In 2001, Pioneer DJ began producing the CDJ-1000 CD player, making the use of digital music recordings with traditional DJ techniques practical for the first time. As the 2000s progressed, laptop computers became more powerful and affordable. DJ software, specialized DJ sound cards, and DJ controllers were developed for DJs to use laptops as a source of music rather than turntables or CDJs. In the 2010s, like laptops before them, tablet computers and smartphones became more powerful & affordable. DJ software was written to run on these more portable devices instead of laptops, although laptops remain the more common type of computer for DJing. Ogg, Alex, with Upshall, David. The Hip Hop Years, London: Macmillan, 1999 ISBN 978-0-7522-1780-2 p. 18.

globaldjsguide (23 April 2017). "The Top 10 Female DJs in the world". GlobalDJsGuide . Retrieved 28 May 2020. In 1982, the Compact Disc (CD) format was released, popularizing digital audio. In 1998, the first MP3 digital audio player, the Eiger Labs MPMan F10, was introduced. In January of that same year at the BeOS Developer Conference, N2IT demonstrated FinalScratch, the first digital DJ system to allow DJs control of MP3 files through special time-coded vinyl records or CDs. [60] While it would take some time for this novel concept to catch on with the "die-hard Vinyl DJs", this would become the first step in the Digital DJ revolution. Manufacturers joined with computer DJing pioneers to offer professional endorsements, the first being Professor Jam (a.k.a. William P. Rader), who went on to develop the industry's first dedicated computer DJ convention and learning program, the "CPS (Computerized Performance System) DJ Summit", to help spread the word about the advantages of this emerging technology.Payne, Chris (10 June 2013). "Disclosure Explains Their Unplugged Miming Performance in London". Billboard.com. Billboard . Retrieved 1 July 2017.

Main article: DJ mixer A Numark DM2002X Pro Master DJ mixer. This three-channel mixer can have up to three input sound sources. The gain control knobs and equalization control knobs allow the volume and tone of each sound source to be adjusted. The vertical faders allow for further adjustment of the volume of each sound source. The horizontally-mounted crossfader enables the DJ to smoothly transition from a song on one sound source to a song from a different sound source. So You Want To Be A DJ? History". UF Interactive Media Lab. University of Florida . Retrieved 19 September 2016. falkmanbeatz -break bboy / bgirl channel- (8 January 2014), The Freshest Kids: The History of the B-Boy (Full Documentary), archived from the original on 21 April 2014 , retrieved 26 April 2017 In 1980, Japanese company Roland released the TR-808, an analog rhythm/drum machine, which has unique artificial sounds, such as its booming bass and sharp snare, and a metronome-like rhythm. Yellow Magic Orchestra's use of the instrument in 1980 influenced hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa, after which the TR-808 would be widely adopted by hip hop DJs, with 808 sounds remaining central to hip-hop music ever since. [55] [56] The Roland TB-303, a bass synthesizer released in 1981, had a similar impact on electronic dance music genres such as techno and house music, [57] [55] along with Roland's TR-808 [56] and TR-909 drum machines. [58] [59]Broughton, Frank, and Bill Brewster. How to DJ Right: The Art and Science of Playing Records. New York: Grove Press, 2003. Ncube, Dumisani. "The Monitor :: Variety Of Talent At Next Big EDM DJ". The Monitor . Retrieved 9 February 2017.