Here’s a cool vid of Qbert showcasing the Scratchophone.

To find out more about the Scratchophone visit: http://www.scratchophone.com

Mike / Chester connected with me from QSU to drop this very helpful guide on how to add a Master / Cue switch to the Vestax 06 VCA mixer. This way you can listen to what you are cueing and also listen to the actual output. Very handy if you want to practice your scratching in headphones.

View the mod tutorial here

Here’s the overview:

O.K. -  The other day I was trying to figure out how to add a Master/Cue switch to the monitor section of my 06 VCA.

I had directions on how to do this on a regular 06, but once I opened up the VCA model I realized it’s an entirely different animal. After poking around a bit I came across an open slot on the board labeled “Cue Select”. So I wired a switch in there and sure enough, it worked beautifully.

If you are wondering what the difference between the Vestax 06 mixer models are, Gizmo from Skratchworx brought me up to speed:

• 06 Pro A – the original
• 06 Pro D – the digital samurai edition featuring digital cross fader
• 06 Pro VCA – the latest model, VCA meaning “Voltage Controlled Amplifier” which relates to the way the audio is controlled. Something relating to the audio doesn’t actually pass through the fader, but the resistive nature of the fader adjusts the volume.

Hope I got that right!

- Short-e

This landed in our inbox this morning.

Here’t the blurb:

The Scratchophone is a portable Scratch instrument, featuring a turntable, a special tonearm, scratch mixer, and a pair of speakers.

It can even be used with a cordeless power supply.
It is an ”instrumental unity” for scratching: all in one, portable and autonomous !

The Scratchophone can be carried and used virtually anywhere in a wide variety of applications:
jamming with friends, playing live on stage and even scratching in your sofa…

Professsional features like the exclusive tangential micro-tonearm for non-skipping scratching,
the unique rotary fader box to play in any posture and an ultra-high torque direct drive
set it apart from other products for Scratch DJ’s.

Check all the details and blurb here:

http://www.scratchophone.com/

Has anyone seen or had a go on one of these? Let us know what it’s like and what you think in the comments.

Video of the week is a joint showcase and product info video.

DJ Presto One takes the new Stokyo Shibuya Breaks Serato record for a demo spin. Sure its nice to read about new products but nicer to watch! So here it is;

Skip to around 1:38 for the funky scratch action!

Colours available video:

• Black
• White
• Cobalt Blue
• Smoke Marble

Shipping from Turntable Lab late July. You can also preview the audio there too.

Here is the short blurb from TTL:

Limited to 1000 copies worldwide, this WHITE VINYL Serato Pressing features the Serato Control Tone with Vinyl Scroll feature on one side, and the Shibuya Breaks on the other. Properly named after the DJ capital of Japan, the Shibuya Breaks side contains all your favorite scratches (“Aaah, Fresh, etc”) on skip proof, 95BPM grooves, as well as party breaks, sound effects, and locked skratch beats. Recommended.

Couldn’t have put it better myself, happy buying and of course, as always, happy scratching!

- Short-e

Ellaskins from DJ Tutor has provided this excellent video tutorial on things to look out for when buying a second hand turntable. This video is geared towards the Technics SL1200 / 1210 but the principles will work for any turntable:

RSS reader video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHhJlTmcgqs

And for those of you who want a written overview and even more detail check out the following:

Buying a Used Technics SL-1200

Matsushita Electric has been making Technics 1200′s for 30 years. However the MK2 model, which began production in 1979 and still continues to this day, ushered in the era of the Technics as the Professional Industry Worldwide Standard for Direct Drive DJ Turntables.
The Technics 1200 / 1210 Family includes the following models:

• MK2
• MK3
• MK3D
• LTD
• MK4
• MK5
• MK5G
• MK5GLD

Matsushita in its ultimate wisdom decided to only release certain models to certain regions of the world, and the only official versions released in North America were:

• SL-1200MK2 (Silver Chassis)
• SL-1200MK2B (Black Chassis)
• SL-1200LTD (Gloss Black w/ Gold Plated Hardware)
• SL-1200M3D (Silver Chassis)
• SL-1200M3DB (Black Chassis)
• SL-1200MK5 (Black Chassis / Silver Chassis, +/- 8% pitch control)
• SL-1200MK5G (Speckeled Black Chassis, +/- 16% pitch control)
• SL-1200MK5GLD (Gloss Black w/ Gold Plated Hardware)

There are a good deal of imported European versions designated SL-1210MK2 (Black Chassis) that somehow made it into this region through a “Grey Market”, or through direct importation by some owners.

