How to become a DJ: what you need, what to buy and how to start from zero

To start DJing, the minimum is the computer or phone you already own, a free DJ app, legally obtained music and a pair of headphones. You don't need to buy anything until you know you enjoy it. The first step is to install free software, such as Serato DJ Lite or VirtualDJ on a laptop, or djay on a phone, load two similar tracks and practise moving from one to the other. The controller comes later, once practice has become a habit.

What you need to be a DJ: the real minimum

DJing means choosing the next track and blending it into the one that's playing without the dancefloor losing the groove. To do that, the gear does three things: it plays two tracks at once, lets you hear the next one in your headphones before the crowd does, and controls the volume, bass and treble of each. At the start, all of that can live inside one app.

• A computer or phone: the laptop you already use is enough to learn; the DJ software does the heavy lifting.
• A DJ app: there are free options for Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android (details below).
• Music: purchased files or a streaming service that works inside the app.
• Headphones: they let you prepare the next track without anyone hearing it. We Are Crossfader's beginner guide calls them the most important tool for preparing a performance.

Can you DJ with just a laptop or a phone?

For learning, yes. Mixing with a mouse, keyboard or touchscreen is less comfortable than with physical controls, but it teaches the essentials: picking tracks, matching tempo and timing the changeover. Here is what the main apps offer, according to their official websites:

• Serato DJ Lite: free, with no licence or subscription, for macOS and Windows. Its Practice Mode lets you mix on the laptop alone, without a controller, and it streams from Apple Music, Beatport, SoundCloud, Spotify and TIDAL.
• VirtualDJ: free for home use, with versions for Windows and Mac. To play paid gigs, the maker requires the Pro licence, at US$19 a month or US$199 a year.
• rekordbox, from AlphaTheta (formerly Pioneer DJ): a Free plan for managing music and trying out DJing, on Windows and Mac, with an app for iOS and Android. Connected to a controller on the Hardware Unlock list, such as the DDJ-FLX4, Performance mode works without a subscription. The Core plan, aimed at people who play on a range of gear, costs US$12 a month or US$120 a year.
• djay, from Algoriddim: runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows and Android, with a free version aimed at beginners and a Pro subscription. It integrates Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL and SoundCloud, which makes it the most direct way to start on a phone.
• Traktor, from Native Instruments: there is no free version of its own. Traktor Play, with two decks, costs US$49 in the official store and works with just a laptop or with controllers such as the DDJ-FLX4; Traktor Pro 4, with four decks, costs US$149.

Controller, CDJs and mixer: what's the difference

A controller is a panel with jog wheels, faders, EQs and buttons that operates the app on your computer or phone. An entry-level model such as AlphaTheta's DDJ-FLX4 has two channels, is powered over its own USB cable, can be used for free with rekordbox, Serato DJ Lite, djay and Traktor Play, and also connects to iOS and Android phones.

In a club booth, the usual setup is different: two or more standalone players, CDJs or XDJs, wired into a separate mixer, with no laptop. You bring your music on a USB stick prepared on your computer, as Digital DJ Tips points out in its guide for DJs using CDJs for the first time. On the CDJ-3000X page, for example, the maker explains that libraries analysed in rekordbox can be exported and played over USB, and that the player can also access Apple Music, Beatport and TIDAL. We Are Crossfader's guide to the first gig sums it up: the venue's gear is almost always Pioneer CDJs.

That is why DJing without a controller means two things. At home, it means mixing with software alone, as in Serato DJ Lite's Practice Mode. In a club, it means turning up with just a USB stick and headphones and using the house gear. If you learn on a controller laid out like the CDJs and organise your music in rekordbox, the switch is far less scary.

What to buy first to become a DJ

1. 1. Comfortable closed-back headphones

   They go with you from the bedroom to the booth. A closed-back model blocks out the room better, and comfort matters, because practice lasts for hours.

2. 2. An entry-level two-channel controller

   Two channels are enough to learn to mix. Before buying, check the maker's page to see which apps work with it for free, so you don't have to pay for a subscription straight away.

3. 3. Speakers or monitors for home

   Listening only on headphones is tiring and misleading. A pair of studio monitors or powered speakers plugged into the controller's output shows how the mix sounds in a room. We Are Crossfader's beginner guide recommends monitors as the starting point.

