DJ-ing help (skrilla help needed)

[Rydogg222]

Aiight, im in the midst of a life changing decision. I wanna buy turntables, but I have no idea what to look for or what to get. Im starting out clean slate so i dont know shit but I wanna learn. Does anyone have any suggestions with what type or brand i should get? Theres, stanton, numark, etc... DJ Skrilla, i liek your beats i'd love some input.

[Pres Zount]

How much can you afford?

Rich: vestax, technics

Poor/er: Numark

Also, what do you want to use it for? Skratching?

[rlwelch]

For years the Technics 1200s have been the defininive in turntablism. I don't think you could go wrong with those.

[TheMightyAjax]

Go For It!

There's a lot to decide. Are you going to make music with the tables or play music with them.

I speak from a scratching background.......

You'll save yourself a lot of time and money by getting good equipment.
I know the stuff is expensive but if you get lower quality gear (turntables mainly) it will be frustrating to learn on. If you buy cheap equipment you'll always figure out how to make it work better, which means adding more money. It's like a guitarist ("I need a better tone.")

Decide if you want turntables or cd turntables. There's a lot of pros and cons to both.

Turntables (Analog/Vinyl) is cool cause you have a lot of space to grab and manipulate, slow down, drag, tear, vibrato, anything you can think of. It will do exactly what your hand will do. You can use tape (scotch tape) to make the record loop, skip to a specific part you want. It's endless.

Downside (my opinion) to Analog/Vinyl.....Records get snaps, crackles, pops, scratched, warped etc., which can be cool for some things but not all. Also, records are heavy. Moving them everyday is no fun. It becomes a big pain in the RUMP-AH!

Needles skip and break. I don't care what anyone says. Needles SKIP! ALL OF THEM! They don't skip all the time but they do.
I have mine set how I like them and all of my records are prepped and taped but if your on stage with a band and you have your turntables on a not-so stable surface...ouch! I have found the black Ortofon cartridge (think it's the S model) to be damn near perfect for tracking though. This might prove my skip theory wrong...hehehehe...but...

CD TURNTABLES:
The platter isn't as big, might be some models that are (by the time I finish this) but the platter isn't as big so you get less of your hand on there.

There's no tonearm or needle so you can't just pick up the needle and drop it somewhere else on the record. Which kind of sucks but you can program cue points...with the push of a button you can move to any spot on the cd and voila! You landed right on the sound you wanted! Little trickier with records.

Also, no needles! Which means, no buying new needles (because they wear out), no skipping. No howling feedback which sometimes happens on turntables.

You can burn your own sounds on a cd and scratch them. Or play them, whatever you wish to do. You can play your songs in clubs or pubs that same night instead of waiting for your vinyl to be pressed up.

The machine itself is a lot lighter than a steel turntable.
100 records is way heavier than 50 cd's that have 500 songs.
CD's won't wear out like records do. No more crackles, pops, dust in the grooves.

Cd's skip too but I've tried the Pioneer CDJ-1000's and I tilted the damn thing upside down, shook it, and it didn't miss a beat. That was impressive.

Judging by what I said you would think I use CDJ-100's but I don't.
I've been using the old trusty Technics 1200's for about 20 years. They've been all over the world!
Mixers are a whole different story...I'll make it short... I have used all of the new top of the line mixers (that basically scratch for you) and I still like the cheapos from the 80's...I like the clickers (phono/line switch),everyone is different :confused: .

I love turntables but I really like the options of the CD's too.

Main thing to remember is to think of what you want to do with this new purchase and get the right tool for the job.

You'll hear a lot of hooplah (I like to call it Hot Bull-Sha-Vick :D ) about different brands and what famous dj uses what....blah...

Go to a store and try everything out. Go a couple of times. Try to find a store that has a good return policy, like 30 day guarantee or something. I'm the 30 day king!

If you try it out for a month and see something else that might be better for you, return the crap and go get the new stuff.

You have to find out what you want...then it's all fun after that. Good luck! Any questions just ask!

