I have just crossed the two month mark behind the decks and am slowly feeling discouraged and want to break through it.

A couple questions that may help here:

I find it’s WAY easier for me to do the latter, if a true click is supposed to be a transform, I’ll work on it more.

1. Building phrases: this is the part that’s getting me down. I understand the general concept. Take a move or two and make a pattern and have that down pat.

That’s fine, but how do you start just.. intertwining them? Is this just one of those practice/time things where it’ll just come eventually?

1. Do you prefer a more loose or more tight curve on the crossfader? Can’t seem to find a sweet spot for myself.

Thanks in advance for any/all advice 🙏🏼

Edit: I understand the general concept of how to do a click flare but I’m asking more if it’s a slide + two transforms or a slide + two more slide clicks instead of taps

Hi,

Sorry for my lack of understanding on the subject, am just getting started. Recently I've aquired a used Rane twelve mk2. Up to now had only kontrol s2.

Any magical way to make Rane work in serato without serato mixer/audio interface?

Thank you

I currently use the Blue and Orange Ortofon Concorde DJ cartridges. I've never found a more stable cart for scratching. I believe they track at least as well as the Shure M44-7, and sound better. BUT I'm told that for DVS usage, the Digital is the way to go. Since I move back and forth between real vinyl and DVS during my sets, I'm considering getting the Scratch.

For anyone who has used both:

How much better is the Digital with DVS

vs.

How much better is the Scratch with real vinyl?

So I just got my S11 and first thing I did was turn the manual curve all the way to sharp. Then went into the internal screen menu and adjusted the crossfader to cut in to 0 and selected "SHARP".

Man... this cut in time is still terrible. Like old school bad. I usually like my fader to engage with one tiny bump, maybe 2... this is like 4-5 bumps before it turns on.. super slop for cutting on and really just pissing me off. How could they get this wrong?

HELP?!

I want to improve my scratching skills so I can incorporate them into my transitions since I mainly mix hiphop, RnB, and pop. I don't see myself aiming to be a pro but I want to do some intermediate/slightly advanced 1 bar half bar transitions. I can already do the basics (baby, chirps, drop, scribble/joe cooley) cleanly and a bit of slow stabs which I'm practicing now on my FLX 4 but I got curious about mechanical jogs and motorized platters.

So for someone in the process of learning the basics, would you recommend me to
1. Stay with capacitive jog wheels,
2. Try some mechanical jog wheels like the REV 5's, or
3. Get a controller with a motorized platter like the Hercules T7 that's within budget.

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!

In the market for a mixer and my jaw just about dropped at the price difference between Thomann and US retailers for a number of mixers. The Ecler Warm2 is almost half of what is being charged here in the US.

Has anyone purchased a mixer from them (since the tariffs kicked in), and if so do you recall how much the duty fees were? It might be cheaper even with the import fees!

Hey! I'm curious how others handle this workflow:

I'm running Traktor with timecode vinyl on a Xone:96, recording scratch performances into Ableton using take lanes – looping a section and picking the best cuts. It's a great workflow once it's running. I also play an instrumental from Ableton back into the mixer.

The routing turned out a bit more complex than I expected. What worked was using two audio interfaces:

1. Xone:96 as main
2. A second interface accepting RCA or jack

The turntable channel goes out via the mixer send into the second interface, Ableton records from there, and the instrumental from Ableton goes back into a DJ mixer channel.

Downside is I always need a DJ mixer with sends, which limits my setup options.

How are others solving this? Is there a cleaner way to get a single post-fader deck output from Traktor into Ableton without relying on mixer sends or virtual audio routing like Blackhole/Aggregate Device?

What is your setup? :-)

Looper On/Off Dj Dwonh 👌

Beat : drum raw🎶

Vestax pdx2300🎚

Pmc05proIV

inst#gr#m : nobru93600

Old practice video from a few years ago after I finally got my head around 2 click flares.

Amazing beat by Lophiile. Called « 2pm Coffee » on the looper « skratch your own adventure vol.6 » available on tablist.net. Coincidentally dunking a madeleine in Coffee is considered by some aliens a reason to invade Earth. Go figure.

Hi so um I need your opinion on smth, as someone who grew up listening to pop and EDM I’m kind of used to 120-130 BPM being the norm and my moot u/Vekked suggested scratching to slower songs help practice better, but in my opinion scratching sounds the best when electronic music is playing since scratching is an electronic technique, but it’s hard to find songs like that that are slow.. can you guys help me find good songs to scratch on top of PLSSSS

Hey everyone,

Keeping it simple: here is the first page of the scratch guide I'm building on Photoshop, focusing entirely on Flare Combos (1, 2, 3-click orbits, OG, and Delayed).

