Turntables and mixer question!

C

cosmique

Guest
I'm thinking on getting a pair of Stanton turntables and a Numark PPD01 digital 10" battle mixer, I'm planning to spin house and techno. And I do not want to spend more than 800$, so what do you recommend? Is it a nice gear or should I look for another turntables and mixers? Thanks! By the way, I wanted to mix with cds but I desided to start with vinyls, is it a good idea or it is easier to mix with cds? Thanks.
:D
 
It's neither easier nor more difficult to mix with either, they're just two different kinds of things, it all depends on what you're used to.
If you're just starting out, ask yourself this question: what do I have more of, vinyl or CDs? Then go for whatever medium works best. Vinyl hunting is an expensive, dirty business and isn't very cost-effective but oh so rewarding. Buying CDs is less fun but cheaper and easier.

But to your question about gear:
Skimp on the mixer and get yourself a g o o d pair of turntables (i.e. Technics SL1200mk2 or 1210mk2 or 1200mk3, the latter is sometimes called M3D). Any crap mixer will do if you're just starting out, but quality is extremely important when it comes to turntables.
 
i know i have said this a load of times, but unless you're going for a higher range mixer (e.g. pmc270 or djm500, or high level scratch such as pmc05, ttm56, hak320:)) then, you might as well go with a umx-9 - the extra channel probably will come in handy too

the reason i say this is because the ppd01 will not really be any use to you as you plan to mix, and it is purely a scratch mixer with a gimmicky fader
 
So you mean that Numark PPD01 is not for mixing house and techno? So it is useless for that purpose? Ok... I understand, but I really like it's features so thats why I'm in love with it, but if it is a crap, obviously i will try to get another mixer.

Technics are very expensive, I don't have that money so I don't know what to do. I was planning to buy Stanton ST-100 turntables, they have more features than Technics, but I understand that Technics are better... thanks anyway.
 
try picking up some second hand gemini pt range turntables - they'll serve you better than the stantons (in my experience) and cost a darn sight less than the techs!
 
And what about American Audio Power Drive 2.2 Turntable?
 
ok here's the thing:
half of us spend a good chunk of our time convincing ppl to get Technics 1200 tables. You can take your risks with non-1200s, but be assured that you can always depend on the 1200s to be rock solid performers at almost every place you DJ.

If you look hard enough, you can find a pair of them for $700-$800. The extra $200 or so spent on these tables is hands down going to be worth it in the long run.

Think of it this way: we've been spitting out this same argument so many times that I could write an essay on this. 1200s are simply the best tables you can get right now. That may not be the case for long, but they have complete market dominance - if you become a professional, you're going to have to deal with sometime.
 
let's say you spend 600-650 bucks on a pair of ST-100s and then decide that DJing isn't for you and you want to sell them off. You'll prolly get 350-400 bucks for them 2nd hand.
You buy a pair of 1200s for, say, 700-750 bucks and if you want to sell them off you can easily get 600-650 for the pair.

same thing if you like DJing and want to upgrade, what good is it to spend lots of money on turntables you're gonna sell off anyway?
 
Ok, I know that Stanton turntables are not good enough to satisfy professional DJ needs, but I'd like to know which turntable from Stanton is better, the STR8-80 or STR8-100 or ST-100??? I'm asking that because I have read some reviews on STR8-80 and people say that these are pretty good turntables, but they don't mention anything about other models... what do you think? Thanks.
 
I had both the stanton str8-80, and str8-100, They are not that bad of decks however they sound like crap. The strait tonearm on turntables makes it so that the record will not skip when scratching but the cost of using this type of tonearm causes extended cue burn and alot of distortion. Second, the alloy platters of ALL Stanton turntables resonate noise like hell. The next thing i hate about the Str8-80, str8-100 is the built in preamp. It produces alot more noise than my old pos str8-60 and i couldn't use a shure sc35c b/c it would constently hum, even though it provides "key correction" and "digital outs" those are features you will never or rarely use. All in All of the stanton turntables the best bet for you would be the st-90 w/ the "S" tonearm and without all of that key correction and digital bs.
Another idea: save up some $$$ and go to guitar center when they have the 1200s on sale for $400 and get a pair, than later get a good mixer.:cheers:
 
My problem is that I love how Stanton turntables look. For me, they are beatiful and I love those blue strobe lights and stuff like that.. jejeje. But ofcourse, if they are crap, I'll never buy them just because of their look. Thanks.
 
you can always get a blue led kit for the 1200s. Believe me, i luv blue lights! Thats what color my 1200 will be!
 
