getting turntables?

spidermonkey

recently i've become more & more interested in getting myself a set of analogue turntables.
i want to learn to mix and scratch, so besides the two 'tables & a mixer what else do i need?

any advice on products?

ive got maybe €500/600 for spending, including getting some vinyl too.
i'd like to get myself a mid range setup so i dont outgrow them too quickly.
thanks for reading

Executive Steve

the one thing you shouldn't skimp on if you want to learn to mix and scratch with the least amount of hassle is the turntables themselves.

600 - 700 quid should get you a pair of second hand decks. only buy the top of the range models as they will hold their value, so if you decide to sell them off you're not losing out on them, and if you decide that you like mixing etc you won't have to sell the 400 quid pair of midrange ones you bought for 250 and then save another 450.

everyone will tell you to go for a pair of technics, many of the hardcore scratch dj's prefer vestax, personally i use the stanton str8 150's and i think they are far and away the best vinyl deck i have ever used - they're built more solidly than the technics, have more metal parts, and more features, but if you end up playing out in a club, you'll probably be playing on a pair of technics.

mixers you can pretty much afford to skimp on at the start. a decent pair of decks and a **** mixer is better than a crap pair of decks and the best mixer in the world. if you're going to learn to scratch then get one with fully [and easily] replacable crossfaders and make sure the part of the mixer where all the faders etc are is completely clutter free with nothing to get in the way of your hands etc. if you're buying a mixer second hand, ask to see it working. check that all channels work without crackle, and make sure that, for instance, when the crossfader is fully to the right you can't hear the sound of the left hand deck bleeding in on one or more channels and that the sound isn't distorted etc. also, have a brief wiggle around with the cables at the back while the sound is going through the mixer.. if jiggling a cable makes the speakers crackle or distorts the sound then leave politely.

things like effects, kill switches, bpm counters etc are all bells and whistles you'll probably never use, don't waste money on them.

if you're really into learning to scratch, there's plenty of pretty useful tutorials and videos on the net to help you, but it takes a lot of practice to get anywhere... i've been playing out in clubs for years and i have never been able to get my head and my hands around scratching!

spidermonkey

thanks for your thorough advice.
i was going to buy these but i think i might skip them now and keep my eyes open for a second hand set as you suggested.
as regards tutorials i've been watching youtube, and various other sites with a few weeks, and im enthralled. i have a musical background so hopefully i can pick it up without too much hassle.
and again, thanks for your advice.

Cake Fiend

+1 for buying decent second-hand decks right off the bat. Professional decks such as 1210s are built like tanks, so even second-hand ones will be fine, and will still hold resale value, as Tyranny mentioned.

Two good decks and a basic two-channel mixer, and you're sorted for beginning.

senan s

Cake Fiend wrote:

. Professional decks such as 1210s are built like tanks,
.

too bloody right, a mate of mine, got one of his decks run over by a squad car, arm abit bend but still works

Executive Steve

a mate of mine has a really bad sleepwalking problem and once woke up to find that he'd pissed all over his decks in the middle of the night.

one of them played in reverse for three days, and not a bother with them since.



having said that, the stanton str8 150's have a larger amount of metal parts [technics have been slowly putting more and more plastic in over the years] as well as having lots more features, and from a users point of view are easily the nicest deck to use imo...

BaZmO*

[cm]tyranny wrote:

[technics have been slowly putting more and more plastic in over the years]

Really? Where?

Kolodny

[cm]tyranny wrote:

one of them played in reverse for three days, and not a bother with them since.

:eek: What had he been drinking?

Executive Steve

BaZmO* wrote:

Really? Where?

internal components apparently; the inside of the technics 1200's has changed slightly with each generation.

probably not a WHOLE lot to be perfectly frank, but apparently there iIS a weight difference due to lighter materials used internally.

[weight = good in decks because it it has a dampening effect on exterior rumbles that may interrupt the audio signal]



having said that, apparently Stanton are going into receivership, and they're now owned by the bank of america... so getting them serviced by official stanton service engineers may soon no longer be possible...

i still stand by my opinion that the str8 150's are the nicest deck on teh market though.