Turntables, CDJs and pro mixers can wait until you know what kind of party you want to play. The same guide notes that a club booth setup costs more than £6,000, while entry-level controllers with free software sell for under £100 in the UK.

Where to get music to play, legally

Buying tracks is the safest route: the file is yours, works offline and goes onto the USB stick for the CDJs. Beatport, aimed at DJs, sells electronic music and other dancefloor styles, and purchases stay in your collection to download again with no limit. On Bandcamp, purchases can be downloaded as MP3 320, FLAC, WAV, AIFF and other formats and, according to the company, an average of 82% of the money goes to the artist or label.

The other option is streaming inside the app. In October 2026, Beatport Streaming offered its Advanced plan for US$15.99 a month, which the company presents as the best value for use inside DJ platforms, with a Traktor Play licence included. The page lists integrations with rekordbox, Serato, Traktor, VirtualDJ, djay Pro and the CDJ-3000X, among others. The Professional plan, at US$29.99, stores up to 1,000 tracks for playing offline. The catalogue covers more than 40 electronic subgenres plus hip-hop, R&B and Latin music.

Files from pirate sites are out: they infringe copyright, pay nothing to the people who made the music you play and come with no guarantee of file quality. And don't rely on streaming alone at a party: the venue's wifi can fail, so carry your key tracks saved on the USB stick.

What to learn to become a DJ

• BPM and beatmatching: BPM is a track's speed in beats per minute. Beatmatching means matching the next track's BPM and lining up the beats. The Sync button does it for you, but automatic analysis makes mistakes, so it's worth learning by ear.
• Structure: four beats make a bar, and dance tracks tend to change in blocks of four bars, or 16 beats, and in halves and doubles of that, 8 and 32 beats. A changeover sounds natural when the next track comes in at the start of one of those blocks.
• EQ and gain: never leave the bass of both tracks open at the same time, and keep the meters out of the red to avoid distortion.
• An organised library: playlists by style and energy, tags describing each track's mood, and cue points at the start of the sections you mix with. rekordbox, for example, analyses BPM, beatgrid and key and can set cues automatically.

Each of these topics has more depth, such as the Camelot wheel for matching keys and a step-by-step first mix; it's all in our guide to BPM, key and phrasing. As for learning time, We Are Crossfader's guide estimates hours to a few days for basic mixing, weeks to feel at ease with the gear and months for polished transitions.

First steps: a practice routine

1. Start with two similar tracks

   Same genre, close BPM, with an intro and outro that are just beats. Repeat the same blend until it comes out clean, and only then switch to a new pair.

2. Train your ear for tempo

   Tap out a song's beat on the BPM counter and compare it with the number the app shows. Now and then, cover the screen and sync by ear alone.

3. Keep sessions short and frequent

   Half an hour most days does more than one afternoon a week. Set one goal per session: coming in at the start of a phrase, swapping the bass, a transition with an effect.

4. Record and listen back

   DJ apps record your mix to a file, even on rekordbox's free plan. Listening away from the gear reveals stumbles you miss in the moment.

5. Build a complete set

   Once you have a few reliable transitions, put together 30 to 60 minutes with a beginning, middle and end. That recorded set is what you'll show to people who run parties.

How to play at parties and land your first gigs

The first gig usually comes from close by: a friend's birthday, a university party, a bar that already plays music. A short, well-presented recorded set helps the organiser hear what you play. When the gig comes, the Digital DJ Tips and We Are Crossfader guides to a first performance agree on a few precautions:

• Ask in advance what gear the venue has and learn what each button does.
• Don't accept last-minute bookings: allow at least three days to prepare.
• Don't debut new gear at the party, and bring more than one USB stick with your music.
• Arrive early to set up and soundcheck, with a checklist of cables and accessories.
• Prepare a few short playlists so you can change direction depending on the crowd.

Funk, reggaeton or electronic DJ: what changes

The technique is the same in any style: BPM, phrases, EQ and reading the floor. What changes is the repertoire, the tempo range and where you find music. For reggaeton and other Latin styles, look for stores and services that cover several genres, not just electronic: Beatport Streaming, for example, includes hip-hop, R&B and Latin music in its catalogue. And if Brazilian funk is your thing, our guide to its link with electronic music tells the story.