Beat Down Pro

Final Scratch – 24E1 SDH Multiplexer – EOP 8E1/Ethernet converter

Concept
Special vinyl records pressed with a digital timecode are played on normal turntables. The timecode signal is interpreted by a computer, connected to the turntables through an interface called the ScratchAmp. The signal represents where the stylus is on the record, in which direction it is traveling, and at what speed. This information is interpreted by the computer and used to play back a digital audio file which has been ‘mapped’ to the turntable.
In practical terms, this means that any audio file can be manipulated as though it were pressed on vinyl. This has a great many advantages for DJs, not least that a laptop computer can often hold tens of thousands of audio files, whilst a record box has a decidedly smaller capacity and is much heavier. Advantages/Disadvantages
This system has various advantages over using normal records, without too many serious disadvantages.
Advantages:
Portability of thousands of audio tracks, (laptop or external HDD as opposed to record box) with quick access and organization
Ability to play audio tracks unavailable on vinyl eg. pre-arranged loops, unreleased music or rare tracks
The use of CD deck features (software permitting) such as keylock, pitch shift, looping, instant cue locating and visual indicators of audio features such as loud or quiet parts
The ability to prevent needle skips on the vinyl being reflected in the playback of the audio track being played/controlled (software permitting)
Digital audio files will not degrade every time they are played, plus they can easily be backed up so if anyone should steal or accidentally damage your music collection, you may only have to replace easily obtainable hardware such as a laptop or hard drive instead of irreplaceable vinyl
Disadvantages:
Reliability; depending on the hardware/software configuration used, vinyl emulation systems may use more system resources than some laptops or PCs offer, making them unsuitable for this use. History
Final Scratch has passed through multiple stages of development. These stages are marked by involvement with different vendors, hardware configurations, software developers and operating systems. Pre-release
Final Scratch was originally developed for BeOS, and premiered at the Be Developer Conference in 1998. Versions 1.0-1.5
All versions of Final Scratch 1 use the same Scratchamp, a USB and RCA device in a round plastic shell. The technical specifications of this device have been closely guarded by Stanton as an anti-piracy measure, though some users, unsatisfied with the latency and instability of the system, have alleged the use of faulty Philips sound chips which had already been withdrawn from the market. However, the same chipset was being used in several other USB audio devices manufactured by companies like Griffin and Roland at that time.
FS 1.0 was released for PC only, on a specially modified distribution of Debian Linux. It was relatively primitive but some users found that, if configured correctly, it outperformed all subsequent versions of Final Scratch 1.x.
With version 1.1, Stanton Magnetics began working with Native Instruments on the software side of the product, which became Traktor Final Scratch. As the name suggests, this bore a resemblance to the interface of Traktor, a Native Instruments software DJing product. This version was once again available on Linux, but was also ported to Mac OS X.
The next major revision was version 1.5, which added a Windows XP version, but dropped Linux support. This version also added the ability to keep the pitch of the record constant whilst shifting the tempo. The interface changed very little, but some users initially had issues with the Windows Scratchamp drivers.
Support for the original Scratchamp has all but since disappeared and current owners, disappointed by the lack of support by Stanton, have had to rely on old versions of Traktor FS or Digiscratch. Version 2
Version 2 marks the introduction of both a new Scratchamp hardware device and different software compatibility.
This new Scratchamp made 24-bit/96 kHz digital quality playback and record possible. Stanton added an ASIO driver, and MIDI capabilities. They also replaced the USB interface with Firewire which was intended to reduce playback latency. The new Scratchamp was developed by Alan Flum, Len Bryan, Mark DeMouy and Jim Mazur.
The version 2 Scratchamp is compatible with Native Instruments Traktor DJ Studio versions 2.6 and through 3.2.0.80. NI has dropped support of SA2 in favor of their own vinyl system Traktor Scratch. Final Scratch Open
In late 2005, Stanton and Native Instruments ended their working relationship. Stanton still markets the ScratchAmp hardware as part of Final Scratch Open, introduced in early 2007. Stanton claims that the ScratchAmp can now interact with any audio software through ASIO or WDM on Windows, and CoreAudio in Mac OS X. Although all Windows and Mac audio software is ostensibly compatible with Final Scratch Open, there is no dedicated software program for deejaying with the ScratchAmp hardware. Internal workings
