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How did you get started?

Hiphop fan in the late 80s, got into rave in the 90s, got into DJing in 2000 cause all my friends were either ravers or djs.

How did you get money for your gear?

Got a job/begged/borrowed

What gear did you start with?

A Technics SL-1600 and a Technics SL-1700. Neither were meant for DJing and were hand-me-downs from my dad. They were terrible for DJing actually.

A Stanton SK-5 - shit mixer - didn't even have EQs

What gear do you have now?

2 Tech 1200 M3Ds

Rane 62

Pioneer DJM-707

VCI-380

Various midi controllers (Dicers, LPD8, Trigger Finger)

Small sound system (2 QSC K12s, 2 Yorkville NX720S)

How many different setups do you think you have been through?

So many. After struggling with the non-dj turntables, I bought one of the tech 12s and a numark table and then promptly returned the numark for another tech within a week.

Been through 3 mixers in between that stanton and my current Rane 62 (Roland DJ-1000, Pioneer DJM-707, Rane 57)

Owned a VCI-300 before upgrading to the 380.

How did you get your first gig?

Friend was a DJ, asked me to play with him.

How do you get your gigs now?

I hustle. A lot. It's my only source of income. Club, bar, and opening and headlining gigs are via reputation and networking. Most of my mobile and corporate gigs are either through networking or word-of-mouth.

I also have several different agencies and companies getting me different types of gigs. I have at least 3 companies locally - 2 for local corporate and mobile gigs and one for in-store gigs. Just landed a proper touring booking agent for doing headlining gigs so I'm hoping I can ditch the mobile and corporate gigs sooner than later. Stoked cause I hate booking tours myself.

What marketing methods would you say are most effective for a dj trying to get big?

How big? Local? Build a following that will come see you play - doesn't matter how good you are or what you play really - if you can guarantee a certain number of people to your gigs whenever you play, you will get gigs.

Beyond local? Produce, or try to make something that goes viral (or better still both). Neither are easy or guaranteed to work tho.

How much did you make when you started?

Very little - most gigs I did for free or drinks (usually opening slots for local electronic nights). I remember getting paid $150 early on for a gig and that felt like a lot.

How much are you making now and how did you negotiate that kind of payoff?

Anywhere from $100 - $1000+

I charge what I'm worth depending on the gig, what I get to play, who I get to play for, and how much work I have to put into it. I used to be very firm in my fees, but after a while I started only getting booked for certain kinds of gigs (mostly ones I didn't like doing) so now I charge less the more fun I get to have. If someone lowballs me or isn't offering what I think I'm worth, I decline.

Do you use Facebook to promote and if so how do you use it to promote?

Yes - engage the fans, give out my own tunes and mixes.

Have resources to show us how?

Just be social and engage people beyond just self-promotion.

Do you use youtube or soundcloud to promote and if so how do you do it?

Youtube - not enough. Soundcloud - lots.

I put up stuff and promote it and if people like it, they share it.

Where all do you promote your work online?

Everywhere. Facebook, message boards, soundcloud, twitter - need to get onto instagram and vine...

What is the best way you have found to sell your music and beats?

I haven't found a good way yet. I have 14 releases on various labels - some releases have done well, some haven't but I've barely seen a dime.

There's very little money in the music itself these days unless you get a big licensing deal (and most of my releases are exempt as most of them are on under-the-rader bootleg labels and contain unlicensed samples). The tunes are more for marketing to build your following and fans.

I'd rather give most of my stuff away for free nowadays.

What style of music do you play?

just about everything. I play music I like which is a lot of different styles, and I play music I don't like if I get paid enough. What I'm known for is breaks and funky music, but I'll play anything except maybe country and trance. Been really into mixing rock lately...

What are the best blogs or websites are the best to learn DJ stuff?

techtools, dj worx, serato forum, r/beatmatch

Best thing to do is just experiment though.

none of this was around when I first started so I just taught myself which I still think is the best way to learn, although learning some basic music theory will help a lot (was classically trained in violin for 13 years).

