How to start DJing – The vinyl
Have you ever wondered what it is like to play on 2 (or 3) old turntables like in the old (good) time? That’s what we are going to dig into in this article. I hope you’re ready and you’ll be convinced to buy some old 33 ⅓ after that. You will see that mixing is more with less. Welcome to our guide How to start Djing, today we’ll talk about vinyls.
Is it hard to mix with vinyl?
Mixing with vinyl is the hardest way to mix. Other tools such as controllers and players have as aim to make beautiful transitions and beautiful mix. IT can be harmonic, you can have a lot of effects and everything is made for you to have it easy. Vinyl instead is focusing on the transition only. Anyway, you can’t really do more than transitions. (Yes you can scratch but we’re not speaking of that RN). That’s the essence of the art of mixing. Forget about fancy softwares that make everything for you. With vinyls, you go back to the basics with two turntables, a mix table and your ears.
The goal of mixing with vinyl is to have two LPs that can run at the same tempo to make your transition. To do so, you need to feel the tempo of your first track, and adjust the tempo of the other with your ears using the pitch. Does it seem hard to you? That’s however the basics that number of DJs can’t achieve. Nowadays, not being able to transition with the ears is not a sin anymore. I understand, but if you want to be a complete DJ, that’s a must. People who refuse to learn this skill can’t be called DJ as it is the base of everything. It’s like driving a formula one and not being able to drive a normal car.
In a world where everything’s made easy, vinyls bring back a bit of difficulty that will let you understand why people have put so much heart into this art. It will challenge you in your How to start DJing journey. Because when you struggle for making your transitions, I can promise you that you celebrate it like a small achievement.
So if you ever wonder if you should learn to mix with vinyls, I would ask you this: are you ready to put your blood, your sweat and tears?
If not, you can stop here and read another article here. There are others ways to learn How to start DJing. And that’s chill, you do not need to set up a limit that high if you’re djing just for hobbies.
If yes, you can keep reading the article as it will give you some valuable insights.
Is mixing with vinyl expensive?
Expensive is a pretty relative point of view according to me. It will depend on how you use it. In other terms, which frequency and what journey do you expect?
Let’s say that you already have a sound system. The entry turntable you can find is the RP-1000 mk2 that seems to have a great rating and costs a little bit more than 200$. All in all, the entire set will cost more than a controller for sure. But you can also find great deals in second hand materials. I remember buying my gear for around $ 250 (2 turntables and 1 mix table). At this price, buying a new controller or a pair of turntables can be discussed. Also, I would less buy a second hand controller than second hand vinyls, but that’s personal.
After that, you will need to check if your turntables have proper cartridges. If you managed to get some, that’s great, if not, this can be another cost. This is also important to check if you’re buying in second hand.
Then comes the vinyls. Where costs will be relative depending on the places you find. As advice, I would suggest you to start looking for places where they sell cheap vinyls already.
Nowadays, selecting music is so easy that it doesn’t even make sense. I can go to Youtube, find some special channels and have access to the best tracks I ever wanted. I can go to some Cercles or Boiler room, shazam any song, download them and that’s it. That’s so easy to do than digging is not an art anymore. It’s more of a habit one should take. A newbie can definitely find better tunes than someone with 40 years of activity.
But with vinyls that’s the contrary. Depending if you buy in first hand or second hand, vinyls can be more or less expensive. It starts at 1$ and can go up a lot, knowing that the average is around 10 to 15$ per LP.
Also vinyls take space, so you buy them carefully. It’s useful to know before answering the question how to start DJing. And because they are more expensive, you listen to them previously and reflect before buying them. You do not just store them in a random Youtube playlist. Buying vinyls becomes a journey and a passion. Sometimes some passions can be expensive, but they are worth it. I used to spend entire afternoons at the vinyl store to find only one LP, but I loved it. I loved taking my bike on a saturday afternoon and looking around.