The internal workings of Final Scratch are quite simple to understand. Multiple open source software libraries have been created to decode the Final Scratch time code. The information here comes from those libraries.
A basic Final Scratch setup consists of five pieces of equipment.
A computer running a compatible software, usually Native Instrument’s Traktor
The ScratchAmp
Two turntables or two CD decks made for DJing
Two time coded vinyl records or time coded CDs
An audio DJ mixer. ScratchAmp
The ScratchAmp is a firewire (FS 2, FS Open) or USB (FS 1) audio device. It has two phono/line stereo level inputs to read the timecode from the record or the CD, and two line level stereo outputs to feed into the audio DJ mixer line channels. It also has two phono stereo outputs for pass-through of the actual phono audio signal. This is useful for DJs who wish to play both digital audio tracks AND traditional vinyl; allowing them to switch between the two sources without disconnecting or re-connecting audio jacks in the middle of a DJ set.
The ScratchAmp does not store any audio on its own, it is simply a purpose built external Soundcard. It communicates with a PCsually a laptopver the firewire or USB connection. The laptop uses Final Scratch compatible software (typically Traktor DJ Studio) to interpret the timecode signal from the supplied special vinyl/CD, then play back a digital audio file based on that signal, allowing traditional DJ vinyl control of MP3, WAV and Apple AAC audio files. The Laptop software then sends audio data back, over the same firewire/USB connection to the scratch amp, which then sends an audio signal out through the line level output, for playing through a DJ Mixer or Amp. Audio/data routing
A step by step series of events detailing how Final Scratch operates;
Timecoded audio signal pressed onto vinyl/CD picked up by vinyl/CD turntable
Signal routed into ScratchAmp via phono connection, then into the PC via USB or Firewire
DJ software decodes timecode signal and determines position, speed and direction the Vinyl/CD is being played or manipulated
DJ software plays the selected “mapped” digital audio file synchronous to the vinyl/CD playback
Digital audio file audio signal is sent to the Scratchamp phono connectors for connection to a DJ mixer or amp Vinyl/CD time code
The most complex piece of the Final Scratch setup is the code pressed onto the vinyl. A 1200 hertz amplitude modulated sine wave is pressed into the left and right channels with a phase difference of 90 degrees. Each channel holds one of the two bit streams required for the time code. In one cycle of either wave form, two bits are stored: one on the positive voltage peak and one on the negative voltage valley. The relative amplitudes of these peaks represent either a binary one or zero. A relatively high amplitude on either peak represents a one, a relatively low amplitude represents a zero. In each channel is a separate bitstream, the left channel is not identical to the right (disregarding the phase difference). Finding position
The time codes themselves consist of 40 individual bits, or 20 cycles on each channel’s waveform. On the right channel the bit sequence of 0, 0, 0, 1 represents the start sequence for a single time code. Those four bits along with the four corresponding bits on the left channel and the next 16 bits on each channel can be decoded as an integer position value which represents where the needle is on the record. Finding speed
The speed at which the record is spinning can be found by comparing the frequency of the waveform being read from the record to the true frequency of the wave form on the record at normal speed. This difference represents the change from the normal speed at which the record turns. Finding direction
The direction which the record is spinning at any given time can be found using the phase difference between the waves on the two channels. This procedure is the same as that used to determine the direction in which a ball mouse is moving. Issues regarding time code errors
Because a single time code is made up of 40 consecutive bits, read errors can cause a timecode to be unreadable even if a single bit is misread. A bit that has become unreadable due to a scratch can make an entire 40 bit long time code permanently unreadable. Dust can have a similar effect on the time code. The time code implements very little error checking, an attribute strong in a number of other vinyl control systems. See also
Vinyl Emulation Software Other vinyl emulation systems
Serato Scratch Live
djDecks
PCDJ Scratch
Ms Pinky
D-Vinyl 20-20
Traktor Scratch
Mixxx
xwax
Deckadance
Quad Scratch
Mixvibes External links
Native Instruments website
Stanton Website Sources
Werde, Bill (October 25, 2001), “The D.J.’s New Mix: Digital Files and a Turntable”, New York Times, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E1DA1531F936A15753C1A9679C8B63, retrieved 2007-08-20  Categories: Music software | DJ equipment | DJing
About the Author