What books are the best you have found for learning to DJ for beginners? What about pro level?

for both: How to DJ Right

How would you go about getting started in DJ if you had to start over? (in terms of money, gear, style, and other basic stuff you can think of)

same way. collect vinyl, get turntables, learn to dj the old fashioned way.

Gearwise, I would have saved more and bought quality gear first instead of trying to be cheap and get shitty gear first cause I would have saved money in the long run. My techs are still working great after almost 13 years.

I should have also chosen a different name for my personal passion djing than my money/top 40/mobile djing.

Where is the best places to find gear?

Anywhere - ebay, craigslist, online stores like musiciansfriend.com agiprodj.com turntablelab.com - lots more

How do deal with the bar owners and patrons that show up to listen to your tunes?

uh, what?

How do you price your skill level?

I ask for what I think I'm worth.

Before I bought my Technics I owned a Stanton STR8 wich handled pretty well for the price. The torque is not on par with proper turntables but you can work with it. In time and with practise you'll know how the drive functions, i.e. how much pressure to apply, torque spin recovery and such. Quick ebay search I saw them go for about 70 dollars used.

I still use mine today for record digging and sampling and it still functions after hundreds of hours.

I really have a bad experience with numark turntables and would advise against them. And they're a terrible eyesore.

Ecler Nuo 2 would be my mixer of choice. Well built, good component, sounds nice, compact and costs about 100 doilla used if you're lucky. Another choice could be a Vestax PMC-05

Remember that cartridges also cost money. I personally use Shure M44-7's and I'd recommend them. The Ortofon Concords are also nice.

That is probably over the budget which is way to low. Trust me vinyl djing is not cheap but it is very rewarding. I like the idea that you want to start on vinyl. Transitioning to cdj's or controllers in the future will be a lot easier rather than then the other way around.

I'd also recommend getting a DVS system or a DVS integrated mixer. There's a lot more creative freedom with that to experiment with different things. You also don't have to spend as much on vinyl.

Don't forget the headphones! Out of budget, again. You can go with something cheaper, just try to get closed and on-ears.

But you're starting to see a trend right? 300 dollars are just not gonna cut it in my opinion. Even if you manage to get everything with that budget it's most likely going to perform really poor which makes everything less enjoyable, and more importantly.... harder. And learning to play vinyl is hard enough to begin with.

And I'm not saying go drop 2 grand on industry standard gear. Just... you know maybe save up to like 6-700 maybe. just so everything functions nice and well. Buy used gear, do research, practise practise practise and have fun :)

PS. This helped me out a lot when I was starting, and is very good information and lessons on turntablism. It also goes over basic turntable setup, i.e. arm adjustments, need and cartridge maintainance etc

Alright here's where you need to look. My brother has the first pair, I have the second, there are pros and cons to both, but based off of your need for studio monitoring the first pair of headphones may be the best choice for you.

1.) http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1334094124&sr=8-3

For the money you have to spend these are typically considered flat out the best headphones for the value they get. head-fi.com has them rated the second best pair of headphones, like period. These are amazing, I'm super jealous my brother has them and I don't, but now to my headphones.

2.) http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH750-DJ-Headphones-Black/dp/B002PAQYK8/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334094157&sr=8-1-spell

I have the pair listed above because the bass is so solid that it makes beatmatching and DJing super easy. They don't have the best sound in the world, but they're durable, strong, easy to throw around on your head and your neck, have swivel cups, and do everything I need my DJ headphones to do. I have another pair for just computer listening though, because these aren't that comfortable for long periods of time. Having said that I've worn them for 4 or 5 hours at a time and haven't minded too much. The real issue with these is the bass response is so powerful you have to watch your levels or your ears will really hurt afterwards. If it's bass you want and DJing capabilities, you want these.


