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Scratching

Anybody here know how? I've always wanted to learn even before I got my decks, but never had anybody around to teach me the basics...
Anyhelp would be appreciated. Oh, and BTW, please don't redirect me to some informative website. I want real, hands on experience advice. Thanks.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/scratching


sorry, j/k

semi decent portal on the subject : http://www.scratchdj.com/

this will give you an idea on different scratches
http://www.turntable2k.com/tutorials.shtml


I don't know where there is any good tutorial sites so just look around

It all has to do with timing, and how light your hand is... practice up my son.


- Grand Master Flash

i still kinda suck at it

but im buying this so i can learn


http://www.djmart.com/doityourvol1.html

Dude get the Q-Bert DVD on how to scatch. It has all you need to know!

quote:

Originally posted by Tranzlucent It all has to do with timing, and how light your hand is... practice up my son. - Grand Master Flash

and don't forget to use your crossfader, which has to be "soft" and only cut , not fade.
that's why scratch/battle and techno/trance/normal mixers are not the same .... unless you get a top notch mixer that has an ajustable crossfade curve

scratching basics are easy if you get the right stuff to learn.
otherwise it's a question of mixing in rhytm or not...

anyhow you counting on scratching over some trance?

Naw...just wanna learn how to scratch. Maybe I'll scratch over trance sometimes, but as for right now..pure cutting.

and if you are scratching, having a scratch tools record really helps.

the end of one record I have is just random 1 beat sounds w/3-4 seconds silence betweeen them...makes for fun scratching

First let me put on my Kevlar underwear.......ok...here'sd my personal opinion...Why does every wannabe DJ and even a lot of DJs think that scratching is so cool? It's annoying as hell to listen to because almost every DJ that scratches....over scratches....I've heard some DJs scratch so much that you can't even tell what song they are trying to play. Not only that...but....scratching fucks up your vinyl...BIG TIME. As for me, my vinyl is how I make my living (or when i was working in the clubs, at least)so I try and treat my vinyl with as much respect as possible. Why would I want to deliberately fuck up the tools of my trade? i recently got a Pioneer CMX-300 dual CD player......it has a scratch feature on it ( I imagine a lot of dual CD players do now) but I still won't use it...even though I know it won't harm my CDs at all.....I still think it's real annoying Anyway, I figure that my vinyl gets enough abuse just from cueing and back cueing (which is basically scratching with the volume turned down). It amazes me though, that almost every single person that I see get behind the decks for the first time....the first thing they try and do is scratch. I say...give it a rest. Ok...flame away.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny Eckhardt First let me put on my Kevlar underwear.......ok...here'sd my personal opinion...Why does every wannabe DJ and even a lot of DJs think that scratching is so cool? It's annoying as hell to listen to because almost every DJ that scratches....over scratches....I've heard some DJs scratch so much that you can't even tell what song they are trying to play. Not only that...but....scratching fucks up your vinyl...BIG TIME. As for me, my vinyl is how I make my living (or when i was working in the clubs, at least)so I try and treat my vinyl with as much respect as possible. Why would I want to deliberately fuck up the tools of my trade? i recently got a Pioneer CMX-300 dual CD player......it has a scratch feature on it ( I imagine a lot of dual CD players do now) but I still won't use it...even though I know it won't harm my CDs at all.....I still think it's real annoying Anyway, I figure that my vinyl gets enough abuse just from cueing and back cueing (which is basically scratching with the volume turned down). It amazes me though, that almost every single person that I see get behind the decks for the first time....the first thing they try and do is scratch. I say...give it a rest. Ok...flame away.

Yep I was one of the kids first day behind the decks i was scratching away. Your definetly right about the over scratching part. I think part of being a good turntablist is knowing when to scratch and what not and not to over due it.

If done in moderation it can sound pretty cool.

I'm not gonna go off on your ass like my usual hot tempered style because you were ready to reap fire by that kevlar underwear quote, so you know what you were getting yourself into posting a comment like that.
First and foremost, I dunno who the fuck you think you are telling me I'm a wanna be DJ. I'm just as much(or less...your pick) as a DJ as you.
Second, if you REALLY wanna claim to a turntablist, beatmatching songs into one another aint shit...beatmatching is a fundamental technique required to blend songs, requiring almost zero talent, yet lots of skill to perfect. How fucking hard is it to make one song go the same pace as the next? About as easy to push a car's brakes or accelerator to speed up/slow down to the next car, if not easier.
Third, on the note on my second point, scratching skills are fucking bomb to watch and perform...if you've seen some DMC videos back in the days with MixMaster Mike, NuMark, Kutmasta Kurt, Swamp and the god-like QBert(who will DESTROY, EAT AND PUT TO SHAME ON TURNTABLES ANY OF THESE TRANCE DJS THAT WE LOVE SO MUCH)
I dunno why you got into turntablism...money, fame, or love for the art, whatever your reason is obviously differs from mine. Turntablism is as much an art form as conducting, painting, poetry and dance.
I'm sorry if I went off again and sounded like an ass, but that comment about how 'every wannabe DJ wanting to scratch' comment kinda pissed me off, just cuz how ignorant it sounded.
If anything, scratching and technical vinyl manipulation manifest and represent the DJs image to the fullest, not a guy or girl switching between records at a rave or club.

