DJ Forum

Below is a list of useful links for the best DJ gear, controllers & software. Please reply to this topic if you find any other useful links ... Year Links 2025 5 Best Pro DJ Controllers (Learning To DJ) Top 5 DJ Controllers Under $600 (Equipboard) Best All-In-One Standalone DJ Systems (Digital DJ Tips) Best beginner DJ controllers 2025 (Music Radar) Best DJ Controllers (The DJ Shop) Top 7 Best DJ Controllers of 2025 (Product London) 2024 Best DJ controllers 2024: Hands-on control for Serato, rekordbox, Traktor and more - our expert picks Best DJ Gear 2024: 11 best DJ software for mixing and playlisting in 2024 Best DJ plugins of 2024: Free software and apps for DJing…

Whether you own a Rane One MkII, you’re thinking of buying one, you’ve ordered one and you’re waiting for it to arrive, or you’re just curious about what a state-of-the-art modern DJ controller can do, this training tutorial has the answers. It’s over an hour and a half long, and it talks about every feature, … Continued The post Free Video Manual For The Rane One MkII appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Algoriddim has released Djay Pro 5.6, bringing Spotify integration to iOS and Android while significantly expanding hardware support across its entire platform. The update adds native screen integration for several Pioneer DJ and AlphaTheta units, plus full support for the XDJ-AZ and Opus Quad units. The Spotify news will grab the headlines – the entire … Continued The post Djay Pro 5.6 Brings Mobile Spotify Integration & Better Hardware Support appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

AlphaTheta has announced that its Rekordbox DJ application for iOS and Android now supports Spotify integration, bringing the streaming service’s catalogue of over 100 million tracks to phone/tablet DJing. The update means Spotify Premium users can now access their playlists and stream tracks directly within Rekordbox on smartphones and tablets, matching functionality already available on … Continued The post AlphaTheta Brings Spotify To Android & iOS Rekordbox DJ Apps appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Worried DJing is going to be a hard thing to pick up? Don’t be – you’re more prepared than you think! As a DJ school, we asked our audience what non-DJ skills helped them become better DJs, and the answers will encourage you – I promise. In fact, over 900 responses later, one thing became … Continued The post 12 Non-DJ Skills That Will Help You Become a Better DJ appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

David Franks isn’t your typical Digital DJ Tips student. At 72, he’s living proof that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself – or in his case, rediscover a skill from decades past. His DJ journey began in 1978 at the height of disco, when he was handed two Technics 1200 turntables and a mixer … Continued The post Student Spotlight: How A 72-Year-Old Musician Rediscovered DJing After 45 Years appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

What’s the best music streaming service for DJs in 2026? We’ve brought together all the music streaming services, software platforms and compatible hardware, given them all a thorough road-testing, and come up with our recommendations for all types of DJs, from open format and mobile to underground and bedroom. The post The Best Music Streaming Services For DJs In 2026 appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Welcome to the December 2025 edition of Behind the Wedding Music – your go-to guide for building unforgettable wedding playlists. Each month, we spotlight brand-new tracks along with notable lyrics, emotional context, and fun facts to help DJs curate the perfect soundtrack for the big day. New wedding song ideas from November 2025: Ride Leela [...] The post 10 Fresh Wedding Songs for December 2025 appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article

This week’s DJ LIFE Mobile Monday DJ spotlight, presented by QSC, shines on DJ Nick Nystrom from De Moines, Iowa. DJ Nick Nystrom is this week’s DJ LIFE Mobile Monday spotlight. Presented by QSC, Nick is a mobile DJ based out of De Moines, Iowa. Nystrom has spent more than two decades shaping unforgettable experiences across the Midwest [...] The post DJ Nick Nystrom [Mobile Monday Spotlight] appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article

