A proper choice of music formats will lead the beginner DJ down different paths throughout their career.

There are 3 major types of music formats for DJs: Vinyl, CD and Digital (MP3/WAVs).

Each musical format has its own pros and cons but it ultimately comes down to the individual on which to choose.

Before you go any further, you may want to see the types of DJs as well.

Vinyl

Vinyl has been the backbone of DJing since the beginning but it has seen its eventually downturn after years of use and newer, cheaper formats to choose from.

Vinyl is a way of life to many DJs, the fondness of digging through crates at a local record shop looking for a gem.

Vinyl may seem like a dated format to today’s DJ yet many still mold their play style around this format.

Let’s look at some of the pros of using vinyl:

• Vinyl is an analogue format which means it produces a rich, analogue sound.
• Vinyl requires a high amount of hands on approach to DJing
• Record shops are a phenomenal way of meeting other vinyl enthusiasts and DJs
• There is a certain stigma and nostalgia when using vinyl on a pair of vinyl turntables
• Vinyl becomes very collectible as the years pass giving you an added investment in your collection

However, there are a few cons, let’s take a look:

• Vinyl is often more expensive than the other formats
• Vinyl is increasingly becoming more difficult to find due to many artists releasing tracks exclusively on CD and digital formats
• Vinyl requires a constant routine of maintenance to prevent them from warping and becoming damaged
• Some new, hot tracks cannot be played because they have not been pressed on vinyl yet
• Vinyl can become cumbersome when traveling from gig to gig

The die hard vinyl DJ will need a set of vinyl turntables, a mixer, headphones and speakers.

It may take longer to learn to beatmatch and mix on vinyl as well.

Vinyl is a great place to start for any beginner DJ that wants to explore the beginnings of the DJ culture. Collecting vinyl is an excellent and profitable hobby as well.

CDs

In the late 80s and mid 90s, CDs rose as the dominant form of musical format amongst the masses; it’s no mystery that DJs would soon adopt this format.

CD DJ culture is in it’s own league, full of new tricks, gear and availability of tracks.

The beginner DJ interested in CDs has a lot of breathing room on which gear and the type of music they wish to spin.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of using CDs.

Pros:

• Virtually every song is available in CD format
• CDs are relatively cheap and accessible
• CDs can easily be replaced with scratched
• You can make backups of CDs onto your hard drive which will allow you to easily transition towards digital DJing without the laborious task of ripping vinyl
• You will be able to hold a larger amount of music on each CD compared to vinyl
• A case of CDs is a hell of a lot lighter than a bag full of vinyl records

Cons:

• You will need to develop a system for labeling and organizing your massive CD collection
• CDs are very easy to break using minimal force
• With digital formats, it’s a lot of work to hunt for CDs when you could just download the track instead
• CDs are beginning to be phased out, just the same as vinyl

CDs is the perfect in between for those beginner DJs that still want to keep a hands on experience but not be limited to the amount of music they want to spin.

You could always download music and burn the tracks to CDs, giving you an infinite amount of options in your sets.

CDJ’s have become a standard in clubs just as Technics 1210′s have, you’ll easily be able to transition from your bedroom to the booth.

Digital

Digital is the new king of the musical format.

The internet has given the opportunity to millions of bedroom producers and mainstream artists to openly distribute their tracks to everyone in the world.

In older days, you would need to painstakingly hunt for new tracks at your local music shop. Now you can jump on your computer and have instant access to all of the latest, hottest tracks in the genre you spin.

Websites like Beatport, iTunes, Napster and the countless amount of online music shops offer an infinite amount of choices.

Modern DJing is very high tech. Laptops, midi controllers and many other devices can now hook together to create a set up that is unmatched in versatility.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of digital:

Pros:

• You can download almost any song from around the world
• Many new artists use digital downloads as their primary format which means you get to spin a track seconds after it’s been released
• MP3s and WAVs are very cheap, often $0.99 a track on iTunes and Beatport. You could build a massive collection on a fraction of what you would spend on vinyl and CDs.
• MP3s are easy to organize and arrange plus you could carry your whole collection on a zip drive
• You could always burn your MP3s to CDs if you prefer to use CD turntables
• It’s the future!

Cons:

• MP3s can sound muddy if it has a very low bit rate. When played across a system, the MP3s will sound very distorted.
• Digital DJing is often not nearly as involved as DJing on vinyl or CDs. Digital has given the rise of lazy DJs automixing and beatmatching, a real passe amongst fellow DJs.
• A computer crash or a nasty virus could wipe out your entire collection in a few minutes. All that hard work you put into building your collection gone down the drain.
• Software upgrades sometimes will cost you

Digital is the new format that is going to stick for a very long time.

The sheer amount of availability of music is enough for any beginner DJ to begin their career using this format.

New pieces of gear are continuously being developed to integrate with the computer, there really is no end to what the digital DJ may be able to do in the future.

You could begin digital DJing right at this moment, you already have the main component: your computer. All you would need is a program like Virtual DJ, Traktor or Ableton to begin spinning your own mixes.

Bonus: Time Coded Systems

Least I forget, there is still one major player that can help you bypass all of the restrictions of your music format: time coded systems.

Serato, Traktor and Torq are some of the most common systems you will find that use a time coded vinyl system to control digital music. It really is the best of both worlds.

To use a time coded system, a DJ would still use traditional gear such as turntables but it will be hooked up to their computer through a controller box. Time coded vinyl replaces traditional vinyl on this system which allows the DJ to control MP3s on their computer using the time coded vinyl.

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of a time coded system:

Pros:

• You can use any type of music format
• You get the traditional feel of vinyl
• Time coded systems are relatively cheap ($200 – $500)

Cons:

• You’ll have to lug around, not only your turntables, but your time coded system
• You may find yourself fiddling with setting up before your set

Overall, a time coded system is one of the best ways to go because of the amount of versatility. You could still spin vinyl, hook up a cd deck, play your digital tracks while getting that old school feeling of vinyl.

