Are you a brand new DJ, with not even one track to your name? Then that makes two of us.
I’m setting out on an adventure here, and I’d love it if you joined me.
So, let’s see what kind of gear you’ll need to be a musical adventurer:
A Digital Audio Workstation
You can fake it for a while without some things, but a Digital Audio Workstation (abbreviated to DAW) is the central tool you’ll need to get started.
DAWs are just computer applications meant to make sound and music creation easier, connecting all your synthesizers and sound effects together into one program and allowing you to organize your sounds into one song. They usually come with a lot of stock options, some of which can actually be useful, especially to beginners.
Don’t get too down on the boring, pre-packaged sounds or instruments that come with a DAW, though. Even some top-of-the-line artists use them from time to time (that makes sense, given that they design some of them). Even Deadmau5 uses some of the stock sounds contained in a DAW called FL Studio.
There are a few DAWs that are currently the front-runners. Ableton Live is currently the most heavily used DAW with professionals the world over, but it’s not the most user-friendly for a beginner who wants to avoid a big learning curve.
The one I’m using to start exploring is FL Studio 11, made by Image-Line Studios. It’s professional and powerful enough to attract some of the major artists of today, like Deadmau5 and Lex Luger, but is remarkably easy to learn to use. Online tutorials abound for this particular DAW and all of its features, and while these tutorials may be somewhat difficult to understand, they can be decoded.
That’s why you have me, right? We’re going to figure this one out together.
The Brand New DJ 