DON'T buy DJ gear until you've seen this [2025 update]

Cheers for the guide, just in the process of looking at a CDJ-3000 & DJM-900NXS2 set up

Celebrating my 40th year as a DJ and I've been with DDJT since the first year. I had just switched over from CD's to using USB's on my then new CDJ-900's, and was searching for every bit of info about anything that could help me with the conversion. I did not use Rekordbox during the first years as I didn't think it had a very good workflow, and it wasn't much to gain in features either. Copying the music well sorted straight on to the USB was good enough, especially since I still used CD's in parallel for the first years. I didn't use Rekordbox until I upgraded to the CDJ-2000Nexus's in 2012, and with them a overhauled and now useful Rekordbox that unlocked a plethora of features. I was a silent follower for the first couple of years, but when I later had input I thought could help someone else, I started to comment. As I'm from the age of vinyl I've dipped my nose in to the deep knowledge base of DDJT. You're never too old to gain new knowledge, and sometimes confirmation of what you think is quite enough to spend a few coins. Thank you Phil for those 15 years and let's get on with the next 15 :) .

"Buy Pioneer gear" -- I think the whole "club standard" thing is less important than it sounds. I have a Toyota, but that doesn't mean I can't drive a Chevy or a Ford. It all boils down to decks and a mixer and the software to control them.

I'm not comfortable with Pioneer the company (or Alpha Theta or whatever). I have zero doubt that their widespread adoption in bars and clubs is down to some level of freebies and pressure that locks their customers into a single platform and upgrade path.


The subscription-only software is a major annoyance that has infested the software business as a whole and I hate it, and I do my best to avoid companies that do it.

I'm also not convinced that the lower end Pioneer hardware is better than any of the others. Example: The DDJ-GRV6 -- a four channel controller with no (NO) inputs apart from a single mic. Maybe I don't know what else those extra channels are for because I'm relatively new to the hobby, but who would buy something like this other than as a fashion accessory for the most rabid Pioneer fanboy?

Some good advice. Plus, you should consider being patient, shopping around when possible and also consider used equipment when starting out. I started out with a $200 Pioneer SB3, used Mac and Serrato Dj pro (that cost more than the controller). I upgraded to a used NS7ii $700 (still my favorite). Since I’ve jumped on the stems bandwagon real hard and the NS7 was no longer supported by Serato(Crap). I traded that in for a new Rane Performer recently (I gotta have my motorized turntables, just love them). Which I got a good deal on and interest free credit at the local store. Bought something higher end and new this time so that it doesn’t reach end of life too soon even though I don’t play to a crowd other than the occasional house party. Shows if you look around, you can find higher end gear at a decent price.

Now Philip. Been watching for a few years now. Im about three ish years into learning now. Did a couple of years on the DDJ SB1. That little unit will forever be in my heart. I moved upto the XZ and i love it.
Really glad i watched todays upload. Been looking and thinking of the next laptop and ya sextion where ya said just sort ya tracks out and unplug it if ya can. Dont need a posh laptop to do that. Really didnt think along them lines.
P.S. its Serato all the way man. Miles better than ReKord Box but totally agree i felt ripped off when aftwr spending all that money and the "FULL SERATO DJ PRO WITH THIS UNIT" and ya get literally locked out of most of the serato bundle and even worse if ya laptop isnt cabled into the unit you dont get all the features on ya laptop. Bloody joke and in truth should have been enough for me to say by Serato but i was too soft and continued with it.
Many thanks for all the uploads and sorry for the long comment.
Chris North East England.
Take care & all the best

There is too much information all the time. If Rekordbox is the be all and ended all with no compatibility with other DJ software I'm screwed. I have multiple disabilities I can't remember anything learning is really hard. I like my Numark Mixstream Pro Go but it's useless if everything relies and revolves around Rekordbox. All this constant mixed information is so confusing, there's no exact information on what to get and what to use, everything is wishy washy. I don't have the finances to change to Pioneer/Alpha Theta I don't like there beginner controllers, I can't afford a second hand all in one, I don't have the finances to keep paying for Rekordbox box. I feel I've wasted a lot of time and money because the message I keep getting is I'm never gonna get anywhere unless I use Pioneer/Alpha Theta and Rekordbox and I don't want to I can't afford to. I don't understand the software. I want to learn I want to play publicly but it just seems impossible and unaffordable. I can't even get music unless I stream it, I can't afford to pay for tacks to download.