Time coded systems like Serato, Traktor and Torq are excellent time coded systems which will get you started right away with DJing.

All-in-all

The musical format really depends on what you want to do.

Vinyl may feel like the right choice for you if collecting, trading and having a very intimate hands on experience when DJing is your desire.

CDs are very versatile and cheap, making it an excellent format for many current beginner DJs to get their hands on.

Digital formats will continue to evolve with new gear and file distribution methods, if you’re a techie, digital is calling you.

Your DJ gear will be dependent on the format you choose. It’s best to know the pros and cons of each format before you make any costly mistake purchasing a pair of decks to spin a format you aren’t comfortable with.

Keep these formats in mind when you begin your career as a DJ and most importantly, have fun!

Before you make any costly mistakes it’s best to do research, as always. Luckily for you, this post will tell you some of the things you’ll want to avoid when buying turntables.

There are many manufacturers of turntables such as Technics, Stanton, Numark, Denon and over a dozen others. Each of these companies produce quality turntables at affordable prices. If your DJ gear budget isn’t enough to make the large purchase on quality turntables such as the Technics 1210′s, you can still find a great set of turntables from these companies.

Just remember to look out for these main factors to avoid buying the wrong turntable:

1. Do not buy belt driven turntables
2. Try to buy from trusted brands
3. Your turntable must come with a pitch slider
4. Avoid USB turntables

Belt driven turntables suck – for DJing at least. Unless you are an audiophile that’s really anal about the smallest amount of noise coming from your motor, you will want to go with direct drive turntables. Direct Drive turntables have a motor directly attached to the platter which means you won’t have to deal with any of the hassles like when a belt breaks in the middle of your set using belt driven turntables.

There’s a reason why brands like Technics, Stanton and Numark are some of the most recognized when dealing with DJ gear: because they are reliable. Okay, sometimes they release gear that isn’t all thats cracked up to be but these are the guys that’s been making turntables for quite some time. With these major brands, you can guarantee that they know what they’re doing so you don’t have to worry about buying.

I’m not even sure if this is a requirement but you’d be surprised at how some people completely miss the point of DJing. You need to buy turntables with a pitch slider. If a DJ bought a turntable without a pitch slider, they’re doing all kinds of #FAIL. The pitch slider allows you to speed up and slow down the record – this is key when beat matching your records. If you bought a turntable without a pitch slider you most likely picked up one that was made simply for listening and not DJing.

Finally, without a doubt, USB turntables are absolute garbage. I don’t care how easy they are to set up, they’re made for old people that want to rip their Doo Wop albums. USB turntables have no place in DJing as of yet so just avoid them at all costs.

A word of the wise

If possible, test out the turntable before you make any purchase to see how it handles. Many retail stores will allow you to play around with floor model turntables – use this time to check out the features, price and overall feel before you hand over the cash.

Side note: Don’t be a douche and break the floor model stylus’

If you are buying from a local DJ or a person that no longer wants their gear, try to contact them and ask the history of the pieces. If they were in heavy club rotation with abusive DJs you can bet that they’re not all that great. On the other hand, if they’ve been caring about their gear you can often find some very nice pieces of equipment for very cheap.

Before you buy from anyone locally through Craigslist or other ads ask for them to set up the turntables so you can test them out. Play around with every aspect of the table: motor strength, pitch slider, tone arm and more. If they pass your own little test of quality go ahead and pick them up.

Final tips for buying turntables and avoiding nasty purchases

1. Always check the warranty
2. Consider the resale value if DJing isn’t right for you
3. Look for a set of quality turntables that will last a very long time

Although I told you what to avoid when buying turntables, there are a few things you should look for.

If you are buying a new set of turntables, make sure they come with a warranty in case something goes wrong with them or you receive them broken. There’s no sense in having some sort of “pride” and not return your purchase, it’s your money.

Certain turntables last a long time while also holding their value. Turntables like the Technics 1210′s will often be resold at nearly the same price they were bought for. You may not find DJing is right for you so at least making sure you cover your ass when reselling them will ease the pain a little bit.

Lastly, don’t skimp out by buying low quality turntables. Good sets of turntables will last you many years and return the money you’ve invested in them over and over. You won’t have to worry about replacing parts or them dying on you which you often find in cheap turntables – think before you buy.

One more note…

If you use some of these tips you’ll avoid getting burned. Always do a bit of research into what DJ gear you are buying before you end up wasting anything on low quality gear.

Give turntables a test run, check to make sure they are solid and generally avoid belt driven and USB turntables.

You don’t need to know everything about a turntable before your purchase one, just some of the things you should avoid. Over time you’ll pick up on what you think is the best bang for your buck. In the meantime, as a beginner DJ, start with the best and work your way from there.

Happy buying

Selling your vinyl could bring you the needed cash to buy a new piece of gear, allow you to attend the next big party or provide for your livelihood.

Although pricing vinyl is a mixture of expertise and personal opinion, vinyl has a unique way of fluctuating in price depending on the rarity, condition and sentimental value. To many DJs, the day will come when you simply do not have the space to keep all of your collection. Before you unload your collection onto a record shop or sell them online, you should know the baseline to what your vinyl is worth.

Using online price guides, books and this guide, you should find a middle ground on the value of your vinyl.

Note: the prices reflected in this guide does not need to match your own, it can be hard to part with that old acid house tune from ’88 but at least knowing the basics should help you avoid getting jipped.

Before you go any further, I suggest you take a look at BDJ’s other post: The Vinyl Record Grading Guide.