I think I would recommend the audio tecnicas (the first pair) because from what you mentioned you said studio monitoring first, and these are simply made for that, with DJing as maybe their secondary use. Again, they're number 2 on head-fi...these headphones are amazing and I think you'll be very happy with them, my brother certainly is.

Listening to a lot of mixes is certainly a great idea, I didn't even think about DJing for years, I just love music so much, I realized after a while I had a serious collection going and people seemed to like my taste in music.

I started using Virtual DJ without a controller for a LONG time, just putting together mixes with a mouse and keyboard (painful, but it works). I'm always listening to music, always looking in various places for music new and old. Beatport is a great finger on the pulse of electronic music, but certainly don't limit yourself to one place. Did you hear a song, a band or producer you like? Type that shit into pandora and have a listen, you won't find gold every time, but it's a good way to discover new stuff.

My buddies in the IRC channel (look how to access this room on the right hand nav bar dealie, we'd love to talk to you about getting into DJing) are usually linking this book and this one as well to newcomers. I haven't read them myself though.

Your passion for music will drive you forward, just keep listening and do some practice transitions, keep mixing, all the time. The different styles and techniques you can employ in your DJing can be overwhelming, but just focus on the basics. Learn your style, your niche, your SOUND, work on blending tracks and whatever else you want to do will.. present itself in time. Good luck homie and I hope to see you in #r_djs!

Pretty much all vinyl. It's the most fun. But, despite having spun a few parties, it's just a hobby for me, which makes it way easier to justify the format (and a big part of the fun is digging for old house and disco records, and finding gems in the dollar bins).

Ellaskins was pretty helpful when I was starting although I think that just as helpful as his actual videos is his takeaway message, "practice and enjoy" - just gotta stick with it and get the feel for it. Also, I had the book How to DJ Right which helped me visualize some things early on.

As for BPM, I finally got around to putting BPM stickers on my disco collection because the BPMs are so all over the place that I got tired of thinking "oh yeah this track would go great next" and it turns out to be like 20 bpm slower once I start attempting to mix it. I haven't bothered with my house collection because it's all in a similar range and I just have a good idea of which records are "slower" (like 115-120bpm) "medium" or "fast" (closer to 135), and so as long as you are not grabbing an outlier, with practice, you should be able to figure out about how much quicker or slower the new record you're trying to mix in is, and you just get a feel for pitch slider position. I also generally try not to go over/under about 4% on the pitch slider especially if the track has vocals (for something more like, say, techno, I think this matters less). I'm sure lots of people have different opinions on that, just giving you mine.

I really enjoy the sound quality in the Behringer B2031A monitors. They sound awesome, are great to dj at home with as well as a house party. My friend has a set of these in his studio for all of his live streams/ rehearsing sets. We both love them!

You can grab a them here!

6inch model

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000Q6EHA2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sydneyrae-20&camp=15121&creative=330641&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000Q6EHA2&linkId=b37d06c4ad717ab06b5de6cb306d5645

8inch model

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0002MRCLQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sydneyrae-20&camp=15121&creative=330641&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0002MRCLQ&linkId=bddaeef8b0110c17f7b96271bed631e9

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Or if you are willing to spend a little bit more per speaker the Yamaha Hs5's are also a good choice, Especially for house parties. Here is a link for those as well..... NOTE these are 40$ off right now with this link!

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00CFOX420/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sydneyrae-20&camp=15121&creative=330641&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00CFOX420&linkId=80babb6f654b8d285db317efc1709ce4

lot of good advice here already but i'll try and toss out some personal experience:

• get OBS. it can be intimating to use if you have no experience but there's a youtube video for basically any problem you could encounter so don't be afraid to google around for your specific issue if/when you run into one.
  
  
• if you're using a 4/5 channel dj mixer, get a usb audio interface (something cheap like this will work just fine). this isn't absolutely necessary and you can actually get around audio issues with OBS without one (as long as your mixer has a USB connection) with some hardware routing but you'll lose out on an entire channel. this explains that perfectly and was the only video out there that actually helped me achieve this without the need of a secondary interface.
  
