A lot of DJs use a single computer brand that claims to be for musicians or artistic people. That's simply not the case, as any program can work with any device if you tweak it well enough. DJs are masters of tweaking, and if you get into the right mindset, you can tweak any computer to not only mix music the way you want, but to create new ways of mixing and presentation that most DJs without computer skills can't even think of. Consider a few customization points that can help you build the perfect evolving music system.

Sound Cards Are The First Point

Computers can perform a lot of tasks and calculate a lot of things, but to be as creative and versatile as possible, you'll need a sound card.

Standard computers don't have all of the ports and connection points needed to hook up to DJ equipment. Whether you're using a turntable, sound mixer, keyboard, or any number of instruments, the sound card should be the first customization purchase.

Sound cards offer more than just a way to connect. The cards designed for DJs and musical professionals have memory dedicated to sound. No longer will your music slow down or performance begin to fail simply because you wanted to look up a few things while mixing; the card calculates and stores information while giving a helping hand to the computer.

This translates to faster mixing, faster converting into other music formats, and more versatility when it comes to discovering new sounds. The sound quality is generally better than a standard computer's sound ports and allows for a better reproduction of the sound you're making.

Entering The Independent Music Development World

There are times when you need to test your sound's performance on inferior sound systems. Most sound cards come with a setting-changing suite that can reduce your output to three or less speakers, or any configuration needed. Once you're at this level, you can even get nerdy by joining many of the open source audio communities.

These experts don't just create their own audio formats. If you're looking for the best way to get an acoustic guitar recording to sound as crisp as possible when recorded, the communities can help. If you want to break away from the loop machines and pre-built sounds in your electronic keyboard, the open source communities can help design new sounds with ideas from around the world.

You can be as complex or simple with the system as you want. One thing's for sure; having the option to expand is great, and getting DJ equipment that changes with your experience is a wonderful way to stay on top of the mixing scene. Contact a DJ equipment professional like Metro Sound & Lighting to plan your new DJ system.

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