Over To You: Is Ableton Live A Good Way To Start DJing?

Digital DJ Tips reader Adam writes: “I am looking to begin DJing but don’t have the budget to buy a decent controller or software. I already have Ableton Live on my computer. Can a DAW (digital audio workstation) like Ableton be used to digital DJ without a controller? It has effects, sampling, EQ, crossfader, and looping capabilities, but would it be an effective way to DJ before I can buy the real deal?”

Digital DJ Tips says:

Yes it certainly can – lots of DJs choose Ableton to DJ with. However, it is a very different experience to DJing with “two decks and a mixer”, which is what all mainstream DJ software at heart still is. My advice would be to learn the “normal” way and then experiment with Ableton DJing later. you can download Virtual DJ Home for free, which is a laptop-only version of that package but is perfectly good for learning the basics on, especially if you take time to learn the keyboard shortcuts.

However, I am sure we have lots of differing views on this among our readership, so I thought I’d throw this one open to the readers and see if they can give you more advice.

So, did you learn to DJ with Ableton? Would you advise this as a first route, or do you agree with me that learning the “traditional” way is best? Please share your thoughts in the comments.