12 Websites That Teach You How To DJ
By Muxx - January 26th, 2010 - Resources, Tutorials - View CommentsWhen it comes to learning about gear or how to DJ, there are plenty of websites available to the beginner DJ on the net.
If you want to learn how to DJ, checking out the following websites is a great start. You’ll be able to see what’s happening in the music scene, the new gear being release and find some great tutorials from mixing to scratching.
Many of these websites are well established amongst the DJ community and have become the center of community for many. Other websites are still up and coming but they each have something great to offer.
Additionally, be sure to check out these 5 blogs with DJ tutorials.
Sonic Academy
Sonic Acedemy is becoming one of the premier locations to learn about DJing and music production.
Their tutorials are some of the best but they do come at a small price. Cost aside, these tutorials are taught very well by a team of instructors that know what they’re talking about.
Their DJ tutorials cost a bit of money but you can get a few courses for free then decide if you’d like to check out the others.
DJForums
DJForums, although it is a website, hosts the best DJing forum on the net, hands down.
The forum is divided into multiple sections based on criteria such as the different levels of DJing, gear, mixes and many other DJ aspects.
Before you make any posts on the DJ Forums, at least read the stickies because people will be quick to point out your ignorance. It’s tiresome to get the same “what kind of turntables should I buy?” question every day.
Do yourself a favor and lurk for a little while before making a post, there are literally hundreds of “what type of DJ gear should I buy” threads. Check out the various sections of the board to see what you can learn before you ask a question. If you’re finally stumped, and there isn’t a post covering it, then post the question.
Everyone that is serious about learning how to DJing should bookmark DJForums.
DJTutor
DJTutor is, perhaps, the best DJ tutorial website on the net.
Ellaskins, the DJ Tutor, has hundreds of videos on YouTube that cover every aspect of DJing, especially how to beatmatch. Many DJ subjects are revisited with questions from the community so there is always a better explination as time goes on.
DJTutor.com is also great for the articles and community. You’ll meet some really great people that are at the same level of DJing as you that are more happy to help you out as you learn as well.
DJVibe
DJVibe is a great place to catch up on anything new coming to the DJ world. Gear reviews, DJing 101, podcasts, forums and you name it, you can pretty much find on DJVibe.
DJing 101 consists of some of the latest news of gear, tips, tricks and other resources for beginner and advanced DJs. The influence of DJVibe allows them to test out new gear, do some great coverage of events and produce some very excellent DJ tutorials.
Protip: Turn down your music when you visit the site – a video starts playing automatically – scared the shit outta me.
DJ Tips and Tricks
DJ Tips and Tricks has been around since I could remember, there’s not a tutorial that you won’t find on this website.
DJ Tips and Tricks touches on every part of DJing from the beginner level to going pro. There are also places to get advice and feedback from fellow DJs, as long as you don’t mind the criticism.
Although it’s becoming a little dated, all of the information on the website is fundamental and can be used to learn for many years to come.
Learn To DJ
Learn2DJ hasn’t been updated in a while but just like DJ Tips and Tricks, the info is still very relevant and fundamental.
You could go through all of the tutorials on this site in about an hour. There are better places available on the net but a quick stop by will give you some additional tips and tricks from a different perspective.
How To DJ Fast
How To DJ Fast is a website/blog set up to promote a video series by DJ Sean Gallagher.
I recently took a look at the videos and must admit that they are fun to watch and very informative. The production value is top notch and each video is divided into nice little chunks to digest.
On the free portion of the blog there are regular updates of insightful posts about DJing: mix of tutorials along with promotion. Even if you don’t check out the video series the posts still give you a lot of good info.
DJ Advantage
In terms of DJ tutorial websites, DJAdvantage.com is one of the oldest however much of the website is all but dead but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn a ton of good info.
There are literally hundreds of pages to read about DJing on the main site along with all of the posts on the forums. Unfortunately the forums are pretty dead as well but they’re still great to scan through since a lot of the info is still very relevant today.
EHow
EHow is an e-learning video website where users upload videos with the intent do teach you a particular skill or hobby.
EHow has many videos on how to DJ including a few series that take you from the very basics up to your first party.
Many people learn best by watching example, then trying to replicate. If you have your turntables close to your computer, you could practice along with these videos as they play – this will help you learn at a much faster rate than you’d expect.
The DJ Equipment Guide
Another great website to learn how to DJ is The DJ Equipment Guide. Like DJ Advantage, The DJ Equipment Guide has been around for ages, since 2003.
Some of the website is starting to break with old age but burning a few hours on this site will give you a wealth of knowledge about DJing. This website recommends quite a bit of gear throughout the posts to take note.
YouTube
YouTube, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last half decade, is a website where users can upload videos and share them with others.
YouTube is the perfect platform to watch DJ tutorial videos. There are literally hundreds of videos that teach you how to DJ ranging from professional productions to the guy in his bedroom.
Some videos are hit and miss mainly due to the quality and sound but others invested a bit more time to help show you exactly what they’re doing.
You should check out YouTube and do a few searches on how to mix, beatmatch, clubbing and other interests you may have in DJing.
The DJ Groove
Last, but not least, is The DJ Groove. The DJ Groove covers a lot of the later part of DJing: promotion and setting up a business.
There are dozens of tutorials on what you need to know about starting your own DJ business and promoting yourself. Unfortunately (it almost seems common in this list) much of the site is starting to die off (especially the forums).
At least take a few hours to mull over the info here, it’s still great stuff.
My 2 cents
I know it seems a bit silly to post a ton of links to other DJ tutorial websites but I want to make sure that you get as much information as you crave. Many of these sites have years of content, truly priceless.
Spend a few hours to go through each of these websites and find out more about DJing that you ever wanted to know. Learn from the tutorials but also remember that you need to be implementing the techniques as well.
I hope, regardless of where you get your information and tutorials, that you’ll be able to learn and become a DJ, we really need more people like you out there in the world to bring us all together through music.
Here’s to you, cheers.