Buying Prime 4+ because of your review of it and now have been struggling and frustrated to play with it at gigs because it has still one major flaw: slightly off BPM analyzation detection, every like third track is not perfectly bpm analyzed which makes beatgrids break down at same time and then you try to to beatmatch using your ears and ears get confused when you look at same time beatgrid but nothing doesn’t sound good and correct most of the time while mixing, I blast almost to hell my HD-25 trying to hear that mix but its starting to get near distortion in headphones when I try to hear what i’m hearing and it still sounds so confusing (mostly also because main outputs comes out with actual bigger latency than what I hear in headphones/booth output), I didn’t have any of this kind of struggle with my Traktor Pro 4 and Kontrol S8, mostly propably because TP4 gets bpm 95% of the time PERFECTLY correct 🫤
Like TP4 says on track that it’s 122.98bpm: beatgrid perfectly correct from start to end and Engine DJ/OS says it’s 123bpm and then I go and correct manually to 122.98bpm and voila, perfectly correct beatgrid, so this is not good, not good at all, actually very poor for 2600€ asking price…

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

This channel is such a gem. Sent the buyers guide to my buddy who wants to buy gear. I wish I had that when I first started.

I wish I knew Traktor was the best dj software but it also costs a lot to use it (I've bought Traktor S8 and F1 + TP4 -> 800 in total) + YES PIONEER IT'S EASIER BC EVERYONE IT'S USING IT AND YOU JUST HAVE TO BRING A USB

i also started wish DJuced and I was say : you CAN change the software! you just have to put efforts to reanalyse all your music

Missed the live stream. My issue is with how the controllers are manufactured > all the controls- slides, faders, pots are all connected to one or a few circuit boards making cleaning, repairing or replacing say a crossfader a tedious task that requires a full refurbish work up to be done right

I wish I knew that I would want and try to buy all of it 😂 six controllers (not including the 5-6 I’ve sold or given away) is just too much!

…….endless speakers is too much 😂😂

You can't have a small controller to do pro DJing. The smaller the form factor the less resilient it will be to wear and tear. Which pro gear endures a lot of.

all in one is my preferred hardware

I want to know, before i bought my dj-505 that controller should be from alpha theta.

Damn Phil thank you so much for sharing your new guide and dance floor book, keep on being a pro, bro :D

Hi, I have a topic that I haven't seen anyone tackle and it has become something I've had to deal with the last few months.
Size of the DJ booth and visibility of the crowd.
I started a new residency a couple of weeks ago and my usual S11 + two Rane12s didn't fit in the DJ booth. That first day I used my backup Numark Party Mix 2 to DJ in that small booth, but since I'm super visible to the entire crowd, I grabbed a Hercules Impulse T7 White Edition since even a FLX10 and Rane Performer were too big for the DJ booth.
But in previous occasions I've found that I wasn't at all in the view of the public. I was at the 2nd floor and no one saw anything below my shoulders, which is why I grabbed the Party Mix. No one was going to judge me since no one could see me.
So that got me thinking. There is a lesson to be learned about showmanship and how visible you are to the crowd. Only reason I started DJing on 12in vinyl was because it looks really good and gets the attention of everyone much better than a Pioneer flagship system. The unique white set up of the T7 does the same thing on a smaller booth. And since I set up my VDJ in such a way where I can do a good job using just the VDJ Remote on my cell and keyboard shortcuts, the Numark Party Mix 2 only helps and I'm comfortable on each.
Maybe you can use the booth size and visibility as a factor when deciding what DJ gear you are going to buy and/or specialize in. No point in dropping 7k quid on CRSS12 and S11 if no one is going to see you or if the booth can barely fit an XDJ-AZ, when an $80 controller can do the same job.

I have 3 setups, small modular 2x xonek2 with 4 midi pads, medium flx 6 was the first controller and big xdj xz for performance, no regrets all have their nice features. Software wise, VDJ was the first software that I used years ago so continued with it for mecthe best platform, ive tried all the others and for me all of them are crap once you experience vdj you know its a keeper.

We are in such a limbo of DJ gear right now.... it sucks for anyone that wants a modular setup.. Yeah many controllers were released but we have not seen a new media player in 5+ years....

