Guest spacecowboy6982 Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 Hey, Just about to buy some turntables, mixers etc - if ure in the know, just give us a few pointers. Cheers SpaceCowboy
Guest Simon Desser Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 As far as decks are concerned, there's no choice, Technics SL1210's are still the best, no matter what else comes along! If you intend scratching, then it's got to be Technics, if you're just mixing, then you'll probably get away with other makes. I bought my Technics decks in 1985, absolutely hammered them for years (I'm a scratch mix DJ) and they're still going strong ;) Mixers are a different story, and I'm a bit out of touch now. But I can reccomend makes like Vestax and Gemini, it really depends on what you are doing. I would suggest you get a mixer with a replaceable cross fader, as they wear out in time. You can spend money on mixers with effects and lots of equalizers and stuff, but all I ever wanted was a very basic mixer with a s*** hot fader. Let us know what you get. Cheers Simon
Guest Richie M Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 Agree with Simon. Only two bits of advice really 1) do not under any circumsatnce but Belt-driven decks 2) do not buy a mixer with long faders. ;)
Guest spacecowboy6982 Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 There are a so many decks out there I really didnt know which to get - but after some research and £650 bux down the stankhole lol, I opted for the Numark TTX1's. They have a direct drive and have a torque of 3.7 kg/cm (supposedly 2 x more than Technics!!) The mixer is the DM950 which in its hay day was supposed to be an absolute classic and this model number is said to be very good for beginners and intermediats alike. Now that I've got decks - I need vinyl - and need to know how they hell to beatmatch before i do anything else !!! Chhers for the info lads, SpaceCowboy
Guest Richie M Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 Good luck m8, i've only ever used Technics so cant comment on your equipment, but i'll just say Practice Practice Practice ;)
Guest spacecowboy6982 Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 God i know - i cant wait to mix with em - the neighbours are gonna here about it 2moro tho let me ell ya lol - bit of Nelly me thinks...;)
Guest Simon Desser Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 I agree with Richie, practice :!: And if you need to count, or use any "gadgets" to help you beatmatch, then you you aint a DJ, give it time and you'll J J J J J J Just Feeeel It ;)
Guest spacecowboy6982 Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 Lol - will do - i said to myself i woudnt but those counters cos' if one day i am good enough 4 the circuit lol the clubs aint gonna have em are they...!
Guest amo Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 I have Citronic PD-2s which are very high torque. These are the closest things i could find to 1210s but at a lower cost. I love them! I have the beringer VMX200 mixer
Guest SeeJ Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 Technics are really the only choice, I have to say, no matter if other decks have 'better' torque. IMHO, if you play in a pub / club you'll be using Technics, so you might as well be used to them. No other turntable holds its value like a set of Technics either, so if you decide to give up you won't have wasted nearly as much money. As for the mixer, I have gone through many mixers and you probably will too, as each brand has its own feel and layout, etc. Don't listen to what anyone else tells you about fader lengths and so on - this is a personal thing and will depend greatly on your mixing style, ie cutting, fading, scratching. I use a Pioneer DJM600 mainly for its faders and output quality. If you are into your music, you should be able to teach yourself how to mix, if thats what you really want to do. Good luck - I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time. BTW, Using tools doesn't mean you aren't a DJ!! You don't even need to mix tunes to be called a DJ. I think too many people are snobby about this. Mixing is a 'trick' the same way scratching is, people seem to forget that its the music that is the important thing!!! (sorry, rant over)
Guest SeaneyC Posted May 4, 2003 Report Posted May 4, 2003 IMHO i'd say that Technics 1200s/1210s are well past their sell by date, and although they are still the deck of club choice, it's mainly more because people who buy them don't DJ on them. Vestax decks have far surpassed Technics in terms of build quality and features, and my reckoning is that they will be just as reliable, they seem to be up to the present. Although it really does depend on your mixing style i guess (scratch/battle, or just simple beatmixing) and personal preference whether you need all the toys on some of the Vestax decks. I can tell you as a mainly CDDJ, using Vestax vinyl decks is 10 times easier than Technics as they simply have so much more torque and more CD player like features. Although i'm no vinyl officionado - I hate the stuff - stupidly heavy and cumbersome. Mixers is also a minefield - If you plan to abuse your mixer a lot, replaceable crossfader is a must, although that's pretty much standard these days, but less common is replaceable faders. These are known to go, and if they're not replacable your only resort will be to purchase a new mixer. Personally i own a Numark 3002, but only because it was free! In the clubs i used to work at, we had Rane mixers on the small rooms, which are low on features, but sound awesome, and in the large room had Allen and Heath X:Zone mixers, which were a true joy to work with, loud headphone output, a few toys, and awesome sound too. Given the choice now, i'd save up and get the cheap Allen and Heath X:zone, but that's just as i personally like them. Mixers can be a very personal thing, get down your local shop and see what they have to offer you. Using tools can be very useful to help you become a better and more creative DJ, but if you cannot beatmix without them, i'd advise you to keep your skills to the bedroom for more practise. You got to walk before you can run right? Although i agree with SeeJ about the mixing thing on one point, you don't even need to mix tunes to be called a DJ. Plenty of the boys round here (Edinburgh) can't beatmatch for toffee! I would definately go for a job if i thought i could stand playing the crap they seem to listen to round here. I wouldn't really class mixing as a trick - My hat goes off to battle DJs around the globe, your fine art is many times harder than basic mixing.
