There has been a few threads lately on this. If your only going to be doing mobile work, software controllers can be alot better for mobile functions due to: -Less gear to cart around -less to set up -lighter to carry -you have easy access to a large collection of music directly on the laptop, making it easy to search for requests and the like However if you want to play clubs you need to learn your way around some cdjs. (Unless they allow you to take your controller in there of course). Your choice of gear also depends on your mixing preference / style, and what you are used to. What equipment do you have experience on at the moment? Don't be afraid to go to a dj shop and have a demo of a range of equipment before buying anything.