So yes, vinyls are a bit more expensive, but they make you spend time on your passion. Up to you to choose what you prefer. If you think that’s a great way to spend your time and that it’s worth it why not. If you are not ready to do those or spend 15$ per LP, well I understand.
I wasn’t really a huge fan of spending 15$ per vinyl too, but I have to admit it was fun when I think about it.
How to mix with vinyls?
Mixing with vinyls is simple like saying hello… on paper.
As you can see on this picture, you only have few buttons. It seems easy for those who wonder how to start Djing:
- The pitch, that will accelerate the tempo of the music. Faster or slower.
- The button for 33 or 45 rpm. Well you have either or so it’s not that complexe, and you might not touch them during your set.
- The button play. To start or stop the music
(There are other buttons but at this point they aren’t that important)
But Ben, if the turntable is that simple, why is vinyl so hard to mix with?
Well because nothing tells you which BPM is your track. Maybe it’s written on your LPs, but it won’t really help you. You will need to develop your ear and to practice. Because you will need to make transitions by ear. Which means adapting the BPM of the second depending on the BPM of the first one. AND THAT’S FUCKING HARD!!!!
It’s not that hard, it just asks for practice, a lot of practice. And if you’re not that hyped by DJing you shouldn’t bother. But if you want to challenge yourself, let’s go!
The hard thing with vinyl is to know your songs. Nowadays with the software, you have the waves which tell you when the drop is, when the beat starts and everything. Nothing is said on vinyl. You need to do your homework and become a real passionate.
What do you need to know before buying?
You need to be passionate or be ready to become passionate. As I said, you will need to know your songs and their structure. You will need to do 1000 bad transitions before making one which can sound like something. You will need to go into some strange shops to avoid paying 12$ to LPs that you might not like once coming back home.
If you are ready to take some steps. Here is what is waiting for you.
You will increase your knowledge of music because you will select it actively. You will start appreciating music more. When others will see only sound, you will see art. You will spend hours in vinyl shops just to find the perfect tune. You will connect with people that you wouldn’t even talk to. Your city will reveal new original places because of music, and you will like never.
Also, I have to warn you that it takes place also and that might be very very heavy.
Is it going to make you a real DJ?
Mixing on vinyl will not transform you into the best form of DJ that exists on earth. You will need to also discover other types of DJing, mostly on controllers and players. However, it will be easier for you to 1) take control of those 2) take pleasure mixing on those.
It’s easier for people who have known hard times to enjoy good times. It’s harder for people who have known only good times to survive hard times. Well that’s the same with mixing on vinyls. After learning with turntables, everything will seem so easy. Compared to people who have never challenged themselves, you will have an advantage.
For instance, I am often bored on the controller as I think it’s too easy when you have the normal setup. For someone that never challenged himself, that’s already too much. So yeah, you will become a good DJ. Because once you have mastered this, you will focus on different details and this is where we recognize the great DJs than the normal.
Our advice on mixing with vinyls
It all depends on what you intend to do.
If your goal is to learn mixing for the state of art, I would recommend it.
You will start to change inside you. You will forge your tastes. Be more picky. You will appreciate music for what it is, not for the hype. Mixing will make more sense also. It will be a hobby, a passion, something that will eat you alive.
If you have space in your home and no one to tell you that your vinyl collection is too much, go for it. Because that’s really great.
Just, understand that it takes space and time and that results might show off in a long time.
On the contrary, if you want to start DJing without complications, I would advise you to go for something else. Turntables are hard to move. Building your first set takes time, energy and money. Before being able to perform a decent set with turntables, it will take some time that you might want to waste something else.
I hope you liked this article.
Do not hesitate to ask any question if you want to start DJing but you hesitate with vinyl turntables.
See you !
The author
Benoit Dervieux is the initiator of Lesk. He started DJing around 14 years old, bought his first pair of vinyls at 22 and started organizing parties at 25. He has a master in entrepreneurship and is developing Lesk hoping the product will enter the market. You can contact him directly on instagram @lesklights.