New Controller/Turntable Suggestions?
Alright, so I have a mixtrack and i like it a lot but i want to scratch or learn to, hip hop i like mainly so i want to learn to scratch and etc and vinyl turntables or turntables like that seem like the best option. So my question is I want to invest in a new controller with a more authentic feel for scratching and etc. so what is the cheapest one i can get.
Thank you for your input.
S4! With that, you have the option of plugging vinyl turntables on it for time code.
No other controller or CD player can substitute the feel and authenticity of scratching than vinyl turntables. 
If you want to be a scratch turntablist get some TTs
Get yourself a 2 channel Scratch mixer & a Technics 1200 with a Sure M447g cart.
Then get your self an audio4 with TSP!
DVS’s are good for scratching, you can then have the chance to feel that Vinyl feeling under your fingers, there is nothing else quite like it.
You can also play real vinyl aswell & be like the hip hop legends that your trying to emulate & re-create.
I’ve recently bought an Innofader for my DDM4000. This has made scratching actually possible, where as before the xfader would just not cut tight enough.
It is always worth spending money on a decent xfader, It is SO WORTH IT.
I could crab within a few hours of owning it!
Scratching is fun, much practice is required, but lots of satisfaction when you pull it off 
Peace
Spinning hip hop occasionally is about 80% of the reason I’m looking into incorporating a DVS again. That and so I’ll look cooler at home in my bedroom.
I’d say to get technics if you can find them, but despite hearing people on DJTT talking about finding deals, everything is incredibly overpriced IMHO.
I see them going on ebay for around $650 a pair in ok shape which isn’t bad (but then shipping is probably crazy).
Other than that I would look at Super OEM TTs, someone had a link that listed all the manufactures that were branding them and I heard good things.
I would not get any of the cheaper Stanton turntables like the t.92 or less- they are all plasticy and the platters are not close to feeling sturdy like a 1200 when you press it.
I’d have to say this is horribly wrong. Feel free to prove me wrong by overflowing this thread with a plethora of youtube videos with well known scratch DJ’s doing routines at gigs with an S4.
Best bet for turntablism and/or scratch style DJing is gool old fashion technics 1200’s and a battle mixer.
Oh, one more thing… I’d like to point out the pure idiocy in recommending a mixer (the S4) that does not have a replaceable crossfader to someone who is looking into learning to scratch. It’s like suggesting a person going into the roofing business use a hammer made of fragile glass.
Yeah, i second what he said. If you want to be a Scratch DJ, then you have too get Turntables. No controller is going too simulate them. Don’t even waste your money on another controller if that’s what you want to play, seriously. Two 1200’s and a DJM, and that’s all you need…oh and the SL box or NI Audio lolol
Although, I did watch this KILLER video of DJ Dummy (Common’s DJ) on the Native Instruments youtube. He’s so sick with the S4 and TT’s!! I’m pretty jealous cuz my cousin is on tour with him in Europe right now lol
lol. truth. You can replace the crossfader, but…meh. A battle mixer is still hands-down better.
I’m going to assume you misspoke and meant Rane, Vestax, or Ecler if they even still make the Hak series. Pioneer mixers suck, especially for turntablism. In that world, they got lucky with the 707 and 909, but one of them is discontinued and the other is basically championed by Jazzy Jeff and nobody else last I checked…and might have been discontinued.
A lot of people use the 800 or 900 because it’s what’s installed. If you actually go to a hip hop club, you’ll see a 56, 57, or maybe 68…or a Vestax if the guy who put the booth together was a fanboy (like me).
If you see a DJM in something claiming to be a hip hop club, it means that it’s actually a top40 club that allows hip hop, probably has a primarily black clientele, and overcharges for Ace of Spades even more than strip clubs.
I’m sure you know what I mean. Any crossfader is replaceable, but if you can’t pull that thing out without removing the case… semantics. heh.
I’ll second what mostapha said. DJM’s are hardly battle mixers. I will say this though… learning to scratch on one can really only help you. I have a good friend who is nasty and plays only a rane 57 and similar sized mixers. He gets real thrown off routines due to the size of the DJM 5/6/7/8/900’s due to it adding several inches to the setup and slowing him down. If you can tear up a full sized club mixer setup during a scratch routine, you’ll only be that much better on an actual battle mixer, and won’t be held back by most clubs mixers of choice.
scratching isn’t about turntables, beat juggling is about turntables, scratching is about technique, although a good quality fader is essential. but I wouldn’t put off learning scratch techniques because you don’t have tables, because it will take practice which takes time, which you could be spending now.
the mixtrack will do fine to learn the basics, and get your timing right, just dont try to do anything more than a chrip, tear or 1 click flare, that means no 2 click flares, no transforms and no I repeat no crabs, you are only going to ruin the weak non replaceable fader in the mixtrack, meaning you will have to throw it away, or cant sell it on when you upgrade.
to learn from a great teacher for free, search youtube for “dj angelo”
A cheaper option for tables would be
stanton str8 - 150
american audio hd4.5
numark ttx
numark tt500
vestax pdx2000
All those tuntables have the same 4.5kg torque direct drive motor, which is a beast for scratching and juggling, although it takes a minute of adjustment switching between these and tech’s.
If you want a cheaper option for a controller than the s4 the american audio vms 4.1, is a solid competitor at about half the price. it has the same feature set as the s4 although you can use the mixer for audio only,
-built in 4x4 soundcard
-hardware mixer, that sends midi signals to control your software, although you cant use the internal soundcard with this option, as it routes to the mixer.
-the innofader fits it..
-the downside is it looks a litte crappy
If you want to be legit but still need a midi mixer, get a VESTAX PMC-05 PRO IV
@Sobi, I was agreeing with you.
@synthet1c, that’s very legit advice. I’ve seen some good club-scratching done on controllers of all kinds down to the VCI-100s. Not sure about the mixtrack, but I have a really bad impression of numark. It’s probably a lot better than I think it is. It depends on what he wants.
Most turntablism is boring as hell in clubs. Mostly, though, it’s not even about having the 12" platter. It’s about keeping things a comfortable size. A pair of turntables in battle style (pitch fader to the back) on the sides of a battle mixer is really comfortable. For the sizes of most grown men, it’s just about right to have everything right where you need it with no other clutter getting in the way. Spinning on a VCI-100–for example–opens up more possibilities and is in a lot of ways easier. But it’s tiny. Frankly, I think every all-in-one unit has that same flaw except the NS7 and maybe the DDJ-S1 and T1.
It’s not even about control…it’s about comfort. For the type of scratching you’re going to do in a hip hop set–as opposed to a turntablist routine–7" platters are fine. You said it yourself…you can uzi, chirp, flare, tear, baby…that’s all you need. Map a transform effect right and you can crab…just using buttons instead of a fader. Yeah, it’s cheating…but go argue with James Zabiela about it because I don’t care.
You put those 7" platters a foot apart, and you’re just less comfortable than if they’re 18" or 2’ apart. When I spin on a VCI, my chest feels collapsed. It makes everything about me shrink. (insert obvious dick joke here if you think I don’t have a more valid point than that)
The tools don’t make the DJ by any stretch of the imagination, but having them placed correctly does allow him/her to mix more naturally. That’s the only reason I don’t own an all-in-one. And I think it’s worth more than all the portability and power in the world.
And nothing does that better than turntables.
And nowhere does it matter more than spinning hip hop because of how fast things happen. You don’t need many controls…you just need them placed correctly.