My first DJ controller was the DDJ-SR. Now, I’m rocking the RANE Four.
Open format DJ here by the way with specialty in Reggae/Dancehall.
The SR is my back up now.

Hey digital dj tips family. Y'all videos help me a lot when I was looking into DJ hardware stuff I was looking forward to y'all DJ equipment with my virtual DJ and it was from the company Vestax back in the days when they had the typhoon 🌀 intro DJ control and than it was vci - 380 still have it which works. Now years later I still looking forward to y'all great reviews for DJ equipment or which product to use for Livestream. I still have that comment for years when I told y'all that the Livestream is going to be a thing. Now it's in the books 😊 now when it comes to the companies to Livestream on I will love to hear y'all thoughts on that like (Twitch, TikTok, Mix cloud Live, Zoom) because now it's different company's coming up like Kick. But look into bigolive why some of the DJs are on there a lot more that's just me. I been on that app for 5 years on bigolive. I network with a lot people who needs DJs on there. Hope one day we will talk more about it soon which apps or websites DJs can go live on and pros and cons to it I will be looking forward to that. Happy Birthday to digital dj tips keep up the great work Phil and the rest of the team. From DJ Dr Funk Juice (DJ Since 2008)

I’d love for NI to come up with better stem control WITH jogwheels, preferably standalone. MK3 with Midi Fighter does the job for now.

so what is the best controller for traktor pro now 😓🙏

So glad you recommend the Numark Pro Go. After looking at a ton of stuff I picked one up. It seems perfect for my skill level and most definitely is within my budget! Cheers!

god bless my friend world best DIGITAL DJ TIPS,your blessing grace education of the art of DJ is golden to everyone,you are right,dj is what you make it an there is no right or wrong,dj gear is expensive,i mix with skins from virtual dj an they are great,i learn to mix around 11,an love it forever,that book i love the book teaches us to do dj right,god bless my friend an your familie an friends love all your education dj,sincerly your friend HUGO MIRANDA DJ SOLARIS there is no right or wrong DJ IS FUN TO ALL AN TO CHILDREN god bless my friend with grace always

Newbie, me! Didn't know controllers have to have powered speakers.

i wish to see a videos for numark mixtrack fx

My advice is get the gear you can afford and learn on that system until your skill level and ambition out grows the gear and it's limitations are holding you back. Then upgrade to the gear that will allow you to move forward and grow. But don't chase trends, do what you feel is right and investigate gear that you think will take you where you want to go and only invest when you're sure it's right.

WoW Phil what a great guide! I was a bit surprised that you recommended for VirtualDJ users as the number 1 controller choice, the Rane over the FLX10. I consider both great, but knowing that the club standard is Pioneer DJ, it was interesting to see your pick. Thanks a lot for all the work put together.

I definitely agree on software decisions I currently started off using djay pro just to try it out then end up switching to serato as a back up

Happy 15th anniversary to Phil and everyone at DDJT! 🙂

Many thnx for downloads ! 👍

Does the Rane One not count as an expensive 2 Channel controller?

Im so glad i bought the ddj rev5. Was ahead of its time flx10 too looks sweet. Rev5 has it all, budget friendly

Hello everyone! I am 62 years old and have been working as a DJ since I was young. I recently bought an S2 MK3 console thinking that it is also supported by Serato DJ, the problem is that the headphone output does not give a signal, the buttons are activated but no audio. The console works perfectly in Traktor and Virtal DJ. I use Windows 11 on a laptop (I5 with 16 g ram) Everywhere I look for Serato compatibility with S2 MK3 it says it is 100% and I am very upset. Where I am invited to the club they have Serato and I don't know where to look. Maybe someone can help me. Thank you very much for the video courses, and I wish you good health and all the best

I wish ive known this 2 months ago smh and i wish i had know which gear was compatible with the other,on and on lol

onderful phil ,, great vid ,, great info and all free ,, top class mate :) scoey :)

Just thought the AZ hope I don’t regret it

Thanks for that rant about "succes" in DJ'ing Phil. I got burnt out of DJ'ing several years ago after being active for +-10 years, mostly because I put the bar too high for myself. After a while I got totally caught up in chasing bookings, the networking, social media stuff, profiling,.. that it totally sucked the fun out of the experience for me. Right now I'm churning through your fantastic content to get back into DJ'ing, just for the music and the fun of it at home. Perhaps I'll record a couple of mixes but no more crazy high expectations for myself this time around.