Foreword

To understand vinyl DJing means to understand the format you’ve selected as your main media of choice. Although many local record shops are closing down, the price for vinyl continues to fluctuate. You’ll run into an assortment of people: collectors, fellow DJs, vinyl enthusiasts, shop owners and many others interested.

I know how personal vinyl feels at times, I get quite cranky when people lazily browse through my collection without placing them back into their sleeves. There’s a different kind of mentality for those who actively seek out this format, almost a collective. Rambling aside, if you are too worked up to part with your vinyl – don’t do it.

Many great DJs have built immense collections in their day only to sell it all for new formats. You will see thousands of comments across the net where DJs regret giving up their collection. In darker times, collections were even dumped into dumpsters due to lack of market and space, do you want that to happen to your collection?

As I mentioned before, there is generally 3 variable to pricing vinyl:

1. Rarity
2. Condition
3. Sentimental Value

Another factor you may want to consider is the market itself. If you are the only DJ on the block that has that brand new wax, you can bet that it will fetch a higher price than that shitty Black Eye Peas pressing you can find in Virgin Megastore.

Once you understand the people you will be dealing with, as well as your personal commitment, you will be able to accurately price your vinyl without feeling like you lost out afterward.

“Get on with it already!”

How to price your vinyl – and not get ripped off

The first thing you’ll want to remember when pricing your vinyl is that, regardless of what a book or website says, vinyl really depends on what you feel comfortable with and what people feel is a fair price.

Although many people reference the Goldmine Pricing Guide, you’ll quickly find out that local record shops won’t offer you the same prices because A. they need to turn a profit, and, B. the prices depend on the market value during the publication.

Let’s take a deeper look into these two things.

The reason why you won’t get a the same price you expected from a local record shop is that it would be infeasible, as a shop owner, to buy a piece of vinyl at collectors price only to mark it up and never sell it. There’s no way a record shop owner is going to give you full price because it doesn’t make the least bit sense for business. Unless you find personal dealers or the owner wants it for their personal collection, expect the local shops to cut the price of your vinyl between 50 – 75% of the “expected” price.

The market value plays another huge role in the value of your vinyl. Each day a rare single from that Disco star could be anywhere from $10 to $30, you never know. You see this all the time in every day items, once the word gets out that there is a scarcity of the pressing, the prices will shoot up. If the vinyl goes into a reprint, it could possibly go down. You have to expect that your vinyl won’t hold the same value the day before. Sure it could continue to raise in price over the years but it could also lower in price.

The best way to price your vinyl, as of now, would be to take a look around online to see what the going rate is – thank you Internet!

Here are a few places you could check the value of your vinyl records:

1. Ebay
2. Discogs
3. Amazon
4. Vinyl forums
5. Local record shops
6. Vinyl collector sites

Out of all of these, the two that I prefer are Discogs and Ebay.

Ebay

Ebay is a decent place to find the value of your vinyl records. Of course, you could also sell your vinyl on Ebay as well. Whenever you are doing a search for your vinyl, take a look at the current auctions and weigh in the amount of bids, starting price, number of auctions and the type of competition you’ll be facing.

A great tip for pricing vinyl on Ebay is to view completed auctions. You will need an account to view completed auctions but it provides a wealth of information on the final prices of auctions on what you are searching for.

Here’s a great formula to determine the value of your vinyl via Ebay:

20 Final Auction Prices divided by 20 equals the Average Price

This little formula will help you determine the average price. If this price seems too low for you don’t fret, it may change in the near future, just hold out until then.

There are a few cons about using Ebay as the main gateway of pricing and selling your vinyl:

1. People want everything as cheap as possible
2. People love to cheat each other

To touch on the worst part about pricing and selling vinyl on Ebay is that people want the lowest possible price, always. Although your vinyl could be worth $20, they want it for $1. Unless you want to deal with these people, I suggest the next site…

Discogs

Discogs is a vinyl lovers dream. You can literally find it all on Discogs: discographies, pricing, sales, great users and more.

Discogs is the best place to price your vinyl in my opinion. Because the site is set up with loads of information about the actual songs and albums, people generally know what they are talking about and who they are dealing with.

The Discogs marketplace is highly competitive. Unlike Ebay which people commonly undercut your pricing, Discog users tend to sit on their collection until it sells for the price they want. Because this price is stable, it makes Discogs the best place to price your own.

Much like the Ebay formula, just take the a handful of pricing and divided it by the amount, this should give you a fairly accurate portrayal of the prices real people are offering, not what a dated book says.

Amazon

Although I don’t completely recommend it, Amazon can also be a decent place to find the price of your vinyl records. Although, as a DJ, you may have a massive amount of pressings which Amazon does not list, you’ll still be able to find quite a bit.

The Amazon marketplace is great for people selling vinyl because you never feel rushed. Unlike Ebay that has a definitive end date to your auctions, your vinyl on Amazon stays listed until it is sold. In a way like Discogs, people will set fair prices for their vinyl without trying to get a quick buck. You will however run into people that try to undercut you, just a heads up.

Vinyl Forums

What better way to get a price for your vinyl than on forums where collectors flock to actively discuss their recent finds and about vinyl in general.

You’ll run into some very intelligent and passionate people on vinyl forums. Because this is often their livelihood or hobby, vinyl forum users spend an ungodly amount of time building their knowledge of music and formats. These forum users, when so ingrained into the scene, will be able to give you fair pricing based on what they’ve seen over the years and things they’ve heard – as long as you ask them nicely.

Local Vinyl Shops

Local vinyl shops is one of my favorite ways to get a good idea of the price of your vinyl. As noted before, owners will not always give you the best deals for your vinyl but you can still use this information in determining your own.

Getting to know the people that run the shop as well as the people that visit will open up dialog about pricing and how to sell your vinyl. The kid that’s browsing the Happy Hardcore most likely knows the rarity of your HH tracks, talk to them a bit to get a feel on how rare your vinyl is, who knows you may be able to sell it to them.

