DJ gear

I am looking into getting my first set of djing gear but with so many options out there I am feeling quite overwhelmed on where to even start - I guess the first question is what are peoples preferences on traktor v serato?
any suggestions for a first setup? any help would be greatly appreciated!
I would also like to hear what equipment gear other people and using (I know it comes down to personal opinion, what you can afford but just curious)


*I did a search but couldnt find anything recent so forgive me if this already has a topic*

I would ask first what is your budget? Do you want to go full monty with a pair CDJ 2000s  and a mixer or one of the latest hardware controllers using the likes of Serato, Traktor or Abelton.

I have used 3 types with varying outcomes...started with a Numark HDMix https://www.numark.com/product/print/hdmix (which is about 6 or 7 years old) which is a portable expandable DJ system, with no software involved (all down to your mixing ability, this was the closest I got  having never used turntables and told by a friend to not get hung up mixing the old way, nonetheless a very good skill to have, however nowadays its down to more than being able to mix.

A year or so after I  bought an APC40 and DJ'd with Abelton, which is a steep learning curve as the APC40 is really for producing first and foremost...however I did enjoy using it and found Abelton reasonable once I had got to grips with it even though its a beast!

Right now and today I use a DDJ-SX https://www.pioneerdj.com/en/product/controller/ddj-sx/black/overview/ with SeratoDJ and have to say  I love it, way more choice of functionality than either of my previous 2 pieces of hardware. SeratoDJ works very nice with the Pioneer hardware with upto date software and a reasonable amount of plugins, some are missing in traktor for the ddj-sx as they provide and  an official tsi for the ddj-sx. They're other models (smaller and bigger DDJ-SZ) so it depends on your budget...however lots of other manufacturers who work with Serato.

Having seen the DDJ-SX with Serato and Traktor (a friend uses Traktor on his) I personally prefer Serato DJ as I find the layout easier to ...maybe best to try it out on whatever H/W you prefer and go from there!

Thanks for such a detailed response munkyn!

I have used ableton for a while and quite enjoyed it but you are right that there is very much a very steep learning curve and sometimes get frustrating on have some ideas but not knowing how to get it out into the software.
I feel if I had a year locked away collecting samples and editing loops ableton would be so much fun with a push controller - maybe one day

Not really having any experience with any software but I feel like I would prefer to use serato and have been looking at the denon mc7000 https://www.denondj.com/mc7000
My budget is around 1500-2000
Would you recommend the pioneer controllers within my budget?

My pleasure SKiba, looking at the Denon it certainly has enough inputs and looks the business as it has similar layout to the orginal DDJ-SX (there is a mk2 out with a few more refinements here..)



However I think it would boil down to what brand you like more Denon or Pioneer. I did watch a good review by 2 of your fellow countryman (not to keen on the music, however a good review) who show you the DDJ_-SZ (mk2 now) however checking prices, this would seem to be out of your budget... in $AUD



The DDJ-SX2 is similarly priced to the Denon, so  probably best to go and see which one you prefer in person, try before you buy ( I didn't at the time, but my friend reviewed it for me and I was very impressed with it!

I would definitely recommended SeratoDJ ( you get extra 3 Serato Expansion Packs Included looking at the Denon link)  which you would have to purchase if you went for the Pioneer ( I bought one I think from 1 that was included, however not  used either of them that much).

Hope this helps!

Thanks again munkyn for another great reply.
I am going to try to get hands on time with some of the gear and I'll let you know how I go.
Such exciting times, next will be learning how to use the hardware haha

My pleasure!! Good to hear...in the process of re-learning Abelton with my apc40 for some production attempts! Let me know what you finally decide on!

For anyone interested, I ended up getting the Traktor S4 and it is an amazing piece of gear even know its a few years old, great to learn on =)

Very nice Skiba, been wasting many hours on it? I don't spend as much as I would like on my DDJ-SX, however its very easy to lose 3/4  hours messing around!

Very much so mate, can get lost for hours finding different ways to mix tunes.
Still got so much to learn but its a lot of fun, wish I purchased some gear a long time ago.
What do think is the best way to learn mate? just practice or take some lessons?

Very much so, for me I just self taught messing around/still don't use half the fx when I do my monthly mixes, however I enjoy the whole experience and jump around the room when I am sequencing and mixing it...I did watch the basics on youtube to see what I knew and didn't!