S4 w/ 1210M3D.
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Thread: S4 w/ 1210M3D.

  1. #1
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    Default S4 w/ 1210M3D.

    Hi guys,

    I've just got a Technics SL1210M3D set-up here with my S4. I bought it mainly to start collecting and playing live vinyls (more of an audio nut than a DJ, really) and was wondering if anyone could talk me through the basics of Traktor Scratch Pro. I have a few questions:

    Firstly: the sound is quite gainy in places and has a lot of distortion in the high and low ends. My 'decoder gain' is 11.2 - will this have anything to do with it? Playing around with the gain knob on the back of the S4 doesn't seem to do much. I'm quite confident that the deck is set-up properly with tone-arm weight and anti-skate, so I'm not sure where these audio problems are coming from if it's not the hardware (and the records are brand new). Any idea on how to get a 'clean' sound? Will my S4's sample rate effect this at all?

    Secondly: can a live-input vinyl be 'shown' at all in the interface of Traktor? For e.g., if I was playing a live vinyl from Channel D whilst mixing A/B with digital-mp3 files... is there any way at all of getting a visual representation of D? Obviously not talking about timecode-DVS visuals... I just mean maybe the circle icon that shows the vinyl is even playing? At the moment all I've figured out to do is to set it to 'Live input', in which case the D deck is just left as a blank grey square. Just wondering if there's anything I'm missing.

    Also any tips and general pointers that an idiot new-guy should know to S4 + live turntable... please throw them out there for me. Nothing is too obvious.

    Cheers!

  2. #2
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    Oh and just a question for any vinyl heads: any good recommendations on record cleaners/cloths? I've seen a few packages offered by brands like Stanton and I'm just wondering if there's any special recommendations. I'm in the UK so if possible a few UK-available solutions would be hugely appreciated. Dust is a pain already!

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    Also one more question that I have (if anyone can answer!):

    The timecode vinyl's calibration circle... mine is quite 'oblong', i.e. not a perfect circle. What determines how oblong this shape is? Is it to do with the quality of my table? or my control disc? From looking at Traktor Scratch tutorials I guess that a little bit of misshappenness is normal.

    Cheers!

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    Quote Originally Posted by afxz View Post
    Oh and just a question for any vinyl heads: any good recommendations on record cleaners/cloths? I've seen a few packages offered by brands like Stanton and I'm just wondering if there's any special recommendations. I'm in the UK so if possible a few UK-available solutions would be hugely appreciated. Dust is a pain already!
    I use this one and it works as charm.
    http://www.juno.co.uk/products/acc-s...ush/289298-01/


    If your records are too dirty and need to remove old dust from deep inside the grooves you could look for a wet cleaning solution.

  5. #5
    Tech Mentor alien2k's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by afxz View Post
    Also one more question that I have (if anyone can answer!):

    The timecode vinyl's calibration circle... mine is quite 'oblong', i.e. not a perfect circle. What determines how oblong this shape is? Is it to do with the quality of my table? or my control disc? From looking at Traktor Scratch tutorials I guess that a little bit of misshappenness is normal.

    Cheers!
    Not an expert here but it shows the stereo imaging of the signal quality. If I am not wrong the circle shows matching signals from L and R channel picked from the timecode

    An oblong circle would mean a weaker signal from one channel. This depends on the quality of the table outputs, cables, cartridge and vinyl and of course the interface.

  6. #6
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    As for your question about the "grainy" sound from playing regular vinyl, I have the same issue on my Audio6. I've thought that maybe it's because I haven't plugged in a power supply and run off of usb, so the phono preamps don't get enough power, but that should only make the sound output very, very low. kind of like plugging the turntable into a line input. It still sounds fine on a sound system, especially compared to regular 320 mp3s, just not as good as the pure vinyl.

    I believe it's because the analog signal is being passed through the AD/DA converters, rather than a pure thru circuit. can anyone confirm?
    Yeah that's right, I can chat about Dante's Inferno, discuss the theories of John Locke, discourse on the microeconomics of international trade, investigate the kinetics of enzymes in various microenvironments, and model the price of WTI oil futures. But the best paying job I've had so far is sanitation. Thanks liberal arts.

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    Hmm, thanks for your responses. I'll pick up one of those brushes now!

    Worrying what you say about the weaker L/R channel output. As far as I know the M3D is in as-new condition and has barely been used! The same with the S4: I bought it brand new < 6 months ago! I suppose there aren't many ways of investigating this short of getting an engineer to take a look at them? Or would it be worth investing in a decent pair of RCA cables, anyway? Are there any practical ways I can check the output channels, or reproduce the oblong/problem anywhere else? Perhaps as simple as reversing the L/R cables and seeing if the oblong circle changes direction? Or is that too easy for something like this? :P

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