Advice on turntables
1. What are turntables?
DJ turntables are record players with a speed controller, which is often called pitch adjust or just pitch. By moving the slider of the pitch, you can adjust the speed of the records that are being played. To smoothly blend the sound of 2 songs, you need to make sure both records have the same speed. This is called beatmatching.
2. Which pitch range do you need as a DJ?
The pitch range of a turntable is given in percentages. For example, 10% means that you can play the record 10% faster or slower than its original speed. The range differs per turntable. All turntables in our assortment have pitch adjust, some even up to 50%. If you just play 1 style of music, a range of 8% is sufficient. We recommend you to choose turntables that allow you to expand the pitch range if you want, to 16, 20, or 25% for example.
3. What type of drive do you need as a DJ?
The spinning platter of a turntable is being driven by a motor. There are 2 types of drive that are the most common, belt drive and direct drive. All turntables in our assortment are direct drive, but belt drive turntables are still being made.
Belt drive The motor of a belt drive turntable drives the platter with a string. This indirect drive has disadvantages for DJs. The motor isn't powerful enough to quickly get the platter to the desired speed. The speed isn't always constant either. You don't really want this while mixing.
Direct drive The motor of a direct drive turntable drives the platter directly and is more powerful. The platter reaches the desired speed almost directly after starting. Another advantage of direct drive compared to belt drive, is the constant speed. As a DJ, you'll need a reliable, constant speed to mix records at the same speed for an extended period of time. That's why you should always choose direct drive turntables as a DJ.
4. What kind of connectors do you need?
You often connect DJ turntables to a mixing panel. A turntable has a tulip connector for this. Plug the tulip connector of the turntable into the phono input of your mixing panel. Most mixing panels have 2 or more phono inputs. Some turntables also have a USB port. Thanks to USB, you can also connect a turntable directly to a laptop or computer. This allows you to digitize your record collection, for example.
5. What else do you need?
A turntable works with a needle that read the groove of the record. Music has been recorded in this spiral-shaped groove. Between the needle and the arm of the turntable, there's an element. The element transmits the sound read by the needle to the turntable. A turntable often doesn't include an element or needle. Check our elements and accompanying spare needles and choose the best one for you.