Peeshhhh!
Skratch Gordon :D

[DJ BC]

You gotta play with em before you buy. Thats crucial.

I have CDJ 1000s and I love 'em. But I do most of my remixing on the computer, I just play out with them.

[ScarySquirrel]

Buy some used Technics 1200's. That'd be your best bet, if you ask me. But if you've got the dough, you might as well get some new 1200's or a set of Numark TTX's. I'd say save some of that dough and focus on getting TONS and TONS of records.

If you can't get the 1200's at least make sure you get something that's direct drive. Forget any of that belt driven crap it'll cause you nothing but problems. As for mixers, well you're kind of on your own there. It's whatever's good for you. If you can find one, the Tascam XS-4 has been discontinued due to a lack of interest and you can pick one up for usually around the area of $70. It's not bad, but it's not the best mixer ever created either. However, for $70 it's an excellent pick up for someone just starting out.

[DJ_Skrilla]

First off, you dont have to have tables to start collecting records. very important to build your vinyl up. I feel bad for people like Zap who live in IRL and have no cool record stores. Where I live there is a lot of places to dig for good beats.

Second save up and get good tables... I started with Direct Drive stantons because they are cheap and u can still scratch good with them. I prefer the straight tone arm as opposed to the "S" arm that technics have, because it works a ton better for scratching with less weight on your needle. The problem with cheap tables is that they dont hold the pitch perfect so its very hard to get a good mix down, like it is on a precise table. So after I played out my stantons I upgraded to the Vestax PDX 2000 tables that were brand new at the time. They are same price as Technics but for the money you get more features... regular pitch adjust(+-10), super pitch adjust (+-50), and a reverse button. Also the vestax have an adjust for the start and stop speed so you can basically choose how fast the record will stop when stop is pressed. This means u can have it do a spin out or spin up just by adjusting these nobs. Also the vestax have a lot of torque which is a huge advantage over technics, which are okay but dont stop or start at all as fast.

Once you get some tables make sure and get some bling bling slip mats so you look like a real cool dj. JK. Actually the slipmats I really like are called butter-rugs and they allow for much easier scratching, well worth $20 even on POS tables. The worst are the velvet raver kind that really grip the record and suck for scratching.

As for needles I use SHURE M447 they are the industry standard. They can take some abuse too, and still play good without skipping too much. I thought stanton had good needles till I tried shure.... They are a bit spendy at about 60 a piece but once u have a cartridge u can buy replacement needle tips for less.

Hope this answers some of your questions.... I will keep an eye on this thread. Good luck!

IN THE YEAR 3030 EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A DJ

[atm01]

Personally, i think that you should be totally motivated and concentrated on your DJ-ing before you shell out a grand on some 1200s and a mixer.

Worst thing to do is to fork over the dough and then have your equipment collect dust because youre too tired/unmotivated/uninterested to use it (but then again those 1200s are so hot you can sell them back for almost what you paid for).....

...depending on how much you use it (i.e. beat it up), you will be upgrading your equipment every now and then. mainly the mixer. You dont need a Vestax Pro as your first mixer, get yourself a decent mixer that you can beat up and learn your skills on. They are all so good these days, and you dont need the pro stuff if you dont even know what a crossfader is. just like the others said though, try the equipment out first! go to a store and play with the stuff to see what you're comfortable with using.....


.....and CD mixers!?! dont get me started with those. top40 dance club Djs with shiny shirts mix on CDs, where all you need to do is fade the last 30 seconds of a track into the first 30 seconds of another track (..yaaaawn...)...real DJs work with vinyl and nothing else. The stratches and pops of weathered records is what give it soul and character.... almost all of hip hop, r&b, breakbeat, even drum & bass is rooted in 60s and 70s soul and funk beats and rhythms. tell me how much vintage material you can find on CD. crate digging and record shopping are one of the best perks of working with vinyl. Yes, the vinyl is heavy and bulky, but trust me, it will be a while before you start performing in public and lugging those crates around. I dont mean to diss any CD DJs, but it just doesnt have the soul!!!!!