Ok, it's not about the blue led really, I guess Technics are the best turntables in the market today. The problem is MONEY! They cost about 400$ each and I really can't pay 800$ bucks for a pair of these wonderful turntables... I also need a mixer, and I want a nice mixer. Maybe Stanton turntables are bad, but what about GEMINI??? What about GEMINI PDT-6000? The newest turntable from this brand? Is it nice or it is crap like others? Thanks guys... I appreciate your help!
 
To quote myself from another post:

"the thing about Technics is that 1) they sound better than other direct drive DJ turntables, 2) they're better built than other DJ turntables, 3) they have tons better 2nd hand value than other DJ turntables and 4) whenever you play in a club, you're bound to find two, three or four Technics SL1200 or SL1210 in the booth.
So that's why we're all pimping them. It's like the difference between an new upscale Audi and a standard equipped, 5-year-old BMW. The first one is nice, nifty, has lots of features but hasn't got the basics down. The other one gives you no fancy gimmicks, and really is nothing rather special, but it's tried, tested and trusty and gives you exactly what you need, want and depend on."

The Gemini PDT-6000 is around $300-330. Buy a pair of those, and then when you realise how crap they are and you want to sell them, expect to get $300 for the pair if you can sell them at all. That's 300 greenies down the drain.
If you save up right away and skimp on a mixer, you'll be much happier. Mixers have bad second hand value anyway, no matter the brand (save for Urei), and if you're just starting out you'll just want the bare essentials anyway.
Get the cheapest Vestax mixer for around 100 bucks and a pair of 1200s and I can guarantee that you won't regret it.
Go to your nearest dealer and try out a 1200 back to back with a Gemini and you'll FEEL the difference, the 1200 is so solid and rugged it'll last you 25 years. The Gemini, if you're lucky, will last 5 years and after those 5 years their value will be down to less than 100 bucks per table. The 1200s, in good shape, will still be worth 75% of what you paid for them new.
 
if you want turntables like tecghnics, but cant afford technics, get some gemini pt2000's - you can pick them up s/hand for about $200 and they are super tough - mine have been going something like 7 years now and still going strong!
 
I'm confused really! Gemini or Technics? I have read some posts here at these forums and some people say that gemini are nice and reliable turntables, others say that they are crap. For example:

funkmasterwikki said:

"if you want turntables like tecghnics, but cant afford technics, get some gemini pt2000's - you can pick them up s/hand for about $200 and they are super tough - mine have been going something like 7 years now and still going strong!"

but in the other hand:

mattu says:

"The Gemini PDT-6000 is around $300-330. Buy a pair of those, and then when you realise how crap they are and you want to sell them, expect to get $300 for the pair if you can sell them at all. That's 300 greenies down the drain."

I'm lost guys! It is really hard for me to get a pair of Technics, so I'll be very very happy if there are some nice turntables less expensive than Technics! Thanks anyway!
 
the thing with gemini, is that they have made some very nice products in the past whoch were plain, but got the job done, but now they seem to have sacrificed quality for gimmicks, so there are very few good gemini products, and almost none in current production
 
right.

you know what? I'd suggest you take a look on Ebay - you could easily fetch a pair for $600 used, they might be 7-8-9 years old but I guarantee they'll still be working and performing as if they were new.
 
Right eBay! but how I'll be sure that the turntables are in good condition? I have never bought anything from eBay, so I don't even know how to buy from eBay, but thanks anyway!
 
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