This is a guest post from DJ Sean who teaches video DJ Lessons on his popular DJ training blog, How To DJ Fast.

When I was learning to DJ it was with a big bag of records that you’d have to lug over your shoulder. Times have changed but there are a few time-hardened facts that remain the same when it comes to learning how to DJ.

Whats funny about “the facts of life” for DJing is that so many beginner DJs tend to make the same mistakes as I did when I was starting out as a DJ. I wish that an older veteran DJ showed me the ropes so I could become a great DJ that much quicker.

I didn’t have money for DJ Lessons but I wanted to learn how to DJ so I just sort of stumbled my way through the learning process.

So to help you get ahead with your DJing and save you some time and pain through mistakes, I’m going to share with you some of the time-hardened DJing facts:

1) Beatmatching Is Tough

The first time you turn on your Pioneer CDJ or throw a vinyl onto a turntable you’ll know what I mean. The technology is so exciting and you can’t wait to start playing your tracks together.

Soon you will try to play two songs together and the moment you do you’re instantly lost. You were feeling like a DJ with your flashy gear and a decent collection of music but then it hits you.

There is a mis-mash of sounds and you don’t know which are which. It’s just noise. You’re overwhelmed by the sound but you try to focus. You’ll squint your face and press your headphone ear cup harder to try to hear better but it won’t help.

Don’t worry! You’re not alone.

Even the world’s top superstar DJs started out the same. You see the human brain isn’t naturally programmed to listen to two sounds at once. We are good at focusing on 1 sound but as soon as you add another we have a tough time keeping track of both.

The even better news is that its pretty easy to train your ears and your brain to tell two songs apart and to be able to pick out different elements of a song. This is great news because its an essential part of learning to DJ.

So don’t get frustrated. Don’t give up. Anyone can learn to beatmatch.

2) DJ Egos

Once you’re able to beatmatch and mix like a DJ you’re probably going to start trying for gigs. Its at around this point when you’ll start meeting more DJs. And if you have an social intelligence at all you’ll quickly notice that most DJs have egos.

The ironic thing is that the vast majority of DJs have egos. There are even a lot of local DJs that only play house parties for their friends that have the ego of a celebrity.

Don’t be one of them. Not because people don’t like egos (they don’t), but because it won’t help you as a DJ. A lot of my DJ career was advanced because I am a very easy person to get along with. I would be offered big DJ gigs because promoters and nightclub owners enjoyed working with me.

The nicer and more down to earth you are, the better you will fair as a DJ. Don’t believe for a second that you have to be full of yourself to succeed.

3) DJ Training will save you time

For whatever reason a lot of DJs post on message forums asking for advice on how to start. The old wrinkled veterans from the vinyl days will say “teach yourself”. Very few DJs share the advice of “invest in DJ training”.

Yet that is the best tip I can give any new DJ. It took me almost 2 years to learn how to DJ because I took their advice and taught myself. I could have gotten my first gig within 2 months instead of 2 years if I had invested in some DJ lessons.

And I know that DJ lessons are expensive. But online DJ training videos or online dj lessons are cheap. You get to watch them over and over again and you’ll make the $50 or whatever nominal amount it is back with your first gig. So why not save months or years of your life and learn to DJ 10 times faster with some DJ Training?

Investing in DJ training is the best investment you’ll ever make!

For over a year, I have been getting comments and questions about how to DJ and the various techniques involved in getting started, choosing equipment and other aspects of DJing. I have written tutorials about these things but I never really answered the main question on everyone’s minds: How to DJ. It’s time to reveal my secrets…

How to DJ

Being a great DJ requires a lot of skills and practice. You have to be good at beatmatching, choosing the right tracks, reading the crowd, being creative with the music, knowing your equipment, scratching and a whole lot of other things. A lot of you are ready and eager to learn all these things, but where do you find direction? That’s why you’re here.

I try hard to explain how to DJ in my tutorials but the truth is that you need more than that. If you want to really be a great DJ, you need to do more than just read my tutorials. You have to watch videos. Reading tutorials will only get you so far – to really learn effectively you need to actually see what I’m talking about, see how to apply these techniques.

Now, you know I have always tried my best to help you learn how to DJ as much as I could. So I got together with some other experienced DJs and we made some videos for you. OVER 7 HOURS OF VIDEOS!

These videos will show you the PROVEN SECRETS of DJing THAT WE HAVE BEEN USING FOR YEARS!

If you are really serious about being an awesome DJ, get this book. Here’s what you will learn:

• Learn the 3 main mistakes that prevent beginner DJs from developing into Great DJs
• Learn the basic scratching technique from which all other scratches are derived
• Learn how to beatmatch – mix 2 tracks using 2 copies of the same record
• Learn how to mix ANY songs together and have it come out sounding awesome
• Learn the art of beat juggling, also called doubling
• And a LOT more!
  

I’m really serious about this. You can’t find these videos anywhere else online. They are top quality tutorial videos that are guaranteed to turn you into an amazing DJ. And you know what? New videos are being added on a regular basis!

You will get FREE access to a membership site where you can watch new videos as soon as they’re made!

Here are a few new videos that were recently added:

• A complete Serato Scratch Live tutorial – over 90 minutes long!
  