Vinyl Collector Sites

Finally, there are quite a few websites that offer free price quotes as well as connections to sell your vinyl to other enthusiasts.

These websites may or may not take a cut of the sale but if you want a fair price while gaining more knowledge about what you have, vinyl collector sites are a great hub for pricing your vinyl.

Final Input

DJs have many tough choices when dealing with their vinyl collections. On one hand you have to continue to buy new vinyl for the mixes you spin while on the other you have to keep a balance of your collection. The best way to think about selling your vinyl is that you’ll be raising funds to buy new stuff to play for your crowd.

As long as you take the extra time to gain an understand of the value of your vinyl, you should feel like you’ve ended with a bad deal. If the wax is so important to you, just keep it.

For those interested in selling vinyl as a business, this information is equally important so your shop doesn’t close down from lack of sales or not being able to push your product due to extreme pricing.

After time, you’ll be able to determine the price of your vinyl without having to do an immense amount of research.

Wither its for your livelihood, to buy new wax, funds to party or to clean out your collection, accurately pricing your vinyl using this guide is your best bet to prevent getting ripped off.

How do you determine the price of your vinyl? Do you use any of these methods or have some other way? Share your experiences with a comment below.

As a DJ or collector it is very important to know the grade of your record before you make any final decision on the purchase. Knowing the grade of the vinyl will help ensure you receive the best bang for your buck and help you choose vinyl that will keep its value for years to come.

The following is a guide to grading vinyl records.

A basic overview of the grading system

Although many people develop their own grading systems there is generally one set that is commonly used when grading vinyl records:

Mint (M)
Near Mint (NM)
Excellent (EX)
Very Good (VG)
Good (G)
Fair (F)
Poor (P)

This basic guideline for grading vinyl records is often based around the “Goldmine Grading System” after the vinyl record pricing magazine: Goldmine Magazine.

Many people, however, will also use a combination of this grading system. You will often find vinyl labeled as VG+ which would mean it is very, very good but not quite excellent.

This vinyl grading guide is also used for pricing. The higher the grade of vinyl, the higher price generally.

People may try to pull some funky practices so knowing what each grading scale entails should help you avoid any purchases that are unworthy.

The vinyl grading system explained

(M) – Mint

Mint vinyl would basically mean they are completely perfect. No scratches, bends or other damages to any piece of the vinyl record and sleeve.

To put it in the most basic terms, to get mint vinyl you would need to get a record fresh off the press.

(NM) Near Mint

Near Mint is the next level down from mint. Near Mint vinyl should be as in perfect condition as possible as if it has never been roughly handled.

Near Mint vinyl is often never played or even opened. Sometimes there may be a the faintest abrasion on the sleeve which will often pass for Near Mint because it’s so minute.

On a Near Mint vinyl record, there should be no wear on any of the vinyl, sleeve or accompanying pieces.

In basic terms, think of Near Mint as a record that has been taken out of its sleeve just to look at the vinyl then placed back in and stored correctly.

(E) Excellent

Excellent graded vinyl is just above an average graded vinyl you may find in many stores. These Excellent vinyl records may have had a play or two but without damaging the vinyl.

The cover, sleeve and everything else will also be in top notch condition although it may have slight bends or folds.

In basic terms, Excellent condition would be like finding an owner of the original pressing that only played it a few times and took great care of it.

(VG) Very Good

Right in the middle of the vinyl grading scale is Very Good.

Very Good records will often have been played a few times and will show a bit of wear. The covers will often be a bit worn from the damages caused by air and light but nothing that takes away from the overall structure such as a completely torn cover.

In the simplest terms – Very Good vinyl would be vinyl you found that was in play rotation but the people took enough care of it without letting it get too damaged.

(G) Good

Good vinyl entails that the vinyl still plays well but it may have a few scratches here and there. At this point in the grading scale the vinyl will probably be making a hissing noise and cracks.

You’ll often find Good graded vinyl records at a lot of thrift stores or flea markets. They aren’t in any particularly great shape but you could still give them a spin and hear the music.

(F) Fair

Fair is when you start to dip down a bit in quality. At the Fair level, you’re starting to get to the point where parts of the vinyl still plays but there may be some skipping on tracks.

The cover and other items with the vinyl may be damaged. The cover may be breaking up at this point or be non existent at all. You also probably won’t find any linear notes at the Fair grading level.

Think of Fair as being something that you may be able to play but you could risk damaging your needle and cartridge at this point. I say avoid Fair.

(P) Poor

Poor means it’s pretty much destroyed and ready to be melted down into something interesting like a fruit bowl – it’s trash.

Poor vinyl will most likely be unplayable. If you happen to get the cover with a Poor record, it probably looks like someone tried gnawing on it and then taping it back together.

The vinyl will also have gouges, extreme scratches, mildew and just about everything you don’t want to get involved in.

At this point, avoid Poor vinyl at all costs unless you absolutely need to have it just to say you did – or as a joke.

Does it matter?

As a DJ and collector, sometimes a grading scale has no value if you must get your hands on a specific piece of vinyl. For those DJs and collectors seeking out an ultra rare pressing or simply needs a song for their set, price and quality will not matter.

In my opinion, if it fulfills a need in your collection or if you know people will go crazy on the floor, I say go for it and pick up that rare pressing.

Remember, as a DJ, you should be looking at not only the songs you plan to be playing but also the quality of your purchase as well. A DJ with scratched up vinyl will play a horrid set as it jumps around, hisses and damages the turntable cartridges.

Use common judgment and the guidelines detailed in this post to help you select the best vinyl within your price range which will also last you a long time.

Vinyl doesn’t last forever, it eventually wears down. By picking quality vinyl and making sure you clean them, you’ll be able to get quite a few spins during your DJ career by starting off on the right foot or should I say hand.

