Getting some kit

[Tosh]

I have been listening to D&B for some time now
but i want to go further by mixing, making, and playing with the
sounds
to start with i need some decks and mixer
Q1 What would be a good set of decks to start off with?
Q2 second hand a good idea?
Q3 What the hell am i looking for?

:dj:

[daze]

how much ya got?

its all about technics 1200 / 1210's mate.

dont let anyone tell you different :agree:



should get a pair 2nd hand for £500

[RobC]

Yeah man, like daze says, go for the technics, don't touch any of those lurpax things.

[ad_rewind]

I got Gemini SA-600 IIs.
For a third of the price of 1210s they have all the same functions (but with nice straight tone arms), and seem just as durable, with a nice heavy n solid build.

A few DJ mates (that use 1210s) have played on em, and couldn't tell a difference between em performance-wise.

1210s seem to be the deck of choice, with them being "industry standard": but if you don't want to fork out that amount of cash, there are other alternatives out there ...

[Simon dB]

Gotta say I swear by the Lurpax PDX 2000's, I like 1200/1210s but prefer the PDX. Each to their own.

[Arsta Far-I]

got to be the Vestax I'm afraid - technics just don't seem as good after a spread with the lurpak

and when you're well off get a cd deck as well to double the amount of tunes you've got

[pete]

believe u need some 1210's.i have some shitty sound lab belt drives an a shit mixer worth about £50 quid.as soon as u master shit dex trust me u can use any.scratch that shit homie

[Djxample]

vestax or technics, both are wicked decks!!!!

[asok]

you dont need to learn to mix on technics or vestax. Phone anydj retailer, tell em what you have to spend and let them reccomend anything to you. I learnt how to mix on a pair of £120 each omnitronic wankbelts, and im not bad. Ive never owned technics nor vestax (will do soon), and ive been mixing 6 or 7 years....


Listen to what adam says mate - dont spend £600/£700 to start with when you realistically dont need to.

You dont buy a brand new 20 grand golf git when you pass your test do you because they are "the only car to drive" or something...you learn to drive in a crusty old shitmobile. So do the same with mixing.

Thats me 2 cents anyway...

[daze]

well i'm not saying the vestax arent as good as the technics but when the time comes to play out its nice to see 2 old friends there waiting to ease the journey.

:agree:


except when you play at gutterfunk :lol:

[Arsta Far-I]

I learnt to mix by just buying two records, placing them carefully in front of me on two plates (china preferably, but any other crockery will do), and mastering the 'looking cool whilst rubbing two sheets o vinyl' bit first

i then graduated up to playing a mix cd, and 'scratching along' whenever i spotted a mix

this helped immensely and, although I can't mix for toffee, i do now look really cool when stood casually behind a pair of vestnics pdx1210, with a gemitronic mixer crossfader clenched between my buttcheeks

in other words buy some cheap stuff first:

a) to make sure your into it

and

b) so that when you do finally get some decent decks you will love them like children

undaground

(ovaground womblin free)

:moon: :moon: :moon: :moon: :moon:

[Bane]

Yeah, not this debate again, check my avatar...

But, Technics are everywhere unforunately, they are good decks, i just feel they are a little outdated now.. Vestax (PDX2000) do everything Technics do, but much better. But if your comfortable on Technics you will have an easier time of it when it comes to clubs..

Or Fuck It get a couple of cd players, burn your favourite tunes off the net and have a mini-rinse out in your bedroom..

Daze>>> Vestax at Gutterfunk baby, welcome home!!!

[ad_rewind]

Speaking as someone who still very much has their "Mixing L-Plates" firmly round their neck, Asok n Arsta Fari have both hit the nail on the head IMO.

When I first bought decks, I went for the cheap n cheerful option -- cos I'm a fuckin fickle git, and prone to buyin things that "seemed like a good idea at the time".

So I bought (dare I say it?) some all-in-one bundle with Numark belt-drive decks and lil 2 channel mixer.

And they served their purpose very well, thank you very much.
a) It let me find out that, yes, I was actually interested in messin on decks without wasting loadsa wedge on kit that was just gonna gather dust after a few weeks; and

b) It let me develop enough (although limited!) skills and confidence to make it worthwile investing a bit more on an upgrade when the time came.

When it came to upgrading; I asked for everyone's opinion -- and got much the same response -- i.e the whole Vestax / Technics debate; which wasn't really that helpfull sorry to say :(

So, what I did was spend time surfing the sites that sell equipment; lookin for stuff that fitted the price I wanted to spend -- and then reading the reviews posted by people that bought the stuff.

Though at the end I guess it all depends on your priorities & how important it is for you to have one of "the" brands.
Personally, like I said; I moved up to Gemini SA-600 IIs with a Behringer VMX-300 mixer -- and as far as I'm concerned, they're a fuckin great combination, for overall less than half the price of a similar Vestax / Technics combo.