  
• if you're not using an external mixer/are using Serato or Traktor, using a secondary computer or even your phone would be a much better way to stream, as running stream software like OBS with another cpu intensive program like Traktor will result in choppiness with the stream. i have a late-2012 macbook pro and hit this issue myself, so if you've got a PC or alternative decent laptop you can use for dedicated streaming that would be ideal, another option is using your phone in conjunction with something like Facebook Live, without the need of OBS, but you'll sacrifice audio quality dramatically using a TRRRS line-in instead of USB.
  
  
• if you have shitty internet, you basically might as well not even bother trying to stream because it will usually not be a good experience. this is the camp i'm in for the time being, anything less than a 3MB upload rate is pretty much worthless, though you can sacrifice video quality for audio superiority within OBS and sometimes it can work out into a comfortable stream. this is something that will take some trial and error to figure out, as well as figuring out how much to delay your audio to sync up with your video, which will always be at least a little bit off by default until you adjust it within the audio mixer of OBS.

Moved a month ago. Went with uPack as I went from the Midwest to the west coast. In the uPack I was able to take all of my studio stuff minus the desk and a "studio apartment." Great company and the pod makes moving so easy. Make sure to price other places to get the lowest quote, but you can't beat uPack's service.

Get renters insurance. Cant speak for most companies, but I have USAA and it covers theft AND damaged goods while moving. Didn't need it, but it was great knowing I could get my money back from a smashed up CDJ.

I brought 2x CDJ 2000, KRK 10s sub, and 2x Yamaha HS5s. Used bubble wrap. A lot of it. Put my CDJs in an old army footlocker padded with clothes. Sold my A&H 43C to help pay for the move. Think I'll just get a djm 350 for now since I'm still low on funds. And just want to play.

As for your work station, I'm in the process of making mine now. Spent the past month searching setups on djtt, Reddit, freaking everywhere. I needed a desk for studying, music production, and DJing, while everything I saw online was geared for just one of those needs. Main thin is just the height difference from standing while DJing and sitting while producing. So, I bought this cheap, crank stand up desk frame. $180 and it solved all of my issues. I added an IKEA linnmon table top (59"x29.5") for $10 from letgo, added an ekby shelf on top of that with some capitas in between. Looks great, is stable, and I have room for everything I need without my set up taking up half the apartment. I'll be posting it all on r/djsetups soon.

Hope this helps.

I like books, so maybe we should have a book section? We can include:

• How to DJ Right: The Art and Science of Playing Records for technique.
  
• Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey. Not necessary but probably interesting for DJs.
  
  We should probably include things about turntablism too. Here's a tutorial video series for that. And links to documentaries? I found Scratch to be pretty entertaining. Or would this stuff be more suited for the turntablists subreddit? r/DJs has more subscribers...
  
  Harmonic mixing seems like it would be a good thing to throw in there.
  

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH750-DJ-Headphones-Black/dp/B002PAQYK8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324648532&sr=8-1

Amazon brought their price up to $150, but you can click "31 new from $99.00" and choose a different seller. It looks you can get a pair for $99.00 + free shipping. I love these headphones. I have no complaints about them at all. From what I've read they appear to be the best headphones for that price. I like them more than my friends $200 A&H Xone:XD-53s.

Hercules HDP DJ M40.1 !
I won one and it's pretty good for the price.
I gave it to my nephew and he is satisfied :)

With the money you save, you can buy me some beers :D

First and foremost, just play with it. Noodle about and have some fun! I did this for quite some time with 1 scratch record and then bought Qbert's Do it yourself DVD. I can't recommend it enough, really cool. Yoy can switch between a few different camera angles at any point (eg. overhead, zoomed in on fader hand, record hand etc). Loads of cool extras as well as the scratch techniques too . And it's not boring, Qberts a bit of a nutter so you will be laughing...

https://subpac.com/what-is-the-subpac/

Lets you experience a club like environment at home without pissing off the neighbours. Also good for movies and PS4.