How do you grade your collection? Does grading matter at all to you? Let BDJ know below in a comment.

Knowing the correct solutions and equipment to clean your vinyl is key to keeping a great collection sounding great.

DJs need to be just as religious with caring for their records as much as a collector would. Without proper cleaning, vinyl will not play to their best potential and will sound muddy on the dance floor.

Cleaning your vinyl isn’t hard and does not take much time but should become a regular process for those that choose this musical format for their DJing.

As a DJ, vinyl records go through enough wear and tear from regular play during mixes. Vinyl does not need to be additionally damaged by incorrect storage methods or from lack of cleaning.

There are a few ways to clean vinyl records. The following should be a great guide to get started.

Choosing the right vinyl cleaning brush

Most vinyl accumulates dust, particles and mildew from various conditions such as low air circulation or humidity. As vinyl continues to collect dust and other particles, playback will result in additional skips, hissing and pops.

A brush will often do the trick when cleaning vinyl as it will remove most of the nastiness on the surface of the record.

Before you go out and grab any old brush you have laying around it’s best to know which ones are right for cleaning without causing any additional damage from scratching.

The best brush you could use for cleaning vinyl records is a high count carbon fiber brush. These carbon fiber brushes will help sweep away most particles on your vinyl record and help restore the original sound.

If you do not go with the carbon fiber brush, you could also choose a felt brush. A brush made of felt will be able to get within the groove of a record and pull out any particles which may muddy the sound. These brushes are often very inexpensive and can be found online or at local music shops.

Many brushes are also anti-static which will help the particles to cling to the brush. Check on the packaging or listing of where you are buying your brushes to make sure they list anti-static this way you know you’re getting the best brush for your money.

The only problem with only using a brush to clean your records is that it pushes the particles off of your record but doesn’t get rid of them. The particles from your record will continue to float around in the air of the room only to settle back down on the vinyl records at a later time.

To combat your vinyl from recollecting these particles, it’s best to use a cleaning solution in tandem with regular brushing.

Choosing the correct vinyl cleaning solution

Not all vinyl cleaning solutions are considered equal. Using any solution before knowing what it can do to vinyl could cause major damage and ruin your record.

The reason why some vinyl cleaning solutions may cause damage is that it may have an incorrect mixture of cleaning solution which reacts to the vinyl material and causes abrasions or worse – melts it.

The best cleaning solutions are ones which have been trusted for years such as D4+.

A cleaning solution is your best bet in cleaning your vinyl because it gets deep down into the grooves to lift out any particles which may have settle. Using a cleaning solution with a brush will give you optimal results that make your vinyl sounds crystal clear again.

The vinyl cleaning process

Now that you have your vinyl cleaning solution and brush it’s time to start cleaning those records.

The most important thing about cleaning records to remember is to never apply the cleaning solution directly to the vinyl record. You want to dampen the vinyl – not soak it.

To begin, apply a small amount of cleaning solution to a felt or other high fiber count cloth.

Next, in a circular motion in the same direction as the grooves, gently wipe down the vinyl record and make sure an even coat of the solution is covering the entirety of the record.

Using a dry cloth, wipe down the side of the vinyl you applied the solution to.

At this point you may be tempted to further wipe down the area with your brush but DO NOT do this at this time.

Wiping down the vinyl with a brush at this time will only soak your brush and push around the solution.

Instead, let the vinyl dry out on top of cloth or paper towels for a few hours to make sure all of the solution has evaporated.

After the solution has evaporated from the vinyl, in a circular motion again, wipe down the vinyl with your brush.

Once one side is finished, start with the next side.

After both sides have been cleaned you should now be all set with cleaning your vinyl – give it a play!

How often should I clean my vinyl?

Ideally, you should clean your vinyl every month or so but if you can only do it once a year you should be set.

If you take the steps to properly store your vinyl you should be able to get by with the minimal amount of maintenance.

Whenever you’re bored or finding music in your collection, grab a few records out and clean them instead of lumping them all together on one day.

Additional tips and tricks

As a DJ, you should always make sure you store and maintain your records so they play at the best sound possible to your crowd.

A muddy record will sound doubly so when played over a loud system, you don’t want your listeners to experience a mediocre set do you?

Investing in a a brush and cleaning solution while keeping a regular cleaning schedule should help you avoid any long term damage caused by vinyl becoming dirty.

You owe it to yourself and your crowds to keep your vinyl in tip-top shape. Remember, you’ve already invested so much in your collection, why let it go to waste from little things like dust.

Where to buy vinyl cleaning kits, brushes and solutions

Like usual, Amazon has quite a selection of vinyl cleaning equipment at decent prices. Here are some cleaning kits, brushes and solutions worth checking out:

Found this post helpful? Post a comment below and let me hear your thoughts.

As a DJ, you’ll find yourself digging through crates at some point in your career. Once you find some of the local shops, you’ll never want to shop for your vinyl any other way.

Sometimes buying online can be very impersonal. Getting to know a local dealer has many benefits besides friendship such as being able to receive exclusive releases, discounts and the rush from digging through crates. Finding your vinyl locally will help stimulate the local market while building a network of DJs.

If you want to find vinyl records locally all you need to do is look around. Here are some of the the locations where you could find vinyl records for your next mix or collection.

Record Shops

Record shops are becoming increasingly hard to find due to competition from online sales. This isn’t to say that there are still plenty of these shops out there but it does mean that they may be a bit harder to find.

Local record shops are a great place to find and buy vinyl records. Not only will you be able to find much of what you’re looking for but you’ll also get to meet some very cool and knowledgeable people. Owners and clerks are more than willing to talk about music and make selections. If you buddy up with the shop you could get some great kickbacks like certain vinyl being held just for you or an extra discount off the top.

