| DJ Equipment is expensive. Turntables, mixers and | | | | thoroughly. |
| other DJ Equipment is made up of a lot of mechanical | | | | 5. Cleaning Turntables and CD Decks |
| parts, computer chips, circuitry and motors that are | | | | Whether you use CDs or Records, you need to keep |
| definitely vulnerable to wear and tear. Take a few | | | | your turntables clean. Again, the alcohol and water with |
| preventive measures to make sure your DJ equipment | | | | a cloth that does not leave any residue is the best |
| keeps working for the long run. | | | | way to keep your decks clean. |
| 1. Maintain Your Wires | | | | 6. Post-Gig Cleaning |
| The wires are the veins of the DJ equipment. If you | | | | Residue from smoke machines, cigarette smoke and |
| have frayed and damaged cords, it doesn't matter | | | | other airborne contaminants can settle on your |
| how powerful your mixer is, what kind of speakers | | | | equipment during a gig. Give everything a quick wiping |
| you have, or how great your records or CDs sound. | | | | after a gig before these residues have time to settle in |
| All your listeners will here is the annoying buzz of a | | | | and harden on your devices. |
| bad connection or the blast of static when a cord | | | | 7. Cleaning the Cross Fader |
| shorts out. Keep wires rolled neatly but not too tightly. | | | | The cross fader and it's slot are a natural collector of |
| There should be some slack in the cord at all times. A | | | | dust. Most cross faders can easily be taken apart by |
| cord should never be supporting the weight of a | | | | removing a few screws. Clean the crevices inside the |
| device. | | | | cross fader with a can of compressed air. This will |
| 2. Carrying Cases | | | | blow out dust and debris without getting any liquid on |
| After purchasing an expensive set of DJ Equipment, it | | | | the sensitive electronic innards. |
| may be hard to justify spending any more money on | | | | 8. Cleaning Records |
| expensive carrying cases. But if you take your DJ | | | | Cleaning records is very important to maintain their |
| equipment on the road, it is only a matter of time | | | | quality. Make sure you have sleeves for all your vinyl. |
| before it bounces around in the back of a vehicle, | | | | Numerous record cleaning kits are available, but you |
| takes a dive off a table, or even worse. Having hard | | | | can also use a light mixture of water and dish soap to |
| shell carrying cases is definitely worth the investment. | | | | remove stubborn gunk. |
| They also protect your equipment from moisture, | | | | 9. Looking after CDs |
| extreme temperatures and dust while travelling. | | | | CDs are more durable than records, but they can still |
| 3. Cleaning Slipmats | | | | scratch and be affected by moisture. It is worth |
| Your turntables have to move smoothly. If dust and dirt | | | | purchasing a good CD case both for organization and |
| begins to collect on the slipmats, it can even damage | | | | protection of your music. Your DJ equipment isn't |
| your records. Use a vacuum cleaner with the brush | | | | worth must without some good tracks coming through |
| attachment to get dust off the slipmat. You can also | | | | it. |
| use a cloth with water and alcohol to remove dust. Be | | | | 10. Road Hardening |
| sure to let the slipmat dry before using it again. | | | | If you are a serious DJ and take your DJ equipment |
| 4. Cleaning the Needle | | | | on the road constantly, you may benefit from getting |
| Cleaning the needle and cartridge is a delicate process. | | | | your equipment road hardened. This involves removing |
| Use a small brush to dust away dirt and grime from | | | | any computer chip components from their socks and |
| the needle. This dry cleaning method should be done | | | | directly soldering them onto the circuit boards. This |
| monthly. Use a non abrasive clothe with half water and | | | | means they are less likely to come loose in transit and |
| half isopropyl alcohol to clean the needle more | | | | can survive more impact than normal DJ equipment. |