If there’s one thing any DJ will tell you, professional DJ or otherwise, it’s that people greatly underestimate just how much goes into Djing.
Whether it’s the party lifestyle that is consistently used to portray the DJ world or the fact that most “Dance Music Party” radio DJs are pretty much just playing a playlist along with a couple of fun effects, DJing is considered by many to just be something good for narcissists, Instagrammers and people with not a lot going for them in “the real world”.
This couldn’t be further from the truth!
In reality, there is an incredible amount of things that a DJ must know about, whether they’re making it a hobby or trying to progress it into a professional career.
From the various concepts, terms, and pieces of equipment, to even the methods and techniques to best use when performing, it can feel like you’re taking an advanced course at university just to get the basics.
This guide isn’t meant to give you every aspect of being a DJ.
That’s just too much, especially if you’re just starting. Instead, we’re going to start with the basics of the basics when it comes to DJing, and that’s Bedroom DJing.
This guide will go over the ins and outs of DJing as a whole, how much you should be investing in DJing (both time and money), as well as some practical steps you should follow so you get a grip on the music and know how to best create some truly impressive mixes.
Bedroom Djing (in short)
Essentially, bedroom DJing is the type of DJing that you do at home – most often in your bedroom – thus the term, bedroom radio DJs. You don’t have to worry so much about performing for the crowd and it really is the perfect place for beginners to relax, practice, and hone their skills. It is where every DJ starts. Even Tiesto.
Read this next: 6 Best DJ Mixers for Beginners
How to Start Djing From Your Bedroom
If you ask most people interested in DJing, you’d be surprised to know that a large majority of them don’t know what bedroom DJing is or how it actually fits into the overall DJing world.
Of course, when people do learn of bedroom DJing, the immediate question that they have is whether or not it’s even worth doing. After all, unlike traditional DJ performances, here you aren’t in front of an audience, under pressure or doing any of the stereotypical superstar “DJ” stuff – at least not in front of others, that is.
This lack of recognition or visual acknowledgment can, for some people, actually be a bit of a deterrent since a huge part of the appeal of being a DJ is performing at clubs to large crowds.
The good news is that, while you do lose out on the crowd performing aspect of things, that doesn’t mean bedroom DJing isn’t a great place to start and a super fun hobby in and of itself.
Not only is bedroom Djing great for fostering creativity and developing technical experience, but it has a lower upfront cost when compared to performing gigs in front of a crowd – both in terms of financial cost as well as time commitment.
Reason #1. Affordable
The biggest and most immediate reason that bedroom DJing is worth your time is that you aren’t going to be making the same type of financial or time investment in the works as you would if you were performing specifically to jump into doing gigs and performances.
When it comes to DJ equipment, while we will go over that more later, suffice to say that it can get pretty expensive. Unless you’re getting absolute trash, you’re going to be using a wedge of cash even for a moderately good setup.
This is especially true for radio DJs that are going to be performing to a crowd.
Yes, some clubs will have their setup available, but if you don’t know how to operate them (ie., have experience using them) then you’re going to be better off using your stuff.
And if you’re own stuff isn’t able to perform at the level required for the audience, you’re going to know, and is not a good way.
Spending your first few months, even years, playing around and investing in bedroom DJing is a great way to get a feel for things while not going full-boar on the equipment side.
Simply put, it’s the ideal way for anyone that’s just starting to get a feel for becoming a DJ even if they don’t have large enough pockets or aren’t willing to spend an arm or a leg for the best of the best controller and mixer.
Reason #2. Creativity
Next up after a reduced time and money investment, bedroom DJing is an excellent way to build up your creativity and expression. When you’re on stage and performing to a crowd, there are not a lot of experiments that you can do.
Essentially, if you go “off-script” in any way, you’re liable to derail your entire set and have everyone in the crowd booing you if it goes wrong.