I received this as a belated Christmas present last year as i didn't want or need anything at the time. Easily the best thing i never knew i needed in my life.

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I've also just bought a dual monitor desk mount stand, flipped it so it tilts back and attached a tray to hold my controller and Kontrol X1. To finish I then put an additional monitor mount to the top for actually mounting a monitor (I know, crazy right, who does that?!) for viewing Rekordbox. Overall fairly stable and extremely easy to adjust the height to suit.

https://www.amazon.com/VIVO-Monitor-Adjustable-Screens-STAND-V002/dp/B009S750LA

I've recently gotten myself a fancy new setup to record. Along with using a Novation Twitch and an Akai MPK25 to control Serato DJ, I have a lighting rig, which I use while mixing to make it more dynamic. I use a chauvet Obey 40, with two Chauvet Mini Kintas and two generic LED spotlights, to create an atmosphere. AAANNDDDD along side that, my most recent addition is two video cameras on tripods to catch the whole mix from different angles, which I then take into Sony Vegas 13 to edit it all down and make it look cool. (Oh, and I've got my mix recorded in Serato while I play, which I sync up with the video via a few clap samples that I play from my speakers). Here's the final product ( don't mind my kinda boring mixing, I just wanted to test out my whole setup to see if it worked) http://youtu.be/MkKARNRvfU8

And to help you out with the recording situation, Behringer sells rather good quality input/output sound cards for about $30 (Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KW2YEI/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_5zRVub1GCHXDR), and you just plug in the output from the mixer into it, and use audacity (or your favorite recording program) to record it all.

I have learned with that guy ellaskins but another user posted that, besides that i'd recomend to listen to other DJs of the genres you like, obtain the tracks of those mixes, listen to the tracks you like and put close attention to how that DJ mix those songs and at least for EDM mixes there is not too much you can learn or teach.
Also this book is a good inside to DJ topics, is a bit too swallow but at least i enjoyed reading it
How to DJ Right

Hey! Hopefully I can give you some insight. I am not sure if you can use the USB out if the RX2 into a computer to get an audio signal (someone let me know if I'm wrong). Something you could do is purchase an audio interface. I use this one that is relatively inexpensive for my streaming purposes and it works great! I use it with a Mac and if I remember correctly, it was plug and play. The system would recognize the interface from the streaming software and you get a good quality feed from the mixer. It worked out for me and isn't too overly complicated. Hope you get everything worked out!

Hey, I know this thread is older but did you ever figure this out? I just got my SR2 today, and am running Mojave on a 15" touch bar MacBook Pro. I think I'm having the exact same issue - installed the drivers and said it was successful, and it will even work, but it will randomly disconnect and then the touchbar freezes and I have to completely reset (not just restart) my computer.

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https://support.serato.com/hc/en-us/articles/236084867-KNOWN-ISSUE-Using-Serato-DJ-with-Macbook-Pro-models-w-Touchbar-can-result-in-connection-issues

\^it seems like this is exactly what's happening

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The USB C adapter I'm using at the moment is:

https://www.amazon.com/nonda-Adapter-Thunderbolt-Aluminum-Indicator/dp/B015Z7XE0A/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=usb+c+to+a&qid=1558085861&s=gateway&sr=8-5

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Thanks for any input!

I dated a girl who had this on her bookshelf. I scoffed at first and then found myself reading the shit out of that book. But, still, a lot of the content seems like common sense picked up by spending time in the trenches.

I got more inspiration from reading Last Night a DJ Saved My Life than by anything else I've ever read or watched.