So, now that we have the targets in our sights…

Let the Hunt Begin!

From our experience, it matters little if the Technics is 20yrs old, or 2 yrs old. These machines were built right from the beginning; and they were built like Tanks.

Technics invented the Direct Drive Motor as well as Drive Control and Pitch Control IC (Integrated Circuitry) technology and spent 10 years perfecting it before releasing the 1200 / 1210 MK2 models, and the ones built today are 95% the same as the ones built in 1979!

Here’s the catch, Technics 1200′s have an uncanny way of holding their value.

A well maintained 20 yr old machine will have nearly the same resale value as a well maintained 2 yr old machine…simply amazing,

On the other hand an abused machine will still have a great deal of resale value, mostly because of the fact that the retail price of a new SL-1200MK2 has not changed substantially in 20yrs.

Today the best deals we have seen on new 1200′s start at about $399 and go up to $499. (In the UK you are looking at £399 – £579)

Prices for pre-owned, or used stock original Technics run the gammut from $50 – $350 and there are literally hundreds of thousands of Technics 1200s in North America.

Where should you go to find a used Technics 1200 Turntable?

Here are a few places you may find a good used 1200 / 1210:

• ebay
• SkratchBay
• Pawn Shops
• Skating Rinks
• Newspaper Classifieds
• Clubs (many are switching to CD and digital formats)
• Forums and online DJ communities

Now that you know where to go, it’s important to know what to look, or lookout for!

Here is a list of some things to check on a used turntable:.

1. Grasp the Record Spindle and make sure there is no side to side movement
2. Rotate the platter and note that it spins in both directions without dragging
3. Power the unit, Press START , see that the Platter engages quickly and freely
4. Switch between 33 Rpm and 45 Rpm platter speeds several times
5. Leave the unit running for 15min or so..there should be no hot, or burning smell!
6. Press the STOP button and the platter should come to a rest fairly quickly
7. Press START again..Pitch control should be at ZERO, and the second row of Pitch Dots near the On/Off knob which are illuminated Red, should be still….completely motionless…if they are moving slightly clockwise, or counterclockwise and the green LED is on at the Pitch Control, then the Quartz Lock is broken…if the Pitch Control is at Zero and the green LED is NOT on, then you either have a 1200M3D Model, an MK2 with the Quartz Lock Removed / Disabled, or an MK2 with a burned out Pitch LED.
8. Now move the Pitch Control slider slightly toward negative 2 (-2), just enough so that the green LED is no longer illuminated, and you can definitely tell that it is NO longer at zero…..look again at the Pitch Dots near the black On/Off knob….these should begin to move Counterclockwise in direction..if they begin moving Clockwise then it is an issue with the “Zero Point” being out of calibration…not a big deal, but this situation will have to be fixed, and can be used to reduce asking price.
9. Next, Move the Pitch silghtly toward positive 2 (+2), pitch dots should begin rotating clockwise..If they begin rotating Counterclockwise, once again, this may be simply an issue of the “Zero Point” being incorrectly calibrated, but you might want a ask for a rebate of about $20 off the asking price
10. Now, move the Pitch Control slider up to about positive 3.3 (+3.3)…you will have to eyeball it…look over at the third row of Pitch Dots and they should be still….they probably won’t be..and this isn’t a deal breaker, but indicates that the Turntable has fallen out of calibration
11. Now, move the Pitch control slider up to positive 6 (+6)….look over at the fourth, or bottom row of Pitch Dots…these should be still and unwavering…once again they probably won’t be…once again this indicates that the turntable is in need of Pitch Recalibration and may help you reduce the price ($20 less) as this may mean that you have a limited ( <8%) control of Platter Pitch.
12. Next examine the RCA & Ground wires. Look for breaks in the insulation and exposed wires. Does the ground wire have a spade terminal, or is it frayed and bare oxidized wire?
13. You will want to check for feedback, hum, and ground loops. You will need to actually plug the turntable into an amplifier with a “Phono” input, or a mixer and use headphones to listen for buzzing, or humming.
14. Now, hopefully you brought a cartridge to actually mount to the tonearm to check for proper channel output.
15. First check the contacts on the inside of the Tonearm itself. These are spring loaded and prone to corrosion and becoming stuck. Take a sharp pencil and use it to physically push each of the four (4) terminals a bit to see if it still has spring recoil.
16. Now mount the cartridge to the tonearm and secure the locking ring. Hope you brought a test record to check playback….but if you read this, then you did!

