Hi all, this is the first of article sets i found on Remix Mag for you who want to be what is known as "Turntablist", Enjoy:)
So you want to be a turntablist. Do you have what it takes? Do you know what it takes? Actually, all it takes are three simple things: practice, creativity, and the right equipment.
Practice, and lots of it, is crucial to your success as a turntablist. Luckily, practice comes free and you have complete control over it. If you are disciplined, you can learn any scratch technique with enough practice. Although creativity is usually something that people are born with (or without), you can cultivate it through dedication and practice. If you are creative enough, you may even invent a few scratch techniques of your own. On the other hand, you can buy equipment - and having the right gear is essential to becoming a successful turntablist.
Even though it's not altogether impossible to perform most of the current turntablist techniques with any old turntable and mixer, you're unlikely to truly master them if you're working with a junky, outdated ten-year-old mixer and your dad's decrepit belt-drive turntable. If you really want to succeed, you'll need equipment that's designed with the hip-hop DJ and turntablist in mind. Unfortunately, the entrance fee into the game can be steep.
The major pieces of hardware a turntablist requires can be broken down into four main categories: turntables, mixers, cartridges, and vinyl. To help you make a solid purchasing decision that will serve your needs for some time, let me give you an overview of each piece of the puzzle.
TURNTABLES After 20 years, the Technics SL-1200MkII remains the turntable of choice for hip-hop DJs. Despite competing manufacturers' many attempts to make comparable turntables that cost less or deliver better features, turntablists continue to favor the tried-and-true SL-1200MkII. In recent years, Vestax, a big player in the mixer scene, has begun to make inroads into the turntable market. Vestax turntables such as the PDX-d3S MKII and PDX-2000 are the first products that can truly compete with the Technics favorite. (See the Vestax PDX-d3S MKII review in the Spring 2000 issue of Remix for more details.)
You'll encounter a host of confusing specifications when shopping for a turntable, but only a few details are relevant to your needs. The most important feature is a direct-drive motor. The easiest way to cut corners with budget turntables is to use a belt-drive motor - and for turntablist-style scratching, it won't suffice. The strain on the motor, as well as the inconsistent playback speed, is reason enough to avoid belt drives. Equally important, however, is the pickup time, or torque, which is significantly worse with belt drives than with direct drives. Turntablists need to have the turntable reach the desired rotational speed as quickly as possible. Because you'll frequently stop and start the rotation of a vinyl record (whether by holding it on a slip mat or actually halting it with the stop button), a turntable with a low-torque belt-drive motor presents an obvious hindrance. The Technics SL-1200MkII takes only 0.7 second to go from a standstill to 33 11/43 rpm; you should use this spec as a benchmark for judging a turntable's usefulness.
Tonearm design is another important factor in determining the appropriateness of a turntable for scratch applications. The Technics SL-1200MkII features an S arm. This curvy, S-shaped tonearm rotates on a gimbal suspension mechanism that ensures precise tracking and robust performance. Historically, this has been the tonearm design of choice for DJ turntables. Unfortunately, budget turntables frequently use a cheaper suspension mechanism that causes skip-inducing side-to-side wobble when you apply heavy scratching techniques.
Recently, both Vestax and Stanton released turntables that use a system featuring a shorter, straight arm and a different suspension mechanism. This system eliminates the wobble common with the S tonearm, reducing the likelihood of skipping.
Having used both straight-arm and S-arm turntables, I must concede that the straight arm really works (at least the Vestax version does). It definitely keeps the needle locked to the groove, even in heavy, abusive scratch situations. Does this mean you should buy a turntable with a straight arm? Not necessarily. Despite the advantages of the straight-arm system, my favorite turntable is still the Technics SL-1200MkII, an all-around road warrior - solidly made, well tested, and more than capable of meeting any scratch DJ's needs. Note, however, that both the Technics device and the Vestax PDX-d3S are expensive, with street prices around $480 and $580, respectively. The Stanton STR8-80 - a cheaper direct-drive turntable that includes a straight-arm tonearm and a 520SK cartridge - goes for about $300 (street).