Bedroom DJing is great as it gives you that chance and freedom to find out what genre, songs, and BPMs appeal to you and what you want to play music.
For example, are you interested in hip-hop or EDM? Do you want to mix a pop song or do you want to try your hand at House, Techno, or Deep House?
These are things you get to ask yourself and test out as a bedroom radio DJ since you’re necessarily worried about throwing a song off or making a mistake.
All this will culminate in an incredible sound that is unique to you and what you want over everything else, which is something you cannot get when jumping straight to traditional on-stage DJing.
Reason #3. No Pressure
One thing about bedroom DJing that makes it worth your time is the fact that it’s a great way to build up confidence and experience.
The fact is, if you want to put together good music and mixes, you need to put the practice in. Time and time again you will hear us say at radio DJ Tech Reviews…
Practice, practice, practice!
It’s just that simple. If you want to sound like you know what you’re doing, you’re going to need to know what you’re doing.
By being a bedroom DJ, you’ll need to humble yourself so that you can learn the “how to DJ” basics and understand the fundamentals.
The good news is that you’ll be able to do all of this without fear of upsetting a crowd or ruining your reputation by making a mistake during a performance.
This means that, when you do eventually decide to perform in front of a crowd, simply put, you’ll know EXACTLY what you’re doing and you’ll be good at it.
Reason #4. Is DJing Your Passion?
Last but not least, bedroom DJing, as an entry point in the DJing world, allows you to know just how you feel about DJing as a whole.
While you’re not going to be sinking in quite the same amount of time or resources as you would while on stage, that doesn’t mean you aren’t going to be putting in tons of hours learning how to scratch, mix, play with EQs, and beatmatch.
It’s still a ton of responsibility and you’re going to need to be on top of a lot of things if you plan to produce music and mixes that sound like something a club would even let play music.
This is the reality of being a DJ, and, as mentioned at the very beginning, it may not be what you may have initially thought when signing up for this hobby.
Bedroom DJing allows you to invest as little money, time, and energy as possible in the hobby while figuring out if it’s what you want to do.
Simply put, bedroom DJing, more than any other type of DJing option, allows you to see whether DJing, as a whole, is something you want to do.
If it is, you can steadily progress into performing gigs and getting more advanced equipment. On the other hand, if it’s not, then you learned a fun skill and didn’t pay an arm and a leg to do it.
Read this next: Building Your First Home DJ Setup
Djing for Beginners: How Much Does it Cost?
Now that we’ve had a chance to go over what the benefits are of bedroom DJing and why it should seriously be considered if you are just starting, let’s now get into the actual costs for the hobby, both in terms of the amount of time and energy you’ll need to invest as well as how much money you’ll need to be willing to put down.
Financial Investment
First things first, you’re going to need to know how much money is required if you want to be a bedroom DJ.
The most important reason is that, at the end of the day, you’re going to need equipment. Whether you’ve got an hour a week or three hours a day available for DJing, if you don’t have an available controller or CDJ, you’re pretty much just spending your time reading up on it through the internet.
That’s not going to do anything.
Luckily, when it comes to starting DJ equipment, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not going to be too particularly expensive. Especially since this is the beginning hobby stage of things, you don’t need to invest in anything too professional or high-end.
Still, if you’re considering taking it seriously, having a solid budget price in mind is important.
New Vs. Used
Upfront, you should be willing to spend between $350 and $400 for your starting DJ gear that’s brand new. If you already have a laptop computer, you’ll want to get a workable DJ controller for between $200 and $350, as well as a studio monitor speaker for around $100.
If you don’t have $300+ to spend, consider checking out used alternatives from places like Amazon, eBay, or Craigslist. Y
ou can also consider renting out equipment. This is especially good for beginner DJs that have much more free time to invest than money, and will likely want to switch out for better gear sooner than later.
