question about turntables

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cafreestyler

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i have a question for those who dj.
i'm thinking about getting some turntables and starting to learn how to mix. i had some people tell me do not get belt drive tables, they suck. but since i am just starting out and have a small budget to work with i would like to save the money getting belt drive. so my question is- is it really that hard to mix with belt drive tables? this store i was at the other day only carried direct drive turntables and told me how terrible belt drives were. i'm wondering if he gave me an exaggerated opinion on that since the store didn't carry any belt drive tables. so i would like to hear from others their opinion (since i'm looking for people's opinions who are not trying to sell me something they carry and put down something they don't carry and therefore can't even sell). i just never knew belt drives were as bad as the sales guy said. i understand that they are not as good as direct drives, but are they that bad that you shouldn't even waste your money on them (that's the impression the sales guy gave to me)? thanks for any opinions.
 
Belt-drives are great for starting out. That's what I started out with. The only problem is when you move up to Direct-drives, it will take some getting used to. The Belt-drives have alot more "play"....meaning whe you use your hand to slow or speed up the record, you have to be very easy. It's the opposite with Direct-drives. You'd see you would have to put more into it....cause there isn't as much play. Where as with Belt-drives you only need to lightly touch the record to slow it down, with Direct-drives you have to push down with more force to slow it down. Hope I'm amking sense here lol....anyway, there is nothing wrong with starting off using Belt-drives if for fun. Just remember the transition to Direct-drives will take some getting used to in the future. By the way, since Belt-drives are cheaper, the salesperson will naturally deter away from them lol
 
No, if anything they are a bit cheaper.

Cafreestyler, I forget to mention that you should be sure the turntables you get, IF you choose Belt-drives, have tracking on them so you can speed up or slow down the song to match and mix records.
 
Hey cafreestyler!!! I started out with 2 belt driven turntables and DJed many parties & made many mixed tapes (probably for about 2 years) before I got my first 1200. This was in '84 - '85. Here's the point... I had no idea about the difference (belt vs. direct) at the time. I only knew soon I'd get a "better" turntable, not knowing what made it better. One of my belt driven turntables was a great techniques that was easy to use (it was probably under $150). My other I think was a pioneer which if I remember correctly didn't have pitch control. Start out with what you can afford, make some money & when you upgrade to "better" tables, you'll find it easier!!! Have fun!!!

Matt
http://www.mp3.com/sietzsounds
 
Save your money and buy the 1200's. Look around , you can even buy a used set. They last FOREVER.

DJ MATT
 
Hey I started out with belt and there is a huge diff. between belt and direct. If mixing is presenting itself to you as something that your going to do for awhile take djmatt's advice and save . Remember that cost is a differance for a major reason Cueing, Back-spinning,Scratching, Start Stops , Power Drops take on a new meaning between the two even though the motions come from the same school of thought .Even the application of butter mats won't shorten the differences. If budget is an issue look into Numark or Gemini before you take the the plunge with Technics, Vestax or the Numark TTX.
DJ Siren
www.sirensound.net
 
I concur...don't play around if you're looking to get into it...

If you're not sure u wanna do this, find a friend and see if u like mixing @ their house or whatever. If u don't have a friend who necessarily spins, well then I'd say go for it. Buying gear pushes u to use cuz it, cuz face it, nobody likes buying something and not using it.

While many people may disagree, I find technics 1200s to be the world standard. Once u mix on a set, its hard to mix on anything else. I would buy a set, even if u find an older pair go with them.

With belt drives, u may find urself constantly replacing the belts which sucks. In addition, they are cheap and may not go the distance, meaning durability throughout the years.

That and the fact that no other turntable can be played on as much and still work after 15 years if still taken care of than a technic.
 
If we were back in 1987 I would tell you "go with Technics 1200" but in todays days thing have change. Numark, Stanton,American Audio and even Gemini have great TTs on the market, but since you are on a small budget I would suggest you to go to ebay and try to get used SL-1200 MK2. But if you get enough $$$ then you could get maybe the new Gemini PDT-6000, Stanton ST-100, American Audio PowerDrive 2.2 or a Numark TT-200 or TT-X1.

Technics are GREAT ! they'll never die on you, but Technics has failed to make a real upgrade for todays demanding DJs.
the latest model SL-1200 MK5G features an increase in pitch to 16%. what we were hoping was for master tempo, reverse platter and adjustable break.

what ever you do DON'T GET BELT DRIVE TTs !!!

go to www.pssl.com to see the available TTs and their prices.

Good luck


regards

Richard
 
Dr. Style.... you took the thoughts from my head... if you are serious about mixing- make the investment. it will be worth it to save the money up and buy good tables. precision is very important and belt drive tables simply cannot offer you that attribute. i use pdx 2000... great tables- my friend is learning now on stanton str8-80's and are very nice for the price. he got both tables for 400 bucks... not bad..? there are other good deals out there as well, shop around, for DIRECT DRIVE tables that is, lol good luck
 
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