. Being a DJ requires you to do a lot more than just play songs. Learning to structure a set, mix on the fly, and get a crowd moving all starts with your deck. Later on, you can invest in bigger speakers, a monitor, a MIDI controller, an audio interface, mics, and various plug-ins, depending on your ambitions for playing out, but a bare-bones basic DJ setup needs to include the following: Two turntables or two CD players (or more, optionally) 2-channel mixer Headphones Speakers Mixing software (optional) Traditional DJ set-ups revolve around direct-drive turntables for playing vinyl records, but it's increasingly common to use CD-style and straight-digital set-ups for playing DJ sets as well. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but are perfectly effective for playing gigs and becoming a DJ. Analog set-ups will allow you to DJ in the most traditional way, learning the skills the way they were pioneered: scratching a stylus against vinyl. This will require you to collect a sizable collection of vinyl records to play, which can be somewhat expensive. Digital set-ups allow you to be extremely mobile, and the learning curve will be much smaller when you're working with a digital set-up. Learning to beat-match and transition, for example, will be much easier with a BPM counter and a software system. Serato Scratch or Traktor are great programs that can read any format of music and select songs through a computer program interface. Pioneer and Numark also offer various products you may want to eventually look into. These programs will enable you to access a library of MP3s on your hard drive to compliment your vinyl and CD selections. More often than not, these programs provide live looping and scratching capability, delays and reverberations, real-time control and video and karaoke options. Ableton is a program that allows you to connect mixing controllers via USB cable and operates more like the classic DJ in your head does. It's good for beginners and the budget-conscious. Don't invest in top-dollar equipment right away. Most of your money should be spent on turntables and a mixer. Forget the other stuff for now. And spend wisely -- buy your decks used and your mixer new. If you're serious about being a DJ, odds are you're aware of a few in your area. Hit them up for advice or for a tutorial on their system! If they're half as passionate as you are, they'll love to give you a minute of their time, explaining their ways. Most DJs record demos, playlists and original music at home. Make sure the equipment you bring to the club compliments the equipment you use at home. For example, if you're a hip-hop DJ, you'll probably want to invest in a scratch/battle mixer at home to simulate a competition environment. This will be especially useful if you ever plan on producing. We'll get to the value of that in a bit, but know that it should be an avenue of your career later on down the line. If you plan to play for a venue that already has a DJ setup, you might only need a laptop with music mixing software. If you plan to play in private venues, you'll probably need to provide your own equipment. Scope out what you need and what you don't for your particular job. Some music mixing software may be hard to learn. You can find great tutorials online for most types. Otherwise, DJ schools can teach you about the cutting-edge stuff out there -- but know that you can do it yourself. You know what else you need? Music. And you don't want a crazy, third-rate mp3 download versions of those songs either. To be a legit DJ, you'll at least eventually have to pay for the music you get. For now, work with what you have, but know that it will be an expense later on in the game. You need to be a music expert. Hit up your friends and consult the charts, YouTube channels of record companies and websites catering especially to DJs such as Beatport. Here's a list of genres to explore: House Trance Techno Electro Glitch Dark Alternative Progressive Breakbeat Hardstyle Hardcore Downtempo Jungle Drum and Bass Dubstep Hip-Hop
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One-sentence summary -- Start with the basics Decide to go analog or digital. Consider a mixing software package. Be economical. Don't forget your home studio. Know what you need for gigs. Build a big collection of music.

One of the reasons it's so great to keep English muffins in your freezer is that you can simply pull them out frozen and pop them straight into a toaster or oven. This makes them ideal as a quick snack that can be stored for a long time without fear of spoiling. You can use a toaster, toaster oven, or traditional oven to heat up your frozen English muffin. Frozen English muffins that are allowed to thaw out are typically fine to use, although they tend to be soggy. Warming them in a toaster or an oven is ideal, as opposed to eating them without warming. Some toasters have a setting that is made specifically for heating up frozen foods. It simply adds a bit of time to the toasting cycle so that the English muffin gets totally warmed up on the inside and toasted on the outside. A frozen English muffin will take a little longer to cook or toast than one that wasn't frozen. However, the time difference is typically less than a minute. If you are unsure how long to cook your English muffin, use your usual amount of time. You can then add a minute or 2 if your muffin isn't cooked thoroughly. Toasting a plain frozen English muffin will usually take about 3-4 minutes, depending on your specific toaster. If you'd like to warm up your plain English muffin in the oven, set it to 300F (149C) and bake it for 15 minutes. An English muffin sandwich will take twice as long to heat through. Wrapping the frozen English muffin in a paper towel will help keep the right level of moisture in it. This is especially important if microwaving a pre-assembled sandwich, as it keeps the sandwich together and prevents a potential mess in your microwave. Once your English muffin is toasted, you can use it like you would an English muffin that had never been frozen. Eat it plain, with butter, or with any number of toppings. Some popular toppings for English muffins include: Jam or jelly Nut butters Pizza sauce and cheese Lunchmeat Tomato or avocado
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One-sentence summary --
Toast or bake frozen English muffins without thawing them out. Use the frozen setting on your toaster or toaster oven, if available. Toast or bake for longer than you would for an unfrozen English muffin. Wrap English muffins in a paper towel before microwaving. Add toppings to your English muffin.