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Arts and Culture in Vienna

Vienna is the capital of Austria. Art and culture have a long tradition in Vienna, including opera classical music and theatre and fine arts. The Burgtheater is considered one of the best theatres in the German speaking world

Grandiose Vienna was the showpiece of the all conquering Habsburg Dynasty. Monumental edifices line the city centre, white stallions strut their way down mirrored halls world class museums burst with treasures, and renowned orchestras and angelic choirboys perform in lavish concert halls.

Mariahilferstrafe, is the longest shopping street in Vienna. Naschmarket is a busy and colourful vegetable and fruit market it also has some of the best eateries in town and specialist food stalls

It has plenty of lower brow pleasures too walks in the woods, splish splashing high jinks on the river, slap up indulgent evenings in its renowned wine taverns. Most of the main sights are crammed into the Innere Stadt. The district is adorned with the outstanding Gothic heights of Stephansdom, the massive Imperial Palace, the cultured history of the Jewish quarter and a scattering of historic streets and squares. Comfortable bars abound, and international DJs are never far from nightclub turntables.

Viennas eateries cater to all budgets and cuisines. There is a preponderance of Kaffeehauser coffee houses, Heurigen wine taverns and Beisls small restaurants. The area northwest of the city, near the university, has numerous inexpensive restaurants.

Hofburg Imperial Palace is a palace in Vienna Austria, which has housed some of the most powerful people in Austrian history It currently serves as the official residence of the President of Austria. It was also known as the winter residence. The Hofburg area has been the documented seat of government since 1279.

The Hofburg Complex was built as the imperial home of the Habsburgs, and they lived there until 1918. The Kunsthistorisches Museum Museum of Fine Art a collection of armour has exhibits of ancient art, even a collection of antique musical instruments. The Winter Riding School is where the Lipizzaner stallions are trained in the Spanish Riding School. It was designed by Josef Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, and built from 1729 to 1735. Inside two galleries surround the training ground, which is illuminated by two enormous chandeliers. Most other buildings allow photography as long as the flash is turned off. There is also a butterfly aviary created out of greenhouses built from 1901 to 1907. It will take two days to thoroughly see the place.

About the Author

Douglas Scott writes for The Car Hire Specialist. and is a free lance writer for The Rental Site

Auto Financing and Car Loan Information

Being a DJ may seem like an easy work for many people. The fact of matter is there is an endless stream of would be DJ’s who are just as into the music scene as you and me. Hard working is only way to get ahead. Lots of beginners will refuse point blank to play a different genre to the type of music they are used to. This is a big mistake. Playing any type of music to any crowd is a huge confidence builder. A recent phenomenon in the musical community (but primarily within the sphere of popular music) is the assertion that some DJs are not simply “playing records” but are in fact creating new music out of the playback and mixing of the pre-recorded media.

The skill and art of DJ is far more intricate than many people appreciate. The DJ has to play a selection of music that runs nicely together and creates and experience, or journey, for his/her audience. In order to do this, the DJ has to do a lot of work behind the scenes. The DJ has to build a record collection that suits his or her chosen genre. Now, this is not an easy task. Consider how many house records are released every year. Hundreds! The DJ can’t simply collect them all. The DJ needs to find a style of music that fits well with his or her musical taste and collect music that fits into that style.

A disc jockey is an individual who selects and plays pre-recorded music for the enjoyment of others.  Various types of DJ’s require in different places. The selected music, the audience, the setting, the preferred medium, and the level of sophistication of sound manipulation are factors that differentiate the various DJ types.

Radio show host whose program consists of the playing of recorded music interspersed with light conversation and commercials or announcements; called Radio disc jockey. A modern-day commercial radio disc jockey will typically rely on his or her on-air character alone, as the station’s playlist has been predetermined by a program director or music director.