......and you do need to build a massive vinyl library. It takes money (about $10 a record) and lots and lots of time. My 200 record collection is considered small, and Im getting pretty bored with it.....

...this is just MY 2c, do whatever YOU want to do, to each his own!!!

[Monsieur Decuts]

I have been a vestax man for three years and have never had a problem...or a needle skip(unless the record was mashed).

Its all about the straight tone arm...if you want to scratch.

Have a look at the packages that Stanton sell....they're not bad

I think they one with the ST-100s or the ST-80s will do you nicely starting out....and you can sell it back when you're ready for a PDX-2000 or 1200's...fuck numark with a rusty shovel.

[Gareth]

...real DJs work with vinyl and nothing else.

do you still churn your butter too?

[DJ BC]

.....and CD mixers!?! dont get me started with those. top40 dance club Djs with shiny shirts mix on CDs, where all you need to do is fade the last 30 seconds of a track into the first 30 seconds of another track (..yaaaawn...)...real DJs work with vinyl and nothing else.

Open your mind, and accept the freedom that is art-making...

Turntable purism is a load of BS and the argument that records are the only valid way to spin music does not hold water. 15 years ago I was arguing with people that turntables are a valid instument and sampling does not make you a thief. In the 1950's people said rock was not "real" music. Now turntable types are complaining about people who use computers, or CDs not being "real" DJs yadda yadda. Get over yourself. The end result is what matters. And who are you to say who is a "real" DJ. I have been spinning for over 10 years and I use CDs. Wolfman Jack never scratched a record in his life.

[ScarySquirrel]

Wolfman Jack never scratched a record in his life.
Not even on accident?

[DJ BC]

Not even on accident?
:D

Maybe. His voice was pretty scratchy too, now that I think of it.

Hold the phones, Wolfman Jack WAS a real DJ!

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Watup. I've been cutting for like 9 years now. Damn, that sounds crazy. Anyway, check it. I'm writing this assuming you want to get into the type of hardcore scratching that Mixmaster Mike does.

Vinyl v. CD-
I wouldn't start out on a CD deck. First, the only one worth fucking with in my opinion is the Numark CDX (which is very very close to using real vinyl because it has a vinyl plate on top that controls the CD.) A CDX is almost a $1000 for one deck though so its not something you want to buy on a whim. Second, even though they are close to vinyl, they are not the same. You loose a lot of the subtleties that real vinyl gives you. Third, its better to learn on the real thing and then if you want to expand, and translate your skills onto CD decks down the road you can do that in the future. You need a record player because most of the shit that DJs dig for only come out on wax. A lot of good jazz and soul has not been repressed on CD. Most break records only come out on wax. If you start out with real turntables and later decide to get a CD deck then you can use your old turntables as source players so you can burn CDs from your vinyl. Nothing wrong with the CD shit per se, its just better to start out on the real thing.

What turtables to get . . .

There's no right or wrong answer

I'm a big proponent on starting on used technics 1200s. 1200s are the old industry standard and they are still the most widely used decks (although less and less people are using them every day.) If you decide scratching is not for you, you can sell them again with very little loss (you might even make a little money.) Or you can keep the turntable as a record player and it will last forever. Its always good to have a nice turntable to play records, even if you don't scratch. Just make sure you buy one that's not damaged (ESPECIALLY THE TONEARM). The main problem with 1200s is that the pitch range is limited. This won't matter much to you at first but if you start to fuck around making tracks out of all scratching (like D-Styles, Mixmaster Mike, or Ricci Rucker) you'll miss having a little extra pitch range.

Vestax and Numark tables. These decks perform a little better than the 1200. They have more pitch range, more torque (not that more torque matters a whole lot once you get to a certain point), and more features. The problem with Vestax and Numark is that they breakdown WAYYY more often than a 1200 and they loose resale value very quickly. So if you decide to quit you will loose a couple hundred bucks at least. If you want to get a Vestax deck go with the PDX2000 or the new PDX2300 series. If you get a Numark get the TTX or the TT-500.

