TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- DJ Booth
-- Questions about decks, mixers, and techs
Pages (2): [1] 2 »

Questions about decks, mixers, and techs

Ok, im one of those djs, who has little or no cash all the time. i use subtraktor, and own a copy of reason and use them both frequently and i have now decided to use my hard earned dukets on something solid

my current budget is around 600 dollars, could be extended by 100 max.

What the hell should i get. Ive been looking at the numark tt200s, ive heard good things about them, but i have no clue about what mixer to get, plus ill need cables etc.

Also, about techs, they are just so expensive for me. will i be ok with some 200$ dollar decks, or will i be shitting myself everyday.

another thing, whats the differnce between all the models of technics? i see all these numbers and letters and am lost to the advantages and disadvantages, plus the pics all look the same.

also, whats the best budget mixer on the market

I know I am going to get called out on this, but I am right so here it goes.... With Technics, 1200s are silver, 1210s are black. Only difference. The M3D's, M5Gs etc have a reset button for the pitch with no pitch 0 point (a lot better, trust me). M5G's also have a blue strobe and a +/- 16% pitch range along with the normal +/- 8% pitch range. You can skimp and buy something other than Technics, but later on you're going to want better. The cheaper ones will have bad start/stop times (no big deal), but they will have a harder time keeping up with adjustments and so forth. You'll want something more later on. If you're looking for a quality mixer to get started with, I am selling a Vestax PMC-03A in mint condition. If you're interested we will work out the price. Hope this helps a little bit.

quote:

Originally posted by Dirk W. I know I am going to get called out on this, but I am right so here it goes.... With Technics, 1200s are silver, 1210s are black. Only difference. The M3D's, M5Gs etc have a reset button for the pitch with no pitch 0 point (a lot better, trust me). M5G's also have a blue strobe and a +/- 16% pitch range along with the normal +/- 8% pitch range. You can skimp and buy something other than Technics, but later on you're going to want better. The cheaper ones will have bad start/stop times (no big deal), but they will have a harder time keeping up with adjustments and so forth. You'll want something more later on. If you're looking for a quality mixer to get started with, I am selling a Vestax PMC-03A in mint condition. If you're interested we will work out the price. Hope this helps a little bit.

is the reset button worth the dough?


edit: im not really interested in a scratch type mixer but thanks for the offer.

No, I wasn't saying the reset button was worth the dough. Nothing like that.... Just saying that it is better since it doesn't have the annoying 0 point notch on the pitch adjust. The money comes into play when talking about durability and motor strength. You can get by with something cheaper. Plenty of people do....

Yea, the PMC-03A is hailed as a scratch mixer, but I have recorded two mixes with it of just trance. They're a little edgey because there are only the high and low EQs and I used them rather quickly in the transistions. It's still a great mixer for electronic in my opinion though

I think the only difference with the MK5 vs. M3D is the MK5 has an anti-skate adjustment of 6, where its only 3 with the M3D. That is a totally useless upgrade for a DJ, cause you won't use anti-skate anyways. I do prefer the M3D/MK5 over the MK2 due to the better and clickless adjustment at 0. The reset button does not make it better, just the improved pitch adjustment with the M3D/MK5, as stated above. I would not skimp on the mixer or decks, thats what makes or breaks ya. For mid level/newbie mixers, I would recommend the Vestax PCV 275, and for decks, get a set of used M3D's off of ebay, and you'll have a killer setup you'll be proud of.

I agree with Kinetic for the most part. Try to find used m3d's on eBay, that's your best bet for TT's. For the mixer, not sure that the pcv-275 is really on your budget. Try looking into Numark or Stantons offerings if you need a decent, yet inexpensive mixer.

the m5gs have a blue led pop up light but the strobe is still red. the m3d and later models have a recessed power switch so that your not as likely to accidently hit it while mixing. i've seen 1200 mk2s and m3ds in black, i dont know about the mk5s or m5gs. when i bought my second mk2, they were the same price as the m3ds. i'm thinking the m3ds are probably the best ones to get for the money. you can get them for $400 ea. brand new. if you're getting used decks then i would say as long as the TTs you're looking at are in good shape all of the models are fine.

my $ .02

I stand corrected. The strobe is red, the pop-up light blue. I always get that mixed up cause it would make more sense to me that they change the strobe to blue in order to match their LEDs. Oh well...

On a side note: You are wrong on the 1200 vs the 1210. There is only one difference. This difference is color. There is not the European model vs the American model. There is not the voltage level difference or weight difference. It's just the color. Check the stats on Technics website by going through panasonic.com if you don't believe me. This goes for at least the MK2, M3D and the M5G.

quote:

Originally posted by Dirk W. On a side note: You are wrong on the 1200 vs the 1210. There is only one difference. This difference is color. There is not the European model vs the American model. There is not the voltage level difference or weight difference. It's just the color. Check the stats on Technics website by going through panasonic.com if you don't believe me. This goes for at least the MK2, M3D and the M5G.