Buying a Used Technics SL-1200 text courtesy of Revolution Turntable & Mixer Lab

So that’s it! HAPPY SECOND HAND TURNTABLE PURCHASING! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below.

- Short-e

We linked to the Innofader review, now time to link to the older Pro X fade:

http://www.skratchworx.com/reviews/proxfade.php

I have one of these inside my vestax 06 and I’m pretty happy with it. I could do with spending a bit more time fine tuning the adjustments so its perfect but I am slightly lazy in that respect and just want to get scratching as soon as possible.

http://www.skratchworx.com/reviews/innofader.php

JohnBeez says:
“This is the first public view of the Fretless Fader system I designed for use with the Controller One (posted February 22, 2009). With this you can cut and change notes through 2 octaves without taking your hands away from the vinyl and fader. Big thanks to Gizmo at skratchworx.com for the feature! Stay tuned for an in depth look in the next vid.”

Johnny 1 Move demos the DVS switching capability of Vestax’s PMC-05 Pro III DX mixer.

Many people ask me about my equipment and what they need to get started with scratching and turntablism.

So here is my personal set up:

• 2 x Technics SL-1200 MK2 (Silver Finish, SL-1210 are black in colour, that is the only difference in case you were wondering). I also have shiny silver faceplates that cover the decks because everyone needs a little bling in their lives!
• Vestax 06 Pro A mixer with Penny and Gilles crossfader, although I have recently upgraded to a Pro X Fade crossfader
• Sennheiser 25-1 Headphones (Comfy, nice and loud, exclude ambient noise)
• Shure M447 Cartridges + Needles (The scratch standard for needles)
• Butter Rug Slipmats
• Various scratch records / battle weapons, some favs include Superseal, Superseal 2, Delux Shampoo Breaks

And on the Digital side:

• Serato Scratch
• Macbook Pro
• Logic Pro for production

I previously owned the first release of Vestax PDX 2000 and whilst these are also very good and have more features, I personally prefer the feel of Technics.

I have had this set up since 2000 and it’s still going strong. The Technics were second hand. The Penny and Gilles crossfader replaced the standard Vestax crossfader and is very good, but I have just worn it out. I upgraded to the Pro X Fade which has more control over cut in etc, although I have been told by many that the innofader is now the ultimate.

If you are new to scratching and mixing, whilst I wholeheartedly recommend my personal setup, I advise that you get down to a store or mates house and have a play with various setups so you can make your own decision and find what works for you. My mixer is inexpensive in the grand scheme of things but with the upgraded cross fader it has served me well and I have had no complaints. I’m looking to upgrade to the Rane TTM57 for integration with Serato Scratch.

One area that I wish I had paid more attention to when I first started was the area of turntables. I got some Soundlab direct drives but quite frankly they couldn’t hack the pace and I quickly outgrew them. I replaced one at a time with the Vestax PDX, before swapping the PDXs for the Technics 1200s I have now.

My advice is if you have limited funds, start off with ONE good turntable so you can practice scratching without getting frustrated with a deck that is lagging behind. If you decide that *ahem* “scratching isn’t for you”, Technics hold their value particularly well. One note, don’t bother with the MK5, MK2 all the way!

Keep Scratching!