DIY DJing: Build Your Own Useful DJ Gear
Bust out the soldering iron and brush up on your coding skills to make some of these unique and unusual DIY DJing projects.
Can’t afford the latest DJ gear? Want to add unique functionality to your rig? Now you can build your own with these five DIY DJing projects.
DIY DJing
When it comes to DIY, there are endless projects available for music producers. Synthesizers, drum machines, Eurorack, effects… you name it, there’s probably a kit for it. But what is the crafty DJ to do?
I got curious about DIY DJing, so I went looking for projects. Here are five that I found that cover different aspects of DJing, including a controller and player as well as a mixer and more. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of DIY DJing projects. If you know of some – or better yet, have done them yourself – drop a link in the comments section. We’d love to find more.
DIY DJing: DIY USB DJ Controller
USB-based controllers connected to a laptop are probably the most common way to DJ these days, given how digital everything has gotten. And while there are plenty of affordable controllers on the market, sometimes you just need to go your own way. That’s what aglassOfmilk did, and legend that they are, they provided instructions so you can build your own on Instructables.
The DIY USB DJ Controller here is based on the Numark Mixtrack II but unfortunately doesn’t have jog wheels (although you may be able to add your own). The total cost is estimated at around $75, including the TI MSP430 Launchpad, a microcontroller development platform, which costs around $10.
As for compatible software, aglassOfmilk tested it with Virutal DJ Pro but reckons that you could also use Serato, Traktor Pro, Ableton Live, or Image-Line Deckadence with MIDI mapping.
- DIY USB DJ Controller site
DIY DJing: XDJ100SX Open Source Standalone Deck
If you don’t want to start from zero but rather from some older obsolete tech you have lying around, check out this build that turns a Pioneer DJ CDJ-100S CD player into a modern standalone deck with a touchscreen.
Mark Monka is incredible. This guy has developed the XDJ100SX, an open-source media player running on a Raspberry Pi 3b+ and Arduino/Teensy with MIDI libraries and running the freeware Mixxx application.
The original player was not designed to run modern software, obviously, so Mark had to get clever with repurposing the existing controls, using the effects buttons to toggle through Mixxx, trigger hot cues and perform other functions. In terms of hardware additions, he added a USB port to import tracks via rekordbox, the CD eject button now takes you to the library, and there’s a new browser encoder for moving around inside it.
Visit Mark’s GitHub page for Arduino firmware code, datasheets, images, custom skins, and 3D printing assets.
- XDJ100SX GitHib page
DIY DJing: ATGR DJ Touch 1
Ever wanted to control your DJ software from a tiny touchscreen rather than via a bulky device? That’s the idea behind this series of software releases from ATGR. DJ Touch 1 comes in three fancy flavors, X-FADER, HOTCUES, and STEMS editions, with all three working with the ESP32-2432S028R microcontroller platform, aka Cheap Yellow Display or CYD, a budget-friendly color touchscreen.
X-FADER offers two start/stop buttons and two cue buttons for decks one and two, along with a crossfader assigned to both decks. HOTCUES lets you control up to eight hot cues across four decks. You can trigger, set, and delete them directly from the unit. Lastly, STEMS gives you power over four stems on four decks. As for supported software, the DJ Touch 1 files work with Algoriddim djay Pro, Serato, Traktor Pro, rekordbox and Virtual DJ.
You’ll need to buy your own CYDs to run DJ Touch 1, but this could be a fun and affordable way to add additional control to your rig.
- ATGR DJ Touch 1 site
DIY DJing: 3D Printing Your Own DJ Gear
This is really cool. I came across this video of Mojaxxx from DJ City talking about 3D printing parts to modify his Numark PT-01 Scratch. The main company that he mentions sharing 3D files, Scratch City, doesn’t seem to be around anymore, but Beat Shelter, an outfit that does 3D-printed tone arms and other mods for portable turntables, is.
The main takeaway here is, even if you don’t have your own 3D printer, there’s no reason you can’t get into some DIY DJing and modding because there are hubs that source through local printers. Mojaxxx mentions Hubs (which is now called Protolabs Network). Your local hardware store may also do it.
- DJ City homepage
DIY DJing: Prototype Scratch Fader and 3U Modular Tape Deck
This last one isn’t strictly DIY, nor is it DJing in the more traditional sense, but it could spark some ideas if you’re working with Eurorack in a hybrid way (like maybe with an ALM/Busy Circuits Pamela’s Disco as part of your rig).
Beepboop Electronics does stuff at the confluence between Eurorack and magnetic tape, and is currently working on a modular tape machine system called TapeRack. The video here shows two test modules as part of that system, a prototype Scratch Fader and a 3U Modular Tape Deck, along with his uTape Scrubber. Having a DJ-style mixer in Eurorack format is already wild, but then being able to control a microcassette from a Eurorack jog wheel is even wilder.
I’m excited to see what Monojack (the guy behind Beepboop) does with all of this.
- Beepboop Electronics homepage
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