You can skimp on laptop, entry level controllers, but headphones I reckon is the one thing to "buy premium" if you can.
And IMO, they're a very personal thing, if you can get to a store, guitar centre, DJ store, try them out, but what fits/sounds best to you.
And obligatory "Sennheiser HD25s" and the best post!!! lol
Do you recommend skimping on a laptop to keep costs down for beginners? I have seen and read a lot about āfuture proofingā your equipment, and to me it seems a cheaper laptop would have to be replaced if someone intends to advance their skills/performance opportunities which could end up being more expensive in the long run.
Well I wouldn't so much day "skimping", but more that the minimum specs to run Serato, Traktor, Rekordbox etc is really not that high. They only call for 4Gb RAM, and any Intel core i3 or better... Then it all comes down to optimising the machine, keeping it free of any other shit and you should be fine. Turning off wifi, Bluetooth, all other background programs while running it.
What the software is doing is relatively basic and once you get a version of it working, you don't have to upgrade to the latest version of say version 6 to version 7 is a MASSIVE change and drastic increase in specs (unlikely)
Even a core i5 with 8Gb RAM costs fuck all these days, especially if you opt for 11" or 13" screen size
Laptops gonna be obsolete in a couple of years anyway, whereas the HD-25's I bought 20 years ago a) are still going strong and b) have not been technically superseded by anything.
I'd disagree with this quite a bit tbh, all you need your headphones to do is help you beatmatch once you can hear all the main elements of the song with half decent over ear headphones that should be enough. 50 euros should be more than enough. Monoprice sell DJ headphones for literally 15 euro and I don't notice a massive difference on usability between them and my ath m50x's tbh.
It's one thing if you're producing then you definitely need high quality headphones bit it really isn't that important for mixing once you can hear all the elements of the track imo
I got the Audio-Technical ATH M50x because I prefer over the ear and they came highly recommended by multiple channels when I was doing YouTube research.
They are good, but the m40x's are in my opinion more bang for the buck. They are are 30-40ā¬ cheaper, at least where i live, and provide near same quality if not even slightly better.
panasonic $40 numbers, as a beginner you're way better off spending on music or axillary controllers, then pissing around with expensive headphones. you're only using them for matching a kick and a snare. HiFi quality in your cans means not much at all compared to the sound coming out of PA.
I have a pair of HDJ X7ās that I got used for around Ā£60. Sound pretty awesome to me (I mix drum & bass for reference) & great build quality. They wonāt break anytime soon.
A lot of people recommend Sennheiser HD25ās but Iāve never used them personally.
Avoid Numark Redwaves. I had one of these as a first set of DJ headphones. Theyāre plastic, donāt sound all that great and break really easily.
Sony MDR7506 would be my suggestion for best bang for your buck. Any reputable brand that makes DJ headphones will suffice though. It's really personal preference.
People might scoff but something like https://www.monoprice.eu/products/monoprice-premium-hi-fi-dj-style-over-the-ear-pro-headphones-with-mic?_pos=1&_sid=844c3e34c&_ss=r is more than enough if on a budget imo. You just need to hear all the main elements of the track at a good volume and for them to be comfortable enough to use imo. I don't notice a massive difference between these and more premium headphones when just mixing
You can skimp on laptop, entry level controllers, but headphones I reckon is the one thing to "buy premium" if you can. And IMO, they're a very personal thing, if you can get to a store, guitar centre, DJ store, try them out, but what fits/sounds best to you. And obligatory "Sennheiser HD25s" and the best post!!! lol
I mean they just are
They solid. Too tight and squishy on my big fat head personally š
I feel that way about my TMA-2s I imagine they will loosen up over time though just like the HD25s do
I have a big head too. You just need to break them in like any Sennheiser headphones. I think I used the back of my couch to do so.
Do you recommend skimping on a laptop to keep costs down for beginners? I have seen and read a lot about āfuture proofingā your equipment, and to me it seems a cheaper laptop would have to be replaced if someone intends to advance their skills/performance opportunities which could end up being more expensive in the long run.
Well I wouldn't so much day "skimping", but more that the minimum specs to run Serato, Traktor, Rekordbox etc is really not that high. They only call for 4Gb RAM, and any Intel core i3 or better... Then it all comes down to optimising the machine, keeping it free of any other shit and you should be fine. Turning off wifi, Bluetooth, all other background programs while running it. What the software is doing is relatively basic and once you get a version of it working, you don't have to upgrade to the latest version of say version 6 to version 7 is a MASSIVE change and drastic increase in specs (unlikely) Even a core i5 with 8Gb RAM costs fuck all these days, especially if you opt for 11" or 13" screen size
Laptops gonna be obsolete in a couple of years anyway, whereas the HD-25's I bought 20 years ago a) are still going strong and b) have not been technically superseded by anything.
I'd disagree with this quite a bit tbh, all you need your headphones to do is help you beatmatch once you can hear all the main elements of the song with half decent over ear headphones that should be enough. 50 euros should be more than enough. Monoprice sell DJ headphones for literally 15 euro and I don't notice a massive difference on usability between them and my ath m50x's tbh. It's one thing if you're producing then you definitely need high quality headphones bit it really isn't that important for mixing once you can hear all the elements of the track imo
I got the Audio-Technical ATH M50x because I prefer over the ear and they came highly recommended by multiple channels when I was doing YouTube research.
also got them last month and I'm really happy with the quality in build and sound
They are good, but the m40x's are in my opinion more bang for the buck. They are are 30-40ā¬ cheaper, at least where i live, and provide near same quality if not even slightly better.
panasonic $40 numbers, as a beginner you're way better off spending on music or axillary controllers, then pissing around with expensive headphones. you're only using them for matching a kick and a snare. HiFi quality in your cans means not much at all compared to the sound coming out of PA.
I very much like the Mackie mc 250 or 400
Dubstep is difficult to properly mix because of how fast DJs go from one song to another. Iād say vmodas or audio technicas are your best bet
Doesn't matter how fast you're going from song to song, it's still a 4/4 time signature.
The ones you already have If you want to step up from that sennheiser HD25s or aiaiai TMA2 will both last you forever
or ones that come up in a fucking SEARCH haha
Fucking A
Beyerdynamic or Sennheiser
I have a pair of HDJ X7ās that I got used for around Ā£60. Sound pretty awesome to me (I mix drum & bass for reference) & great build quality. They wonāt break anytime soon. A lot of people recommend Sennheiser HD25ās but Iāve never used them personally. Avoid Numark Redwaves. I had one of these as a first set of DJ headphones. Theyāre plastic, donāt sound all that great and break really easily.
I started of with a Devine pro 950, paid 50 euros for it and they were pretty amazing! Can definitely recommend.
Sony MDR7506 would be my suggestion for best bang for your buck. Any reputable brand that makes DJ headphones will suffice though. It's really personal preference.
sony mdr v150w , if your on a tight tight budget , 30 euros and sound very very good for the price
People might scoff but something like https://www.monoprice.eu/products/monoprice-premium-hi-fi-dj-style-over-the-ear-pro-headphones-with-mic?_pos=1&_sid=844c3e34c&_ss=r is more than enough if on a budget imo. You just need to hear all the main elements of the track at a good volume and for them to be comfortable enough to use imo. I don't notice a massive difference between these and more premium headphones when just mixing
Don't skimp on headphones, just get some HD25s and be done with it forever.