Utah. Austin. New Jersey. Chicago. Florida. Kanpur. Bilaspur. Patna. Bengaluru.
A software engineer in Austin. A homemaker in Edison, New Jersey. A college student in Bilaspur. A working professional in a city with no DJ school for a hundred miles. They all learned to DJ from PartyMap without ever setting foot in India.
A New Hobby, Not Just a New Skill
Ask someone what a hobby looks like at 35 and you'll hear gardening, golf, maybe a guitar gathering dust in a corner. DJing wasn't on that list a few years ago. Now it is. You learn it socially, you build something you can actually play at your own gathering, and you do all of it without leaving your house.
Most of our online students aren't chasing a career. Many are corporate professionals and NRIs abroad who want a skill that's fun and a little rebellious, now that the one real barrier, finding a school near you, is gone.
Where Our Students Are Actually Learning From
PartyMap Academy has five physical branches: Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Thane, Guwahati. The online course has built a student base well outside all of them. Recent batches:
- Bhakti — Taylorsville, Utah, USA
- Kavita and Manoj — Austin, Texas, USA
- Ravipal — Edison, New Jersey, USA
- Rahul — Bengaluru
- Nikhil — Delhi
- Ishika — Kanpur
- Ranjeet — Patna, Bihar
- Pavit — Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
None of these are DJ-scene cities. That's exactly who the online course is built for.
What the Online Course Covers
18 hours of live, instructor-led training over 1.5 months. Not pre-recorded videos. A real instructor, live, teaching and correcting you in real time — the same way classroom students learn.
- Beat mixing, EQ, FX and loop techniques
- Hot cues, key matching and set structure
- Harmonic mixing and advanced transitions
- Rekordbox — full feature coverage
- DJ industry knowledge and gig guidance
- Free trial session included
What the Course Costs
Course fee: ₹35,000
Recommended equipment: Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 — about ₹34,000 new in India, with EMI options (full breakdown below). The free version of Rekordbox works for learning throughout the course. If you already own a controller, check with us first — a Pioneer DJ controller will almost certainly do.
Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 on Amazon — check today's price, EMI available
As an Amazon Associate, PartyMap Academy earns from qualifying purchases.
Which DJ Controller Should You Buy for the Online Course?
If you're learning from home, the controller is the one thing you have to buy. The one we recommend is the Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 2-channel DJ controller. Here's what it costs, how it compares with the other beginner controllers, and what else you need on your desk.
How much does the DDJ-FLX4 cost in India?
The DDJ-FLX4 sells for about ₹34,000 new in India, and the FLX4 price moves with Amazon's. We keep a live DDJ-FLX4 price page that tracks Amazon India and sets our price below it whenever we can. If you live near one of our centers (Mumbai Andheri, Thane, Kolkata, Bengaluru or Guwahati), you can buy it there and collect it free.
Not near a center? We only hand units over at our own centers, so buy from Amazon India or another authorised Pioneer DJ / AlphaTheta seller.
Best DJ controller for beginners learning at home
For a first controller, the FLX4 is the one we'd point most beginners to. It's an entry-level DJ controller (in India it's often called a DJ console) with the features of a bigger one: two channels, a mic input, RCA outputs, power from your laptop's USB port, and Smart Fader and Smart CFX, two features built to help beginners get clean transitions sooner.
Software is the other thing that decides it. We teach on Rekordbox, and Rekordbox is built around Pioneer DJ / AlphaTheta controllers. Its free version works with them. Controllers from other brands aren't officially supported by Rekordbox, so you'd generally need a paid Rekordbox plan and have to map the controls yourself, and features such as the jog wheels may not work.
| Controller | Works with Rekordbox | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 | Yes, built for it | Learning properly at home: mic input, RCA outputs, works with several DJ programs | The biggest and priciest of the five |
| DDJ-FLX2 | Yes | Small desks and tight budgets: compact and light | No track-browse control, so you pick tracks on the laptop |
| DDJ-400 | Yes | Already owning one | An older model the FLX4 replaced, mostly old stock now |
| Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 | Not officially | Learning on Serato DJ Lite or DJUCED | Needs a paid Rekordbox plan and manual setup, and some functions won't work |
| Numark DJ2GO2 | Not officially | An ultra-compact, light controller for travel | Same Rekordbox limits as above |
If you already own a controller from another brand, ask us before you buy anything new. We'll tell you whether it will work for the course.
Beginner DJ setup at home: everything you need
Beyond the controller, the rest of the beginner DJ equipment is ordinary kit:
- A laptop that can run Rekordbox
- Wired headphones for cueing the next track
- Speakers: the FLX4 sends sound out over RCA, so you need speakers with an RCA or aux input, or an RCA-to-3.5mm cable for regular powered speakers
- A USB cable and a stable internet connection for the live classes
Outside India? The prices above are in rupees and the Amazon link is for Amazon India. Buy from an authorised Pioneer DJ / AlphaTheta seller in your own country.
Do I need to buy a controller for the online DJ course?
Yes. The course is live and you practise on your own controller at home, so you need one, plus a laptop with the free version of Rekordbox. Our DJ courses are always taught on the DDJ-FLX4, so if you buy the same controller, what your instructor shows you is exactly what's on your desk.
Not sure yet? Sit in on the free trial session first, and buy the controller once you know you'll stick with it.
Where should you buy it?
Near one of our centers? Buy it from our live DDJ-FLX4 page and collect it there: official Pioneer DJ India stock with the manufacturer warranty and a GST invoice. Anywhere else, buy from an authorised Pioneer DJ / AlphaTheta seller, or a large marketplace listing sold by one, so the warranty holds in India. Check that it's new India stock and keep the GST invoice. Second-hand units can work, but test the jog wheels, crossfader, knobs and sound output before you pay. Enquire about the course and our team will answer your controller questions.
Who This Is For
If you're outside our offline centers (Mumbai-Andheri, Thane, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Guwahati) — anywhere in India or abroad — this is your route in. All you need:
- A DJ controller (the DDJ-FLX4 is our recommendation — see above)
- Rekordbox installed (free version works)
- Stable internet
- 18 hours of committed practice over 6 weeks
What's Possible After
DJ Roop — PartyMap alumnus — at Tomorrowland Belgium 2024. 5th Indian DJ ever to perform there.
DJ Roop trained at PartyMap. In 2024 he played Tomorrowland Belgium — one of the five Indian DJs ever to have done so. He also opened for Martin Garrix in Kolkata in 2023. The online course and the offline course run the same curriculum and produce the same certificate. The framework has been tested at the highest level.
Hear It From the Students
Tanish — Chicago, USA
Leveling up his DJ skills online at PartyMap
Arvind — Florida, USA
"Amazing experience completing my 18-day online DJ course from Florida"
Nilesh Patel — Chicago, USA
Completed DJ course at PartyMap online
Start With a Free Trial Session
Every batch includes a free trial session — sit in, see how it works, decide after. No commitment until you're sure.
Enquire now — our team will schedule your trial and share batch dates.