What a turntable for a DJ

See Turntables in the Muzyczny.pl store

It might seem that this equipment will be forgotten, and here it is gaining more and more interest not only among professional DJs, but also among music lovers. Owning a turntable and using it to listen to vinyl records has become more and more trendy. When at the end of the 80s new technology began to appear and CDs appeared, many people were convinced that the turntable was already a thing of the past. Indeed, in the 90s of the last century, when the CD dominated the music market, no one would have thought that in a dozen or so years, turntables and vinyl records would return to favor and be used on such a large scale.

The difference between a DJ turntable and a home turntable

Both play music, but each of them has its own characteristics that make each of them a slightly different use. The turntables that are part of the DJ console are usually fully manual machines, where the user performs all activities manually. In home turntables, most often such activities as placing the stylus on the record are automatic. DJ turntables have more powerful motors that have increased rotational power and are usually more durable. It would seem that such turntables intended for DJs are definitely more expensive than those that are typically used at home. Nothing could be more wrong, and it is often quite the opposite. Everything, as usual, depends on the quality of the materials used, manufacturing technology and the reputation of the manufacturer.

What turntable to buy?

The choice of a DJ turntable depends primarily on how much we want to directly interfere with the music we play. In the case of turntables for scratching or mixing, it is worth investing in a direct drive turntable, the so-called Direct Drive. The motor of such a turntable is located under the platter in its center, thanks to which they almost immediately reach the target speed of the planned number of revolutions per minute. They also have a higher torque, thanks to which the platter is less susceptible to external factors. A big advantage of turntables with this type of drive is that they allow you to freely adjust the tempo, which in turn is very helpful when mixing one track with another. Thanks to this possibility, when playing individual tracks and mixing them, we have full control over the fluidity and dynamics of the tracks joined together. If, on the other hand, our interference is limited to the typical playback of songs, then a belt-drive turntable is definitely enough. Such a drive rotates the platter by means of an elastic rubber belt connected to the motor. The strip then forms a wrap around the turntable and the rotating element of the motor. Remember, however, that such a turntable is not suitable for scratching or mixing because their power is too weak.

summarizing

There are three types of turntables on the market: automatic, semi-automatic and manual. Each of them has a different purpose and each of them is aimed at a different user. In the case of automatic operation, just place the disc, press start and enjoy the music calmly. Everything in this type of turntable is automated. As for the semi-automatic, in addition to placing the disc, we also have to lower the arm in the place where we want to start playing music. And the last group of manual turntables that work best as a DJ. Here, the user does everything by himself, from the needle position on the record to the speed control, etc. Remember that if you want to use a turntable for scratching or mixing, it must be equipped with a direct drive. When it comes to the quality of the sound, the very performance of a given model has a huge impact. The better and more precisely it is mechanically made, the better the sound we get from it.