I agree with what most the guys here have said, Technics and Pioneer are by far the most popular pieces of equipment that you'll find when playing out. Pioneer is the most popular brand when it comes to mixers and CDJ’s. As for turntables, Stanton, Vestax and Technics are amongst the top brands but Technics is undoubtedly the most popular.
Here’s my story…
When I first started mixing I had a set of belt drives which I became very comfortable with. During my learning stages I was able to get hold of a pair of the infamous Technics SL's for a week. With a big smile on my face I went home to try them out. They felt sturdy smooth and solid until I tried to mix! It was like going back a year, I battled and battled until eventually I got used to them but by that time they had to go back to their owner...
Anyway, long story short I was talked into buying a set of Synq's, OEM decks similar to Stanton ST150's and identical to Citronic PD45’s & Stanton T120C’s (torque, specs, features, pitch range etc). So I thought cool, for my first set of direct drives I'll get a pair of these, besides all the features they were cheaper than a set of SL's.
Battle of the DJ's came up and I entered feeling comfortable and confident with my ability to play... Boy, did I look like an amateur! Because of the huge difference in torque between my decks and the SL's I would get nervous and over correct the platter of the SL’s absolutely messing up any chances of a smooth mix.
After that I got rid of my decks and bought a pair of second hand SL’s. I bought my first set of SL’s 6 years after I started mixing, something I should have done right in the beginning.
My point...
If you want to play out, get SL’s that’s what you’ll find in the majority of the clubs and unless you’ve used them before you will battle. As for the mixer I suggest the DJM600 or 800. Again this is what you most likely to come across in a club. It can be a daunting task trying to get your head around the mixer whilst trying to keep the crowd happy.
Tip: Learn to ride the pitch, it’s a skill that will come in handy when playing on decks that you not familiar with.
