is this a 'bargain'?

john eden

male pale and stale
Belt drives are normally considered a no-no for mixing. Most people recommend you save up for a bit longer and get some 2nd hand technics (which are built like tanks so 2nd hand is usually fine).

Personally i started out with some gemini direct drives, which were cheaper than technics new and were fine for arsing about. But not exactly great for beat mixing - in fact this is probably why I haven't really managed to beat mix (that and laziness).
 

nomos

Administrator
i think nick gutterbreakz got some direct drive stantons that he was happy with. as a teen i ruined my aunt's belt drive deck by trying to scratch with it. even with a super slippy mat they don't have the torque keep up once you get your paws all over them.

OT - the newer of my technics recently developed this tick where when it's quartz locked it has these erratic bursts of speed. i'm not the best beat matcher anyway but this adds an extra twist.
 

matt b

Indexing all opinion
i've got the direct drive versions of these (bought 4 1/2 years ago)*. one has now broken.

i ended up using them as individual record players in different rooms and they are fine for that purpose, but far from perfect.

i don't trust the weighting/anti-skip either- not v. accurate imo

they're not built very well- very lightweight plastic, so sound can leak (e.g. tapping the surface the deck is sitting on is transferred to the stylus). same with the start/stop button.

belt drives are v.good on turntables not made for mixing, shit otherwise.

that mixer is cack.


i've just bought a second hand technics for £120(rather have a garrard 4hf obv. ;) ). you can get pairs second hand for about £250 on ebay. i'd save up and get them. if you're big into mixing you'll regret getting the numarks in 6 months.

*http://www.decks.co.uk/products/dj_deck_packages/numark_packages/battlepack2
 
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ripley

Well-known member
if you're gonna be using vinyl, and you're doing dj trick stuff like beatmatching or scratching..

get technics! It's not like some equipment where the more expensive stuff has lots of bells and whistles that a beginner doesn't need.

technics (or other good direct drive turntables, but they really are the standard) are much easier to learn on, because they are more forgiving of what you do to them. The direct drive and stronger torque means you can mess about with them more before the sound goes wonky. You can focus on beatmatching/scratching/adjusting the record without worrying about whether you've pressed downward on the platter too hard.

there's always some dj going broke or some kid who spent their parents' money on them and never played them, who will be selling them on ebay or craigslist or something. (other direct drives might be as good -Vestax, say- but probably not as commonly available used simply because Technics is the industry standard)
 

swears

preppy-kei
I would buy some better decks, but I don't see the point 'cause I'd never get a gig around here in a million years, anyway.
 
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