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Posted by Mika on Jul-21-2003 00:28:

Newbie equipment question

Forgive me if is this is a impossible question to answer (As everyone prefers different equipment, CD vs Vinyl and so on). Iv'e recently become hooked on this whole bedroom DJ thing, i love everything even remotely trance or house and now i feel that i would like to take the whole thing a step further. I need to get the absolutely cheapest yet still useable and learnable stuff aviable. at Chemical-records.com i found out that they sell the Numark TT1600 TT's for �84 +tax a piece which is more than half of what they cost here in sweden (around �170). Now, my qestions are as follows: Are the TT1600's worthy of my money as they are belt driven? How necesseray would it be for a n00b DJ like me to have direct driven TT's? Remember that they cost much less than any TT that iv'e seen here in sweden. Belt or Direct Driven. Secondly, if i decide to go for the TT1600's from chemical records i assume that all i would need to get em' up n' running when i get them is a wall socket adapter as the socket's are different in the UK than here in sweden. The voltage is the same but the sockets look very different. Would it be worthwhile ordering them from the UK (still considering that they are VERY cheap).?

Now for the mixer. I noticed that the Numark DM1002X has a 3 band equalizer AND 3 kill switches. I thought that you didn't need any kill switches if you have EQ. Aren't you supposed to be able to cancel out the bass tones for example with the Low end EQ? If so, what the heck are the kill switches for? Or have i completely got it wrong? I'm btw looking at the above Numark DM1002X for �106 or the much cheaper (man do i feel cheap!) DM950 for �40. the DM950 does not have Kill switches and has a 2 band EQ instead of a 3 band. Would i be alright with the DM950 or would it be necessary to have the kill switches and 3 band EQ?

Thanks for your time guys.

Posted by Spin Doctor on Jul-21-2003 00:54:

I�d recommend that for your first purchase you get CD decks. Many people may disagree but there�s logic behind this. The reason being, even the lowest quality CD players are mixable at a push, with lower end Turntables you�ve got a real problem with the pitch wobbling about making mixing very hard indeed. Cheaper CD decks, while not having all the features won�t have this problem. Besides once you�ve learnt the fundamentals of mixing, if you then decide to get Turntables it won�t take you long to work out how to mix with them if you�ve got experience with the CD players. Plus with CD players you don�t need to worry about carts and styli etc.

As for a mixer, what you want is simply one with gain control, 3 band EQ and you�re away. A replacement cross fader would be useful though. If you have EQ you don�t really need kill switches because if you�re quick with your knobs ( ) you can do exactly the same as you could with kill switches, however some people prefer switches. When doing a bog standard A � B mix you don�t use the kills anyway.

Good luck, and remember this: Practice, Practice, Practice!

Posted by djlemeir on Jul-21-2003 01:01:

remember as a rule of thumb. the shitiest direct driven are better than the best belth driven

my advice would be wtvr u do dont get belt driven. the mixer is good as i own 1 myself

good luck and happy mixin

Posted by Mika on Jul-21-2003 01:11:

Thanx for the input. One question: exacty how is a belt driven TT far worse than a direct driven?

Sidenote: I really can't look at CD Decks as these Numark TT's are so damn cheap. I get 4 Numark TT1600's for the same price as a dual CD Deck. Besides, i would really wan't to start building a Vinyl collection as soon as possible. Buying a CD Deck isn't gonna help me with that. Worth noticing is also that i don't mind getting to buy a completely new setup should i find DJ'ing fun enough. So this first setup is really just that. A first newbie setup.

Posted by Spin Doctor on Jul-21-2003 02:09:

On belt drive turntables, the platter is made to whiz round by a rubber belt that gets moved by a motor. The belt slips, motor isn�t good enough, crummy torque etc, which means the pitch wobbles. I.e. if you set it to �3% for example, it wavers around that mark but isn�t exactly �3%. Direct drive TT�s move the platter directly, lots more torque, less prone to pitch wobble.