A club disc jockey selects and plays music using several turntables, CD players, or a hard-drive source, mixing the songs with a mixer and modifying the tone or sound of the recordings with equalizers and other effects. The setting can range anywhere from a neighborhood party at a private home or a small nightclub to a discothèque, a rave, or even a stadium.

Mobile DJs use DJ PA systems to cover all types of events such as, proms, parties, corporate events, conventions, national television events (usually sports), wedding receptions, bar mitzvahs, college parties, engagement party weddings, family reunions, high school parties, office parties, honeymoons and other special occasions.

WOOHAH DJS have all type of professional DJ’S (Radio DJ, Club DJ, and Mobile DJ).WOOHAH DJS was established in Dec 2001, alongside its bigger brother WooHah Productions. Our aim was to provide quality service that was best in DJ Melbourne for the local community when it came to entertainment. From small beginnings WooHah DJs have grown to respected company not only for private parties but also in the corporate and sporting spectaculars where we provide crowd entertainment for the thousand of patrons.

In March 2006, after winning the contract to Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the business became an independent brand under the WooHah Flagship. After Several years of steady growth we are looking at rapid expansion through new management team. Jeremy Leung joined the team in January 2009 and will be heading up the business as title of General Manager. We are eager to provide the BEST DJ service in Melbourne for all functions and catering to a wide variety of music genres.

A tradition that is close to 10 years old we strive to keep the high standard and deliver our clients the WOOHAH EXPERIENCE. WooHah DJs are amongst the finest in Melbourne, not only do they have the largest and most up to date music database; their number one priority is to please the crowd. WooHah DJs know their music back to front and have play lists to suit all events, from birthdays to weddings to corporate functions.

About the Author

WOOHAH DJ is best DJ in Melbourne in world.We provide wedding and mobile DJ in Melbourne
http://www.woohah.com.au

A successful performance by a disk jockey depends on the presence of the right equipment. This, along with along with adequate musical talents plays a very important role in the career of a DJ. Having the right equipment is the best advantage a DJ can have. Any DJ gear other than real pro gear will only throw a person’s skills and techniques off. It is always advisable to get the right DJ gear the first time. The Technics-1200/1225 turntables are industry standard and are widely recommended by most DJs as a starter kit.

However, the most important thing to remember is that it is not the equipment that entertains, but is definitely the DJ himself. Owning the latest equipment won’t make a person any better as a DJ. It is possible to start up on a budget of about $2000, which will enable a person to purchase a sound system and a few lighting effects. In case the budget won’t stretch to this, a person may need to consider buying 2nd hand or leasing the equipment.

Purchasing a wide-ranging music library is far more important than how much lighting a DJ has, and should be the first consideration. A DJ can build up on the lighting, and upgrade the sound system if required once the work starts coming in to substantiate it. The most important equipment required by mobile disc jockeys consists of sound recordings in preferred medium, which is often vinyl records, compact discs and mp3s. Two devices for playback of sound recordings are also required for the purpose of alternating back and forth and creating continuous playback. A sound system meant for magnification of the recordings is required for broadcasting the music. Apart from this, a DJ may also need a mixer and a microphone.

Headphones used to listen to one recording while the other is playing, without transmitting the sound to the audience is also strongly recommended. Other equipments may also be added. These include drum machines, samplers, effects processors, and computerized performance systems. Opinions of other experienced DJs, magazines and a number of websites prove to be an efficient guide in purchasing the right kind of equipment.

DJ Equipment provides detailed information on Buy DJ Equipment, Cheap DJ Equipment, Discount DJ Equipment, DJ Equipment and more. DJ Equipment is affiliated with Virtual DJs.

There are many different ways to grow food that gets placed on your table to eat. Some methods are down right disgusting and I personally feel they shouldn’t be allowed. Maybe you know what I’m referring to.

The big beautifully shaped and not a single blemish on them fruits and vegetables that you see in the super market. They have mass produced chemical compound fertilizers sprayed on them that make them plump up with more water and greater size. They have pesticides sprayed on them to make sure no bugs invade them and make them look bad with scars and blemishes.

Now you have to wonder if that is really how mother nature intended you to get your nutrition. From nutritionally deficient foods that are grown fast and with artificial means? Those foods are grown for profit and not nutritional value. They are cheaper in the market than the organics are which makes them more appealing to the buyer because their food bill is less but at what cost.