First of all John...when I mentioned "wannabe DJs"... I was not referring to you. I was referring to ....well...wannabe DJs. You can't tell me that there aren't a lot of them out there. Second...I don't recall mentioning anything about beatmatching or any other skills that it takes too make a good DJ.I was just voicing my personal opinion on scratching. One thing is for certain though, whether you call it "technical vinyl manipulation" or "annoying crap" the fact is that it still fucks up your vinyl.
As for why I got into spinning records....it certainly wasn't for money and definately not for fame. When I started spinning, DJs did not have the star status that they have today......and we certainly didn't make the kind of money that DJs make today. We also didn't have the luxury of Technics 1200s (at first, that is...they came out with those a couple of years after I started DJing).
You're making it sound like scratching is everything and beatmatchinng & mixing is idiotic nonsense. Well...it takes a lot more skill to make a good clean transition from one song to the next or have nice working overlays than it does to find the beat on a record then wiggle it back and forth. Don't take that personal. I was just showing the other side of the coin....where you make it sound like mixing is childs play and scratching takes true talent. But then, what do I know? I've only been doing it since about 1976.
That's not saying that makes me any better of a DJ than you or anyone else here. For all I know, you may be a far better DJ than me....but that's not the issue here.

Lets not forget that this is a thread about scratching... on a TRANCE forum. Of course on this forum most people are heavily into trance, which is not associated with scratching. In fact, scratching over trance is just plain shit, and sounds awful.

Scratching is mainly for hip-hop and drum n bass. The sounds made in scratching complement these styles of music, whereas it does not in trance.

Scratching and beat mixing are two different skills. Ask a hip-hop turntablist to seamlessly mix together two progressive trance tunes so you can't tell the change in record, and chances are he couldn't do it. Ask a progressive trance DJ to use some mad skratch skillz with a couple of hip-hop records, and you know what the result will sound like.

Some people like scratching, some people don't. That's how it is. Personally, I would love to be able to do it. However, I can't. I've tried it, and it sounds shit. Perhaps with more practice I could, but I can't be arsed.

The argument about wearing out your records and needles can be taken both ways. Of course, scratching wears out both faster, but this is to be expected. Trance/house DJ's expect to have their records and needles last longer, and scratch DJ's expect to have to replace them more often. And for practicing, what do you think they do? Use their brand new, expensive needles and latest tunes? Of course not. If you want to practice scratching, you get a pair of cheap Stantons that you can just cane the hell out of, and a couple of old "why did I buy that" records that you can also cane the hell out of. You save your decent stuff for when you need it.

Ok Johnny. I see your point. But what I think happened was a for of miscommunication.
I didn't mean scratching over my trance and house 12". I've put in lots and lots of effort and tons of money to have my collection as of right now(which I'm very proud of, albeit it's not a Carl Cox number of records), so chances are that I'll be trying to save these as much as possible.
Scratching over beats and cuts from hip hop records is what I'm talking about. I just find the way that the true turntablists cutting and mixing their acetates amazing and fucking off the hook. If you've seen Qbert live, or Mix Master Mike, you'll know what I'm talking about.
That's the reason why I brought up the issue of beatmatching. It takes a hell of a lot more talent, physical agility and coordination to scratch and juggle than it does to line up two records with each other. Yeah, it does require effort and skill, but only so much...with scratching, your actually creating something totally different from something else, and your potential and results are bound only by your imagination.
And scratching isn't just cuing the record back and forth and 'wiggling' it over a beat...scratching comprises an aspect of turntablism along with our current trance DJ's as well. Just like beatmatching isn't just making two records go at the same pace, scratching is much more than just backcueing and what not.
As for you being a DJ since 1976... all I got to say is: respect.

quote:

Originally posted by dJohn Ok Johnny. I see your point. But what I think happened was a for of miscommunication. I didn't mean scratching over my trance and house 12". I've put in lots and lots of effort and tons of money to have my collection as of right now(which I'm very proud of, albeit it's not a Carl Cox number of records), so chances are that I'll be trying to save these as much as possible. Scratching over beats and cuts from hip hop records is what I'm talking about. I just find the way that the true turntablists cutting and mixing their acetates amazing and fucking off the hook. If you've seen Qbert live, or Mix Master Mike, you'll know what I'm talking about. That's the reason why I brought up the issue of beatmatching. It takes a hell of a lot more talent, physical agility and coordination to scratch and juggle than it does to line up two records with each other. Yeah, it does require effort and skill, but only so much...with scratching, your actually creating something totally different from something else, and your potential and results are bound only by your imagination. And scratching isn't just cuing the record back and forth and 'wiggling' it over a beat...scratching comprises an aspect of turntablism along with our current trance DJ's as well. Just like beatmatching isn't just making two records go at the same pace, scratching is much more than just backcueing and what not. As for you being a DJ since 1976... all I got to say is: respect.

DON'T COPY Q BERT!

There's this plague in the turntablist world is that every newbie ( which you are! ) wants to copy Q Bert cause he's the shit he's got style etc etc...
and today to many newbies copy him and actually manage to get a level near his only to try to bust out there shit during ITF or DMC competitions ....

The stuff you're talking about is pure turntablism, inaudible to the untrained ear , and unknown outside of the inner circle.

Tap into some mixtapes to get a good feel of scratching to mix, and not to give everyone a headache while trying to bust it out technically. The supperrappin Cds ( there's two of them ) are excellent and I'd deeply suggest them to anyone who had any form of interest for lyricist vibes.

btw anyone seen the movie Wavetwister by the ISPs ?

oh and by the way don't forget what you said to start out with :

quote:

Naw...just wanna learn how to scratch. Maybe I'll scratch over trance sometimes, but as for right now..pure cutting.

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