Dj Turntables - The Revival of Vinyl
DJing is a hobby for some people, and a profession for others. No matter how hard you work on the turntables - it's important to use the right DJ turntable. Nowadays there is a large selection of different variants, which differ from each other very much in construction. We will show you what you need to pay attention to and how to recognize a high-quality product.
Types of drive
There are several points to consider when purchasing a DJ turntable. First of all, there is the drive: two systems are widely used these days, the direct drive and the belt drive. In the case of direct drive, a motor provides direct drive for the turntable. This way, you enjoy a short reaction time when the tempo changes.
On the other hand, there is the belt drive, which - as the name suggests - has a belt that drives the turntable. The advantage of this design is that the separate operation of the motor and turntable reduces annoying rumbling, but the drive reacts rather sluggishly to short-term changes in speed.
The pickup makes the sound
The heart of every turntable for DJs is the scanning needle, which is located at the end of the pickup and is particularly sensitive. It only works properly if it is "sharp" enough. In case of corresponding wear and tear, a complete replacement is usually necessary after a few years. Here it depends on the turntable whether the needle can be replaced individually or whether you have to buy and install a completely new pickup system.
An important point is therefore the selection of a turntable with a high-quality needle. The grinding plays a particularly important role here: Basically, a distinction is made between spherical and elliptical grinding. The elliptical cut offers the advantage that the pickup can process more data and thus cover a wider frequency range. The sound is usually richer, but the record is a little bit more burdened by the needle.
A spherical needle is more gentle for the plates, which is recommended if you work regularly as a DJ and use the plates regularly. In addition, there are other types of needles - it is advisable to find out more in advance from specialist dealers before making a choice.
Turntable - and what you should pay attention to when buying a DJ turntable set
Another crucial component of a DJ turntable is the turntable on which the record is placed. For a correct run, it is important that the plate does not vibrate - therefore, it must be completely horizontal on the plate. In principle, the heavier the disk, the better the synchronizers work. This means that a high-quality turntable usually weighs more than eight kilograms.
Furthermore, the pickup is one of the most important components of the turntable. It ensures that the fine grooves on the record are converted into digital acoustic signals, which ultimately produces the sound. A high quality pickup offers a much better sound when playing the record - in any case a comparison before buying is worthwhile.
Reviews from other buyers can also be a great help in finding the right device. Eventually, modern DJ turntables should be made sure that they are a USB turntable. A turntable with USB offers the possibility to connect different devices, such as the PC, to it with a suitable cable. Other digital connections can also be helpful, but each DJ has its own preferences.