For $500 you cant even get an ipod and good headphones.

For $500 you couldnt even rent a guy with a laptop to play itunes for you at these dances

For $500 you couldnt even buy a ps4 and a dj hero controller

Lmao, True story

@ OP why did you create two threads for this?

serato.com

this should be within your budget

s291.photobucket.com

Back 1992, when I bought my first pair of 1200s, the price of entry (two turntables, a mixer, two cartridges, and headphones) would have been AT LEAST $1000 - and that is in 1992 prices. That's roughly $1700 in today's dollar... and I still haven't even calculated in the cost of buying vinyl.

with only $500, i would just rent equipment for events and save up until you have a budget that will allow you to buy pro equipment.

Get a job with a multi-op in your area and use their gear. Take your $500 and open a Roth IRA or Mutual Fund account. Take the money you make DJing and max out the contributions each year. After that save $5000 and invest in a descent system. By this time you will have experience and a client list and start your own company the right way.

Of and If you don't have a degree get one.

ok so you haven't even started to learn how to mix on any gear, or acquired a library of music, and you plan on "playing small parties" and WEDDINGS?" Get a basic ass controller first. How about that numark platinum mixtrak thing for $300. Go to best buy and buy some 8" powered speakers for $100. Next spend the $20-$25 a month on a decent record pool and fill your hardrive with the proper remixes, clean edits you would need to do a wedding. After all of that, sit in your room/garage for about 1 year practicing and then when you think you're ready to play out at a paying gig...Don't! Now you have to buy actual "professional quality" gear and practice more.

to be fair, small parties and wedding dont really require a dj to mix. plenty of event dj's making good money that dont mix.


but i will agree that you need to have a good music database and have knowledge of what to play and when to play it.

If the Dj I payed $1500 to MC and Dj my wedding in 2012 showed up with a plastic controller and American Dj speaker tops, no lighting, and no basic mixing abilities my wife would not of have given me the post marriage goodies. Detroit your right about wedding djs not having to be a headliner type act, but a lot of couples ask for that night club feel once the older folks leave the party.

True!

Truth be told, I did buy my first Radio Shack (Realistic) mixer from a dude in high school for $60 back in '93. Had to use old tape decks and home stereo until I could get enough money to buy "real stuff."

$500 is not going to get very much these days. Sorry bro. :(

Buy some used PA speakers and good controller with stand alone feature.

I boungh my backup/home speakers second hand and those cost me 50euro, JBL SF-15" passive speakers and poweramp for them 100euro.

I think that u don't have laptop fot dj'ing?? right??

So SCS.4DJ from stanton should do the job, second hand price around 250-300euro
www.stantondj.com

With similiar to those u can start ur gigs and start to save up the money for better eq :)

I can relate. Used to carry the house speakers and used a receiver for an amp using those flemsy speaker wires. And no stands for the speakers. lol. If you turned the receiver up too loud it wouldshut off - dead in the middle of the party. Wait till it cooled off then the party was on again. Started bringing a fan later. lol.

The issue here is that you want to go right out and start doing parties & weddings for pay. You have no experience, no skills, probably little true music knowledge and you want to get some crap equipment & illegally downloaded music and expect to get paid to learn by trial and error while ruining other people's events that are important to them and making all real professional DJs look bad.
I'm all for you wanting to be a DJ if you feel passionate about it. If you really do, then this is the path you should follow.
* Save up another $500 and buy a decent controller or some turntables & mixer & a pair of studio speakers, like the KRK Rokit8s. Plan on playing only at home for a while.
* Find more experienced DJs to hang out with and learn from. How to set up gear, what to play, when to play it, mixing techniques, etc... Offer to carry all their heavy stuff
* If you're planning to do weddings, pick up some books and learn from the Pros who specialize in that field. I don't care much for doing weddings but I spend 25-30 hrs on each one I do, between prep, meetings, load in/out, & performance. They are a lot of work and a the most important day ever for the Bride & Groom - you don't want to not take doing those events seriously. Also go to events like Mobile Beat in Las Vegas if you can - you will learn so much about Weddings & Events and be a huge jump in the quality of services you provide.
* Learn & listen to as much different music as you can. Motown, Rock, R&B, Disco - these are the Genres that have influenced and created the artists of today. Knowing what original song was sampled for the latest banger greatly expands your creativity as a DJ.
* When you are finally ready to perform publicly, rent good gear until you can afford to buy good gear. Good gear doesn't have to be new, you are better off with a pair of 15 year old EVs than a new pair of ADJ $200.00 speakers.
* DJing should never be about the money - if you are good than you will make money but true passionate DJs are usually never really "banking it" as money is always being put back into what you do - new gear, better gear, new music, conventions & learning, etc... I average over $100/month on new music and anywhere from $2k-20k a year on gear.