Atomix Development has unveiled the latest version of its flagship DJ software, VirtualDJ 2026, bringing a number of new features and upgrades for users. AI is front and centre in the new features for 2026, with a new AI prompt folder, essentially your very own AI assistant inside VirtualDJ which can, via user prompts, offer formatted lists of track recommendations, complete with an explanation for each track, all ready to be dragged to a deck and played... The post VirtualDJ 2026: new AI assistant for track organisation and a revamped FX engine appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

Serato has announced the launch of SLAB, the first-ever pad controller designed specifically for Serato Studio. Co-developed with AlphaTheta Corporation, SLAB turns Serato Studio’s production tools into an expressive, intuitive hardware experience for producers and artists of every experience level.… Read More Serato and AlphaTheta Announce SLAB, First Dedicated Controller For Serato StudioView the full article

Serato has ushered in a new chapter in its beat-making ecosystem. In collaboration with AlphaTheta, the company has unveiled SLAB, its first piece of hardware and the first dedicated controller designed specifically for Serato Studio. Serato Studio launched in 2018 as an entry-level DAW aimed at DJs who wanted to get into production without facing the steep learning curves of traditional music software. Borrowing visual cues from Serato’s DJ platforms, its focus is on creating quick edits, mashups and beats – giving DJs and performers a fast, frictionless way to sketch ideas... The post SLAB: the first hardware controller for Serato Studio has arrived – here’s everything …

Christmas and New Year’s Eve gigs are brilliant for your bank balance – you can easily charge double your normal fee for 31 December, for instance – but they come with unique challenges. You’re dealing with crowds who often never go out any other time of year, quite likely drunk people making increasingly unintelligible requests, … Continued The post 6 Tips To Survive DJing Holiday Parties appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

The post What was it like for female DJs 30 years ago? What progress has been made since? appeared first on Pioneer DJ. View the full article

We have got our hands on a sneak peek video highlighting some of the new features in VirtualDJ 2026, which appear to include automatic lyric extraction from songs using AI, a natural language AI set building feature, and vastly improved effects. Here’s what we gleaned from the short teaser video we saw (and which we … Continued The post VirtualDJ 2026 To Get AI-Powered Lyrics & Set Building, New FX appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

After 11 months of taking song requests, Christmas is the one time of year DJs get to ask for something they want, so here are some of the best gifts this holiday season. Whether they’re a bedroom dreamer, mobile party starter, or club resident, pick from 10 present ideas for the vinyl and digital DJs that they’ll actually use – and I should know, because I’m all of the above. Curated by the MusicTech team, choose from a setlist of designer slipmats, modular headphones, a DJ-specific flash drive and more from familiar brands like AlphaTheta, Native Instruments, and Teenage Engineering. Get in quick, and you may even find a Black Friday bargain or two... The post The best …

Rekordbox has been updated to version 7.2.8, adding a fourth stem to its stem separation feature alongside improvements to cloud syncing and duplicate file management. The update means DJs can now separate tracks into four stems – vocal, instrumental, bass, and drums – rather than the previous three-stem configuration. This gives more granular control over … Continued The post Rekordbox v7.2.8 Adds 4-Stem Separation & Cloud Set-Up Wizard appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

IK has been producing ARC (Advanced Response Correction) systems for some time, using a combination of special microphones and software to measure and compensate for the imperfect acoustic nature of most listening spaces and studios. Most recently, it has built the technology into some of its speakers. Now, the company has created the ARC On-Ear system for people who are tracking, mixing and mastering on headphones. A combination of a hardware unit and a software application, it’s a rather more user-friendly format than the other ARC products, a little smaller than an Apple TV box and designed to work with both digital and analogue sources... The post Has IK just made acc…

By day, Dr. Richard Aballay treats patients at his family and functional medicine practice in Kansas. Nights and weekends, he’s DJ Mediko – spinning EDM, reggaeton, trap, hip-hop, Top 40, Latin classics, and even country remixes across radio streams, festivals, and private events. The journey from teenage record collector to working physician-DJ started with a … Continued The post Student Spotlight: From South Bronx “Franken-rig” to Multi-Genre Mastery appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

