Before the age of extensive digital controllers and media players, DJs were 'stuck' with classic vinyl records. But even these days there are still plenty of DJs who prefer to work with real vinyl, simply because they love the feel of it so much. Got a dusty record collection of your own stored in the attic? Grab two turntables and get mixing!
Why Vinyl?
There's something authentic about spinning records, especially when compared to digital music. For a start, it’s much harder to mix vinyl, since there's no handy beat-sync button that instantly synchronises the tempo of two turntables. Instead, mixing vinyl the physical way is done by ear and with nothing but a pitch fader to manually match the tempo of both decks. Your reward? Bonus points for the extra effort, plus that characteristic analogue sound and the feel of a real record beneath your fingertips.
Spinning Records With Turntables
Like playing most musical instruments, syncing the tempo of two beats is easy to learn but hard to master. Experienced hip-hop turntablists are often seen pulling off impressive tricks, for instance by scratching, slowing down or fully rewinding the record to manipulate the sound. Some deejays even create entirely new sounds by tweaking every last bit of kit: the record, the mixer, the needle...everything it takes to turn a turntable into a fully-fledged musical instrument.
Mixing with Digital Vinyl: DVS
If you're currently mixing it up the digital way using DJ software and digital music and you want to try your hand at mixing real vinyl, there's a great solution: DVS, or Digital Vinyl System. DVS requires three things: DVS-supported software; an interface that's compatible with DVS; and a 'time-coded' medium, so time-code vinyl or time-code CDs. When you then play a time-code record with a turntable equipped with a DVS interface that's connected to a computer, you can control the digital audio while you're actually playing back a real record.
Decks, Record Players and Turntables: What's the Difference?
Just to clarify, by DJ deck we're referring to a device designed for music playback. This can be a DJ controller, a turntable, a tabletop media player, a record player, etc. Record players are the units you'd set up in your living room while with 'turntables' we're usually referring to the units used in the DJ industry. While both devices are technically designed to do the same thing - ie. play back records - turntables generally come with a handful of DJ-focussed features on top.
Building a Pro-Level DJ Set: Gear Check List
A pair of turntables alone doesn't get you there. To merge the audio signals of both decks, you'll also need a DJ mixer and, if you're going digital, that means you'll need a laptop or a computer plus DJ software, a DVS interface and time-code vinyl or CDs on top. Getting a pair of DJ headphones for listening to your mixes is also never a bad idea.
