The history of Technics.

heartwork93

Right so I have this 2000 word essay for design innovation class.

I have to write about a company started in the last 50 years which has had to change it's marketing agenda and products due to the emergence of new technology or by external market changes.

I'v decided to do my project on Technics and how and why it has released new turntable products to compete with the market, eg CDJs and digital turntables.

Does anyone know anywhere I can get a quick history of the corporation and it's release of CDJs etc.?

Also I have to predict what might be in store for the future (next 50 years) of Technics in terms of new technology and market changes. Any thoughts are welcome.

Thanks a mil.

L1011

Technics is only a brand name rather than a company (which is older than 50 years but the brand isn't), doubt the person grading you is going to know that though.

http://www.vintagetechnics.stereomanuals.com/menu.htm gives insane detail on specs and years of their older gear but seems to stop about the time they would have started bringing in their CD gear. They were a bit late to the party - http://www.djbooth.net/index/dj-equipment/review/technics-sl-dz1200/ suggests it was 2005 before they had anything to compete against the modern idea of CDJs.

I'm nearly sure they did the older style of 'DJ CD player', control box/player units like the cheap Numark/Skytec/etc all in ones that are on the pub scene a long time before this though.

future - controllers for laptop DJs to use, software... none of which theres been any indication they'll do yet though!

heartwork93

Thats some good info,

Maybe the fact that they're late comers suggests that Panasonic and Matsu****o are trying to phase out Techics altogether. I know the SL-1200 is still the most popular turntable in the world but maybe they can acknowledge that the dream will soon come to an end. SO they might as well get out soon to save revenue.

As for laptop contollers that you speak of, what other compnies have released these? Who was the first etc. I'll need to list these as competitors to Technics.

Cheers.:)

seannash

well id say in the begining for laptop controllers people probably used regular midi controllers(like midi keyboards).nowadays though alot of companys cater specifically to laptop djs.behringer,m audio,even the new korg mixer have laptop djs in mind(and pioneer too)vestax have a product thats had alot of buzz around it (600 or something like that)
then theres the possibility of building your own.
i actually dont think technica have adapted at all to trend changes to be honest,id maybe pick a better subject matter.
even numark would be better because they actually release products that centre around changes in technology(not as good a brand as technics though).
they have developed a digital djing software application too,which could eat up a few paragraphs,created hybrid turntables.cd decks,mixing stations for ipods etc.id go with a company like that instead of technics,they haved really progressed since there original idea

heartwork93

I cant seem to find much history on numark though. Although I can acknowledge their changes in products. Their Ipod mixer is ingenious

seannash

heartwork93 wrote: »

I cant seem to find much history on numark though. Although I can acknowledge their changes in products. Their Ipod mixer is ingenious

i wouldnt know where to look to be honest but i think you should go with a company similar to them,even pioneer are more forward thinking,like there vdj player and mixers,effects boxes.
or vestax,they have pushed things along and came up with the first real technics beater when they came out with the pdx 2000.there lfo deck is unbelieveably forward thinking too

L1011

Technics are a good example due to being the market leader for so long and being *forced* in to change by times changing. Numark are always second/third/whatevereth and change just to try to get to the top rather than being utterly forced in to it.

seannash

MYOB wrote: »

Technics are a good example due to being the market leader for so long and being *forced* in to change by times changing. Numark are always second/third/whatevereth and change just to try to get to the top rather than being utterly forced in to it.

they were the market leader up to a point then there market changed and went more digital and they got left in the dust.they then tried to compete with pioneer and failed.right now there a market leader in a very small and diminishing market,plus when they started there wasnt much competiton or was for a long time.
i do agree that numark are sub par quality wise but they do come up with innovative products and are moving with the times unlike technics.
i could never see how technics didnt team up with serato for there prodcut or didnt develope one of there own,now serato is teaming with ableton.
what has technics done in the past few years,not alot.they didnt even venture into the mixer market much.

Jev/N

Wikipedia and some of the technics websites (check Google) have a great history of the sl 1200's, the mk2 being the most popular and ground breaking in its field at the time.

You can look at Vestax and how their turntables in recent years caused Technics to release the likes of the Mk3, Mk5 and Mk5G - the latter having a +- 16 superpitch etc.

Also discuss Pioneer and their CDJ 800s and 1000s being the industry standard and the introduction of the SLZ 1200 by Technics, hailed by some big names DJs but in the same way as Final Scratch from Stanton, usability and other factors prevented it from becoming/beating the industry standard

Technics are also renowned for making good quality scratch mixers used by DMC champions but they have never gone outside of this area

In terms of the future, they could develop vinyl turntables with USB drive support for controlling mp3s by vinyl, similar to the way the CDJ 400 works. I can't really see them releasing MIDI controllers as they've always been a very hardware, nuts and bolts style company but never say never. The most popular controllers would be Behringer, M-Audio Torq Xponent, Allen & Heath 1,2 and 3D's and some Numark and Vestax ones which are compatible with the new Serato ITCH program.

L1011

seannash wrote: »

they were the market leader up to a point then there market changed and went more digital and they got left in the dust.they then tried to compete with pioneer and failed.right now there a market leader in a very small and diminishing market,plus when they started there wasnt much competiton or was for a long time.
i do agree that numark are sub par quality wise but they do come up with innovative products and are moving with the times unlike technics.
i could never see how technics didnt team up with serato for there prodcut or didnt develope one of there own,now serato is teaming with ableton.
what has technics done in the past few years,not alot.they didnt even venture into the mixer market much.

My point is that a company thats constantly up there with new tech (e.g. Numark) is a terrible example as they move *with* the market (or possibly cause it to move) not *because* of their market...

seannash

hmm dunno,im sure if the products were of better quality they would be viewed with less scepticism.
i dont think they force the market direction,they just adapt to the demands better than most.saying that i dont think id ever buy any of there products again

L1011

Not skepticism, I just think they're an unsuitable subject given the topic...

heartwork93

Jev/N wrote: »

In terms of the future, they could develop vinyl turntables with USB drive support for controlling mp3s by vinyl, similar to the way the CDJ 400 works. .

Do you mean like some sort on in-built scratch device? Would you not need time-coded vinyls for that?

heartwork93

seannash wrote: »

,plus when they started there wasnt much competiton or was for a long time.

Who would have been the first company to release a rival product? Which product, when it was released etc.?

L1011

Well, there were always other turntables on the market; I'd say Vestax was probably the first to really start biting them at the top end of the market in the 1990s and Numark in the 80s at the lower end.