I’ve been DJ’ing with a denon MC6000 and a midi fighter for about 5-6 months now and I still love it. I’ve improved a lot as a DJ over time and I’ve already had over 20 gigs on my college campus. I still feel like there is something to be desired as far as an analogue “feel” though. I really want to start looking into getting turntables and using timecode with them. The only problem is I have NO idea what I’m doing when it comes to turntables.
So here are my questions:
What model of technics should I keep my eyes out for? I see most people using 1210 MK2’s and 1210 m5x’s
What’s the difference between these models?
What kind of prices are fair? I’ve scoured ebay and craigslist a bit and the prices are so different that I don’t know what to make of it. The lowest price I saw for a pair of MK2’s was $400 on craigslist.
What kind of terminology should I look for in terms of needles/cartridges?
Should i just get a TSP certified mixer and separate timecode vinyl to bypass buying an Traktor audio X soundcard?
Is there any improvements that 1210’s have over 1200’s? Also, what kinda prices should I be looking for? Rather, what would the min and max price I should pay for let’s say…a pair of 1200 MK2’s in good condition that comes with the stylus?
I believe the 1210’s also have voltage selction between 110 and 220 (or 208 whatever it is).
I have two 1200’s MK2 and one 1210 MK2, I’ll check when I get home.
prices have changed drastically. in 2005 I picked up one of my 1200’s for 250 shipped on ebay and the other for 280 from guitar center. both used.
the GC near my house has a NEW M5G and they are asking $980 for it. I would cruise ebay and see what people are listing them for to get a feel. over the course of a few weeks you’ll be able to tell what the average price is.
mk2s have a center detent at 0% pitch, which is really annoying to mix with. m3d, mk5, and m5g don’t.
IMHO, that’s the biggest difference and unless you’re going to take them apart and mod the pitch fader, it makes mk2s worthless IMHO.
The m5g also uses a digital pitch control which is at least as precise as the analog one and less prone to needing adjustment.
Having owned mk2s and an m5g…I wouldn’t buy anything but the m5g again unless I needed them to spin with (not just as a fetish item or nostalgia piece), at which point, I’d pay a lot more for m3d or mk5, because I really hate that center click.
I never did this with a turntable, but I’m pretty sure I’ve thrown a CDJ onto a concrete floor because of its center pitch click and been disappointed that it didn’t break into a jillion pieces. (no, I don’t remember which model…it might have been one of my 200s…which would explain why it rattled but not why it kept working…piece of crap)
Seriously…those clicks are annoying. If you buy a mk2 and ever play on one of the better ones, you will want to upgrade.
I would look for M3Ds or MK5s on craigslist. I put drop in led kits in anyway so there isn’t much of a difference between the M3D and MK5. The MK5 has more antiskate and an LED popup. You can put a full LED kit in for like $10 so it really doesn’t make a difference and you can often find M3Ds for cheap.
If you get MK2s and are handy and can solder you can remove the center pitch click very easily you just need to take apart the pitch fader.
Also, the damping in the m5g is improved over previous versions. Shouldn’t make a big difference at home, but it comes in handy in an environment with serious background noise and rumble going through the decks.
