humour me

spooky girlfriend

Wild Horses
i'm looking to kit myself out with some cheap decks, anybody here have any recommendations/buying guidelines? i have a vast mp3 library but i'd love to start building up some vinyl and start making proper mixes and sending them out...
as i'm sure you can tell this would be my first set of decks...none of that blank vinyl/laptop mucking about please, i'm a cleaner! :eek:
 

reeltoreel

Well-known member
I'm kind of in the same boat, and after a bit of shopping around and checking stuff out, I've decided just to save up for a set of Technics SL1200's, instead of being carried away in a rush of enthusiasm and getting some almost-but-not-quite decks that I'm just gonna sell in six months. There are alternatives, of course, but there's a lot to be said for something that's been the 'industry standard' for coming on thirty years. Sure, I'll be saving for ages, but I'll have them pretty much forever...
 

spooky girlfriend

Wild Horses
looking up the SL1200 it looks like a safe bet...cheers for giving me a starting point..plenty of time to swot up on this stuff before i can even think about buying one haha
 

mms

sometimes
yes those are great decks. simple things, not too expensive hardwaring and versatile etc.
 

Chef Napalm

Lost in the Supermarket
SL-1200s are great, no doubt about it. Of course, you could buy three complete sets of these for the price of two SL-1200s.

The T.60 is a solid entry-level direct-drive deck. Of particular note is the pitch control; it's the most reliable I've come across outside of the Technics line.

Behringer make solid mixers, although they've never really mastered the "kill" feature.

It's a nice starting package for the money.
 

spooky girlfriend

Wild Horses
SL-1200s are great, no doubt about it. Of course, you could buy three complete sets of these for the price of two SL-1200s.

The T.60 is a solid entry-level direct-drive deck. Of particular note is the pitch control; it's the most reliable I've come across outside of the Technics line.

Behringer make solid mixers, although they've never really mastered the "kill" feature.

It's a nice starting package for the money.

'kill'?
looks awfully tempting..
this is also going to seem incredibly naive but i have a pair of decent Cambridge Audio speakers- could these be hooked up to decks or would i need purpose-built, sturdier speakers?
i wonder how many first-time DJ's have passed through these forums? you get to a point of obsession with music where it's the only logical path to take...
 

swears

preppy-kei
Aren't vinyl decks in decent condition quite cheap second hand now? Because of CDJs and MP3 mixers and whatnot. I have a shitty old pair of Numarks I've had for about 5 years, be nice to get some Technics, wouldn't be actually be able to get a gig anywhere though.
 

Chef Napalm

Lost in the Supermarket
Refering to "kill" switches. A kill switch shuts off the entire band of a given frequency range. For example, a bass kill shuts off all of the bass frequencies. Most mixers feature this on the 3-band eq, meaning that if one turns the eq knob all the way to the left the frequency range is "killed". Some mixers also feature switches/buttons that do the same job.

this is also going to seem incredibly naive but i have a pair of decent Cambridge Audio speakers- could these be hooked up to decks or would i need purpose-built, sturdier speakers?
IMHO speakers are pretty much the last thing to worry about. At this point in the game, you don't really need things to sound great, just good. Once you have your decks-mixer set-up, your biggest problem becomes powering your speakers. Unless they are powered monitors (which I doubt), you'll need an amplifier to connect your mixer and speakers. Any old stereo amp will do. If you don't have one, wander down to your local pawn shop/flea market and look for a 70s era amp/tuner. Make sure it has an AUX input before you buy. Once home, connect you mixer to the Aux input, your speakers to the speaker clamps and Bob's your uncle.
 

Martin Dust

Techno Zen Master
Save up and get the Technics and the best mixer you can, oh and find a friend with some for you to practice on so it sharpens your saving skills ;)
 
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