This week’s DJ LIFE Mobile Monday DJ spotlight, presented by QSC, shines on DJ ONIX from Cleveland, Ohio. DJ ONIX is this week’s DJ LIFE Mobile Monday spotlight. Presented by QSC, DJ ONIX is a mobile DJ based out of Cleveland, Ohio. For DJ ONIX, music has never been just a job – it’s been a lifelong calling that [...] The post DJ ONIX [Mobile Monday Spotlight] appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article

Mixvibes has announced Cross DJ 5, a complete rebuild of its flagship DJ software that promises a unified experience across iOS, macOS, and Android. The update introduces real-time stem separation, over 30 professional effects, and expanded Midi controller support. Cross DJ 5 is a ground-up remake of the application, bringing all platform versions under a … Continued The post Mixvibes Announces Cross DJ 5 With Cross-Platform Rebuild & Stems appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

A year ago, we told you the AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ was the ultimate all-in-one DJ unit. After 12 months of using it ourselves, plus feedback from students at Digital DJ Tips and the wider community, we’re now in a position to answer the big question: one year on, should you still buy it? The launch crisis … Continued The post AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ One Year On: Still A Good Buy? appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Ableton has dropped Live 12.3, and we’ve got a whole heap of new features, including some real major changes and some pretty minor quality-of-life fixes. It was already the go-to for electronic music production, but now Ableton is looking to further expand its creative toolbox to let you more easily explore new sounds and get […]View the full article

When the Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 launched in September 2020, nightclubs worldwide were closed, and tours had ground to a halt. For a flagship DJ player, the timing looked disastrous. Except it wasn’t. “Everyone was DJing at home, but the product sold out really quickly and was on back order,” reveals Rob Anderson, the product planning manager at AlphaTheta EMEA. “Within six months to a year, we couldn’t deliver enough stock for our retail channel.” With venues shut, professional DJs pivoted to live-streaming, but the pandemic had exposed an uncomfortable truth: their reliance on clubs to provide equipment meant many home setups weren’t up to scratch. “A lot of professional to…

The post What was it like to DJ in the 1970s? appeared first on Pioneer DJ. View the full article

Walk into a lot of clubs today, and you might notice something has changed. You hear a bit of build up, then the drop comes in, and before you can really settle into the groove, the next track is already coming in. It is frantic and attention grabbing, but this style of mixing leaves behind […]View the full article

When war and economic crisis forced Jihad Zein to close his bar in Beirut in August 2024, he lost almost everything. His business. His income. His livelihood. Almost everything…though he still had his DJ equipment. Four months later, at age 50, Jihad took out a small loan, bought a 1978 VW van, and converted it … Continued The post Student Spotlight: The DJ Who Lost Everything Except His Decks appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Mansfield, Ohio – Bryan Gifford is a DJ whose interests in audio and music never seemed to settle down – and, lucky for him and his Northern Ohio customers, it’s worked out rather well. When he was young, he learned the craft and the mechanics of DJing – for events and on the air. During his stint in the U.S. Navy, he stepped up his game with off-post gigs – both mobile and club. Crucially, along the [...] The post Brian Gifford: Ohio DJ Re-Brands, Reaps Rewards [Mobile DJ Profile] appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article

Every release on Volumo is hand-picked by real DJs and genre experts – no banner clutter, no pay-to-play, just music that matters to DJs. Volumo is a new music-download platform launched from Europe, but built with DJs everywhere in mind. At a time when many platforms are driven by streaming metrics and algorithmic trends, Volumo is putting curation, community, and fair artist economics [...] The post Volumo Music: Every Release Hand-Picked by DJs appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article

Small businesses across the country, the continent and even the globe rely heavily on reviews – that includes the DJ industry, of course. Peer-2-peer recognition and respect count for a heavy weight in a customer’s purchase decision, and rightly so. However, the system is not perfect. We’re all stuck dealing with the whims of the [...] The post A Tool to Prevent Bad Online Reviews appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article