DJ - Buying Your Equipment

After reading this guide you should have all the knowledge to go shopping and buy some decent kit for a decent price.

I can't stress how much i love the quote "try everything in life once" but on that note this certainly applies when buying a new soundsytem

- Introduction
II - Test Driving Gear
III - Buying Second Hand
IV - Buying New
V - Final Note

I - This can be a very long and tiring process or it can be a very fast spur of the moment process but from feedback i've recieved and first hand experience, searching behind the big flashing banner saying 'new!' I've managed to pick up some bargains, just buy the best kit you can afford, but take your time and don't get stressed out if your mate's gear is better than yours, doesn't mean he's a better Dj! :]

II - What i did and i recommend you try is to knock up each of your DJ friends and finagle your way onto their gear for a nice long test run. If you don't feel you know enough even to try it on, ask your mate to take you through the paces so you can check it out at close range. Once you have exhausted your supply of geared up pals, get on down to the music shop and work your way through the range from the bottom upwards. Of course it helps to actually buy something when trying to get enthusiastic help from staff but, even if you buy nothing, there is no harm in trying.

III - The best trick, however, is not to buy anything from any shop at any time. Provided you are not in too much of a hurry and are willing to read a thousand small ads in a dozen newspapers, as well as trawl another thousand pages on a hundred websites, a brilliant system can be purchased very cheaply. when buying second-hand there is always the danger that things are not always what they seem but, so long as you don't pay too much for any one item, the risks are low. As a rule, you should never buy anything that you can't turn on and try out beforehand. Naturally you should check that all the faders slide and all the knobs and wheels turn smoothly and don't crackle, and that the backs and bottoms don't look too worn. Try not to be put off by dirty metal, however, as a quick wipe with a damp rag can do wonders - and use "rubbing alcohol" (aka "isopropyl) rather than water, because in small quantaties it evaporates instantly and won't harm electronic gear.

IV - Free Stuff Plox? - If money is no object (and pigs could fly - two bad jokes in 5 seconds, is that a record?), buying new is certainly the best and my favourite option. One of the many benefits is, you can take it back if you find it doesn't work or are unhappy with the product. You are also more likely to get a later model and, conveniently, all the proper manuals to read when you have trouble sleeping, saving you searching high and low on the internet for a user manual. Wherever you end up shopping, be sure to take your time, look for special sales and always ask in every shop if they have a sale coming on soon or have just had one (It doesn't make you look cheap, it makes you wise). Plan carefully, and don't let anyone talk you out of following your plan or into making a rash decision. With a bit of luck - or, erm, maybe with quite a lot of luck ^^ - this could be the Dream Gear that you treasure for the rest of your life.

V - I wish you all the best of luck in finding the right equipment for you, i've recently purchased the 'M-Audio Torq Xponent' - I brought it new and it's one of the best purchases i've made in any area of shopping.[/COLOR]​

Final Advice - I find it very beneficial to read the manuals of my equipment, i recommend you try it if you haven't already(Warning it might damage pride) - it may be slow going and initially seem like a waste of time but you only have to read it once and then you'll have it somewhere in your Dj brain forever. Besides, every machine will have some quirk or special feature worth knowing.

Thanks, please rate and give me some feedback and if there's any Djs out here on sythe, drop me a pm


- My Xponent

 

bump

 

Rate/Hate?

 

Hey, just be a online Dj, on fansites. Im one add me on my msn how to get started, all you need is pc microphone ( or built in) and a bit of music And the internet!