You might also look into the Stanton Strait 150. This might be the sleeper deck of the last few years.

Overall, the Vestax, Numark and Stanton tables do not hold up as well as the Technics 1200. These companies focus more on features and they cut corners on quality to keep the prices down. So, if you go with a Vestax, Numark, or Stanton, don't be surprised if you have problems with breaking parts or malfunctions.

Anyway, any of these decks will do you well for scratching and is a decent buy. Don't waste your time and money on shitty turntables.

[DJ BC]

almost all of hip hop, r&b, breakbeat, even drum & bass is rooted in 60s and 70s soul and funk beats and rhythms. tell me how much vintage material you can find on CD.

A lot. Tons. TONS. Been CD shopping lately?
Plus, you can burn your own samples and sample sentences and homemade beats, breaks and such onto CDs, and then scratch them etc. Pressing to vinyl? Dreadfully expensive. If I used vinyl I'd never be able to afford to play my own music. With CD, I can complete a remix at 6pm and be spinning it at a club 5 hours later.

I know vinyl is really cool and soulful, and the boxes look cool, and you can say you are keeping it real and brag about how authentic you are, but whatever. Many of the sound advanages you get from vinyl you can do with CD, and more... and you can also burn your soulful sounding crackling popping scratchy vinyl directly to CD, and it sounds just the same! Plus, it will last much longer and you can back it up. Now that you can scratch with CDs the advantages to using turntables have been greatly reduced.

To quote the great Radio Quita: "You crazy."

[Gareth]

ok, i like cdjs, i think they're great...but i'm not sure what i think of this:

http://webbeatz.de/newz/images/musikmessewow8.jpg

http://webbeatz.de/newz/images/musikmessewow3.jpg

[DJ BC]

Huh! Thats news to me!

Thanks for the pix. Not really my style either but to each his own.

[Monsieur Decuts]

ipod fever.

what people tend to forget about the dj culture is that its not supposed to be easy to be a good dj...its supposed to be hard as fuck to find new breaks that no one else has. CDdjs and re-issues are killing that aspect of the hip hop culture. There's always bee

You know who I blame...scratch pickles...that's right...i said it. As they were trying to become elight...they began to cut their own vinyl with layered scratch sounds. Not only that they began selling that shit and created a culture of reuse and repitition in dj world...you didn't have to dig if those records were there for you to us.

I can watch anyone play a 50 track they burnt off the internet...and get respect....but no one's got respect anymore for the guy who finds the dusty Ohio Players 45 in the record store..heck they may not even know who the Ohio players are. If we stop celebrating the special...we become used to the cookie cutter, hence the current state of hip hop.

Wonder why? Cause there was a movement....once upon a time....there was respect for the founders once.

[Monsieur Decuts]

[Sir SkratchaLot]

ipod fever.

what people tend to forget about the dj culture is that its not supposed to be easy to be a good dj...its supposed to be hard as fuck to find new breaks that no one else has. CDdjs and re-issues are killing that aspect of the hip hop culture. There's always bee

You know who I blame...scratch pickles...that's right...i said it. As they were trying to become elight...they began to cut their own vinyl with layered scratch sounds. Not only that they began selling that shit and created a culture of reuse and repitition in dj world...you didn't have to dig if those records were there for you to us.

I can watch anyone play a 50 track they burnt off the internet...and get respect....but no one's got respect anymore for the guy who finds the dusty Ohio Players 45 in the record store..heck they may not even know who the Ohio players are. If we stop celebrating the special...we become used to the cookie cutter, hence the current state of hip hop.

Wonder why? Cause there was a movement....once upon a time....there was respect for the founders once.

Hell yeah. I agree with a lot of this. Piklz did up the skill level, which allowed others to take shit to new levels, but there are way too many whiny motherfuckers who have everything spoon fed to them.