What music knowledge do you need to do a wedding?most i have been to its just popular mainstream music where the majority in attendance like that kind of thing,the guy is not auditioning to be on mastermind where his specialist subject is obscure russian folk music..anyway this thread is most likely one of the usual suspects on here..lol..at all the serious replys....all you ever needed in the uk to be a wedding dj over the last 30 years is to say "every kind of music for every kind of people" every ten minutes..lol..play hi ho fooking silver lining..come on eileen ,uptown funk..bit of motown,,elvis party tunes...good money if you can get it though...

Depends on the wedding I suppose, I have seen weddings like you described but also seen weddings where the bride and groom wanted a more club like experience. Hell people are getting married at EDC these days, they have a chapel and everything just for this purpose.

Watchwww.youtube.com

yeah i've been to wedding receptions where the music was specialist..but i think thats quite rare for in the uk ..most are mainstream affairs..not taking into account cultural weddings..because they have their own music.own people..so i dont think you need a good knowledge of music..just have to know what is popular..

I think having at least some knowledge about music is important no matter what type of music you play when trying to DJ, but were all assuming the OP has no knowledge which might be the furthest thing from the truth.

It might be different in the UK but over here the DJ pretty much runs the wedding reception so knowledge of procedures, timelines, protocols are important. As far as music goes, the OP sounds young but may not be but a lot of people do not have knowledge of the variety of music you usually play at a wedding. Motown, 50s-60s, line dances, timeless ballads, Rock, Disco, proper dinner music, etc... OP says he wants to start DJing and wants a full setup to do events for $500.00 My post was to put some true thought to what he wants to do. DJing someone's frat party? OK, go for it with whatever gear you can grab. Someone's wedding? Chances are he'll do poorly at something of that magnitude with no experience and bad equipment, possibly ruining their big day and making all DJs look worse in the process. There's already plenty of "DJ's" out there doing crappy work with crappy equipment, forums like this are supposed to be here to help and guide people to raise their own standards and do better than that.

things are very different by the sounds of in the us, compared to the uk. i've never seen the dj during the meal..all he does is come in the evening set up and play till it done..trust me if you grew up in the uk and been to enough weddings..even if you a new dj in your 20s you would know what to play,for an older crowd and the younger crowd..mainstream hits..you dont hear no obscure tracks at a uk wedding..unless it some niche wedding..so yeah i still say in the uk you dont need much music knowledge,,to be honest its the same for club djs who only play the top rotation tracks and chart hits..no difference to them and mobile wedding djs its all coming from a populist angle

Hey you guys thanks for all the replies! I was just wondering if I could stay under the budget just to see if there was any cheap equipment that also worked really well. I want to start Djing because I did DJ a wedding last week with my MacBook however I only charged $25 an hour because it wasn't a really big wedding and all I really did was DJ the afterparty and pick the songs that would come next. Im only 16 and there isn't anyone in our area that DJ's so thats why I really wanted to start but I have been looking at the Pioneer DDJ-SB2 controller and was wondering if there was any speakers that were cheap but had great quality, I'd be typically DJing my high school proms and stuff where only like 100 people show up and its indoors.

Not hating on your hustle at all but it's the undercutting mentality that's the issue in the DJ game today. You get what you pay for.

25$ an hour?what kind of bloody wedding was that.loool..now you going to far with the wind up..lol

It was a cheap country themed wedding and I charged that low because I wasn't sure exactly what I was doing and had no equipment besides 2 speakers that my school owned and let me borrow, it was my first gig.

Ive been djing professionally for 10+ years and I still have absolutely no idea what dinner music is

Watchwww.youtube.com

Dinner music is all the music you like, but would never dance to. My line up usually has some U2, Muse, Def Leppard, No Doubt, Prince, and a ton of other gems for about 45 minutes. Stuff people know, but won't fill a dance floor. Then there's always the "Frank Sinatra style" or Big Band requests. Those typically suck because people only want to hear 2 of those songs, then the bride always comes up and says - "can you play something else?" even after she's the one who originally picked it!

Hey man, $25 an hour is definitely dirt cheap, but he gets paid $250 for the night... he's already earned another half his allotted budget!!! :)

The way you learn how to play without a mentor is the way this guy is doing it. Low profile/stress/paying gigs. Not every event is a ready for tv production. Weddings are not always the grandiose event entertainment companies are trying to up sell.

OP, here's some sage advice, equipment has little to do with the quality of an event. Spend less time asking for gear advice on a Dj forum and more time studying the craft (programming, reading the crowd, mixing, MCing)

There is no toy gear, only toy DJs.