If you care to look around and observe the health condition of the people in the world and the new strains of diseases that seem to plague us all the time. You should be able to deduct that something is wrong. They tell you to make and eat balanced meals with all the food groups but the stuff you are ingesting has been tampered with. How is a body going to function properly if you feed it stuff that shouldn’t go in a body?

You wouldn’t eat arsenic or cyanide but they sure do think it’s ok to spray that on many things that come in contact with your food.

Cyanides are used as insecticides for the fumigating of ships. Ships carry your food. Hmmm. Arsenic and its compounds are used as pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides .

Now both arsenic and cyanide are toxic to humans and animals. Why the hell would we think it is ok to eat foods that are subject to concentrations of these compounds? Are we as a people so damn blind? Or is it we are being tricked into thinking it’s ok and that the foods you are buying are safe to eat.

The food industry is mainly driven by profit and is being run by large corporations in the better part of the world. They have share holders that are looking for their dividends and expect large profits so these corporations are going to try very hard to convince you that their foods are good for you. Now they aren’t deliberately poisoning the food to hurt their customers but they aren’t taking the steps so you aren’t ever exposed to the poisons. They are usually using the allowed amounts of the poisons.

Allowed Amounts? How do they determine an allowed amount of poison? Do they feed people these poisons in different amounts to see what will happen? I don’t really feel there is an allowed amount unless it is naturally occurring in the natural growth of a food and nature has that worked out.

Your best bet is to purchase your fruits and vegetables from local producers and small farms that are organic. Work out your budget to purchase more organics from the super market if you can’t get to a farmers market. Make sure your meats are also naturally raised and not sprayed with anything after butchering. Organic fruits vegetables and meats and grains are the way to great health.

Now to the main point of this article. Growing your own organic fruits and vegetables. It is a lot easier than you may think to grow organically. There are plenty of methods of growing even in a small area or a window box or containers on a porch. They can even be grown indoors with lighting.

If you have a garden area in the yard then you can produce more quantity as well. You can even take your produce to the farmers market and trade it with others for what they grew or just sell your surplus. You will also meet more like minded people at the market and make new friends for sure.

In this fast paced and hectic world we need a break from all the stress and the organic garden is a good place to escape to for finding some peace and quiet. Most all climates have a good growing season and steps can be taken to handle very cold and hot climates so the growing season can be lengthened.

The benefits of growing organic fruits and vegetables are ever expanding. For your health there is no better way to improve it than good quality free from poisons foods. Your first line of defense from any attack on the body is your digestive system. If you put a substance in it that will break down that system then any number of bad things can come about and affect you from within.

Eat well and you will live well. Eat foods with diminished nutritional value and poisons and you wont be living well.

So get out there and grow organically. Buy organically if you can’t seem to squeeze the time to build a garden. If that’s the case maybe your life needs the garden so you can go relax and just sit on the bench. Just get organic!

Glenn Gehrke

Let’s grow something

If you would like more information on this subject matter feel free to click here

Gramophone record

Early history

Edison cylinder phonograph ca. 1899

A device utilizing a vibrating pen to graphically represent sound on discs of paper, without the idea of playing it back in any manner, was built by Edouard-Leon Scott of France in 1857. While the mechanism, known as a phonautograph, was intended solely to depict the visual characteristics of sound, it was recently realized that this depiction could be digitally analyzed and reconstructed as an audible recording. Just such an early phonoautogram, made in 1860 and now the earliest known audio recording, has been reproduced using computer technology.

In 1877, Thomas Edison developed the phonautograph into a machine, the phonograph, that was capable of replaying the recordings made. The recordings were made on tinfoil, and were initially intended to be used as a voice recording medium, typically for office dictation.

This phonograph cylinder dominated the recorded sound market beginning in the 1880s. Lateral-cut disc records were invented by Emile Berliner in 1888 and were used exclusively in toys until 1894, when Berliner began marketing disc records under the Berliner Gramophone label. Berliner’s records had poor sound quality, however, but work by Eldridge R. Johnson improved the fidelity to a point where they were as good as cylinders. Johnson’s and Berliner’s separate companies merged to form the Victor Talking Machine Company, whose products would come to dominate the market for many years later.