[DJ BC]

Thats cool turntable purists, do your thing. I look forward to hearing your remixes, and I hope you have lots of difficulty making them, because they will therefore be better mixes, or realer, or something- right? Because good DJing is good because it is difficult, am I right? And using tools which reduce that difficulty is cheating, correct? I am still trying to find out why you are even playing records and not in a band or orchestra, if purity is your goal. Why not play in a funk band? Isn't that realer than playing a funk record, and more difficult? Better build your own instruments first, too- using an instrument invented by someone else would be cheating. Your purity argument leads you downa slippery slope.

Difficult does not always equal good. All I am saying is there is more than one way to make mixes and DJ, and any one way is not the "realest" way no matter what you say. Purists can congratulate themselves all they want, meanwhile I am having fun making remixes with my computer AND listening to Ohio Players... CDs! The Ohio Players are available on CD, you know.

OK, I am done. Off my high horse. Sorry. I just feel it's ridiculous to have to defend my technique or methods to a bunch of turntable purists who seem to have no concept that, ten years ago, people were dissing turntables as not being real musical instruments. Now they turn around and say the same exact thing to computer remixers. Open the mind! There is more than one path to enlightenment!

I highly recommend all aspiring music producers read the Brian Eno essay "The Studio As A Compositional Tool." (you can find it on google) While it was written before the turntable revolution, a lot of the concepts spoke to defending turntablism as a valid musical form... and now can similarly be applied to using computers to remix.

In short: It is ALL good! Do what you feel!

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Thats cool turntable purists, do your thing. I look forward to hearing your remixes, and I hope you have lots of difficulty making them, because they will therefore be better mixes, or realer, or something- right? Because good DJing is good because it is difficult, am I right? And using tools which reduce that difficulty is cheating, correct? I am still trying to find out why you are even playing records and not in a band or orchestra, if purity is your goal. Why not play in a funk band? Isn't that realer than playing a funk record, and more difficult? Better build your own instruments first, too- using an instrument invented by someone else would be cheating. Your purity argument leads you downa slippery slope.

Difficult does not always equal good. All I am saying is there is more than one way to make mixes and DJ, and any one way is not the "realest" way no matter what you say. Purists can congratulate themselves all they want, meanwhile I am having fun making remixes with my computer AND listening to Ohio Players... CDs! The Ohio Players are available on CD, you know.

OK, I am done. Off my high horse. Sorry. I just feel it's ridiculous to have to defend my technique or methods to a bunch of turntable purists who seem to have no concept that, ten years ago, people were dissing turntables as not being real musical instruments. Now they turn around and say the same exact thing to computer remixers. Open the mind! There is more than one path to enlightenment!

I highly recommend all aspiring music producers read the Brian Eno essay "The Studio As A Compositional Tool." (you can find it on google) While it was written before the turntable revolution, a lot of the concepts spoke to defending turntablism as a valid musical form... and now can similarly be applied to using computers to remix.

In short: It is ALL good! Do what you feel!

I don't know if this is aimed at me. If it is I don't think you're getting what I'm saying. The last comment I made wasn't aimed at you. Its actually aimed at a lot of younger DJs now who have everything handed to them and yet they still complain. I learned how to mix and do the basic cuts (stabs, transforms, chirps, tears, etc.) by trial and error and listening. Now you have full on tutorials that go into detail about how to do shit like delayed two-click flares, and kids will complain like "there's no sound file". Its sort of lead to this culture where everything is handed to you and everybody is doing the same thing instead of learning and doing their own thing. It really didn't have anything to do with CD decks.

I have no problem with DJs who use CD decks as long as they are flexing skills and orginality.

The reason I don't use them is because scratching and live sound manipulation is my priority. I've fucked around with all the CD decks and once you get to a certain level they can't hang the same. The pioneer joints don't even spin so it fucks with release scratches and whatnot. The Numark CDXs are the best ones I've tried but they still lacked some of the responsiveness that real vinyl has. They're damn close though. I want some. But I'm already used to cutting on vinly so I know what I'm missing when I cut on a CD deck. I know how to dig for records and what it feels like to have the full control of vinyl. Somebody who just starts out, from day one, on CD decks is going to miss out on important aspects of scratching and digging. Not only that but its expensive as fuck. That's why I advise against starting out with the CD joints. Not because I have something against them in theory or whatever.

