The Complete History & Evolution of DJ Equipment

DJ equipment has been evolving for decades, with new technologies and DJ culture reshaping its role in the art form.

Beginning with the invention of the phonograph in the late 19th century, a series of revolutionary changes have led to the modern DJ equipment we know today.

This guide covers the complete history of DJ equipment and its impact on DJs’ performance of music sets that engage their audiences today.

The Complete History of DJ Equipment: A Comprehensive Guide

Whether you’re a DJ playing the latest cutting-edge dance music or hosting a regular radio show, DJ equipment is essential to the craft.

Here’s everything you need to know about the history of DJ equipment and how it has redefined the role of the DJ by offering exciting new creative opportunities.

1. 1870s: The Phonograph

The first significant invention that would play a massive role in the DJ industry came from Thomas Edison, the multi-talented American inventor and businessman.

Best known for his work in electric power generation, he invented many devices that are commonly used today.

In addition to the early electric light bulb and the motion picture camera, Edison also invented the phonograph, which began the history of record players.

Edison’s phonograph was released in 1877 to much acclaim. While it offered limited sound quality compared to modern turntables, it paved the way for many future innovations.

The phonograph was soon patented as the gramophone, and it wasn’t until the mid-twentieth century that the term “record player” entered the common parlance.

Thomas Edison has continued to leave a lasting mark on technology since his death, with his birthplace currently home to a museum that embraces sustainability.

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2. 1930s: Reel-To-Reel Tape Recorders

While the record player continued to improve in terms of performance and audio quality over the decades, another crucial invention for musicians emerged in the 1930s.

The launch of the first reel-to-reel tape recorders revolutionized music recording, freeing artists from the restrictive technology required to create vinyl records.

German electronics company AEG introduced the first model in the mid-1930s, the Magnetophon, which was used to preserve voices and music.

By the 1950s, reel-to-reel recorders such as the Wollensak T-1500 delivered improvements in sound quality and became widely used by some radio DJs.

The technology would play a key role in how DJs would later be able to compile DJ mixtapes and showcase their abilities to booking agencies and venue owners.

With the arrival of more advanced machines in the 1960s, reel-to-reel machines entered nightclubs in New York, and DJs such as Francis Grasso experimented with their possibilities.

While modern DJ equipment allows for instant recording of digital files, tapes remained the industry standard for DJs to record their sets through to the 1990s.

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3. 1960s: DJ Mixers

The invention of the DJ mixer is impossible to understate, providing the mechanism for the core mixing techniques that DJs use in their sets today.

In 1963, the American company RCA released the first DJ mixer with two inputs and two outputs for fading between two different tracks.

This invention was followed up in 1971 by the launch of the “Rosie,” developed by Alex Rosner and used along with two turntables in New York’s Haven Club.

Featuring three channels and incorporating sliders to control volume, it also included the headphone output and microphone input, which is standard today.

The launch of the “Rosie” and subsequent DJ mixers that emerged in the following years would play a significant role in the emergence of house music and the art of DJing.

Later in the 1970s, the release of the GLI PMX 7000 mixer, with its rapid-fire crossfader, proved to be a game-changer for the hip-hop DJ and related techniques.

Fundamentally, it allowed DJs to perform seamless mixes, whether playing disco tracks or, later in its development, electronic music such as Detroit techno.

Without the advent of the DJ mixer, club DJs as we know them today would never have emerged on the scene, and the disc jockey would have been confined to the radio station.

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4. 1970s: Direct Drive Turntables

Just as DJ mixers were vital for allowing DJs to transition from one record to the next seamlessly, so were direct-drive turntables integral to the evolution of DJ culture.

The first direct-drive turntables emerged in the 1970s, and the Technics 1200s and 1210s proved to be among the most enduring DJ inventions of all time.

Indeed, it profoundly reshaped the distinction between a turntable and a record player, becoming the centerpiece of every DJ booth in clubs and bars.

Thanks to its unique design that allowed DJs to stop, start, and nudge the turntable’s platter, it drastically enhanced their control over vinyl records.

Its release essentially reframed the possibilities of the art of DJing forever, transforming how they could play music and giving birth to scratch DJs.

Since the release of the first hip-hop song, artists in the genre have continued to explore DJ equipment and innovate new techniques and creative possibilities.

Likewise, the pitch control fader allowed DJs to seamlessly transition between songs with different tempos by adjusting the value accordingly.

Technics has remained the industry standard for DJ vinyl turntables, leaving a lasting legacy that few other companies have matched.

5. 1980s: Samplers & Effects Units

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, electronic music production evolved with a series of inventions that helped to radically change the nature of composition.

Following the early synthesizers of the 1960s and 1970s, the emergence of samplers and effects units allowed producers to expand their options.

Songs like “Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambaataa used synthesizers to impressive effect, and later, hip-hop artists would use samples in their tracks.

While samples were initially used in production studios, many DJs soon incorporated them into their live performances.

