a turntable to record into the computer.

I think it comes down to your workflow, and if you want to use Remix Decks or not. I still believe the next Maschine will have HID. I can’t imagine NI not doing it.

I’m still very neophyte in production, but I found I really don’t use midi controls when I produce. Midi controls are great for live performance, but too often when I’m just at home on my computer it’s all mouse and keyboard. Bear that in mind if you’re thinking the Maschine will be your control on some music production route. It’s pointless if you find yourself using it less and less for that.

I bought an APC40 a while back. Ended up selling it because of this. I found I really didn’t use it in production. So think about all this from a LIVE PERFORMANCE viewpoint. If you think you won’t use the full power of the Remix Decks, then go Maschine. If not, then two F-1s.