Big Money Spenders
When it comes to being a DJ, especially a bedroom radio DJ that’s just starting, there are two areas where you’re likely going to find yourself spending the most money after you’ve got your starting gear:
- DJ courses
- Music
It’s very important that, if you want to make DJing a real hobby (or something more professional) you’re going to need to make a point of investing in some online DJ courses.
Yes, you can get some level of know-how from free platforms like YouTube, but a DJ course can keep you focused on the essential points so that you can start performing real music much more quickly than on your own.
The second big area for spending money will be music for your library. Music tracks are essentially the same thing as a DJ controller or CDJ in the sense that its equipment that you need.
The good news is that, while it used to be pretty expensive to buy music ($1 a song), today you can join record DJ pools for around $10 a month.
While the $1-2 track options are still available, at the start, you should keep your expenses as low as possible. After a while, if you want a more exclusive library, you can take the time to grab a few hot tracks that you’re dying to play music with.
Practice makes Perfect
After the financial investment has been made clear, the next thing is for you to be honest about how much of a time investment you can realistically dedicate to being a DJ.
Again, keep in mind that the more TIME you’re willing to invest in yourself and practice, the faster you’ll come along.
Keep in mind that, if you want to be able to do any actual performing outside of your bedroom, you’re going to need to invest 100s, if not 1000s, of hours into perfecting your DJ craft.
Practice is king!
Read this next: How To DJ With A Laptop In 3 Easy Steps
Best DJ Equipment For Bedroom DJs
Now that you know some of the realities of being a DJ, in terms of the time and financial investment, we’ll now go more in-depth on the different types of equipment you’ll want to get.
As stated earlier, as you’re just starting, you shouldn’t be spending a ton of money on DJ gear, even if it’s all brand new stuff. Remember that you’re testing things out first and foremost.
If you are willing to invest those 450+ hours in the craft, then you can start taking a look at the higher-end and more professional DJs options available.
DJ Controllers
When it comes to your DJ controller, you don’t need to go overboard and get something crazy expensive. Still, that doesn’t mean you should get absolute trash either.
Some good choices include the Pioneer DJ DDJ-200, Pioneer DJ DDJ-400 as well as the Hercules Inpulse 500. We have full reviews on the mentioned controllers, just follow the links.
The DDJ-400 not only is a solid controller in and of itself but also comes with the Rekordbox DJ software. Here, the software is continually updating, meaning you’re going to constantly get more and more options for improving your DJ skills. There are also a good number of online tutorials that go over the DDJ-400 and how to best use it. It’s also great for those that think they may become a professional DJs.
On the other hand, the Hercules Inpulse 500 is great for beginners and comes at a very good price. While it doesn’t come with its DJ software, the Inpulse 500 works with just about any DJ software type out there, opening you up to more than just one option (something the DDJ-400 doesn’t have).
Read this next: Best DJ Controller for Beginners (Our Top 5)
Speakers
Next up are the speakers. Your speakers are not quite as essential as your controller (though you’ll want to get something at least).
While, yes, you can start with the computer speakers, that’s almost definitely not going to be good enough for any real DJing. If you can’t expect to get any good studio monitors at all, consider getting the Presonus Eris 3.5BT monitor speakers.
They definitely offer passable sound to be viable for entry-level mobile DJs.
Read this next: Best DJ Speakers: Our Top Picks
Headphones
Let’s make this clear. You do not have to break the bank when buying a decent pair of entry-level DJ headphones. Mobile DJs are utterly spoiled for choice these days.
If you’re interested in making that plunge upfront, a great option is the Pioneer DJ HDJ CUE1 headphones, which are around $100. Realistically, you can easily limit your headphone budget to between $75 to $150.
We actually use a pair of the CUE1’s in the DJ Tech Review office and think they are an awesome all-rounder.
Read this next: 12 Best DJ Headphones – Top Picks for All Budgets
Read this Next: Pioneer DJ HDJ CUE1 Headphones review: Vibrant DJ Wear
Practical Tips For Beginner DJs
if there’s one thing you need to know about being a DJ, it’s that (and I’ve said it a few times already) it’s anything but easy.
