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Best DJ Controllers in 2022 (The Controller Compendium)

0 Comments March 31, 2022

DJ controllers are pieces of hardware which allow hands-on control of music mixing software. The development of robust DJ software, along with the hardware to control it, has been one of the most significant things to ever happen within the industry. As the market continues to grow, we’ve found ourselves with many wonderful options to fit budget, workflow, and choice of software. This guide compares the top DJ controllers, so that you can feel confident before spending your hard-earned money! It has been continuously updated since 2014, helping thousands of DJs like you decide which controller is best for them.

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RANE ONE: A DJ Controller for Non-Controller DJs (Review & Performance)

0 Comments January 28, 2021

Note: these videos made possible by hardware on loan from The DJ Hookup. RANE made waves two weeks ago when it announced the ONE. It lands in a unique space in the current DJ market, with no other controller incorporating motorized 7” turntable platters for that legacy vinyl feeling, complete with a customizable high/low torque […]

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How To Become A DJ: A Beginner’s Guide

187 Comments July 12, 2020

This guide contains a 9-step process to assist in your journey of learning how to DJ. Since its original form in 2013, it’s helped thousands of beginner DJs to get their start. But it’s up to you to take real action! When learning to DJ, you’re learning to match your own musical expressions with the desires of an audience. It isn’t just matching beats, or scratching over songs. It’s about being observant, empathic, and reactive. Today we’ll learn about the art of deejaying, and how to do it with passion and purpose!

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Frequently Asked Questions About DJing

0 Comments August 14, 2018

Frequently Asked Questions About DJing General DJ Knowledge What is a DJ? In the traditional sense, a DJ (short for disc jockey) is a person who actively plays prerecorded music for an audience. This audience might be dancers at a party, patrons at a nightclub, or listeners of a radio show. Over time, the role […]

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Best DJ Controllers in 2018: The Controller Compendium

62 Comments March 31, 2018

The DJ hardware market has grown exponentially in recent years; people are now able to choose a controller which fits their budget, their workflow, and their choice of software. This is wonderful news for DJs, but it also makes the shopping process difficult.

That’s where the Controller Compendium comes in! This guide is meant to help you make an informed decision, so that you can feel confident when spending your hard-earned money.

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The Unofficial Traktor Kontrol Mega Guide

8 Comments July 21, 2016

Need help finding the best Traktor controller for your needs? This is a comprehensive guide for Traktor Kontrol: a line of hardware for DJs by Native Instruments designed to integrate perfectly with Traktor software.

Reading this guide should give you a solid understanding of how the hardware works, the types of workflows available, and what devices best suit your needs.

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Things That Don’t Actually Make You A Better DJ

118 Comments July 20, 2014

One of the more frustrating things about DJs: our incessant ability to redefine what real DJing is.

It seems like we’d have a lot of better DJs in the world if we spent more time focusing on things that matter. Things like observation, intuition, crowd-reading, programming, moods, empathy, music theory, marketability, and so on.

Instead, people seem to get held up about things that are, frankly, irrelevant.

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10 Reasons You Should Still Know How To Beatmatch By Ear

330 Comments July 1, 2013

In today’s digital age, it’s becoming harder for veterans to explain to younger DJs the benefits of learning to beatmatch manually (by ear). While I do believe that, for better or for worse, beatmatching continues to quickly lose relevance in the DJ realm, that doesn’t mean that I suggest writing it off. Due to the […]