Direct or belt...

This is my thing...I have a mac based project studio I'm in the middle of setting up. Now..I plan to mix a little soft synths with a hardware MPC 2500. Now, haven't dabbled that much into Dj'ing but, I want to get a turntable to scratch some vinyls into my MPC for sampling. What would be anyones suggestion for "set up", and what brand of turntable....would I need 1 or 2 "drives"...and is it that the drive hooks directly into the MPC via USB? I understand I can "sample" down between the 2 (MPC and direct/belt drive) but would like some help as to how to go about all this. Thank you ahead of time for ANY help.

direct drive without a doubt. if you were just listening to music belt drive would be fine, but you'll probably want to go with a direct drive one.

Direct drive vs. belt drive refers to the way power is transferred from the turntable motor to the platter. With direct drive, the motor is directly connected to the platter, belt drive uses a rubber belt between the motor and the platter. Direct drive will provide more torque which is preferred for scratching, whereas belt drive will provide a slightly cleaner sound as less vibration from the motor will be transferred to the platter. The sound difference probably won't be that noticeable though.

If you want to scratch you'll want a direct drive table and a mixer that is designed for scratching. The mixer will have phono preamps to boost the phono signal to line level, then the line out from the mixer will go into a stereo input on your mpc or computer.

Some turntables have digital or USB outputs, but as I understand the analog to digital converters they use aren't quite up to the task and result in a degraded sound compared to what you would get from the mpc or a decent computer soundcard.

anyone else have something more to offer....

What else do you need to know? We really can't tell you everything you will ever need to know about how to do this. There is a lot to be said for getting your hands on the equipment and figuring out how to make it work best for yourself. Get one Technics 1200 with a good scratch needle (Shure M44-7 for example)and a decent scratch mixer with a sharp crossfader contour. (We'll need to know your budget for mixer model suggestions) The best way to send the signal from the mixer to the mpc or your mac soundcard input will be a simple analog stereo connection. Most likely RCA, but that will also depend on what type of outputs your mixer has and what inputs are available on the mpc or soundcard. As I said before, I'd avoid a turntable or mixer with a USB or other digital output as the D/A converters will probably be of a lesser quality than what is in your soundcard or mpc.

I'm basically lookin' to grab snipits from certain vinyls to import into my mpc and edit down on into a mix I'll be tryin to build on...I'm not crazy about sound libraries. I'll be using logic and or Ableton. Thing is I figure I may not need a whole dj set up per se, but I am interested in gettin' a direct drive for some scratchin' effects from time to time to include on down into a mix...and moreover I just feel there a certain sounds you can get from a vinyl that you just cannot get from sound libraries. In terms of equipment - this is why I ask for some help in kinda pointing me in a basic direction when lookin to purchase a turntable set up...I've been inside my local guitar center here - but these guys honestly were not of much of any assistance as they seemed to ONLY be interested in "sales". Not willing to help a potential customer out with a few good tips. Can ANYONE here help me out a bit. My budget?? Um...about 200 - 400 (willing to be a bit flexible)?? And in the above, I'm told to avoid the USB connection (how could I tell the difference into what you are suggesting which is the basic "analog stereo connection" when I attempt to purchase?) And so then...might I NOT need "2" turntables - but only ONE? Don't think I'll need to spin two vinyls at once - or should I consider this, even if I'm basically only grabbing "snipits" to import into my mpc 2500 that I'm planning to get?

Guitar Center is pretty miserable for DJ equipment, I avoid them unless I need something really fast and don't want to wait for shipping. I've always found ebay is my best bet for finding the equipment I'm looking for at the right price. Ebay is also good for keeping to a budget because there is a ton of used gear for sale there. If you buy a high quality turntable that has been used responsibly, it will probably be a better purchase than a new, lower quality turntable that you could get for around the same price. The way DJ equipment goes, the premium you pay for a brand new piece of gear is not worth the quality compromises that you will eventually notice when you compare it to something you could get used for the same amount of money.

I really don't think you need 2 turntables if you'll only be sampling from them, but if you want decent sounding scratch effects you're going to need a mixer. The mixer's crossfader is what will allow you to cut the sound that comes from the turntable sharply in & out. If you imagine the typical scratching sounds you've heard in the past, these really can't be created well without one.

