To get started, simply open your music library, and drag and drop files into Virtual DJ's decks. There's a BPM counter to help you judge transitions between tracks, and the visual wave display also helps to cue up your music. Setting sound levels and altering the bass and treble are all really easy. If you don't want to worry about your transitions, press the auto mix button and let Virtual DJ do all the work for you. Be warned though, that the results are pretty mixed!

You can sample and loop tracks live, add effects, and there's a very natural-feeling scratch mode. For the adventurous, there's a lot you can add to your mixes with Virtual DJ.

Support for recording your mixes is also available, which is a great way to learn, allowing you to analyze your mistakes and successes with the application. It also means you can record mixes for your friends! Mixes can be recorded in MP3, burned to CD or even streamed to internet radio. Virtual DJ can be set up to use two sound cards, if you have them.

Virtual DJ is accessible to beginners and packed with extra features. The downside of the software is that it sticks too much to what a physical DJ setup is - other programs offer four decks and more user-friendly interfaces - small knobs may be great for your fingers, but they're less use on a screen!

On the whole, Virtual DJ is a solid, traditional-looking application. You can showcase your very own mix without having to carry around expensive and bulky equipment.

Download Virtual DJ Free Home Edition 7.0.5 in Softonic

Does DJ ProMixer stand out from the crowd?

There are lots of mixing apps for budding DJs, from high end programs like Traktor Pro and Virtual DJ to the open source Mixxx and other free options like CrossDJ. DJ ProMixer NB Netbook is designed to be lightweight enough to run smoothly on netbooks, and it does seem to be fairly light on resources. It offers a two-deck mixing interface, with a central mixer, effects and sampler console.

Interface.

Under the mixing desk is the library, split into DJ ProMixer NB Netbook saved playlists, and an explorer for your Netbook's hard drives. There is no support for iOS devices. The explorer isn't great - Traktor's system of allowing you to open your iTunes library is much simpler, for example. Searching through your Windows folder tree is a pain.

Once you've found your music, loading tracks into the mixing desk is simple. BPMs are automatically calculated, and generally quite good. There are plenty of functions, and a switch to activate well mapped keyboard controls. despite its name, DJ ProMixer NB Netbook doesn't look great on a small screen. The interface is detailed with lots of small buttons that simply aren't ideal for netbook monitors.

Download DJ ProMixer NB Netbook Free Home Edition 1.5 in Softonic

Feeling creative? Mix your two favorite songs and create a unique blending with the software mixing capabilities. Throwing a party? Spice it up with your most lively songs, mixed together in a continuous loop.

Plus, the program features a couple of samples to get you started but you can easily add your own MP3 files.

While I understand this decision, I find that some limitations, such as not being able to record your mixes, are a bit too restrictive.