Good luck and get learning.

yeah, you have to start somewhere. if you are an amateur, then there's no way you can charge the prices of a pro dj.

and let's face it, most people in lower middle class neighborhoods aren't going to spend $100+ on a wedding dj.

the smart thing to do is promote to the wealthier market, that way you can earn top dollar.

But the point is if you are that new you shouldn't be doing weddings and proms - your inexperience and crappy equipment will result in a sub par event, much better left to others who have put the time/effort & money to do it properly. Throw your own parties, work for someone one else who is more experienced. No other DJs around? I'd find that hard to believe these days. Not trying to put this kid down, just teach him the right direction to go in if he really wants to do this. Time for him to learn that you can't have instant gratification for everything - some things you have to work for and put in time/effort/money/dedication. You don't have to roll into every gig with a $15k sound/light system but you should understand why you would want to and put forth effort to have the best gear you can come up with. Doing a prom with $500 in equipment would be a terrible prom, even if you play the best playlist ever. Paying someone who's more experienced than you to assist/teach, renting $200.00 worth of subs & tops, while charging $500 might leave you with a $100 bucks but you would have gained knowledge & experience while also putting on an event that sounds good and run properly. FYI, an average prom, even for 100 kids, should have 2-4 subs and 2-4 tops, depending on the size of the room and number of people attending, plus lighting, speaker & lighting stands, cables, microphone, etc... it all adds up very quickly. On average, I roll with around $6-7k in gear for my smaller mobile events and over $15k for larger ones - and that is without any real high end lighting, trusswork or video.

i agree with you about the prom part. but i'm sure he's not going to be doing any high end weddings. probably some lower budget wedding receptions of people in his immediate cirlcle... i mean i could be wrong. but i dont see any problem getting experience doing smaller weddings for people with a limited budget who wouldn't be hiring a $100+/hr dj in the first place.

Damn y'all guys are heartless. Go buy a used controller off of eBay for $350-$400 (possibly NS7). You can't afford speakers with your budget but honestly you're a year or two away from djing anything public much less a wedding so that will give you time to save while you practice

I personally would get used speakers first with his budget and not get a controller until he get's more money. I've seen a few DJs playing small gigs with just the laptop and a set of speakers. Try to find a good set of used Yamaha dxr15s and you can ride those without a sub for smaller stuff. You don't have to wait a year or two to start DJing, but you should start with small parties and such before you move to important gigs like a wedding. I did several events for friends before I started "going pro". It builds your confidence and you learn how to make playlists and use your software of choice properly. Learning to read your audience and understand how to build a good playlist should come first.

Remix is right on this one. Contrary to popular belief on here there is a thriving market of dumpster people out there who need djs for things like weddings who A) will never have the money for a "real" dj and B) dont give a shit about any detail other tjan having a guy there to play a song. When i was just starting out a friend of a friend hit me up and asked me to dj their wedding. I told them no for 2 reasons 1) i didnt have what i thought was the right equipment for that kind of "event" and 2) ....they were only offering like $50 for the gig. At the end of the day they had a guy show up with an ipod and what was basically a boombox type house speaker and they were happy as hell.

i'd recommend getting a decent cheap controller, and keep borrowing those speakers, save up enough money to get your own speakers then keep building up from there. Do your research, practice a lot, ALOT. Focus on quality and really do research on your target audience whether its for a school or wedding. You can find a lot of helpful videos on youtube.

Good luck.

pass the event to the pro (they are pro for a reason)

get out - hang out with djs in their events
(wedding, bar, club, etc)

practice with djs in your area (jam session, battle contest, etc)

get used equipment for practice at home (craigslist, ebay, etc)

build song collection (subscribe to record pool - quality vs quantity)

practice more

rent equipment

do the gig when ready ( $$$ should be last - you reap what you sow)

yup

I used to think that I provided a professional DJ service at weddings... lights, good stereo, mixing talent, and music knowledge. But the more I read these posts, I wonder if I'm trying too hard?!? LOL

You're going over and beyond expectations. LOL

My best advise, if in an area popular enough, get yourself a job (it's now coming into season) with a company that does bar/bat mitzvahs. You can use their equipment and, with seemingly endless ambition, show them you can save up to buy equipment through their sources. In the meantime, while you're working [hopefully] every weekend, you'll have an MC with you who will undoubtedly "know what to play." You use this knowledge and experience while you're working the job over time, and you'll begin to show the MC you can make on-the-fly decisions. To him or her, that's a godsend--not having to come back up to the DJ every song. Through this learning period, you'll interact with hosts and guests and their feedback will reinforce your learnings. This should propel you to continue to save until you get to the point where you can afford the equipment, but when you get there, you'll already have bolstered up your "throwing a party" dj skills. Another reason I suggest bar/bat mitzvahs is because you'll wind up having to DJ every type of room/crowd. What I mean by this is that you'll DJ classic's to open the party and get the adults dancing, but you'll most definitely be able to throw in a club-type mix for a few minutes for the kids sometime during the party. Be smart and pay attention to the MC so you pick up a few pointers as far as being on the mic.

