Master Your Gear | DJ Tips

DJing has turned into a love affair with tech savvy equipment that boasts being the best for stuff you probably don’t need, nor may never use. Before you go out and buy new equipment, master your gear. Make the most out of what you have.

When I was coming up my parents bought me a pair of Technic SLBD-22 turntables with a rolling pitch. While all of my friends had Technic 1200s, I was he guy that was literally killing it at the clubs. Why? Because when I got to the clubs, I was light on my own turntables, so playing on the industry standard turntable was a breeze to me. I worked harder on the “crappy” turntables to accomplish my goal. I got the gigs. Impressed the crowds. It was a humble mindset. I mastered my gear.

Bells and whistles are great because you can really open your mind to creating new techniques in sounds. You can really push the limits with new gear but ask yourself; am I really gonna be using all of this stuff?  Probably not. Marketing is king and knowing what is possible with gear seems extraordinary. Seems is the key word.

People want to hear music. Good music. The bells and whistles in new gear that comes out may be really cool to a DJ or producer to stroke each others egos in having the latest and greatest, but chances are your crowd doesn’t notice, and doesn’t give a flying f*ck about your new sound effects unit :). Be weary of spending all of your money on these gadgets. At the end of the day companies have to come out with new gear to continue selling their products to suckers who eat them up. Suckers? Yeah. Because you’re probably only gonna use this stuff once or twice. Any more, and your set has just turned into an awful sound effects show. Yes, awful.

Djs dj. We play music. Stick to what you do best and concentrate on your programming and mixes. Plus you’ll be able to take that cute girl from the party you met last night out to dinner, instead of blowing that money away on a loop di loop… you simply gotta master your equipment because no matter what you buy; the skill set comes from within.