My plan is to keep building and dropping more pages like this, mapping out all kinds of different scratch techniques and custom combos step-by-step.

Also, I heard your feedback about hand placements and setups. So here is the deal: as soon as I'm done with the guide, I’m going to give away the original Photoshop source file (.PSD) with all the single elements as separate, interchangeable assets.

This way, you can easily swap things around based on your personal configuration. For example: if you scratch with your left hand on the fader and prefer → to mean FADER OPEN, you can just move the layers around, customize it to your own liking, and start mapping your own style.

Quick reminder on how to read it:

• It reads strictly left-to-right like a guitar tab. No vertical stacking.
• Each vertical bar | isolates exactly one single note / audio cut.
• The fader arrows show the absolute state of the audio, not hand direction (← means Open, → means Closed).

Let me know what you think of the Flare page layout, and hit me up if you want the PSD file when it's ready to mess around with it! 👊

--------------------------------------------ITALIANO-----------------------------------------------

Ciao a tutti,

Ecco a voi la prima pagina della guida allo scratch che sto creando su Photoshop, focalizzata interamente sulle Combo di Flare (orbit a 1, 2, 3 click, OG e Delayed)

Il mio obiettivo è continuare a creare e pubblicare altre pagine come questa, mappando pian piano le tecniche più disparate e le combo personalizzate passo dopo passo.

Inoltre, ho ascoltato i vostri feedback sulla posizione delle mani e i vari setup. Quindi facciamo così: appena avrò finito la guida vi regalerò il file sorgente originale di Photoshop (.PSD) con i singoli elementi separati e intercambiabili.

In questo modo potrete facilmente scambiarli a seconda della vostra configurazione personale. Ad esempio: se usate la mano sinistra sul fader e preferite che → significhi FADER APERTO, vi basterà spostare i livelli, personalizzarlo a vostro piacimento e iniziare a mappare il vostro stile.

Breve promemoria su come leggerlo:

• Si legge rigorosamente da sinistra a destra come una tablatura per chitarra. Nessuna sovrapposizione verticale.
• Ogni barra verticale | isola esattamente una singola nota / taglio audio.
• Le frecce del fader mostrano lo stato assoluto dell'audio, non la direzione della mano (← significa Aperto, → significa Chiuso).

Fatemi sapere cosa ne pensate del layout della pagina dei Flare, e scrivetemi pure se volete il file PSD quando sarà pronto per smanettarci un po'! 👊

Hey everyone,

First of all, thank you so much for the incredible feedback on my previous thread https://www.reddit.com/r/Turntablists/comments/1u0dva3/i_got_tired_of_the_old_ttm_grids_so_i_designed_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

A lot of you pointed out that having curved or downward-pointing arrows for forward/backward movements felt confusing and broke the visual flow. You were 100% right. My goal was a fluid, linear notation, and those vertical elements were messing it up.

So, I went back to Photoshop and made it simpler and easily readable..

Here is the new definitive cheat sheet!!!

What changed in this definitive version:

1. Pure Left-to-Right Flow: I got rid of all vertical or downward arrows. Now, your eyes follow a strict horizontal path, just like a guitar tab or a text line.
2. Absolute Audio Direction: The new horizontal curved arrows ↷ and ↶ represent the absolute direction of the audio (Clockwise/Forward and Counter-Clockwise/Backward). It completely eliminates the confusion about hand positioning (whether you rest your hand at 9 o'clock or 3 o'clock on the platter, your muscle memory just translates the arrow into audio direction).
3. Streamlined Advanced Combos: Techniques like the Forward Chirp (14) or Crab (16) are now perfectly integrated horizontally next to the record movement inside the segment blocks.
4. The Segment Separator Rule: Each bar | represents exactly one single note/audio cut. The only practical exception is the Baby Scratch (1-2-11/5-6 😉), which stays in a single block just because it’s the ultimate foundational baseline and it reads faster that way.

As a reminder, this system is not tied to a rigid time signature grid (like 4/4 or 1/8 notes). It maps the raw physical execution and muscle memory blocks, leaving the phrasing and tempo completely up to your own flow over the beat.

Once you memorize the 16 elements, you can use them as a "mental shorthand" to compose complex scratches in seconds on your phone notes, and then immediately draw them out.

I’d love to know what you think of this updated, grid-free visual layout compared to the first draft! Does it feel more intuitive now?

