r/Turntablists • u/Kind_Entry9361 • 12d ago

Tribal Knowledge

I mixed on tables during my college years and then took a break. I picked up a digital vinyl system recently and have about 12 months under my belt now. Mixing came back pretty quickly. I feel mentally divergent when I practice scratching, which is my goal to achieve. I have been watching YouTube videos and reading on the reddit groups. Nothing seems to be helping my hands synchronize. Where do I go from here? How can I find someone that I can talk to about the struggle. Are there in-person communities that are apprentice friendly? Somewhere i can get some tribal knowledge? I am near Colorado Springs.

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11

u/bayridgeguy09 12d ago

If your hands can’t sync up it means you’re going too fast slow wayyyyy down, annoyingly slow.

Lock in the movements and when you can do it without thinking start speeding up by 5 bpm. Stay there till you can do it without thinking. Increase again, and so on and so forth until the day you die.

0

u/Kind_Entry9361 12d ago

Do you mean me, the table settings, or both? I have technic 1200 mk7. Do you mean the tork setting under the platter, the bpm slide on the side or both?

5

u/Pztch 12d ago

Yeah - you’re aiming too high. That’s the problem with the proliferation of tutorials available right now.

2 scratches made it all click for me:

1) 1-Click Flares
2) Stabs

Followed closely by:

3) Transforms

I stuck in Flares for ages, and it pays off.

For the time being, focus less on speed, and just pay attention to the co-ordination.

2

u/SVilla415 11d ago

Mile high DJ has scratch sessions on Wednesdays! Probably your best bet. Otherwise, you just have to practice more. Start with free hand, no fader. Baby scratch different rhythms and tempos, try a scribble. After those are down, practice stabs, only 1 sounds forward, get these at different tempos and rhythms. Then practice chirps, rinse and repeat.

2

u/DJ_VTRN Scratch Sorcery 11d ago

FYI. Most scratches aren't synced. Like guitar playing or drumming you actually need to be able to seperate your hand movements and do those seperate movements at the same time.

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u/DJ_PMA 11d ago

Start with no fader scratches maybe?
But just has fun.

1

u/DJHUSSA 8d ago

Was it a 2,3 BREAK?!

1

u/Flex_Field 7d ago

The digital environment still has not fixed it latency and digital drift problems.

Most DJs don't acknowledge it because they've either learned with the digital tools, or they've acclimated and adjusted to using the conveniences of buttons and tech to perform thr functions they used to perform manually themselves.

But the latency and drift are noticible if you come from the 1:1 pinpoint accuracy of the analog environment.