Hello! Some question about technics 1200s
Hi! Guys! I’m a beginner DJ. I just got my used technics 1200 mk2 and m3d. It seems they need slipmats and needles, but I don’t know what I should get. I want to go traktor since it has promotion right now. Could you guys give me some suggestions? Thank you!
Also, Do I need to do arm adjustment if I play timecode vinyl?
For my 1210s, I use Butter Rugs V2s which are great for if you’re a turntablist or just generally mixing. You can even get Traktor Butter Rugs now. I swear by my butter rugs but as long as your slip mats allow you to manipulate the record and spin it back then that’s all you’ll need. As for needles/cartridges I have Ortofon Pro S but there are others out there which I’m sure the other forum members will advise you on. Also no tonearm adjustment required to play timecode vinyl.
I actually the original butter rugs as well. As for the needle/carts, it depends on what kind of mixing you plan on doing. You going to do any scratching?
The best all-around cart and needle is the Shure M44-7. You can’t go wrong with it. If you don’t have a headshell yet, you can get the Shure M44-7 H package complete with an original Technics headshell. 
Slipmat? Pah.. i have drawn around a 12" record placed on a supermarket carrier bag, and cut that out, then placed the disc shaped bit of bag under the mat.. 
Gliiiiides… maaan
Guitar Center stocks slipmats. There are a few that people recommend for different kinds of mixing, scratching and whatnot, but the generic ones do fine IMO.
Needles are personal preference. You can spend a TON of money on them, or not much. I’d say get a good set and go from there. Personally I like Concorde’s myself, but I know a lot of people whom swear by the standard style.
You’ll have to mess around with adjusting them to get them set correctly and making sure everything is working right. I’m heading into work at the moment so don’t have a ton of time to type, but I’m sure others will point you in the right direction.
I use ThudRumble’s Frosted Plates, they’re awesome, a tad bit noisy, but otherwise incredible.
Also, what’s this I hear about Traktor Butter Rugs?
I use wax paper.
A mate did that back ‘88… and also a sheet of lino used previously for break dancin’
And if i recall, a cut up cornflake box 
for diy… wax paper good, record insert bad, you will build up a lot of static using that method which makes dust stick to your records which will destroy them and your needles, But I use butter rugs, they make it slide like buttah, and no excess static, a must have for scratching..
I use Vaseline coated dinner plates with a hole drilled in the centre
But really I miss my old slipmat designs. Using Traktor, the same record stays on the turntable and I never get to see my mats during the “switch” anymore. Oh the humanity 
Do you not find you get an awful rumble transmitted thru to the sylus using that method? There aint much cushioning in a dinner plate, youd need to isolate the vibration from the platten somehow.
I only get rumble when I still have dinner on the plate. Potatoes are the worst culprit!
I’d imagine the gravy would help as a lubricant though?
Slip mats are preference, I have the butter rugs and dislike them- I prefer regular felt type mats and like a little more resistance and cushioning when mixing than the thin ones.
My favorite slip mats were the djforums ones I had, they felt great and were the perfect material/texture but I don’t know where they went.
It’s worth noting that you get what you pay for with needles and carts. With normal vinyl, this comes across as audio quality and volume but it also means pickup voltage, accuracy and calibration with timecode.
As for setting up your turntables properly, I always do it. It doesn’t matter if your only playing timecode at the minute as a properly positioned and balanced tonearm will prevent wear on both your records and your needles. Added to that you will probably spend a lot of time back cueing if this is your first vinyl experience, a properly set up tonearm and turntable will stop your needle falling out that groove! (And it’s a must for when you start messing about with scratching).
Look on youtube for set up videos, there’s loads!
If I was buying new I would get M-447s like everyone else. I happen to have like 5 ortofon nightclub 2 concordes thrown into used technics deals so I’m pretty set there. the long plastic arm on them sucks pretty hard for $180 carts though.
I still use and love the original Technics slip mats that come with M3D/MK5/M5g models. I only do very few scratches so it does the job very well for me. Although I have tried using butter rugs, it does have so much advantage when doing some serious scratching.
Get transparent vinyl
(the Fluro ones you can pretty much see through …)
You put the wax paper under the crappy slipmat you already have… not just throw the record on it. I use the record insert trick… works great.