hi all,
after watching a few NI promo vids with DJ craze and DJ Shiftee etc i found myself having an orgasm over the idea of usb turntables in conjunction with traktor but NI graciously tell you all about their products that Craze and Shiftee are using like the X1, Machine and obviously Traktor Pro but they say nothing about the turntables and i really wanna know which ones they are but no matter how hard i look i cant find anything about them.
im really interested in getting a pair of usb turntables to use with traktor because you just cant beat good old scratching and turntablism especially combined with modern software like traktor it just seems too good to be true.
but after a lot of research i can only seem to find that the only decent usb turntables are “Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB turntables” but i dont know if they are the ones that Craze etc are using or even anyone else thats got them set up with traktor.
iv read lots of reviews and everybody is raving about them but mostly they seem to be using them to play their old vinyls on…
can anyone help me out???
any advice will be much appreciated as i haven’t had much to do with usb turntables.
They’re DEFINITELY not using USB turntables. I’ve seen Shiftee using Technics 1210’s (MKIII), and Craze using Technics 1200’s.
You don’t need usb turntables, as the audio (timecode from 12") goes from the TT straight into your audio interface, and the software converts it to .mp3 (kinda…), and shoots it out your audio interface - it goes like this:
They are using Techinc 1200’s/1210’s with Timecode.
The difference between Traktor Pro (TP) and Traktor “Scratch” Pro (TSP)
If you really want to use a controller that emulates vinyl control best look at the NS7 or V7’s but those are used with Itch instead of Traktor. No such controller exist for Traktor, your only option is actual Turntabels and timecode with TSP.
ahhhhhhhhhhh it all makes sense now.
cheers man, iv not had anything to do with turntables iv only been DJing for a few years and purely because i couldnt afford turntables iv been using traktor pro and a midi controller but i would love to get my hands on some vinyl…
Technics 1200’s would be absolutely fucking awesome but they are like a grand each… do you reckon there is anything else worth getting thats a cheaper option.
like would the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB turntables be alright or would they be completely horrible???
im not just looking for something that can play and pause, i want something i can scratch with and have a bit more fun with.
im over just hitting cue points, looping and quantising etc i want some more freedom with my music.
im using a behringer BCD3000 which is a plastic piece of shit and i cant stand it so im desperate to upgrade, it was alright when i was a complete noob but i certainly need something more professional because iv been offered gigs but im to embarrassed to bring that piece of shit out of my room…
my other option is to get an S4 but it is still a midi controller (whilst it is a far better one) it is still just a controller for traktor but there is nothing else like it on the market for the price.
i dunno ill leave it up you guys
what do you think???
You get what you pay for, mate. My Technics have lasted for 10yrs +, and I know they’ll keep on going as long as I look after 'em.
Shop around a bit - if your budget allows, get a pair of used Technics.
I started on a pair of Limit S2000 Direct Drive TT’s. They were fine until I could afford 1200’s. (That was 13 years ago - here in the UK, it was EITHER Technics or Limits…)
hahah yeah well thats the case with most things, i was just hoping someone has made a TT thats on the cheaper side and isnt a piece of shit but i dont think im in luck there…
i think ill just have to save up my money and buy a second hand pair SL1200’s.
im getting an X1 for christmas and hopefully a kaossilator pro so that will keep me entertained in the meantime =D
if anyone finds anything that seems alright let me know
cheers for the help guys
dude also remember that for the turntables to work with timecode you need to upgrade from Traktor Pro to Traktor Scratch Pro and that’s a few hundred bucks also. Turntables, a used pair of 1200’s will last you a while, and carts (needles) aren’t cheap either. Shure M44’s are about 80 bucks a pop.
Like I said if you want the turntable feel with a controler, nothing beats an NS7 – but Itch has tons of limits. Maybe when Itch 2.0 it will have more features closer to Traktor, but as far as turntables go…there’s not much a 1200 can do that an NS7 can’t.
S4 - is an AWESOME peice of gear. The jogs are the best ones of any controller out. Don’t sweat it as being “just a controller” . You can do some really good scratching on it, but it’s very different than turntables. You’d be proud to show up with an S4 to a party man.
i live in australia so pretty much the only brands i can get my hands on are vestax, stanton and numark. technics have discontinued all their TT, not sure if thats the case in the UK or the US but im sure it would be, there are probably just more second hand ones around.
its so sad to know that technics have/are discontinuing their range, its depressing to know that it really is the end of the turntable era.
any kid can get his hands on a pair of CDJ’s press play, then the little sync button, play around with some effects and BAM they could be getting paid to press a few buttons.
i bet half of the DJ’s these days wouldnt know how to scratch or even know what the art of turntablism is…
i feel disgraced to call myself a DJ, when i know i cant scratch and im not doing a gig until i can. even if i dont use the skill.
i believe that every DJ should have a basic understanding in turntablism and know the history of DJing and where it came from. after all it is a profession, a doctor cant go cutting people open until they have learned all the skills, and the history of their profession even if they don’t use half of the skills they learned, they still need to know them before they even begin to start seeing any money.
i just feel more and more that DJing is becoming something for the cool kids to do and less of the art for that it used to be.
You’ve hit the nail on the head there, mate. But don’t get bogged down with turntablism if it’s not your thing. Some of the best DJ’s in the world wouldn’t DREAM of scratching, it’s not for everyone, and it’s not easy.
Unless you are serious out Turntablism, don’t get hung up on it. But if you are serious about it - good boy!
Basically - the cool kids WILL get found out one day…
oh i just said traktor pro cause i was lazy. i do have scratch pro but obviously i dont use the timecode cause i just have midi controller.
for the money of the NS7 i may as well save a bit more and get 1200’s and i get to keep using trakor which i far prefer.
iv seen the s4 in action and iv seen the scratching that it can do and it is pretty impressive compared to the other controllers on the market that claim you can “scratch” with but thats just a joke their jog wheels may as well be made on butter anyway
the s4 does seem like one pretty sexy piece of gear and it certainly does have the size and plug and play simplicity that is hard not to love, let alone the sample banks. sampling is my bread and butter and the s4 has optimised traktor just for that. but i am pretty serious about scratching although maybe it is a skill i should postpone until i have the money to do it properly…
and using an s4 as a mixer between two SL1200’s would be a DJ’s multiple orgasm
yeah stanton st-150’s are a great turntable, they have them set up in the ministry of sound club in london… built like a tank, and quite simmilar to the technics. also the numark TT-500’s are a great turntable… i still have a pair of them in my vynil/timecode setup The 500’s are also a bit cheaper than the stantons or technics, and i find are very good, very solid tracking and minimal drift. Personally i like the higher torque of the TT-500’s opposed to the technics and i think they look pretty damn cool, but the technics are still a great turntable.
like someone else said though, youll need to buy timecode vinyls, and stily/headshells, and there not cheap, plus youll need an audio4 or audio8 DJ to setup the timecodes, which arent cheap either.