There are plenty of mainstream stores that offer vinyl (Virgin Megastore) but it’s often too impersonal and doesn’t have the same feel as digging through boxes and crates. Instead, I suggest you take a look through the phone book, ask around or do a local search online to see if your city has a record shop. These small shops are often tucked away in a little corner of the city but when you find them it’s like entering a whole new world.

Sometimes local shops aren’t able to carry certain vinyl or genres because the market has too narrow a margin to be profitable but that isn’t to say you won’t be able to find what you’re looking for. You could always ask the clerk if they’d be able to place an order for you as well.

Supporting your local vinyl shop builds a great sense of community between DJs and the shops that supply them with tunes, it’s a symbiosis relationship. Get out there and take a look around, dig deep into the crates and make some friends while you’re at it.

Craigslist

Craigslist is a great way to find vinyl records locally. If you don’t know, or have been living under a rock, Craigslist is a website that’s dedicated to local sales and swaps.

You can find many people around you that are selling off singles and collections. I’ve seen multiple times where a DJ is retiring and have decided to sell off their collection – at $1 a record! At times, local deals can’t be passed up.

You may also be able to find local dealers that collect and sell but don’t operate a shop. These people will buy collections with the intent of selling off the records they don’t need or want. If you jump on it fast enough you may be walking away with a really great deal and a stack of vinyl under your arm.

Yard Sales

Whenever I drive past a yard sale in my city I always think the same thing: I wonder if they have any vinyl?

Yard sales are a great place to find vinyl but most of the time it may not be something you’d be spinning. Vinyl sold at yard sales are often oldies, rock and if you’re lucky (and it’s your thing) disco. The slim selection at yard sales is mostly due to the fact that the majority of people aren’t’ exactly out in shops looking to find electronic singles or DJing.

Every once in a blue moon you may stumble across a yard sale that is selling something you want. I don’t expect too much when stopping, mostly looking for classic albums to complete a portion of my collection. Think of yard sales as the in between when shopping locally for your vinyl, you’ll find stuff for really cheap.

Flea Markets

Flea markets are a step up from yard sales but you may be faced with the same sort of selection depending on your area.

I like to swing by the local flea markets every couple months just to see what sort of selections I can find from local dealers. On the rare occasion I have found crates full of electronic and hip hop vinyl which I promptly snatched up for incredible prices.

The flea market people are a little strange at times but they’re always a fun character to deal with. Once you get to buddy up with a seller, they’ll easily hold vinyl for you if you ask them. Many times I’ve snagged a couple rare albums after I asked the patron to look out and hold the specific groups and bands.

With flea markets, you’ll often get merchants that buy collections from people and then break them down and price them accordingly. If the merchant is lazy, it often seems this way, they’ll slap a generic price on the records. You’ll be able to find some incredible deals if you come across these lazy merchants, they’ll sell albums that are easily worth $30 or more for $1 just to make the quick sale.

With all things aside, flea markets are just plain fun if it’s your thing. You don’t need to spend the whole day there but it gives you something to do and you get the joy of the hunt. I may sound crazy but there’s something zen about sweating while hunched over a box buried under junk looking for a great tune.

Swap Meets

Lastly, swap meets are perhaps your second best bet in finding quality vinyl next to vinyl shops. Swap meets consist of people from all over the state, sometimes the country, coming together in a convention style format to set up to sell/swap their vinyl.

At swap meets you are able to find almost every genre of music. You always find a wide range of dealers and fellow seekers looking for a great deal.

Swap meets are also a great way to network yourself. While at at meet, you could get to know some of the fellow local DJs that you may not have heard about. You could also use the time to talk to the dealers and find out additional information about local stores and where else to find vinyl.

Some deals at swap meets are hit and miss, many times people are out to get collectible prices despite the fact that people are there to make reasonable offers. You’ll still be able to find a lot of great stuff, some old some new.

Expect to drop a lot of cash at swap meets because you’ll find a lot of stuff you want. Remember, try to moderate yourself. I know seeing so many records can be very tempting to snatch up as quickly as possible but don’t break the bank.

Where else can you find vinyl locally?

As I mentioned in the beginning of the post all you need to do is keep an eye and ear out to know what’s going down in your area. Sometimes you may find the one-off seller that just wants to get rid of a few. Other times you may be able to land a huge collection of vinyl from a retired DJ.

Pass around your phone number with local dealers and people to keep up to date on whose selling and buying. You’ll be able to find some really great vinyl if you take the time to look around locally.

So, where do you shop to find your vinyl locally?

There’s no ‘right’ way of organizing your vinyl collection but there are a few guidelines which will allow you to get a head start. These organization methods range from alphabetizing to the rarity of the vinyl. Each method has its own structure.

Organizing your vinyl collection can be very zen as you dig through old records and place them in order accordingly. Organizing will also allow you to quickly pick out a record if you’re in the middle of your mix – avoiding loss time trying to dig through hundreds of disorganized vinyl.

Now that you know where to buy vinyl records, it’s good to know how to store them.

Alphabetically

First up is the classic A-Z alphabetized method.

I don’t think I really need to explain this to anyone but I’ll give it a quick run down.

With alphabetizing, you’ll be organizing your records based on the artist or album name starting with the first letter and working your way forward. Alphabetical organization helps when you know exactly what album or artist you want to listen to while knowing the area in which to start searching.

Genre

Some DJs and vinyl collectors like to group their vinyl into genres of music.

Dividing your vinyl into genres has its obvious benefits – you have the type of music you’re spinning right within the same area. Organizing using genres will help break up large collections to allow a DJ to grab from the pile within the same genre without having to dig through the collection.

BPM

Other DJs also like to divide their albums into BPM.

