First Turntable Purchase

Tmoyer1215 · 9th February 2012

Hey everyone I have recently been thinking of purchasing a USB turntable. I want to get it to try out sampling with some vinyl but I also want to be able to scratch vocals like classic hip hop. So my question is could a table like a numark tti be able to upload mp3's onto it so I could scratch some acapellas or is it strictly vinyl? If it is strictly vinyl could someone please point me in the right direction of what kind of turntable I am looking for

Thanks!

grabme · 9th February 2012

Technics SL1200 is arguably the best turntable ever made for scratching and the fact that its built like a tank and you could stand on it. Also its a direct drive and I suspect a lot of the usb ones will be belt driven which are useless for scratching.
You will need a digital scratch interface like Torq, Serato or Traktor to use it with your own scratches or stick to standard vinyl.

I personally would have a serious think over though as it could get expensive if you only plan to touch the surface with scratching, you can achieve a lot of it with a scratch emulator and keyboard. I'd also get the 1200 secondhand unless you are rich.

boboon · 10th February 2012

I went through this a while ago. I've got a Technics SL-1200MK2 (generally known as 'mk2', I think). Unfortunately they're out-of-print, and it costs about $1000 to get a new one, whereas they used to be about $300.

Gathered, you can get them used relatively cheap, but the issue is whether they've been used for DJing and somehow messed up because of that.

I bought a new mk2 for $1k, and I'd never used a turntable before. My conclusion after about a year is that you'd be fine getting a used Technics mk2 (I don't think it will damage your records at all), although you'd probably want to replace the cartridge (i.e. the needle, costs maybe $30-$70).

Also, there's this issue of belt-driven vs auto-driven, and even for a semi-audiophile, I'd say it's all a bunch of shit, and not going to make any difference. Basically the main sonic advantage you get from vinyl is different mastering than digital, the "more information" thing is effectively irrelevant, and, anywho... there's a lot to worry about, but just get an mk2 and you'll be A-OK.

9th February 2012	#1
Tmoyer1215 Gear interested Joined: Jan 2012 Posts: 7 Thread Starter	First Turntable Purchase Hey everyone I have recently been thinking of purchasing a USB turntable. I want to get it to try out sampling with some vinyl but I also want to be able to scratch vocals like classic hip hop. So my question is could a table like a numark tti be able to upload mp3's onto it so I could scratch some acapellas or is it strictly vinyl? If it is strictly vinyl could someone please point me in the right direction of what kind of turntable I am looking for Thanks!

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9th February 2012	#2
grabme Gear interested Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 8	Technics SL1200 is arguably the best turntable ever made for scratching and the fact that its built like a tank and you could stand on it. Also its a direct drive and I suspect a lot of the usb ones will be belt driven which are useless for scratching. You will need a digital scratch interface like Torq, Serato or Traktor to use it with your own scratches or stick to standard vinyl. I personally would have a serious think over though as it could get expensive if you only plan to touch the surface with scratching, you can achieve a lot of it with a scratch emulator and keyboard. I'd also get the 1200 secondhand unless you are rich.

10th February 2012	#3
boboon Gear interested Joined: Feb 2012 Posts: 1	I went through this a while ago. I've got a Technics SL-1200MK2 (generally known as 'mk2', I think). Unfortunately they're out-of-print, and it costs about $1000 to get a new one, whereas they used to be about $300. Gathered, you can get them used relatively cheap, but the issue is whether they've been used for DJing and somehow messed up because of that. I bought a new mk2 for $1k, and I'd never used a turntable before. My conclusion after about a year is that you'd be fine getting a used Technics mk2 (I don't think it will damage your records at all), although you'd probably want to replace the cartridge (i.e. the needle, costs maybe $30-$70). Also, there's this issue of belt-driven vs auto-driven, and even for a semi-audiophile, I'd say it's all a bunch of shit, and not going to make any difference. Basically the main sonic advantage you get from vinyl is different mastering than digital, the "more information" thing is effectively irrelevant, and, anywho... there's a lot to worry about, but just get an mk2 and you'll be A-OK.