MIXERS In recent years, DJ-mixer manufacturers have finally begun paying attention to the needs of the growing number of turntablist-style DJs. Manufacturers have released dozens of models with features aimed squarely at the turntablist market. Vestax is the current leader of the mixer market, with its flagship 07 Pro and the older but still excellent 05 Pro. Other mixer makers have emerged with similar battle-DJ products. Rane - which reigns in the club-mixer market - makes the high-quality TTM52i and TTM54i models. Needle and cartridge giant Stanton produces the SK-2F, which features the Focus Fader, a no-contact, feather-light fader designed by Arizona's DJ Focus. Other more budget-conscious manufacturers include Numark, Gemini, and American DJ.
Expect to spend at least $500 for a decent scratch-worthy mixer - you could easily spend a lot more. Look for a mixer that features user-adjustable crossfader cut-in (essential for crab-style scratches), hamster switches, and user-replaceable, low-resistance crossfaders. Most of the current hip-hop DJ mixers come in a compact case (7 to 10 inches wide) that allows the turntables to sit closer together. Other desirable features include double-panel faceplates, which provide a smooth surface that won't catch your fingers, and contactless faders, which reduce or eliminate the static and signal bleeding that occur after repeated use and abuse of a turntable.
For roughly $550 (street), the Rane TTM52i is a solid choice with many great features at a reasonable cost. The Rolls-Royce of turntablist mixers is the Vestax 07 Pro, codesigned by the Invisibl Skratch Piklz and available for about $1,000 (street).
CARTRIDGES Manufacturers offer numerous cartridge choices, and turntablists hotly debate the attributes of their individual preferences for scratching. Many turntablists prefer the recently rereleased Shure M447. Another popular choice is the Stanton 520SK, codesigned by DMC World Champion DJ Craze. For an inexpensive but solid choice, check out the new Stanton 505, an update of the classic 500 that many DJs have traditionally used. Ortofon, a stalwart of the club DJ scene, recently released a hip-hop DJ cartridge called the Ortofon Concorde Scratch that employs its famous all-in-one head-shell-and-cartridge mechanism.
When buying a cartridge, look for one specifically designed for scratch deejaying and battle mixing. The features of a cartridge designed for sonic perfection are very different from those designed for robust, nonskipping scratch mixing. For years I used the Stanton 500AL, which remains a good budget choice at around $30 (street). Currently I use the Shure M447 (about $75 street); it's renowned for its tracking prowess, long life, and reduced record burn when set up properly.
VINYL To get started on the road to becoming a top-notch turntablist, you definitely need to invest in some vinyl. Your choices here are almost endless. You can cut up your precious 12-inch collection like the old-school DJs used to do, or you can invest in one or two copies of some popular battle albums released over the past few years.
Battle albums are a good choice, as they provide all the necessary elements, such as instrumental drum tracks to scratch over and sample collages to scratch with. Often the beats and samples found on battle break albums are lifted from well-known tracks popular with scratch DJs. These records allow you to save your pristine vinyl collection for listening, while giving you plenty of beats to juggle and cool vocal samples to rip up.
Some of the more popular battle break albums include the Beat Junkies' Super Duck Breaks, the Scratch Hamster's Hamster Breaks, the Invisibl Skratch Piklz's Needle Thrashers series, QBert's Bionic Booger Breaks, and DJ Flare's Hee-Haw Breaks. Many scratch DJs own multiple copies of these albums.
IMPORTANT TIPS It is essential to make the right decisions early in your turntablist career or hobby. Good mixers and turntables don't come cheap, but buying the wrong ones for the sake of saving a few hundred dollars will only lead to disappointment and may actually hinder the development of your skills.
A cost-saving tip: buy a really good turntable up front and use this unit for practicing your scratches while you save up for a second turntable. Partner the good turntable with a cheaper model or a tape deck that can play some grooves and breaks. This will allow you to gradually build a system with longer life than one of the low-budget "DJ starter kits" frequently advertised in hip-hop magazines and online stores.
Another detail worth noting about high-quality turntables such as the Technics SL-1200MkII is that they hold their value very well. Because these models are highly sought after in the secondhand market, you can get back most of the money you invested should you decide to sell your turntable at a later date.
The following manufacturers' Web sites should help familiarize you with the equipment that's available to the budding turntablist.
Gemini: www.geminidj.com Numark: www.numark.com Ortofon: www.ortofon.com Rane: www.rane.com Shure: www.shure.com Stanton: www.stantonmagnetics.com Technics: www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/technics_audio Vestax: www.vestaxdj.com
Tips and Tricks - Turntablist Part 1
Monday, 27 July 2009Posted by WIN at 21:06
Labels: Tips and Tricks, Turntablist
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