BPM can often dictate the type of music being played. You know that Drum and Bass is a much higher BPM than House. With your records organized through their BPM, you’ll be able to structure your set based on the speed and no necessarily the genre of music.

Release Date

For those collectors that are very analytical, the release date is a great way to organize your vinyl collection.

Some people like to have their vinyl divided into the years in which the vinyl was released. Having the vinyl organized by release date will allow a listening to hear the progression of music throughout the years instead of simply pulling form the shelf and spinning.

For those who are very knowledgeable about music, organizing vinyl into years can also tell the person what instruments would be featured, genres and major artists of that time. It’s not necessarily the best way for a DJ to organize their records but it is a fun way.

Rarity

Many serious vinyl collectors organize their vinyl collections based on rarity.

Certain vinyl records sell for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars because they are so rare. Many serious collectors want to make sure these records are divided from others which may receive regular play. Although they may not plan to sell these records, it’s still a great way for them to break everything down into what they cherish.

For the DJ, some older vinyl presses are very hard to come by. If you divided your collection out into rarity, you would know that when you want to really drop an old school hit or something completely intense, you’d reach for the rare section.

Hybrid Methods

Finally, hybrid methods of organizing your vinyl is a very common practice amongst collectors and DJs.

Sometimes having your vinyl alphabetical or by release date doesn’t make as much sense in comparison to a hybrid mix of artist names and release date.

Drilling down further into an organization method would allow you eaily pick out certain tracks with ease due to the very specific organization method.

I often like to use a hybrid of Genre > Artist > Album Title when organizing my music. With this specific organization method I know exactly what genre I want to hear, which artist to choose from and the album of choice based on A-Z.

Where to go from here

With so many different ways to organize vinyl, it really does become something unique to each person. With a developed system for organizing, you’ll be able to quickly pick out a song for your DJ mix while keeping track of what you have.

Organizing your vinyl can be a zen experience at times, much like putting together a puzzle. Once you’ve completed your organization, you can now sit back and marvel at all its glory. Show it off to your friends – just don’t let them mix it up.

How do you organize your vinyl records? Let BDJ know, comment below!

A word of the wise: sometimes, regardless of how big an online vinyl website may be, it’s still often hard to find certain copies of vinyl records. Sometimes you’ll need to do a thorough search between the various vinyl online stores before you find your copy but it’s definitely worth the trouble.

Even if you don’t plan on buying any music, online music shops are an excellent way to find new music.

If you have the cash to afford some of the shipping fees from other countries, you’ll be able to land some of the hottest new tracks that are unavailable in your area.

Here are a few places where you can buy vinyl records online.

Click on the pictures to jump to the website.

Do you know of any others? Leave a comment!

There’s a lot more to buying vinyl than meets the eye. Unlike picking up a new CD or downloading an MP3, vinyl still has its firm roots in specific shops. These vinyl shops can sometimes be a total mess while others are neatly organized.

Navigating your way through the maze of vinyl to find the one you’re looking for is a mission and a half. However, once you finally find that special vinyl, you still need to check over a few things to make sure it’s worth the purchase.

There are a few tips, tricks and guidance’s to buying vinyl online or in a record shop. They don’t need to always be taken into consideration but they will help you from getting burned on what you thought was a sweet deal.

The vinyl jacket

The first thing you’ll notice when buying vinyl is the vinyl jacket. This jacket is the outside, often cardboard, enclosure for the vinyl and additional items inside.

The first thing you’ll want to do is take a good look for any damage to the jacket. Does it have any signs of warping or water damage? Often times you’ll find crates of vinyl that were left out in the open (often at flea markets) which will stick the jackets together, ripping the album art and ruining the overall condition.

You may also want to look for any writing people have place on the records. More often then note, people will write their names on various records – some people just like making sure they know it’s theirs. Other times people will put little notches or stickers on the jacket to help organize for their DJ set or apart of their collection.

These writings and stickers may be easy to remove but other times it will degrade the overall value of the vinyl. If you only care about the actual vinyl, I say don’t worry as much about the jacket because it’s not the jacket which people are going to be hearing in your mixes.

The vinyl record

The vinyl record is what you should be paying the most attention to since this is what you’ll be playing in your DJ sets.

Vinyl can easily be damaged from heat, humidity and storage methods. You know when you walk into a proper shop when they have all of their vinyl neatly organized and stacked vertically. This isn’t to say you won’t find garbage at these stores either or find gems at run down shops, it’s just saying that you should be aware of the type of people you purchase from.

Before you ever buy vinyl at least take it out of the jacket and sleeve to give it a once over to check for scratches and any other signs of damage. A record that has a giant gouge down the middle won’t only play but could possibly damage your turntable needles in the process. It’s a total waste if you’re not able to play your vinyl without skipping so try to avoid these unless you really want it just for ascetic purposes.

If the clerk is available, try to question them about the history and past owners of the vinyl. Yes, this may seem a bit steep but knowing that your vinyl was in good hands is a great way to make sure you don’t get burned buying a piece that only plays a few times before wearing out. Often times you’ll find DJs unloading large amounts of records onto stores that have been through quite a bit of rough play, these may be a great find but again, if they can’t be played more than a few times they may as well be worthless.

Liner notes and other items

For those collecting their vinyl as well as DJing, the liner notes and other items included with the release may be very important to you.

Some vinyl releases come with signed liner notes, little items such as coins or collectible souvenirs. In order to make sure your vinyl is complete, you should do a bit of research on sites such as Discogs to see what the release came with before laying down the money on an incomplete release of the vinyl.

Determining the condition

After you’ve checked over the vinyl you should try to rate it in comparison to other vinyl conditions. These range from Poor to Very Good, while perfect being essentially un opened and never touched (good luck finding those).