Get this pre amp. Plugs USB right into your computer. Download Audacity its free and just rip them at 16 bits and save them at 320. Grab a beer watch tv or surf the web and just let them do their thing!!! Monitor them and keep it quiet in the background you will have them done in no time!!! Good Luck. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BBGCCI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Premium-Hi-Fi-Professional-Headphones/dp/B007SP2CO2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1536340760&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=dj+headphones+monoprice&psc=1

These headphones are pretty good compared to my expensive headphones. They are comfortable and sound good enough for the $22 price tag.

This one is pretty popular:

http://www.amazon.com/EBTECH-HE-2-Ebtech-Hum-Eliminator/dp/B0002E4YH4/ref=sr_1_2http://www.amazon.com/EBTECH-HE-2-Ebtech-Hum-Eliminator/dp/B0002E4YH4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397236641&sr=8-2&keywords=hum+eliminator)

This is pretty popular as far as power conditioners go:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PL8C?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=accessory&utm_term=furman_power_conditioner&adpos=1t1&creative=9557897641&device=c&network=g&matchtype=e&gclid=COya9vf42L0CFU1bfgodRnkA_g

I would highly recommend picking up this book. It covers basically everything you'd probably want to know, and it's a pretty entertaining read. My copy is pretty dogeared.

Honestly, the best thing you can do is just mess around and practice for as long as possible! Both me and Fever are old enough that we predate video tutorials or Youtube vids and wotnot, but tbf, they do make that initial hump easier to get over I think - this was really useful for me when it came out

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DJ-Qbert-Yourself-Skratching-NTSC/dp/B000096JHI

If you’re looking for a Beginners setup I’d highly recommend you get yourself a controller rather than getting CDJs and DJMs. There’s a substantial price difference.

A good entry level controller I would recommend is the Pioneer DDJ-SB3. It offers a simple, yet intuitive layout which offers countless of opportunities to try new techniques.

For this to work, you'll need a sound card that supports at least 2 outputs. Usually, onboard soundcards only support 1 headphone out, so usually people buy external USB soundcards. Once you get a soundcard that supports multiple outputs, you can go into preferences for whatever program you use to send the main mix to one output and the headphone (sometimes called 'cue') mix to the other.

Some soundcards that seem to be popular:

Numark DJ I/O

M-audio fast track

If those are too expensive, there's also the method of getting a cheaper USB soundcard with only 1 output, and hack together a driver using both the USB and onboard outputs so that the computer thinks it's one audio interface with two outputs. If you want more info about that process, let me know!

It's harsh but it's true, you need to put more brute time into reading articles and random stuff on the internet. There are so many possibilities for setups, and your interests sound somewhat unique, that it's impossible to give you a solid recommendation. DJing is 1/2 discovery and 1/2 some other stuff.

Plus, there are around three posts per day that are almost exactly like yours, and it gets incredibly tiresome because people don't come here to guide people to basic starter gear decisions, they come here to discuss finer points of DJing. (whether that actually happens changes depending on who you talk to)

HOWEVER:

More on the production side?

Have a fucking ton of money? (One of these + a handful of the above)
>|


More on the traditional DJ side?

Have a fucking ton of money? (Two-four of these + One of these)

Need a starter audio interface?

Yup, what others have said. Use your dominant hand on the fader as you rarely need much fine control over the record itself. Practice practice practice. I found that an instructional like Q-bert's scratch tutorial helped immensely. Just run through it hundreds of times, faster and faster each time. You'll get there. But yeah, dominant hand on the fader.

edit: https://www.amazon.com/Qberts-complete-YOURSELF-Vol-Skratching/dp/B000096JHI

If you can get your hands on this DVD . . . BUY IT. If not, just go online and youtube "DJ QBERT DO IT YOURSELF." Those videos pretty much set the foundation for what I'm able to do today.

But on another note, the best way to learn is having sessions with people who are already familiar with the art form.

Read this book if you want to know what DJing is about. Nothing will explain it better than the very people who invented the craft.

This documentary will also be a great way to learn more about the New York scene of the '70s, where the modern DJ emerged from.

