Recommendations for turntable for recording, performing

[rw120555]

This may be a little tangential but... My son wants a turntable for the purposes of recording and perhaps performing. I know he wants something that he can do "scratches" with, like DJs do. Any recommendations??? Turntables seem to vary widely in price. Obviously some are much cheaper than others, but there is no point in getting something if it will just be junk and not do what he wants. This is alien territory to me, so any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[rw120555]

Anyone? The Technics 2000 and the Gemini brand have been recommended to me. Sound good? New stuff seems a little pricey, any idea on what reasonable used prices would be? Thanks.

 

[step-dawg]

The most popular tables that DJ's use are the Technics 1200 series (MK2 or M3D). The M3D is the updated version of the MK2. They actually cost the same right now retail ($400 each). Can be found cheaper possibly online or through ebay. I'm not sure who recommended a Gemini to you but those tables in general are pretty low end from what I've read (never used one myself). Vestex makes some good tables too (PDX-2000). Numark's TTX1 is also a pretty highly rated table. All these will run you around the $400-500 range. I've mostly been keeping up with price on the Technics tables and I've found that used can be had for around $350, sometimes as low as $300.

You have to remember that after getting a table, you'll need a good mixer to do any type of performing. Can't do much w/o a mixer other than play the records and perform the most basic scratch. If you are going to skimp on the price somewhere, i would suggest doing so with the mixers. They are easier to upgrade in the future if necessary. Better than buying 2 new tables. You can get a good entry level mixer for $100-200 depending on features and type of mixer you want. There are cheaper ones but $100-200 will get you a good working one that may not need to be upgraded for a while. Stanton has a pretty good "scratch" series of mixers with their SK line. Vestex is a very popular brand that a lot professional DJ's use but you're gonna pay a premium for their mixers.

I'm currently using a Numark PPD01 mixer Numark mixer. Cost me $400 at Guitar Center but can be had for around $325-ish on ebay (new). It's not the best for scratching because the cross-fader is a bit on the heavy side but it's great for mixing and recording. It has 8 differnt built in effects you can control with the cross-fader, dual mode tone control, and has 1/4", RCA, and optical outputs for a good amount of connectivity. I just recently ordered a Stanton SK-2F limited Edition mixer that I'm going to try out and compare to the Numark. The stanton has less features but is supposed to be better for scratching. The Stanton cost me $225.

Also, most tables do not come with needles/cartridges so you'll have to buy those too. Gets kinda expensive when you add it all up. I've been finding that ebay has some pretty good prices on all this type of stuff.

I am by no means an expert so any one that wants to correct me, please do. this is just based on my research the past month and a half. I just recently bought a set of turntables myself to do pretty much the same thing your son is doing: Mixing, scratching, and recording (sampling). So far, i've been real happy with my Technics SL-1200 M3D's.

www.hollywooddj.com has some very good prices for new stuff and does a good job in describing the different products they carry.

Well, i hope this helped a little bit. I'm currently at work so i'm just typing out some info pretty quickly. If you have other questions, post them and I can try to answer them. Again, these are just my recommendations and experiences i've had so far. Other people will have different opinions.

 

[rw120555]

Thanks very much for the detailed response step-dawg. Two possibilities that have been floated by me are:

* Two 5 year old technics sl-2000s + a somewhat newer Gemini mixer. Price: around $150
* Gemini PT-2100 direct drive turntables and a Vestax mixer, all for $350.

Also, there would be shipping costs.

Sound like good deals? I always hate to buy used, but it is pretty clear I can't afford new! Seller seems to have good rep, but unfortunately I can't inspect beforehand (and even if I could I'm not sure I would know what to look for.) I'd rather buy used stuff from a local store, even if it cost a little more, but so far I haven't been able to identify any prospects.

 

[step-dawg]

hmmm, those are a tough call. While they are less expensive, you are getting way less quality. I suppose they would be alright for your son to try out on until he decides this is something he wants to pursue. Only for seeable problem is that he will probably out grow them pretty quickly. To do scracthing and good mixing, those set ups can only take you so far. Another possible idea, depending on your budget (how much are you looking to spend anyways?) is to get one good or mid-range table and a good entry level mixer. He can do all the scratching he wants and recording/sampling and you won't have to spend as much. Then when he gets better or decides he wants to do more, add another table. The biggest thing to watch out for is that you have to buy a Direct Drive Turntable system and not a belt-drive system. Avoid belt-driven at all costs.

The reason I keep suggesting you buy the nice equipment is that every person i've talked to and almost every review/how to that i've read on this subject strongly recommends buying good equipment, even to start out with. Buying cheap equipment will save you money intially but will cause major headaches in the long run and you'll either want to quit or you'll want to buy new equipment anyways. One of the things that helped convince me to go ahead and shell out the extra money was that during my research, I found that DJ equipment retains it's value pretty well. A new Technics 1200M3D runs about $400 while a used one still sell regularly at $350. So the way I figured it was that if I liked DJ'ing, i can just keep my equipment and not have to worry about upgrades and if I totally suck it up and hate DJ'ing, I can still sell my equipment for a reasonable amount of money (I would probably lose the same amount of money i would've dropped on some cheap equipment).

An option for a pretty good table is the Stanton STR8-100 or the ST-100 (same table, just different arms). They run $299 retail but are around $265 on ebay. These are Motor driven direct drive tables as opposed to the electromagnetic driven direct drive tables (numark TTX1 and Technics 1200 series) so they cost a little less. Although they are both direct drive types of systems, there are subtle advantages to the Electric drive systems. Since you son is just starting out, it won't be too much of a difference (even in the long run it might never matter to him). I've read some pretty good reviews about this table. You could pair it up with the Stanton SK-1 mixer which will run around $120 shipped on either ebay or a good online retailer. I read that was a pretty good entry level scratch mixer. That'll cost around $385 total which is close to the other package you were thinking about.

Honestly though, i'm not too knowledgeble about the SL-2000 model you are looking at. I just know that it is a much older system that most stores don't even sell anymore. Gemini's aren't generally known for high quality stuff but again, everything is depending on your budget or how interested your son is. Once again, i've wasted more time at work! haha! gotta love Anandtech Forums!