The use of DJ samples would allow for the performance of sets that went above and beyond what the records being played offered in terms of creativity.

They were widely employed by some of the best drum and bass artists, notably the classic Amen break sample that provides the foundation for many of the genre’s biggest hits.

At the same time, the arrival of effects units complemented samples by allowing producers and DJs additional flexibility for manipulating how each sample sounded.

Today, samples and effects are core features of most DJ software and another noteworthy example of how DJ technology has expanded the role of DJs.

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6. 1990s: MP3 & Digital Audio Formats

The first few decades of the history of DJ equipment focused on the use of records, but this was to change significantly in the 1990s.

With the release of digital audio file formats such as MP3 in 1994, how DJs organized their music library and managed playlists changed forever.

Additionally, MP3 files removed the necessity for DJs to carry around large and cumbersome vinyl collections to and from their gigs.

This resulted in the option for a far broader library of accessible tracks, whether performing dance music or working events as a mobile DJ.

It was a technology that paved the way for the first digital DJ system, marking a transition away from analog sound that has continued since.

Digital DJing continues to benefit from technological development such as high-resolution audio, as well as extensive metadata that allows for optimal organization of tracks.

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7. 1990s: CDJs

Another key development in the world of digital DJ equipment came thanks to Pioneer DJ and the launch of the first CDJ in 1994, the Pioneer CDJ-500.

While CDs had been around since the late 1970s, their use in DJ sets was overlooked as a viable alternative to vinyl for several decades.

CDJs allowed those who had initially learned how to DJ with vinyl to apply the same principles to mixing tracks with the new compact disc-based system.

Pitch control was available for beat matching, and the jog wheel accurately represented the tactile approach to mixing records using traditional turntables.

Another notable advantage to CDJs was their facility for allowing DJs who produced original music to try them out in the club setting and gauge the audience’s reaction.

With the core architecture of CDJs carrying across to the subsequent DJ controllers, it would be another significant milestone in the history of DJing.

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8. 1990s: DJ Controllers

Most DJs today will be familiar with using a DJ controller for their sets, incorporating a traditional mixer with multi-channel capabilities and the jog wheel featured on CDJs.

The first DJ controller, the Hercules DJ console, was released in 1994, but the technology did not take off until the release of the Pioneer DJ-Controller DDJ-SX2.

Other major music equipment manufacturers soon followed, with Denon, Rane, and Numark among those offering competitive controllers for DJs.

As the format developed, new features were added to the devices, allowing DJs to use effects and manipulate tracks in exciting new ways.

Additionally, controllers emerged with improved sensitivity and responsiveness to the jog wheels, allowing for scratch DJing with higher precision.

Today, many of the best DJ controllers offer a complete standalone DJing solution with incomparable performance levels and creative scope.

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9. 2000s: Digital Vinyl Technology

As more DJs moved away from performing with traditional vinyl records, the demand for a new system that used the familiar tactile approach increased.

This solution came in 2001 with the release of the first digital vinyl technology, Final Scratch, designed in collaboration with techno DJ Richie Hawtin.

Digital vinyl technology replicated the feel of using records but allowed DJs to feed digital files into the system to expand their available library.

It echoed the sentimental nature of vinyl LPs and opened up the option for including tracks that had yet to be released on the older format.

Using conventional turntables, digital vinyl technology used an analog-to-digital converter and dedicated USB to feed information into a time-coded record.

The result was a revolutionary new technology that allowed DJs to easily perform a range of techniques, from traditional beat matching to scratching techniques.

While Final Scratch was the benchmark, other digital vinyl technology systems, including Serato Scratch Live and Traktor Scratch Pro, were available.

10. 2010s: Stem-Compatible Hardware

The latest evolutionary leap in the history of DJ equipment is a more recent addition to the format: stem-compatible DJ hardware.

Stems are extracted elements from existing tracks that have been separated into individual files and categorized as vocals, bass, drums, and melodies.

Each element can then be easily used in a DJ set to add more audio texture, similar to samples, or used as loops alongside other music.

Representing a significant leap in the evolution of DJ technology stems also have broader applications for music producers and DJs.

They can be used to create mashups and remixes of songs or as elements of entirely original music, offering impressive artistic freedom.

DJs interested in incorporating harmonic mixing in their sets can be cataloged by key for quick identification during a DJ mix.

As the stem technology continues to take root in the DJ community, more software packages and hardware capabilities are emerging that support the format.

Pioneer DJ, Traktor, and Serato all have stem-compatible devices for the format, with new, cutting-edge mixers continuing to emerge.

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Summary

DJ equipment continues to evolve today, with artificial intelligence and other technological developments redefining what DJs can do with music.

This guide has provided a deep insight into how DJ gear has changed to meet the demands of artists and become firm fixtures in DJ booths in clubs, bars, and festivals.

As the digital age continues, we can anticipate innovations, allowing DJs to explore different approaches to transitions and sounds previously unavailable.