Although the vinyl may be in perfect condition, the jacket and liner notes be in complete shambles which lowers the overall value of the vinyl record. Don’t get duped into paying full price for a record if parts of it are damaged. Haggle a price you and the owner finds fair based on the condition of the vinyl.

What’s a good price?

To be honest, there is no “good” price for vinyl.

Some vinyl is ridiculously expensive to some while completely worthless to others – it all depends on the collector. Certain records are very hard to come by which means they’ll have a much higher listing price, others not so much. It’s best to shop around if possible before you make any final decisions on buying that rare vinyl, you may find it much cheaper in another store.

As a DJ, you may be burning through records nightly which means you’re going to be spending quite a bit of money on your music. If possible, try to get the price within your spending range so you don’t blow it all on one record when you could of had a dozen.

You could always refer to a vinyl pricing guide if you have one handy but remember that these are average prices collected from all over the world sometimes. The small shop in your town may not be asking or paying the same price for vinyl as one in the city. Use your judgment when purchasing vinyl so you don’t get burned by outrageous prices.

Remember that vinyl won’t last forever as a DJ from all the wear and tear. You have to expect to eventually retire the record and possibly buy another copy. If the release has the perfect song that will blow up the dance floor, I say go for it and get it while it’s hot.

Last minute things to check

Before the final purchase, you should run over a few things to make sure everything checks out.

Check to see if the store offers any sort of return or buy back policy. On the very rare occasion, the vinyl may have been pressed incorrectly which means you’re SOL – hopefully the shop will give you a refund or at least buy it back at a discount.

Check with the clerk to see if any new releases are coming out. Sometimes that rare song you’ve been itching to spin may be re released on new wax at a much cheaper price.

Ask some general questions you feel is appropriate before you make any purchase. Remember, the crate digger that is on good terms with a shop gets tons of great benefits when the clerk holds aside new releases, rarities and other vinyl you’ve been looking for because you’re such a good customer.

Giving it a listen

Finally, if you’re willing to make an investment, I highly recommend picking up a portable turntable.

Portable turntables are compact turntables which can be lugged around often in a backpack. Some shops do not have equipment set up to allow you to listen to the vinyl before hand. If you happen to have a portable turntable, this will help you get a good understanding of the quality and songs you are about to buy.

Portable turntables aren’t all that expensive either. You can pick a few up for under $150, a great investment when you’re buying thousands of dollars worth of vinyl for your DJ mixes.

Find the Numark PT01 Portable DJ Turntable

Final note

This information should arm you with enough knowledge so you can buy vinyl with confidence. Using these guidelines and tips will help you from wasting money on mediocre or damaged vinyl.

A proper amount of research will allow you to make the best decisions for your money without any repercussions. There are plenty of shops where you can buy vinyl that will try to rush you just to grab your money – avoid these if possible. Try to take your time when deciding which vinyl to buy, it’s just like any other purchase – remember, it’s your hard earned money.

Although vinyl is beginning to be faded out by newer systems such as Ableton Live and time coded systems, the authentic feel of pulling a piece of vinyl from its sleeve, setting it on the platter and spinning the song has a truly unexplainable feeling.

Like any other interest or hobby, it’s always a good idea to understand the fundamentals. Knowing the creation and use of vinyl in DJing will help give you a better appreciation of the music.

With that being said, let’s take a look at what vinyl is.

What is Vinyl?

Vinyl records are an analog media format invented back in Polyvinyl Chloride, the same materials used to make PVC pipes.

Vinyl records have a very long history, dating back to the late 1800′s, but this isn’t going to be a boring history lesson here, so let’s get on with it.

Vinyl, if you’ve never seen a record before, are the large circular discs with grooves which allow it to play back recorded audio. Yes, before MP3s, there were other musical formats.

Vinyl music is pressed onto each blank using a master mold or through a cutting machine. Many artists still press their singles on vinyl specifically for DJ play.

Because music that is pressed on vinyl is analog, there is much debate on the “warmth” of the sound in comparison to digital formats like CDs and MP3s.

All in all, it’s a matter of choice for the DJ to choose which format they will play. Some singles only seem to be released on vinyl while others are digital distributions, before you make an investment – see how your favorite genre distributes music before spending money on DJ equipment.

Know before you buy

Why choose vinyl?

As previously mentioned, vinyl is a choice amongst DJs today.

In the early days of DJing, there wasn’t a choice – you had to use vinyl. Now, it’s a mix between tradition and life style.

Although many vinyl shops are going out of business these days, there’s still a great thrill of digging through crates to find a really great song for your mix.

Because of the nostalgia, vinyl has seen a comeback as many indie labels have used vinyl pressing as their main distribution.

Vinyl has a whole different feel when compared to buttons and jog wheels on CDJs or MP3 controllers. It’s a bit more involved as you have to dig through your bag to find the next song, cue up the song yourself and play around with it a bit more if you’re doing some effects.

Be ready to dig through some nasty crates while searching

Common vinyl facts

There are a few things to address when choosing vinyl as your main format.

Vinyl generally costs more than digital

Some of the songs you want to mix won’t be on vinyl

You will need to properly take care of them (cleaning, storing, etc.)

Knowledge is power!

Is vinyl right for you?

This, again, is a personal question you need to ask yourself.

If you’ve already enjoyed the allure of vinyl records, you know that it is the format for you. Besides the physical interaction with your vinyl, you’ll also be able to build quite a nice collection you could show off.

If you’re strapped for cash, you may want to look into such programs as Ableton Live or a time coded vinyl system. These systems will allow you to use MP3s as your main format – much cheaper and easier to find compared to some vinyl.

If you want some of the latest released songs, you may not find them on digital formats. Many labels do “white label” releases of their songs which are distributed to DJs. If you’re using a digital system, you may be left out on some of the hottest new tracks.

Choose wisely

Vinyl may not be for everyone but hopefully this should clear things up.