Posted by Vizay on Jul-21-2003 03:21:

hey Mika, my suggestion is that you check out the direct driven models by Numark on www.recordcase.de

everything is in german there but if you have any questions to them just mail them and you'll get a fast answer

I ordered my sennheiser headphones from them, everything went really smooth from the moment I clicked order too the moment I had them in my hands

I just checked and compared the prizes and they are about the same on recordcase and chemical but recordcase have more models and brands

Posted by Mika on Jul-21-2003 10:53:

Thanks for the heads up mate. How is it that DJ equipment is half as expensive in germany and the UK as here in sweden? I get 2 TT's there for the same price as i get 1 here in sweden!

Anyways i came across another british site called www.dolphinmusic.com and they sell a package containing 2 Numark TT1625's (Direct Driven TT's!), a Numark DM950 mixer and a pair of HF125 headphones. All for �314 incl shipping. That sounds like pretty good deal to me. Only thing i'm kind of dissapointed about is the mixer (it doesn't have kill switches and only has a 2 Band EQ) but i guess it'll do as newbie stuff.

Posted by Vizay on Jul-21-2003 11:38:

first of all just to clear out any kind of confusion mika meant dolphinmusic.co.uk and not .com

that package is well worth it's money if your'e not to picky about the mixer (I mean you can always upgrade that later on when you get more money)

ohh and btw, the high prices here in sweden are there because our shitty government has taxes on taxes on taxes for just about anything you can imagine

Posted by Mika on Jul-21-2003 11:59:

I stand corrected. www.dolphinmusic.co.uk and nothing else.

I think i'll go with that set and buy a new mixer when and if i find DJing worth my time and money. Now i'll just have to find a way to raise the cash for it.

Posted by Vizay on Jul-21-2003 12:02:

Mika: I then have 2 questions for you, how do you intend to pay and do you know how much the delivery to swe costs (curious coz I'm thinking of buying a pair of 1650 myself from them)

Posted by Mika on Jul-21-2003 13:26:

it says this on the site:
quote:
Orders for anywhere in Europe excluding the UK will be charged a standard �25 delivery fee.

�25 for shipping is perfectly fine for me and i intend to pay with my good ol' stressed out credit card.

Posted by spike_boy69 on Jul-21-2003 22:34:

like most people would say, DO NOT GET BELT DRIVE, they say go for the technics, however, i got numark tt1650'S. these are the direct drive version of what you were planning. and to tell you the truth, i find these decks useable, i have nothing wrong with them, and they work fine,

As for mixers, dont get the 950, you really should have a 3band eq. this helps with smoother transitions. i sugest looking at some of the behringer mixers, as these are cheap and cheereful.

Posted by spike_boy69 on Jul-21-2003 22:37:

and above, you said how you could get that pack for �320 or something. well try looking around, and when you do make some calls, and try and haggle a bit, i saved �30 and my set up (tt1650 and dm3000x mixer) cost me �370 only prob with this is i had to get new headphones and i you will pronanly need new carts and needles. as the standard numark ones are useable but not the best.

Posted by Mika on Jul-21-2003 22:58:

Iv'e actually been thinking about this and i'm kinda keen of getting a better mixer than the DM950. Iv'e already decided to get some direct driven Numark TT's (either the 1625's or 1650's) but i'm still checking out mixers. The DM950 that is included in the Numark DJ package together with the TT1625's feels a bit to simple to be honest and like spikeboy pointed out it doesn't have a 3 band EQ. So i'm looking into the Behringer DJX400 instead. 2xTT1650's + 1xBehringer DJX400 +Numark headphones would cost me �393 incl. shipping. It's the lowest i get with consideration to getting somewhat good equipment.

Anyone have any opinions on the Behringer DJX400? Is it a good mixer? Does it serve as more than a newbie mixer (will i be able to do fine with it when my skills improve)?

Posted by fishfish on Jul-21-2003 23:10:

speaking about new gear, i plan to work some time and earn a bit money so i've decided i want to expand my audio system a bit and purchase some new type of gear. this are my choises:
1. cdj 100s - second hand
2. efx 500 + some sampler - also second hand
3. final scratch - which is new and more expansive.
4. some new choons - new of course
5. sl1210/1200mk2 - second hand too

what will it be??