6 Great Resources for Your DJ Career

The first step in becoming a DJ is wanting to become one. The next step? That's not so easy. Learning how to DJ is a very broad topic, with lots to cover. While a love of music always helps, it's where you want to go from there that needs some guidance. There are lots of resources for tips and tricks on the art of the DJ. But if you want to learn how to DJ and are starting from rock-bottom, here are some excellent reads that you should certainly look into.

Perhaps one of the most photographed moments of any wedding is the first dance. As one of the memories that any couple wants to preserve for a lifetime, anything to add extra "wow" factor to these few minutes is extremely valuable to photographers, videographers, and guests. While intimate lighting certainly creates an elegant scene, the idea of dancing on clouds is something of a fantasy-world idea.

Whether you're stepping into the world of lighting design, looking to step up your theatre lighting effects, or just a mobile DJ wanting to offer something more, DMX lighting can be both exciting and intimidating at the same time. What does DMX mean? Is programming difficult? Do I need DMX control for my lighting? What's a universe? Surely there's a lot to go over if you're just looking into DMX, and the information can often be overwhelming. At the same time, technology has afforded the opportunity for everyone from churches, to clubs, to private businesses, to offer something above and beyond the "set it and forget it" method.

If you've been a mobile DJ since the 90's or earlier, you often reminisce (but not miss!) the days when gear wasn't so small. From bulky lighting to endless crates of CDs and vinyl, the setup of a mobile rig often involved intensive manual labor. Heavy lifting was both dreaded and expected at every gig. But for the love of the art, you persevered. Today, that hard work has paid off. Music has gone digital. Setups are lighter and more portable than ever before. But if you're still looking to lighten the load a bit, here are six of our favorite add-ons that have made setup a little simpler for the mobile DJ.
Photo Credit: Eric Huybrechts - Unaltered

Outdoor weddings, backyard BBQs, beach parties, camping...there are dozens of reasons we can think of that you'd need to get sound where there's no power. Bluetooth has made it possible to take the music with us, but in the event of a party, portable speakers aren't the easiest thing to come by until lately. When you've got a group of folks itching for tunes, sometimes those personal speakers don't quite cut it. Here are 4 of our favorite powered speakers that are completely battery-powered, allowing you to take your speakers where power is hard to come by.

Got vinyl? Chances are you've got dust, too. Whether you're an LP aficianado or a lover of vinyl in conjunction with DJ software, taking care of your records should certainly be a priority. While there is no absolute way to really purify a record, there are ways to clean them, and there's plenty of research that's gone into the some of these ideas for keeping your vinyl around a while.

The consumer world has become obsessed with wireless technology, and that's something that is slowly creeping into the pro audio and lighting industry. The ability to broadcast audio, fly lighting and even control our music through wireless resources is a reality. Unfortunately, wiring is still a part of our setups. Cable management can be a time-consuming, frustrating task that adds to the overall workload. Thankfully, we've got some cable solutions that can make your life a little bit easier.
Photo Credit: Gavin Schaefer

At Planet DJ, we've more than immersed ourselves in the DJ controller world. The DJ controller is now at the forefront of the digital dj era, and there are more than enough to choose from. At last count as of this post, there were more than 120 DJ controllers from major manufacturers, and most of them offer something different. So as someone who is just starting out, we wouldn't be surprised that it's difficult to decide on the best dj controller for beginners. Thankfully, we've got lots of experience in this department, and we'll help clear a few things up.

Fog machines have long been a useful unit for enhancing lighting effects. Whether creating a mysterious atmosphere of giving your light beams a visual boost, fog machines have been a staple for quite some time. But the downside of a fog machine is that the fluid often creates a sweet and acrid odor that may not be very appealing to most. While not intolerable to many, there are some that can't stand it, but all notice it.

For many owners of triangle trussing, uplighting can be a bit of a tricky task. With most pars being round or square, and far too large for smaller triangle truss, finding a solution hasn't always been easy. But one particular pair of lights seems to have gone under the radar for some time. Chauvet offers the EZ Wedge Tri and the Wedge Tri (discontinued in 2020), and they've been the perfect solution for those with triangle trussing.