But then, I'd rather have a BMW badge on my car than a Vestax / Technics badge on my decks ...

[Arsta Far-I]

I dont want to go on, and i know technics are pretty much all you see when you play out, but i still think technics have well lagged behind in the development stakes

there are quite a few top end decks you can get nowadays(vestax/stanton etc.) that wipe the floor with technics

technics are

sturdy
reliable
well made
look less garish than other newer decks

but i still think other brands have a lot more to offer nowadays

I would compare it to buying some retro 80's nike air max trainers that have recently come out again

they look good, a bit retro, some people are obsessed with them, and they do the job, but when you look how far trainer technology has come, there is no comparison to more modern trainers

good analogy i thought!

[Bane]

well said...
mark my words....one day Vestax will rule the world...

[Arsta Far-I]

@ Tosh

As well

if you are just starting out, you probably won't be able to tell, or know the difference between, belt and direct drive anyway, or any of the other features you will get on more expensive stuff, you won't feel the benefits of better equipment until you have some technical ability

when i first started out i used to regularly argue that you didn't need direct drive, then i started to mix and get a bit better, and realised what a fool I had been - but it'll help you if you realise yourself by starting with shittier stuff!

[Djxample]

:agree: :agree: :agree: :agree: :agree: :agree: :agree: :agree:

[Sol]

well i'm not saying the vestax arent as good as the technics but when the time comes to play out its nice to see 2 old friends there waiting to ease the journey.

Agreed.

Roll on Gutterfunk - well all mix together with sub-standard equipment :p

:lol:

[Arsta Far-I]

mine are the old PDX-A1-S, with the staright tone arm, no gimmicks, just plain old sturdy and reliable, and I think they look a bit plainer and nicer than these new McVestax top o range jobbies!

bought em new when they first came out, but don't really think I could afford any of the newer models nowadays

[Bane]

They do look like Fisher Price decks

[Arsta Far-I]

its a shame they don't come with some of those brightly coloured 'records' with all your favourite nursery rhymes on really


sales would rocket!

while we're on the subject has any seen/played with or own one of those vestax vinyl pressing decks - think they were about £7000 when they came out

just wondered if they were any good?

they came out, and ive not heard the rave reviews i would have expected about it

you could press your tunes onto special vinyl or something

[RobC]

Oh yeah, there was the vestax cutting machine and there was also the kingston dubplate cutter thing which fitted onto you 1200/1210. notice how they specifically chose technics and not lesser decks, such as vestax, for example.

[Arsta Far-I]

Originally posted by ØmniKut
and not lesser decks, such as vestax, for example.

Cheeky monkey

:moon:

[Arsta Far-I]

never heard of that kingston dubplate cutter but it looks the biz if you have technics, and a bit cheaper than the vestax one

i reckon good money could be made by buying one between a few of us and charging people for single dubplates

generally you can't get less than 500 plates pressed...........

[Bane]

no need! C.D.

stands for Cheaper Dubplate

[RobC]

http://www.mixmachines.com/gfx/ttcut.jpg

Nuff said

:guitar:

[daze]

Originally posted by Bane

Daze>>> Vestax at Gutterfunk baby, welcome home!!!


thats why me and asok are bringing cd-j's :nene:

[AD SAVAGE]

The Vestax are plastic for fucks sake - wicked for adding your own drum fills when you put your drink down :p

[BEN D.PLOY]

technics decks, mine are 5 years old, never been serviced or tuned and work fine

vestax decks burn out quicker

mixer - vestax or rane

SHURE stylus are the best and have the least needle damage on your records

[Bane]

"SHURE stylus are the best and have the least needle damage on your records"

Your not wrong!

[DJ React]

There's arguements for Technics and Vestax, at the end of the day, they're both the business.

I definitely wouldn't bother saving money and going for cheap alternatives - I taught myself to mix on Limit's, and picked up some shitty habits, just cos the torque was shoddy etc

I defo go for 2nd hand, as both Technics and Vestax are built to last, and both pricey from new.

And it just so happens I'm selling some 1210's!! ;) cheque out the PM I sent you!!:hatpimp:

[poi]

I started out on one of those all-in-one £2/300 kits from Numark (they were Numark TT-1510's) - plastic platter and all - they saw me through for a good 8 or 10 months, i learnt to mix and got a "feel" for it, worked out that i really DID like it. I've still got some respectable mixes that i made on them. The mixer's crossfader kept dying on me though..

Eventually i flogged em and went for Vestax, purely on the uneducated basis of going into shops and "putting my hands on" the different decks - i also got a Vestax PMC 05 pro mkII mixer, but i dont know if i'd reccomend Vestax mixers now - newer stuff has come out thats approaching the price i paid and really are much better (allen+heath - stu, you're never EVER having it back), although i suppose it depends on what you want to do with your mixing.

I'm sure this thread is of absolutely no fucking use to anyone! :D