Beginner DJ - Vinyl, CD Or MP3?

There are many types of DJ roles out there, from DJ'sa CD and a flash stick making it inconvenient when the
that specialize in mobile work; taking a rig along withaverage DJ has over 10,000 tracks to his disposal. It
them consisting of a PA system and a light show towould make sense for a club DJ to use vinyls as the
events like weddings, birthday parties and specialmajority of the time, the equipment that he would need
events, to club DJ's that get hired by a venue toto use would permanently be at the club. He would
perform on a regular basis. Whatever role you decidehave to bring his own vinyls to each gig, but for a
to choose, being a DJ is a very fun job with plenty ofmobile DJ to do this, as well as the speakers,
opportunities and experiences that you may haveamplifiers, mixers, stands and other equipment a mobile
never witnessed before, not to mention the amazingDJ needs, would be highly inconvenient.
social life that comes with being a DJ. The fundamentalOn a personal view for any beginner DJ, I would
factor that a beginner DJ should think about beforerecommend either CD's or MP3 audio files as the
anything else is how you will be creating the music.choice of audio production at this point. Not only are
There are three main approaches, vinyl turntables, CDthey much more convenient to take around and use,
players or digital software. Each come with their ownthey are both easily interchangeable. Anyone can burn
advantages and disadvantages but a lot of it comesan MP3 file onto a CD, just like anyone can rip a track
down to personal taste. Going back to the form ofon a CD to an MP3 file. To turn an MP3 or CD track
roles as mentioned in the first paragraph of this article,into vinyl is a much more advanced process that also
a mobile DJ would more likely choose to play his musiccosts a lot in financial terms.
using digital MP3 files with combined software on aAs an experienced DJ, I would recommend deciding
laptop or desktop PC, or use a collection of CD's.how you are going to produce your audio before you
Why? A collection of 10 tracks can easily fit on a flashmove onto anything more. This is your first step as a
drive, converted to MP3 files that can be played usingbeginner DJ, and so be sure to research each type
a majority of software on a laptop. Those 10 tracksthoroughly. Once you have picked the method of
could also be burned onto a blank CD to be played onproducing your audio, it is very hard to change without
a CD player.spending a lot of unnecessary time and money
Vinyls on the other hand weigh much more than bothconverting.