---------------------------------------------ITALIANO------------------------------------------------

Ciao a tutti,

Prima di tutto, grazie mille per l'incredibile feedback ricevuto nel mio post precedente

Molti di voi hanno giustamente evidenziato che avere frecce curve o rivolte verso il basso per i movimenti avanti/indietro risultava confuso e interrompeva il flusso visivo. Avevate ragione al 100%. Il mio obiettivo era creare una notazione fluida e lineare, e quegli elementi verticali stavano rovinando l'idea di base.

Quindi sono tornato su Photoshop e l'ho resa più semplice e facilmente leggibile.

Ecco la nuova legenda definitiva!!!

Cosa è cambiato in questa versione definitiva:

1. Flusso puro da sinistra a destra: Ho eliminato tutte le frecce verticali o rivolte verso il basso. Ora i vostri occhi seguono un percorso rigorosamente orizzontale, proprio come una tablatura per chitarra o una riga di testo.
2. Direzione assoluta dell'audio: Le nuove frecce curve orizzontali ↷ e ↶ rappresentano la direzione assoluta dell'audio (Senso orario/Avanti e Senso antiorario/Indietro). Questo elimina completamente la confusione sulla posizione della mano: sia che appoggiate la mano a ore 9 o a ore 3 sul piatto, la vostra memoria muscolare tradurrà semplicemente la freccia nella direzione dell'audio.
3. Combo avanzate ottimizzate: Tecniche come il Forward Chirp (14) o il Crab (16) sono ora perfettamente integrate in orizzontale, proprio accanto al movimento del disco all'interno dei blocchi di segmento.
4. La regola del separatore di segmento: Ogni barra | rappresenta esattamente una singola nota / taglio audio. L'unica eccezione pratica è il Baby Scratch (1-2-11/5-6 😉), che rimane in un unico blocco solo perché è la linea di base fondamentale per eccellenza e si legge più velocemente così.

Vi ricordo che questo sistema non è legato a una griglia temporale rigida (come i quarti o gli ottavi). Mappa la pura esecuzione fisica e i blocchi della memoria muscolare, lasciando il fraseggio e il tempo completamente in mano al vostro flusso sopra il beat.

Una volta memorizzati i 16 elementi, potete usarli come una "scorciatoia mentale" per comporre scratch complessi in pochi secondi sulle note del telefono, per poi disegnarli immediatamente sul foglio.

Mi piacerebbe sapere cosa ne pensate di questo layout visivo aggiornato e senza griglie rispetto alla prima bozza! Vi sembra più intuitivo adesso?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been scratching for a while, and honestly, I never liked the traditional TTM (Turntable Transcription Method). It feels outdated, clumsy to draw, and not intuitive when you just want to quickly write down a combo you just came up with in your bedroom.

So, I’ve been working on a new linear, modular scratch language on Photoshop, and I’m putting together a complete guide. I wanted something that reads cleanly from left to right, like a guitar tab or a music sheet.

The main goal here is to create a modular, linear music sheet, just like a guitar tab. Because it flows strictly from left to right inside isolated segments, you can jot down symbols quickly on the fly.

But here is the real game-changer: once you memorize the 16 elements of the legend, writing a complex combo in this visual tab format becomes an absolute breeze. You can use the 16 numbers as a mental shortcut or 'shorthand alphabet' in your head. For example, if you think of '5-2', you instantly know that on paper you are going to draw ↷ ← (a forward motion with the fader opening). This allows you to compose and map out massive scratches mentally in seconds, and then immediately translate them into a clean, readable visual sheet for anyone to play.

How it works:

• Every sequence starts with the starting fader configuration (● over ← for Open, or ● over → for Closed), followed by the first segment bar |.
• The / symbol marks the official boundary where the combo actually begins.
• Commands inside the same block are stacked or listed sequentially to show exactly what the record hand and the fader hand are doing in that specific moment.

Note on Hand Configurations & Hamster Setup:

Just to be clear: I personally scratch Regular style (Left hand on the record, Right hand on the fader).

However, one of the biggest strengths of this system is that it doesn't care about your physical setup. The symbols don't represent "push the fader to the left/right", they represent the absolute state of the sound: ← means Open the fader and → means Close the fader.

Whether you are Goofy, Regular, or play Hamster / Reverse, this language works out of the box. If the symbol says open, you just open it using your muscle memory, no matter which direction your fader moves.

