VINYL RECORDS — BUYING A TURNTABLE (PT 2)
So you want to listen to some vinyl. What equipment do you need? Let’s start with the most obvious item:
A record player. You can buy new or used, varying widely in price and quality. It should be switchable between 33 1/3 and 45 RPM. DJ turntables will give you the ability to fine tune the rotation speed.
The cheapest new record players go for around $100 from manufacturers such as Gemini. These entry-level turntables are “belt drive,” meaning that a rubber band-like “belt” connected to the motor is responsible for rotating the record. The record player itself will be lightweight and plastic. Though adequate for playing records, these record players aren’t sturdy enough to scratch or otherwise manipulate the vinyl.
If you have a little more money, you can find an entry-level direct-drive turntable. This design (with the motor connected directly to the rotating plater) eliminates the “slippage” problem of the belt-drive design. These record players tend to be more substantial and are better for scratching. You can find new direct drive turntables for under $200.
The granddaddy of all turntables is the Technics 1200 series. These are the record players in all the clubs. Have you ever heard someone use the expression “on the 1s and 2s”? 1200s? Tech decks? These are a DJs best friend. You can find these new starting at $400. There’s a misconception among some DJs that Technics are indestructible. They aren’t. The tracking is a common problem on used turntables. Some try to get around this by adding weight but this wears down the records and needles. If you are considering buying a used technics 1200 turntable do your homework and be extremely careful. You still might get burned — believe me, for the extra $50-$100 you might save it’s not worth it.
Another notable mention is the Numark PT01 — a portable DJ turntable. At $99 with a built in speaker and the ability to run off batteries, it’s ideal to bring with you when you’re looking for records. Numark also makes a turntable called the TTUSB that has a built in USB port! It’s designed to plug into your computer and make it easy to digitize vinyl recordings.
Next time I’ll wrap up talking about gear. Start saving your pennies, you’re going to need to get a good needle at the very least…
April 20th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
I’m not so sure about the “1’s and 2’s” referring to Technics 1200’s. I’ve always been under the impression that “1’s and 2’s” referred to the typical kick and snare beats when playing music in cut time.
In any “classic” hip-hop played in cut time, the kicks hit on the “1″ and the snares hit on the “2.” Hence, I always thought “Dropping the 1’s and 2’s” was like saying “Letting the beat drop.” That’s certainly indirectly related to turntables (letting it drop by playing the record), but not necessarily directly related to 1200’s.
April 20th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
from Wikipedia (obviously not the most reliable source but still)
“Rappers have referred to the turntable as “1200″, “technics”, and “ones and twos”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technics_SL-1200
I used to think “the ones and twos” was more like “check one two” (check turntable one, turntable two)… but i am pretty sure that it refers to the technics SL-1200