BUT WHAT IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO IS THIS. When you talk about using the turntable as an instrument you need to have dexterity because you are playing in real time. You need rythm and timing. If you're just playing records you aren't using the turntable as an instrument. Putting on a Jay Z beat and mixing it with a Beastie Boys accapella is not using the turntable as an instrument. Using it as an instrument is drumming, scratching, and manipulating samples in real time. A primitive, but nevertheless dope, example is 3 MCs and 1 DJ. Mike isn't playing the records, he's playing with the records. That's using the turntable as an instrument. And when you're using the turntable as such you want as much control over the sound as possible. This is where most of the CD decks fall short. Actually, they all fall short, just some more than others. If you want to make music out of scratching, you need to be versed with dealing with vinly.

Now, if that's not your thing, that's fine. Some people are more interested in mixing or using computers to make remixes. The difference between chopping beats on a program like cool edit and turntable drumming is that the turntable drumming is in real time. The computer is more of a compositional tool, where you plan everything out in advance and then press play. Nothing wrong with that! And there's a lot of advantages to making music that way. But, there are also advantages to making music in real time, and a turntable allows you to do that. For example, you can improvise, live. A turntable is just a sampler that gives you extreme amount of real time control over the sample. In order to recreate a scratch on a computer it would take hours. On a turntable it takes a milisecond. But turntables are also severly limited because of the way records work. There are lots of things you can do on a computer that you can't do with a turntable. There are pluses and minuses to everything it just depends on what you want to do. This shit goes deep and I could go on for days but I won't at this point.

Anyway, that's why I limited my responses to scratching, which is much more akin to using the turntable as an instrument. Again, nothing wrong with making music on a computer, or using CD decks. I'm just saying that if you are mainly interested in scratching, then the CD decks are not a good starter.

[DJ_Skrilla]

even those dudes that our sponsered by Vestax or whatever use 1200's in compitition.(y)

Weak Argument.

The facts:
Hands down vestax have 300% more torque than techs
and the straight arm works a lot better for scratching (its physics)

Dont believe me take the challenge and see. Go try em.

As for CD DJ's - My Opinion - If you DJ & U ONLY USE CD's - your weak, thats called DJ PUSHPLAY. Might as well have two ipods. Plus anyone can burn a CD. Real DJing is about vinyl, and finding the cuts no one else has, and bringing it to the people. Isn't thats the point? To make people happy with the best music. If you can spin on the real decks u would have no problem cd-djing, but just cuz u can cd-dj doesnt mean you would have half a clue what to do on the 1's and 2's.
I would use a Technics or Pioneer CD deck ALONG with my turntables, and many bands do including mixmaster mike. Check. (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14986&item=7314499615&rd=1) The beasties use the pioneer (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14986&item=7313822673&rd=1). Those both work very well for scratching, and have a cool hands on feel but both have a hefty price tag at around $800. U can get 2 tables for that price. Also, none of those cheesy double side-by-side cd players work for scratching at all. I have seen people buy those for like $700 thinking "what a great deal" I get two cd players and they mostly suck ass. Just get tables, even if it takes time.

Its never to early to start buying records. Or you can keep burning your hot new downloads onto 15 cent cdrs... :cool:

DJ SKRILLA - WaX KillA

[Rydogg222]

Hey guys, rememeber me? The debater originator of this post that ya'll peep ,on which fader to eliminate-or-which one to keep. Alright enough rhymes, I really wanna thank everyone for their input and I am def. taking what everyone said into consideration. I always wanted to stay true to vinyls so thats the path im gonna take. I guess I'm gonna have to hit up a Sam Ash or sum shit liek that and try sum tables out.

