I have so many beginner DJs asking me about what they need to get started, and worried about how much it will cost. Great news, friends: You can probably start DJing with what you have right now!
It doesn’t take a lot of equipment to start your DJ career. If you make smart purchases, you can DJ on a small budget. So, what equipment do you need to be a DJ? At minimum, DJs need the following equipment:
- Two music sources,
- A way to mix them together,
- Headphones for cueing
- And, speakers for playing your music out loud
What Do I Need to Start Djing Today?
You need very little equipment to get started as a beginner DJ. In fact, if you have been playing around with DJing, you may have everything you need already.
Two Sources on the Cheap
To start, you will need some way to play to separate music sources. DJ software is the easiest and cheapest way to mix music without having to buy more equipment. If you have a tablet, I highly recommend Algoriddim’s Djay. It’s free for iOS and Android. It will work on your phone, too, but it’s obviously harder to control on a small screen.
Once to get used to the interface, you can purchase the cable that will split the two sources so you can both cue and mix on the same device. It will let you DJ with Spotify, so you don’t even need a huge music collection to get started. If you don’t have a tablet to get started, you can use whatever laptop or computer you already have. Most modern computers can run DJ software easily.
Headphones
You also need a decent set of headphones with sound isolation. Headphones will let you listen to the next track while the current track is playing.I have tested dozens of headphones, and there are a few surprising reasons that the Monoprice DJ headphones are my #1 recommend headphones. Check out my Recommendations page for all of my favorite gear.
Speakers
Finally, you need some speakers so that your crowd can hear you play. You probably have a small Bluetooth speaker that will accept an AUX input. That’s good enough to practice with. You can even play small house parties with that.
Be careful with consumer speakers, as it is easy to crank them too loud and blow them out. Once you get to playing for more than 20 or 30 people, you will need to upgrade to pro-level speakers. There are plenty of cheap options out there, but my favorite cheap pro speaker is the ION Audio Total PA Max. 500 watts of sound with a stand for under $200 per speaker.
Extra Stuff
Depending on the gear that you choose, you will need some cables to link it all together. Monoprice is also your best source for cables. Their cables are ridiculously cheap and damn-near indestructible. They also come with a lifetime warranty. You really can’t go wrong with Monoprice.
When you get further along in your DJ career, you will probably want a physical DJ controller to play on. Look for one in a good price range that has a built-in audio card and XLR outputs. If your controller only has RCA outputs, you will likely need a separate mixer to plug into your speakers. XLR outputs will cut down on the gear you have to carry around.
Once you get to playing out in public, you will need a decent laptop for portability. Almost any laptop will do. The key features are a big enough screen to see from a distance, a big hard drive for music and enough memory to run your software without glitches. I’m partial to MacBooks, because they are super easy to run and maintain. PCs work fine too, but if I was using a PC, I would probably only use it to DJ and nothing else. That would help prevent unexpected problems and crashes.
Do Club or Bar DJs Need All This Stuff?
You will need significantly less equipment to DJ in a bar or a club. Many club DJs can get away with just headphones and a USB drive full of music. You will need to check on the specific venue that you are playing at to see what gear they already have, but here’s a general overview of what you will need.
No Speakers
First and foremost, most bars and clubs will already have the speakers built in to the venue. That’s one less thing to worry about. Make sure that the speakers work well, and that you have a good monitor speaker in your DJ booth. It is critical to have a good monitor in a spread-out venue like a club. Otherwise, you will struggle with beatmatching, and have no idea the kind of sound your crowd is hearing.
Controller? Maybe.
Most of your gear will depend on what is already in the club or bar. Most clubs have standard Pioneer CD players that will accept a USB drive. If that’s the case, you will just need a USB drive with all of your music formatted for Pioneer. If you’re planning to play in clubs, you need to learn Pioneer’s Recordbox software, and get comfortable playing on Pioneer CDJs. Denon is also starting to move into more and more clubs, so you should be at least familiar with their equipment.
If the bar or club doesn’t have DJ equipment, you will be bringing your own laptop and controller. You’ll want to do recon in advance to make sure you have everything you need to connect to the club’s gear.
Headphones
Headphones with good isolation are a must. It will be very loud at these clubs, and you need to be able to hear your music. The Monoprice DJ headphones win again in the club, because they only cost $20. If someone steals them, it’s not a big deal. Don’t fall into the trap of the ultra-cool designer headphones. I’d much rather look normal with my plain black headphones than babysit my $300 headphones all night.
Finally, a critical item: your headphone adapter. You need that little plug that converts a 3.5 mm headphone jack to 1/4-inch. These are notorious for going missing in the club. Bring your own just in case. In fact, buy like 10 of them. Right now, they are $0.52 each at Monoprice. That’s not a typo, they are actually 52 cents each! No reason to not buy a handful as backup.
What Else Do Mobile DJs Need?
Mobile DJs need to bring the entire party with them, so there is a bunch more gear they need.
In addition to all the musical gear, mobile DJs may need:
- A DJ booth or table
- Lighting
- Extension Cords
- Extra cables
- Backup gear
- Wired and wireless microphones
- Carrying cases
- A hand truck
- And, a vehicle big enough to carry it all
This ends up being a lot of equipment that can get very expensive if you buy it all at once. You should let your business dictate what you buy and when you buy it. It is very easy to get gear shipped to you quickly before an event. You can also rent what you need for your first couple of jobs. List out all of the services you plan to provide, and only buy the gear after you book an event.
Your best strategy as a mobile DJ is to build up your equipment as you earn money. I started with a minimal amount of used gear and upgraded to newer, better equipment as I got more and more jobs. You can go out and waste a lot of money on equipment that you don’t need now. Let the events you book tell you what equipment you need, and spend your time perfecting your DJ skills on what you already have.
What About DJ/Producers?
DJs who create their own music need specialized software and equipment to make their jobs easier and to play out live.
As a producer, you probably want at least a basic DJ setup to learn DJ skills and play out as needed. Once you have finished tracks, you can mix them live in any DJ software.
Producers Need Different Software
You will need a Digital Audio Workstation to create music from scratch. There are a great number out there, but my favorite is Ableton. Albeton Live Lite comes bundled with a large number of inexpensive keyboards and controllers, and it’s a great bit of software for a beginning producer. It also allows you to play and improvise your music live, so you can DJ a set of all your own music.
Midi Controller
It will be very helpful to have a midi keyboard or pad controller as a producer. Even if you are just learning to play the piano, it is much easier to create melodies and improvise with a physical keyboard. There are a bunch of great midi keyboards for under $150 that come with production software.
Save Your Money!
Music production is another potential money pit. It is way too easy to get caught up in thinking “If I only had this sound or plug-in or gear, I would be a much better producer.” That’s total nonsense. Some of the best DJ/producers had almost no equipment when they got started. Part of how they got great was learning how to create amazing music within the constraints of the equipment they had. You will be a much better producer if you spend all of your time trying to figure out how to get the sound you want on what you already have.
The Dirty Secret Manufactures Don’t Want You To Know
The truth is, you need very little equipment to get started as a DJ. With something to play music on, some headphones, and some speakers, you can start practicing your DJ skills today. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that more gear will make you better. The only thing that will make you a better DJ is more practice. Start practicing with what you have today!
