Previously, if you wanted to be a DJ, you needed two turntables and a mixer. It also took time to master the beatmatch technique for syncing vinyl records. With the advent of digital technology, telugu song downlaod has completely changed, becoming much easier, cheaper and more affordable than ever before.
However, among the many different setups, it’s pretty easy to get lost and hard to figure out where to start. We will try to help you with this.
What software do you need?
Over the past decade, the DJ software market has been led by two major players: Native Instruments’ Traktor and Serato. Despite the differences in the appearance of these programs, in fact they are quite similar in terms of their capabilities. In the current versions – Traktor Pro 3 and Serato DJ – DJs can organize and prepare music, mix up to 4 decks, cut and beat tracks, run samples and decorate the sound with effects. Both programs analyze your tracks to tell you the pitch and BPM (ie tempo) of each song, as well as to automatically sync any song in tempo with the one currently playing.
The only significant difference is Traktor’s Stems mode. Stems is a music format developed by Native Instruments with which users can play music divided into four separate audio tracks: usually vocals, bass, drums, and melody, which can be mixed and processed separately. NI has a free app that producers can use to turn their own tracks into Stems, giving them a great opportunity to get creative with their music during DJ sets.
The prices for Traktor Pro 3 and Serato DJ Pro are about the same: $ 99 for the former and $ 129 for the latter. Serato offers a free version of Serato DJ Lite, which has limited functionality but still contains everything you need to get started and learn the basics. Traktor can also be downloaded for free and used in demo mode, but no more than 30 minutes at a time.
Rekordbox DJ is priced at $ 129, the same as Serato. And just like Serato, rekordbox can be purchased as a subscription, which Traktor cannot offer.
Apart from this big three, there are many other options, many of which offer similar functionality at a more affordable price. For example, CrossDJ from French developer Mixvibes or Algoriddim djay Pro, each of which only costs about $ 50. Or, for example, the completely free Mixxx, which stands out for its open source and can be run on Linux operating systems, while Traktor, Serato and rekordbox are only on Windows or OSX.
Finally, Ableton Live is worth considering. Technically, Live is not a DJ software, but a digital audio workstation (DAW). This means that it is primarily intended for making music,
Will you need any additional equipment?
Technically, you don’t need anything other than a laptop to get started with any of the apps listed above. A mouse and keyboard will be enough to learn the software and understand how you want to use it, before spending money on additional hardware.
However, if you want to go further, you will need to invest in your setup. At a minimum, you need an audio interface. Any club sound system requires a high-quality output signal, and the built-in audio card of your computer will not be able to provide this. In addition, if you want to listen to the sound through headphones, you will need an interface with a separate output for them.
What is a “digital vinyl system”
Digital vinyl systems have many names. They are often called DVS, but some programs have their own proprietary version of the technology, such as TraktorScratch. Whatever the name, they have the same goal – to drive digital DJ software using traditional CDJs or turntables. This is done with a reference vinyl or CD that uses timecode to map the position of the deck to the software.
Where to find and download music?
All major DJ software can play music in common formats like MP3, WAV, FLAC or AIFF, and you can use your entire collection with no problem.
However, it is worth paying attention to the quality of your tracks. Most music purchased from digital stores such as Amazon or iTunes, or ripped from CDs, is lossy, which means it has been compressed to reduce file size. MP3 files are created with different quality settings, reflected in the bitrate in kilobits per second (kbps). Music from iTunes and Amazon is usually compressed to 256 kbps. It will sound good in headphones or a home stereo system, but it can sound “flat” at high volume in a powerful system.
How to organize and prepare a set?
You may have heard the DJs talk about “preparing” the music for the set. This process involves importing your music into your chosen DJ software library for further analysis. On import, most DJ software detects the BPM and key of a track and assigns a beatgrid to it, which they use to sync one track to another.
Analysis algorithms in modern software usually do their job well, especially when dealing with the more “straightforward” rhythms of dance music. You should always check the tracks before playing them in public, as the software can sometimes misjudge the BPM or fail to find the first beat of the track. Any good DJ software contains tools to correct these mistakes.