There's a book called, "how to DJ right" https://www.amazon.com/How-DJ-Right-Science-Playing/dp/0802139957 that I read a longggg time ago but I think explains how to manually sync records the old fashioned way. Quick google search found this, which breaks down all the random info pretty well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I86wv3WcDgg

audio2dj is a great card to start with.

if not you can get a numark dj i/o, but I highly recommend the audio2dj over the numark

Update: I got that mixer. That thing is really awesome. You can tell just by the packaging and the weight of it - it's made really well. Fully worth what I paid, I can't even believe it was that cheap. It feels like more solid construction than the S4. It wasn't a $5 or so Y-cable or adapter from Monoprice, but it wasn't what I'd call expensive. If you need something to "combine" two analog audio signals, this is absolutely the way to do it.

You should try the Monoprice 8323s (Available via Amazon). These are $25 USD headphones, and can easily pass for $200 cans. They seal up nice and tight to block out noise, and have really decent bass, mids, and highs. I've had mine about a week and like them as much as my Grado SR60s.

I use a Rane SL3 currently, recoring through serato. But previously I used a RCA -> 1/8" connector going from the record out to my laptop's input with Audacity. You should probably look at getting an external ADC if you are having problems with the cable, laptop, or mixer out. Introducing a ground loop eliminator between your mixer and laptop doesn't hurt. From what it sounds like you might be looking for something like this: USB ADC, Amazon, $79.00

Yeah I was looking at that one and also the budget one Pioneer DJ DDJ-SB3.

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You obviously get what you pay for but I do also like the compact size.

For a low-budget controller, the Hercules RMX gets good marks and is within your budget.

aside from what /u/britty1983 mentioned, if you want to use the output to an external recorder you could pick up an RCA piggyback to run the output into the speakers and piggyback into something like this

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA202-Audio-Interface/dp/B000KW2YEI

although i must say i had the same issue even with this interface then I talked to some fellow djs/producers and just started going in through the 2 mic inputs on my focusrite interface using a rca to dual quarter inch cable now my mixes are crystal clear

My personal opinion here, but I think this is one of those things where people should learn by trial and error. There are so many free resources out there now days, that if you really have the desire and dedication to learn, you will do it on your own. You will crash and burn, but god damnit, you will come back and try again time after time after time. Sure, you can take a lesson from someone to learn a new technique or whatever, but you should have basic skills going in. I've been doing this for 15+ years now. I've met many "I am going to pay this guy to teach me to DJ!" people. Not a single one has ever made it anywhere.

As funny as it sounds, I've given this book to a countless number of people. To some as a gag gift and to others as a subtle hint....

https://www.amazon.com/How-DJ-Right-Science-Playing/dp/0802139957

Use this to plug your mixer to your computer. Then use Audacity selecting this as your input source. It's quite straight fwd.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0023BYDHK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Since you already have the controller, you really just need something with two outputs. One for your speakers and one for your headphones. I would say go with the Numark DJ iO. Its cheap, simple ,and gets the job done just fine.

http://www.amazon.com/Numark-DJ-Multi-Channel-Interface/dp/B000S5Q2EK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342274505&sr=8-1&keywords=numark+dj+io

I think this book should be required reading for anyone learning to DJ.

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA222-BEHRINGER-U-CONTROL/dp/B0023BYDHK

This is a definitive guide for the noob. You'll need to cover what they've covered.

I’m liking my new Shure headphones. I loved the Sony MDXs, but they nerfed the series, and I did not like the Pioneers. The plastic on the headbands broke off. They became functional, but uncomfortable, and the outside material that covered the cushions on my ears and on top of my head flaked off and stuck to my head. I have high hopes for the Shures. The feel sturdier in design and material than the others I’ve tried in the price range.

Shure SRH750DJ Professional Quality DJ Headphones (Gold) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002PAQYK8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_Nk1PAYygpWTKJ

Probably your best bet

Headfi.com is great source for more detailed headphone analysis, but phones that can take the abuse of travel and sets with that sound sig is a short list.