Actually there's a difference. The power supply on the 1210 is a switching one. Underneith the platter there;s a 115/220 switch. Also the area codes in the serial nimber designate the location for where the decks are sold:


(P) USA (1200)
(PC) CANADA (1200)
(E) EUROPE (1200/1210)
(EG) GERMANY
(EB) Great Britain
(GN) Oseania

Otherwise the decks are identical

Only the European models have a switchable power supply.

quote:

Originally posted by Dirk W. Only the European models have a switchable power supply.

yeah, 1210s are the european version of the 1200s and back in the day they were the only ones that were black. now you can buy atleast some models of 1200s in silver or black. i have a set of black 1200mk2s.

and i think that it would be really cool if technics would change the color of the strobe to blue to match the pop up lights. its a no brainer

quote:

Originally posted by dartman and i think that it would be really cool if technics would change the color of the strobe to blue to match the pop up lights. its a no brainer

definitely.. it looks so stupid to have a blue popup led and a red strobe. then a black deck with ALL blue lights on it would rock so much imo

since i live in peru, where it is 220V, the 1210s would be perfect.

Is this a good choice?

and what cartridge/es will i need to buy?

quote:

Originally posted by dartman the m5gs have a blue led pop up light but the strobe is still red. the m3d and later models have a recessed power switch so that your not as likely to accidently hit it while mixing. i've seen 1200 mk2s and m3ds in black, i dont know about the mk5s or m5gs. when i bought my second mk2, they were the same price as the m3ds. i'm thinking the m3ds are probably the best ones to get for the money. you can get them for $400 ea. brand new. if you're getting used decks then i would say as long as the TTs you're looking at are in good shape all of the models are fine. my $ .02

You can't buy the M3D's brand new because they don't make them anymore, unless you find a store that still has them on their shelves. The MK5 is what you will get, and they are more than $400, at most places.

Well, the 1200 vs 1210 debate didn't get as heated as I thought it would or it normally does in other forums.... thank God. I knew I should have avoided it though.

ok, if one of u had 600 dollars. and wanted the best you vould get, for that range.

what would u buy?

I'd grab some used MK2s or Stantons off eBay that included some crappy cartridges and buy some mixer like the one I initially bought - a simple scrath mixer with at least 2 EQs to get the feel and practice on.

quote:

Originally posted by KiNeTiC ENeRgY You can't buy the M3D's brand new because they don't make them anymore, unless you find a store that still has them on their shelves. The MK5 is what you will get, and they are more than $400, at most places.

you're right about the m3ds being discontinued, but you can still find them at some places; audiolines.com has them in black or silver for $399

back to the question at hand... if i had six or seven hundred dollars, i would buy one brand new mk2 or m3d, a cheap cartridge, and an inexpensive mixer. then i would work my ass off to make the money to buy the other turntable. i have an aversion to buying used equiptment but thats just me. technics are tanks and def. hold up a really long time so i'm sure you can find some nice ones used.


+1

700 bones max, eh?

I don't think you'll be able to get anything high-end, but I'm sure you will do well with Numark TT-200s or even the Gemini XL-500-ii series.

I used to own the XL-500s and they were decent for mixing. So that's my preference. They're about $180 each (which comes out to about $360 (before tax)range). Then use the rest of your money for a mixer.

You'd have about $340 left. Get a GEMINI PS626I to start off with (it's a decent starter mixer). They run about $130. Which leaves you about $210 to get some decent needles.

I'm not a fan of these, but you can try the TRACKMASTER-2 which run about $100 each. Or you could get two SHURE M44-G (about $65 each) of which you'd have to mount which is basic in my opinion. But if also want, you can try pre-mounted M44-7 (they're mounted on TECH HEADSHELLS) at $95 each.

Voila!

[2] Two Numark TT-200 Turntables
[1] One Behringer VMX-200 mixer
[2] Two Stanton 520SK cartridges
[2] Two Single Turntable cases
[1] Record Bag
All cables included

all for 649

OR

Two Numark Pro TT-200 turntables
One Numark DM-1002x mixer
Two Stanton 520sk cartridges
All cables included

for 589

but im confused about cartridges, some look all long, and some like a box, whats the difference, and what do i need for either one..

I'm just familiar with my Ortofon (which are the long ones). They are great for mixing and low wear (Concorde Nightclub S) -- a little too pricey though for that budget.
I have no idea about the other style.

quote:

Originally posted by dinoXpress but im confused about cartridges, some look all long, and some like a box, whats the difference, and what do i need for either one..

Most cartridges require headshells. The long ones (concords, trackmasters, etc.) are all-in-one cartridge/headshell cart. If you do get stanton 520sks, you will need to mount them to a headshell. The TT200s come w/ headshells and everything you need to mount them.

The advantage to a headshell mount cart is you can adjust stylus overhang and weight.

The advantage to the concorde style, it doesn't require any mounting thus making setup somewhat easier.

I personally perfer headshell mounted for adjustment, lately however, i've switched over to whitelabels which are the only all-in-one cart that has overhang adjustments. Only bad thing bout whitelabels is they are expensive ($110us each)

I would recomend that you stick w/ the stanton 520sk carts b/c they can take a serious beating and still sound good. Great for mixing, and everyday use.

Ok here is is.

My future setup

[2] Numark tt-200s
[1] Behringher PRO MIXER DJX700
[1] 520SK H4 Twin Pack on Headshells


any suggestions? enlightnened ideas?

Techs will come later, right now, they just arent a feasible option. ANy ideas that go along with the theme of midrange everything?

ok im gonna be honest. i personally hate behringer mixers. They seem to make nothing but knock-offs of products made by other companies. May i suggest a Ecler Concept instead? Also you won't need to buy headshells w/ those cartridges if you buy those tt200 brand new as they come w/ them. If you can, try and get 1200s even used instead. That way you won't need to upgrade in the future.

mantra time...

secondhand ---> Technics ---> ebay

Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright © 2000-2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.