• How to get women dancing on the dance floor
• How to prepare your mixes
• How to avoid technical issues
  

Since this is new and so far only available to my website visitors and a few other people, there are also a few bonus items you’ll get for free. But this is ONLY FOR A LIMITED TIME, so GET THE VIDEOS TODAY!

THERE IS NO EASIER WAY TO LEARN HOW TO DJ!

GET THE VIDEOS WHILE THEY ARE STILL AVAILABLE

One of the main pieces of equipment every DJ needs to have is a good pair of DJ headphones. So, you ask, what are the best DJ headphones? Well, the answer to this depends partially on what you’ll be using your DJ headphones for and partially on how much you want to spend on them. But in general, there are a few headphones that work well for most DJs and any of those would be a solid choice for any DJ. Let’s explore the options…

Which DJ Headphones Should I Get?

One thing you should look out for when looking for DJ headphones is that they are sound isolating. This is different from noise cancelling, which you probably won’t need. Sound isolating headphones are usually over the ear style headphones and they act just like how that sounds. Over the ear headphones fit snugly over your ears so that the sound coming out of them does not leak out to the outside world. This means that you hear the sounds clearly and accurately. Usually, the better the headphones are at sound isolation, the better they’ll sound to you because you’ll be able to hear all the tiny nuances of the music. These headphones also isolate your ears from the outside world, which means that you won’t get outside sound leaking in. However, most DJs want to be able to hear a little of the outside world because the helps for beatmatching. For example, it’ll be easier to match the beat of the track playing through your headphones if you can hear the beat on the track you’re playing on the club speakers. But this really depends on your style of beatmatching. Many DJs take off one cup of their headphones so that one ear could hear the outside sound while the other ear hears the track you’re cueing up in your headphones.

Another thing to consider when trying out different kinds of DJ headphones is how the different frequency ranges are coming through. Some DJ headphones are pretty heavy on the low end, so you hear the bass more prominently than the other frequencies. This can be good for hip-hop or house DJs, who often focus primarily on the beat of the track. In contrast, some DJ headphones come out stronger in the middle range of the frequency spectrum, so you hear the other instruments a little better and the bass may even be a bit downplayed. Make sure that the sound isn’t too tinny – that’s not something you want. You want a deep, natural sound.

In general, you can get a pretty good pair of DJ headphones in the $80-160 price range. There are definitely some really high end DJ headphones that can cost more than $300 but for the most part you will be happy with a $130 pair if you’re just starting out. In fact, they’ll probably sound better than any headphones you’ve ever heard before you became a DJ.

So what are some good ones?

Sony MDR-V700 DJ Headphones

Sony MDR-V700DJ DJ Headphones – These are one of the most popular DJ headphones, used by both amateur and professional DJs. I have a pair of these and I think they tend to be a bit heavier on the bass than other DJ headphones I have tried. One thing to keep in mind is that these headphones are known to break fairly easily when under heavy use, due to their plastic construction. However, most DJs who use these love them so much that they keep buying the same pair even after they break. These are currently (July, 2009) sold for around $90-120 in online and retail stores.

Technics RP-DH1200 DJ Headphones

Technics RP-DJ1200 DJ Headphones – These are my favorite DJ headphones and the ones I choose to use most on gigs and while practicing. They are also used by many of the top DJs in the world. For example, I recently saw Armin Van Buuren (currently the world’s #1 DJ) wearing a pair of these headphones at a show in Chicago. And who wouldn’t want a pair of Armin Van Buuren headphones? The sound of these headphones is very clear and accurate. The bass is strong but not so strong that it muddies up the other instruments in higher frequency ranges. These headphones have a very sturdy construction and that is one of the reasons many DJs prefer them over the Sony model. They also have a detachable cord, so if the cord breaks you can just replace it instead of replacing the whole headphone. These can be found in the $85-140 price range.

Pioneer HDJ-1000 DJ Headphones

Pioneer HDJ-1000 DJ Headphones – This is another very popular pair of headphones. It is a bit pricier than the other two headphones I’ve mentioned here but the sound they create is exceptionally good. I have not used these heavily yet to I can’t offer my own opinion, but I do know that they generally get pretty good reviews. However, I have seen people complain about these breaking occasionally as well. A pair of these DJ headphones will run you approximately $140-190.

Behringer HPX2000 DJ Headphones

Behringer HPX2000 DJ Headphones – If you are a DJ on a budget, these are the headphones to get. These were actually my first headphones back when I was just starting out and I have to say that for $20-30 this is probably the best pair of DJ headphones you can get. The price is very low for good headphones and the sound is good enough for a DJ to use. The one major complaint I have about these headphones is that they are not very good at sound isolation. There is a lot of sound leakage from the outside, so this makes it hard to hear the track in the headphones if the outside music is very loud. But other than that, it’s a decent pair of headphones especially for use while practicing at home.

There are many other factors to consider when choosing a pair of DJ headphones like their weight and ear fatigue. So if you need any more advice for choosing a pair of DJ headphones, just leave a comment and I’ll try to help you out. And feel free to post more suggestions or experiences you’ve had with different kinds of DJ headphones too!

-Mixing DJ