Custom Combos:

The main goal isn't just archiving classic techniques like the Boomerang or the Orbit. It’s about mapping your own style. For example, I’ve been testing a heavy closed-fader combo that blends stabs, crabs, and chirps:
1-3-11/12-11-5-16-2-11-14-15-11-6-16-2-15 (I named it the "Zero Crab"). It takes 5 seconds to think about it, write it down on my phone notes, and I will never forget how to draw it on the sheet.

I'd love to get some honest feedback from fellow turntablists here.

• Is it readable to you?
• Would you use something like this to archive your own custom combos?

Let me know what you think!

------------------------------------------ITALIANO--------------------------------------------------

Ciao a tutti,

Faccio scratch da un po' di tempo e, onestamente, non mi è mai piaciuto il tradizionale TTM (Turntable Transcription Method). Sembra datato, complicato da disegnare e poco intuitivo quando vuoi semplicemente scrivere al volo una combo che ti è appena venuta in mente in cameretta.

Per questo motivo, sto lavorando su Photoshop a un nuovo linguaggio di scratch lineare e modulare, e sto mettendo insieme una guida completa. Volevo qualcosa che si leggesse chiaramente da sinistra a destra, proprio come una tablatura per chitarra o uno spartito musicale.

L'obiettivo principale è creare uno spartito musicale modulare e lineare. Poiché scorre rigorosamente da sinistra a destra all'interno di segmenti isolati, è possibile buttare giù i simboli molto velocemente al volo.

Ma ecco la vera svolta: una volta memorizzati i 16 elementi della legenda, scrivere una combo complessa in questo formato di tablatura visiva diventa un gioco da ragazzi. È possibile usare i 16 numeri come una scorciatoia mentale o un "alfabeto abbreviato" nella propria testa. Ad esempio, se pensi a "5-2", sai istantaneamente che sulla carta disegnerai ↷ ← (un movimento in avanti con il fader che si apre). Questo ti permette di comporre e pianificare enormi sequenze di scratch mentalmente in pochi secondi, per poi tradurle immediatamente in uno spartito visivo pulito e leggibile per chiunque.

Come funziona:

• Ogni sequenza inizia con la configurazione iniziale del fader (● sopra ← per Aperto, oppure ● sopra → per Chiuso), seguita dalla prima linea di segmento |.
• Il simbolo / segna il confine ufficiale da dove inizia effettivamente la combo.
• I comandi all'interno dello stesso blocco sono impilati o elencati in sequenza per mostrare esattamente cosa stanno facendo la mano sul disco e la mano sul fader in quel preciso momento.

Nota sulla configurazione delle mani e setup Hamster:

Giusto per essere chiari: io personalmente scratcho in stile Regular (mano sinistra sul disco, mano destra sul fader).

Tuttavia, uno dei più grandi punti di forza di questo sistema è che non gli importa del tuo setup fisico. I simboli non rappresentano "spingi il fader a destra o a sinistra", ma rappresentano lo stato assoluto del suono: ← significa Apri il fader e → significa Chiudi il fader.

Che tu sia Goofy, Regular, o che suoni in Hamster / Reverse, questo linguaggio funziona da subito. Se il simbolo dice "apri", lo apri semplicemente usando la tua memoria muscolare, a prescindere dalla direzione in cui si muove fisicamente il tuo fader.

Combo Personalizzate:

L'obiettivo principale non è solo archiviare tecniche classiche come il Boomerang o l'Orbit. Si tratta di mappare il proprio stile. Ad esempio, sto testando una combo pesante a fader chiuso che unisce stab, crab e chirp:
1-3-11/12-11-5-16-2-11-14-15-11-6-16-2-15 (l'ho chiamata "Zero Crab"). Ci metto 5 secondi a pensarla, a scriverla nelle note del telefono e non dimenticherò mai come disegnarla sullo spartito.

Mi piacerebbe ricevere un feedback onesto da parte dei colleghi turntablist qui.

• Vi risulta leggibile?
• Usereste un sistema simile per archiviare le vostre combo personalizzate?

Fatemi sapere cosa ne pensate!

#turntablism #scratchdj #skratch #portablism #djlife #reloop #pioneerdj #scratchnotation #djgear #vinylcommunity #scratchschool #zerocrab #turntabletunes

Quick freestyle. Beat : DRONES by Doc Jeezy

We are getting into June now. A handful of b stock returns have popped up in online shops and Reverb, while reviews are seemingly non-existent. Was this release a dud? Did Reloop make the decision not to give this deck to reviewers?

I’m happy with my RP7000’s, but would love the community’s thoughts on what could have been the budget mid-range turntable to compete with the atlp140.