Here's the gear I'd recommend for the budget you're talking about:

-1 used Technics sl-1200. These have been the industry standard for all kinds of dj's for decades, are built like tanks, and if you get one in decent shape it will last for years. These are available in a few models. The used ones you will find available for around $200-$250 will probably be the MKII or M3D models, both of which will work fine for your purpose.

-There are a ton of scratch mixers out there. If you buy a used one you run a bit of risk in having the crossfader crap out on you if it's been abused, but if it's in good shape there isn't anything to worry about. Something like a Vestax pmc-05 or 06 can be had used for around $200. I've also heard good things about the Denon Dn-x100, which you can get brand new for the same amount.

-You will also need a slipmat, needle, and headphones.

As far as the connection from the turntable goes, the vast majority of them will have the power cable, a thin black ground cable, and one set of red & white RCA plugs. The RCA's will plug into the "phono in" input on your mixer and are the same as many other audio cables that you might find elsewhere in your stereo system. Your mixer will probably connect to your soundcard or MPC in the same manner.

Allow me to open this up once more. Based on my needs for basically clippin' snipits from certain vinyls, to import into my MPC 2500 (I'll be gettin soon), I'm settlin in on gettin this direct drive...I know I'll also need a dj mixer if I'm to scratch down some parts into my MPC. So with this being open again, can there be any additional inputs from any otha' folk as to what strong yet simple set up I could look into puttin' together in a closet space, and being my needs are pretty basic I'd imagine (with just clippin' snipits), within a range of $200-500 or so, I'm lookin for ANY OTHA' genuine advise for basic SIMPLE but STURDY various "DJ mixer + Direct drive" set ups, THAT WORK* that will get me "movin" a bit in a good direction. Once more Thank you ahead of time for any additional responses. ***JAZZ/HIP HOP is my thing.

...what are your opinions on Vestax, stanton, and numark????

$200-500 isn't realistic for a turntable and mixer unless you're looking for used gear and even then its a stretch.

Unless you need extreem pitch variation on the turntable I would stick with a technics 1200 because it will last forever with minor maintenance. You can buy a used one in good condition for $2-300. Otherwise get a Vestax PDX. Stay away from Numark. They look appealing but will break in 2 years (just trust me on this, I've been seeing it happen for over 10 years and every time they put out a new product people freak out because its a ton of features for a "great price" and then they all complain when it breaks.)

Mixers are a whole different ballgame. Staunton, Numark, and Vestax mixers have generally poor sound quality. Vestax is the best out of the three. Again, stay away from Numark, you've been warned. You might be able to get a used Vestax 05 for fairly cheap but you'll most likely need a new cross fader(if not upfaders too). Rane makes great sounding mixers but they're expensive. The Rane TTM-56 is what many scratch DJs are using now because the faders don't need replacement (ever) but its out of your price range. The Rane TTM-54 is also good but the faders are short-lived. You might be able to get one used for a few hundred. It would be a good choice if the faders are still good. The Ecler HAK series gets a lot of compliments too and some models also have "eternal" faders that are supposed to last forever.

I'd say your best bets for mixers are a used Vestax 05 (industry standard from 1997) a used Rane 54 (slept on mixer from 2000) or a used Ecler (the European answer to Rane). The other one is the Tascam XS8.

Here you go, this is where all the scratch headz are http://djdstyles.com/funk{censored}up/YaBB.pl?num=1172696513/0

Decent turntables and mixers are expensive. The cheap stuff is junk. Don't be fooled.

ewrew

I use Vestax turntables, but for the budget you suggested you may want to get something cheaper. Some of the direct drive decks for like $200 or aren't bad at all, but not as durable as Vestax and Technics. Technics are good and durable, but I like Vestax pitch control so that's what I use. I'm pretty hard on my tables and my current PDX-2000s have never given me a problem in about 6 years roughly.

As for a mixer anything basic will work, if you're not djing live then you won't use many of the features of it. If Stanton is still making their SK-6F, that's a good pick up for about $120 I think. It comes with the Focus Fader (optical for quick cuts) and another regular stock fader if you need a longer curve. If they don't still sell it then they probably have something similar. It's definitely not the best mixer, but given your budget and the fact that you're going to be doing more sampling than scratching and apparently no mixing, it might not be worth it to spend a lot on a mixer. Although, better preamps might be an issue for sound quality. A cheap mixer will have cheap pres.