Skrilla, ur last post when u pasted links to some ebay auctions ,was that 745 $ for one table? If it is, is it worth a buy? Or do you need two tables to really understand and get a feel for scrathing. I just wanna be able to compose beats and scratch shit up as well but I dont know if one table would be enough?

Also, I would prob. purchase mine on ebay cause thats where u can get the best deal . What should I look for? I would prob look for technic 1200's but how about a mixer? Also, im assuming you need an amp for it too right? Hit me up with sum asnwers again cause it might be crunch time for deciding what I need to do, whther to scrounge up more money then the measley 750 i got right now or what. Thanks

p.s.- If anyone has nothign to do and knows their shit and sees a mad good deal on ebay or any type of place i can purchase it, paste the link or email me at Rydogg222@aol.com

[jackrock]

Aiight, im in the midst of a life changing decision. I wanna buy turntables, but I have no idea what to look for or what to get. Im starting out clean slate so i dont know shit but I wanna learn. Does anyone have any suggestions with what type or brand i should get? Theres, stanton, numark, etc... DJ Skrilla, i liek your beats i'd love some input.
duuude i would also loooove to be a mixer/DJ/scratcher some day

[Monsieur Decuts]

duuude i would also loooove to be a mixer/DJ/scratcher some day

giver.

[jackrock]

giver.
hehehe im only 13 :p
but ty

[Taco Zip]

I'd say Technics (y)

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Weak Argument.

The facts:
Hands down vestax have 300% more torque than techs
and the straight arm works a lot better for scratching (its physics)

Dont believe me take the challenge and see. Go try em.

Torque is something that can play for you or against you depending on what you're trying to accomplish.

The strait arms are alright, but they sacrifice sound quality for stability. I've never had a problem with skipping on a 1200.

The real advantage of the Vestax is the pitch range. That's why that table takes a 1200 performance wise.

The problem with Vestax is their shit breaks down. The platters on the PDXs wobble. The feet are prone to break. Vestax is so busy selling shit that they neglect to make shit that lasts. They put out a new table every year. That causes the resale value to fall.

Now, the new Vestax shit that's comming out with the pitch pedal and the ability to change pitch to hit accurate notes is going to be bomb. D-Styles has a prototype now and he says its dope. That's the shit that's gonna change the game. Should be hitting NAMM in 2006.


-----------------------------------------
But Rydogg, if you want something you can buy and re-sell if you don't keep up with scratching, get a used 1200. Just make sure it works and the tonearm isn't bent. If you sell it you'll get about as much as you paid for it. You don't need to have 2 but its nice. If you want to mix or juggle you'll need two tables. But a lot of people just play beats on their computer and scratch over those on one table. Check out these loopers for some beats. http://www.rhocorp.org/dustphonics/

For a mixer, I'm personally a big fan of the Rane TTM56 but its a $700 mixer. A lot of DJs have been buying these lately http://www.djtronix.com/tascamxs8.html They were discontinued so they're cheap as hell and peeps were buying them up like hotcakes about 6 months ago. Not worth the real $600 price tag but for $200-300 its a damn good deal. Also www.skratchworx.com has lots of reviews and whatnot. Don't take what they say as gospel though.

An amp is less important because you can always scratch in your headphones until you get the chance to get an amp.

[Jasonik]

I would prob look for technic 1200's but how about a mixer?

I have a TTM54i (http://www.rane.com/ttm54i.html) this does it all, and is built to last. There are only high & low eq. knobs so you can't do really fancy fading, but if you can learn to work the gain and these two knobs you're in good shape fundamental-wise.

For your budget get a basic Numark (http://www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl?eqint_KeyIDdata=36683&id=TL01) for $100 ( stay away from Stanton) and save up for the TTM56.