Guest amo Posted May 4, 2003 Report Posted May 4, 2003 Vestax are excellent decks when it comes to build quality and that great motor but when it comes to features, does anyone really need "hyper" pitch? +/-10% is sufficient for any dj. Dont get me wrong, I love the vestax but as for the "features" on them, theres not really much point. I dont mind either of the decks (1200s/vestax) but what i'd recommend is to stay well away from Numarks.
Guest SeaneyC Posted May 4, 2003 Report Posted May 4, 2003 Vestax are excellent decks when it comes to build quality and that great motor but when it comes to features, does anyone really need "hyper" pitch? +/-10% is sufficient for any dj. Dont get me wrong, I love the vestax but as for the "features" on them, theres not really much point. I dont mind either of the decks (1200s/vestax) but what i'd recommend is to stay well away from Numarks. I was kinda referring more to the useful features. Like you said, 50% is not very useful! Such as the A2 "Vertical" Decks for scrathing, been done for years by turning turntables around, but to have it purposely done like that seems logical if you're a pure scratch DJ. Anti skip tonearm is a huge improvement over the classic "S" i've been told, the D3 and new 8000 series turntable with variable pitch ranges and motor off and reverse control - all useful features IMHO. Ironically i use the hyper pitch quite a lot myself on my CD players as you can get cool time stretching effects and such like in conjunction with the key control, and fake vinyl braking etc.
Guest paradox ewan Posted May 6, 2003 Report Posted May 6, 2003 i love my djm 600! When you get good, send me a cd ad ill bung it onto our online radio station. Also if anyone fancies doing some live sets then get in touch!
Guest James Posted May 6, 2003 Report Posted May 6, 2003 been a DJ for the last 7 years mate although sold all my gear to 4 years ago buy a home cimema setup an now just do parties and local nightclub work when i have nothing better to do..... Good luck with the mixing mate..... lots and lots of practice!!!!! best thing to do when your starting up is record lots of tapes and give them to your mates to laugh at! you will soon learn to mix properly.... you can also listen to your mixing properly when you replay the tapes!
Guest amo Posted May 6, 2003 Report Posted May 6, 2003 paradox ewan, wouldnt mind doing a set or two on your radio. Will have to wait untill the new deck stands arrive though
Guest spacecowboy6982 Posted May 7, 2003 Report Posted May 7, 2003 . Plenty of the boys round here (Edinburgh) can't beatmatch for toffee!. LoL - I can only recommend Nathan @ Espionage m8 - Or Pete at Gaia - they're pretty damn good! SpaceCowboy
Guest SeaneyC Posted May 7, 2003 Report Posted May 7, 2003 A friend's brother is head barman at the sub club - should pop down and see him really sometime soon. He was at La Belle Angele before it got water damaged from the cowgate fires.
Guest spacecowboy6982 Posted May 8, 2003 Report Posted May 8, 2003 Sub Club in Cowgate - i thought it was subway - i've been in there for like to miutes though tit was crap came out and demanded my £ back lol - the bird on the till didnt really seem to give a damn - prob. cos' she does it so often lol !!!
Guest SeaneyC Posted May 12, 2003 Report Posted May 12, 2003 The Sub club is in Glasgow! He had to get work there after the water damage from the fires shut down La Belle in Edinburgh. Subway Cowgate is indeed pants.
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