From the amount of time it’s going to take, to the steep learning curve you’ll have to overcome, DJing is not for the faint of heart or those with a lack of patience, no matter how Hollywood may have tried to present otherwise.
There are many different things that you’ll need to take into consideration when performing, however, there are also some key areas and practical points that you’ll want to keep in mind as you’re starting.
And remember, you’re going to have much more time to hone and master these points in your home bedroom environment.
#1. Start Simple And Grow
The first thing about being a DJ deals more with your gear and buying decisions. As I previously mentioned, you want to get something that, while workable, isn’t too expensive or high-end.
This is much more than simply saying, “Don’t waste your money.”
By starting small and simple, you’re also starting with a setup that isn’t too complex.
Larger and more professional controllers and CDJs are more expensive because of the number of options included. These options are going to be too much for you as you’re starting.
Instead, get something with only a few features and add-ons, on which you can reasonably get a handle. Then, once you’ve managed to master that controller setup, consider upgrading to one just a bit more expensive and expansive.
#2. Get the Basics Right
Next, once you’ve got your gear and are DJing, you’ll want to do what I just finished saying in tip #1, and that’s studying your device and getting a firm handle on what it has to offer and how it works.
That means playing around with the different buttons, knobs, and sliders.
Go through different explanation videos and tutorials about the hardware. You want to have as firm an understanding of the controller itself as possible.
From there, spend some time learning the different ways and methods of mixing.
- Learn how to beatmatch
- Learn how to scratch
- Learn how to use the EQ filters
- Learn how to use cues
- Learn how to use the crossfader
- Learn how to use channel faders
Make sure you have the core fundamentals of DJing down and mastered.
#3. Set Objectives
You should set goals as quickly as possible.
One of the biggest reasons that people give up on DJing (as well as anything in general) is because they are essentially running around aimless.
We, as people, crave a level of structure. Without it, we are liable to end up doing nothing. So make some goals and set points that you want to reach.
Make it a game!
Now, I don’t mean, “become the next Armin Van Buuren” or “perform at a huge festival in six months”.
Those goals are so big that they may as well as big no goals (as far as your mind is concerned). Instead, set smaller and more reasonable goals like, “learn to beatmatch” or “pick the right genre.”
The more times you “win” while building up your time as a bedroom DJ, the more excited and interested you’ll be in DJing as a whole.
#4. Listen To Yourself For Feedback
Lastly, you’ll want to listen to your work as often as possible.
While learning and watching videos is great, and even getting an understanding of how your device works is something you should have, the only way you’re going to grow and excel is by hearing your mixes and seeing where you need to improve.
When you play your mixes back, you can hear where the transition may not have been as smooth, or the beats didn’t match up as well as they should.
What’s more, by playing it back, you’re going to be hearing what the audience hears.
What I mean is that, with DJing, you’re not going to have the same level of personal bias that is often the case when looking at your material.
You’ll be able to pick out the parts that need fixing and have them fixed pretty much immediately after recording them.
Read this next: DJ vs Producer? (Or Do You Need To Be Both)
Djing Guide: Takeaway
As a bedroom DJ, you come with virtually all of the benefits of a normal DJ with none of the pitfalls.
You’ll be able to more freely decide what type of music you’ll put out, you’ll have more time to refine and develop your unique style, and you’ll be able to do it at an entry-level in terms of cost and time.
No, you won’t be hitting the clubs or setting up gigs, but that shouldn’t matter in the beginning. By focusing on the fundamentals of DJing, you’ll be able to step out from seeing this as just something interesting and move it over into a real hobby.
And from there, you can see about one day transitioning into a real profession where you are on stage performing to huge crowds, literally living your dreams.
You have to start somewhere. Might as well make that somewhere in your bedroom studio where you’ll have all the time in the world to get it right.