Once I realized I liked playing in Deckadance, I was lucky enough to find a job doing just what I mentioned. I worked that job every saturday, sometimes sundays, and towards april/may school/corporate parties, for fix years. The knowledge I gained through just being the DJ in the background has proven to be priceless.

I never once stepped into a college party to DJ, never thought to even get near a club, I was so focused on every Saturday. I used to amaze myself by throwing just as good of a party during the day as I could at night.

Different from clubs, no feeling will ever replace the feeling you'd get hitting play when that door opened up. Knowing how many behind the scenes people contributed to that door opening up, and yet I'm this 19 year old DJ hoping that the play button works. Just a cool feeling every single time!

Lol i try to tell this to djs all time. Ill talk to guys who show up to events with half the lights and sound from EDC and break their ass setting up and tearing down ect ect. Then when we'rw chatting it up later theyll be telling me how vital it is and like have you TRIED NOT doing that. Because i dont do that and we got paid the same. Most people dont know the difference

Yeah, I've never even brought lights (not that I don't have them) to a wedding/Reception. My friends do though. Lots of lights. Yet a lot of my gigs I get through word of mouth from these weddings without the whole shabang. I thought about investing in all those lights my friends have then was like, f*ck it. If they want a banquet hall full of lights let the organizer handle that.

Way to crush my dreams guys - thanks. :(

If it get crushed this easily, then blame on u :/ there have been more hardship to others than text on forum :D

Bro, just joshing'. :)

I've been on these forums since SSL 1.1 and DJing mobile gigs for over 20 years. I got pretty thick skin. I'm more inclined to help out the noobs and little guys who are trying to start this racket.

You guys are being super helpful! I'm going to college next year, yes I'm young, and I want to DJ frat parties and such so do any of yall know just some speakers that are cheap but would get the job done?

At what price? I started playing out with 15"Mackie thumps. Those are decent starter tops but I paid $800 for the pair at guitar center. They're ok but clip very easy if your bass is up on EQ. got annoying quick having to check on the clipping

Just checked. You can get a new pair with stands/cords for $600

Cheap and does the job pretty decently, berhinger B215D

As said Mackies (Thumps) clip easily

Around 500ish, I've been looking at Rockville RVSS2-XLR for a bit but probably could find some better.

Avoid the bullshit speaker package sites that offer you a bunch of trash brands. I'd search for only names you've heard of or are popular brands. The beringers are cool for the price

i've been a DJ since 1991 and been thru almost every evolution of ways to play music. I read thru most of this thread and some of the contributors have valid points.

Your most important asset if your music so first make sure you are well equip with selections (dirty and clean edits)

Secondly however you choose to play your music is your prerogative. If you want to play internal thru an SL1 box or connect thru tables/controller/CD-J's is on your. I think for the sake of a budget I would go get a small controller and mix hands on.

You can get away without having to purchase speakers and lighting since there are tons of rental companies but once you get your cash right from gigs you can start moving into budget friendly sound and lighting. The K series but QSC is decent for starters and smaller gig (i think for a room for 150-200 people) and Chauvet's Intimidator 350's are being replaced so the pricing has dropped. Mackie Thumps 15A are not a bad choice either.

The key here is this is a business plan not an overnight investment so maybe work out a good base price with a rental company and add a few bucks to their price to make extra money.

Hope this helps and good luck with your future endeavours.

You can pick up a pair of EV ZLX15s for under $800. You can also make payments on them through sites like ZZounds. They are warm speaker that sounds great for recorded music. As long as you don't try to push them too hard, they should sound good and be reliable. Once you have those paid off, save for a sub or two. Once you have subs you can high pass the ZLXs and get more output.

^ This. I have a pair and they perform great for most wedding-type applications with up to 200 people or so. Usually people tell me to turn them down a little when they're not even pushing that hard. It's not generally necessary to have super-high SPL levels at a wedding (it tends to put off the older folks who may be in attendance).

$500 thats tough...
what i would suggest is to stay away from weddings for the time being, focus on back yard parties and small birthday parties etc...

for the equipment to start find a local pawn shop or a dealer that sells uesd equipment., and see what can be pieced together. for speakers, find a local rental place. for about $100 - 150 per gig you can get a o.k. pair of powered speakers. starting out its all about exposure and practice. so price yourself accordingly..


but don't expect much..

I make 100k a yr at 30 and this post string made me laugh, you DJs... making less than 60 a yr and think 500 is chump change when it comes to some dj shit lmao.... dont choke on your own diks

Lol! What the hell are you even talking about? Btw the complete irony of your statement is amazing.