When I started out, I bought a brand new MK3 and a used mixer from a friend. I started buying records and listening to them with the one turntable. I could practice mixing into a cd or tape and practice cutting over it. I really got to know my records and eventually bought a Dr. Sample (http://www.harshnoise.com/product_info/boss_dr_sample_sp202) (I know, super-crappy) and started to sample loops and match them up to records and make little remixes. I even 'mixed' records by sampling a loop of the record that was playing and mixing it back into itself, then switching the record and mixing the next record into the loop. Not very much to listen to, but good for learning beatmatching and tempo adjusting fundamentals. By the time I got a second turntable I knew the records I had really well and had a good skill set so the learning curve was pretty sharp. I can't stress enough how important it is for you to KNOW YOUR RECORDS!

You'll need headphones too don't forget. Be careful with your hearing so don't turn them up loud. At home when I'm operating at moderate volumes I have a pair of studio Sennheisers (http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/category.asp?transid=cat1) that have great sound without needing to turn them up. *note to self about the HD215s*

I know you're just starting out so, if I had it to do all over again I'd start out with this (http://www.roland.com/products/en/PM-3/index.html) as a monotor setup, totally portable, rockin sound. (BTW this little portable system (http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/store/category.cgi?category=port_spkr&item=c1md12ee) kicks ass too.)

Good luck, and it's not about the gear and the money, it's about the music. :cool: (y)

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Good luck, and it's not about the gear and the money, it's about the music. :cool: (y)

Word. Here's some strait up raw scratch practice files 1997 style.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/djlinedance_music.htm

The whole DJ Linedance is just a joke, by the way. I just thought it would be funny if the people listening to christian country ended up hearing all this fucked up scratching.

[nobbus]

if you buy Technics you're paying for the name. Vestax turntables do exactly the same thing. get some good vestax decks and a cheap mixer to start off with.

[Sir SkratchaLot]

if you buy Technics you're paying for the name. Vestax turntables do exactly the same thing. get some good vestax decks and a cheap mixer to start off with.

Saying that when you buy a Technics 1200, you're just paying for the brand name is not true at all. What you're paying the extra money for is quality build. I've been in this game for a while and I've seen 1200s last and last and last. Remember the Vestax A-1s and A-2s? Both had overheating problems, both notorious for breaking down. The PDX tables have platter rumble problems. Go to where the real scratch headz are and you will see the complaints about the batch numbers and fixes and how the fixes don't work. The feet break on them as well. The new 2300s can't hold pitch. Build quality is the main difference between the Vestax and the Technics. Its not that the Vestax don't perform as well (they perform better than a 1200 in most respects) its that they don't last and they have some major design flaws.

When you pay $400 for a 1200 you're paying for a table that's going to last 5-10 years (easily). Its not uncommon to see 20 year old 1200s. And you can fix them easily.

You're lucky if you get 4 years out of a Vestax table. If its not falling apart in 4 years, then they have a new table out that supercedes the one you already have.

That being said, the Vestax tables have the pitch range of +/-50% while the technics only get you +/-8% (16% if you get the MK5G). If you haven't figured out the importance of the pitch range yet, you will. Pitch range is everything for scratch composition. That's why the new Vestax with the pitch pedal is going to be crazy. You'll be able to play acurate notes on it while keeping both of your hands free. And its being built by D-Styles and Ric Rucker so you know they're gonna do their best to make sure it doesn't end up like the PDX line did. Lets just hope Vestax listens to them and doesn't fuck it up.

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Staunton SA-5 for $200
http://www.djdeals.com/stantonSA5.htm

[jackrock]

hey yall i want to be a DJ, one like MMM... i have no idea what to do :confused: ...

[Monsieur Decuts]

Buy the tables...head to shows..make some friends then

bite
bite
bite
bite

diversify

be a little proactive too...if you want it the info is out there....

just put a little effort in

[Monsieur Decuts]

Staunton SA-5 for $200
http://www.djdeals.com/stantonSA5.htm

yay vermont!

[nobbus]

You're lucky if you get 4 years out of a Vestax table. If its not falling apart in 4 years, then they have a new table out that supercedes the one you already have.
yeah, because Vestax actually bring out new products instead of relying on their godlike popularity!

[Sir SkratchaLot]

yeah, because Vestax actually bring out new products instead of relying on their godlike popularity!

Post a file beeotch :D