In an attempt to head off the disc advantage, Edison introduced the Amberol cylinder in 1909, with a maximum playing time of 4 minutes (at 160 rpm) to be in turn superseded by the Blue Amberol Record whose playing surface was made of Celluloid, an early plastic which was far less fragile than the earlier wax (in fact it would have been more or less indestructible had it not been for the plaster of paris core). By November 1918 the patents for the manufacture of lateral-cut disc records expired, opening the field for countless companies to produce them, causing disc records to overtake cylinders in popularity. Edison ceased production of cylinders in 1929 (reputedly the day before the Wall Street Crash). Disc records would dominate the market until they were supplanted by the Compact Disc, starting from the early 1980s.

78 rpm disc developments

Hungarian Path record, 90 to 100 rpm

Early speeds

Early disc recordings were produced in a variety of speeds ranging from 60 to 120 rpm, and a variety of sizes. At least one manufacturer, Philips, produced records that played at a constant linear velocity. As these were played from the inside to the outside, the rotational speed of the record reduced as reproduction progressed (as is also true of the modern Compact Disc).

As early as 1894, Emile Berliner’s United States Gramophone Company was selling single-sided 7″ discs with an advertised standard speed of “about 70 rpm”.

One standard audio recording handbook describes speed regulators or “governors” as being part of a wave of improvement introduced rapidly after 1897. A picture of a hand-cranked 1898 Victrola shows a governor. It says that spring drives replaced hand drives. It notes that:

“The speed regulator was furnished with an indicator that showed the speed when the machine was running so that the records, on reproduction, could be revolved at exactly the same speed…The literature does not disclose why 78 rpm was chosen for the phonograph industry, apparently this just happened to be the speed created by one of the early machines and, for no other reason continued to be used.”

Record of Emile Berliner’s Gramophone Company (later Deutsche Grammophon). Made 1908 in Hannover, Germany

In America in 1900, the two leading manufacturers of flat records were Columbia, which used 80 rpm as its speed, and Victor, which used 76 rpm. Since one company’s records were playable on the other’s machines, it is only logical that the eventual standard speed would be in the middle.

By 1925, the speed of the record became standardised at a nominal value of 78 rpm. However, the standard was to differ between America and the rest of the world. The actual 78 speed in America was 78.26 rpm, being the speed of 3600 rpm synchronous motor (run from 60 Hz supply) reduced by 46:1 gearing. Throughout the rest of the world, 77.92 rpm was adopted being the speed of a 3000 rpm synchronous motor powered by a 50 Hz supply and reduced by 38.5:1 gearing.

For a more comprehensive in-depth look at 78’s, cylinders and other historic media, please visit http://78rpmrecord.com

Acoustic recording

Early recordings were made entirely acoustically, the sound being collected by a horn and piped to a diaphragm which vibrated the cutting stylus. Sensitivity and frequency range were poor, and frequency response was very irregular, giving cylinder recordings an instantly recognizable tonal quality. A singer practically had to put his face in the recording horn. Cellos and double basses were completely unrecordable. Standard Violins were barely recordable, so Stroh violins became popular with recording studios.

Contrary to popular belief, if placed properly and prepared-for, drums could be effectively used and heard on even the earliest jazz and military band recordings. The loudest instruments stood the farthest away from the collecting horn. Lillian Hardin Armstrong, a member of King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band that recorded at Gennett Records in 1923, remembered that at first Oliver and his young second trumpet, Louis Armstrong, stood next to each other and Oliver’s horn couldn’t be heard. “They put Louis about fifteen feet over in the corner, looking all sad.”

“Electrical” recording

German electrical record of the Carl Lindstrm AG

During the 1920s, engineers including Orlando R. Marsh, as well as those at Western Electric, developed technology for capturing sound with microphones, amplifying it with vacuum tubes, and using the amplified signal to drive an electromagnetic recording head. A wide frequency range could now be recorded with a big increase in playback volume limited only by the pitch of the grooves in the record.

Although the technology used vacuum tubes and today would be described as “electronic”, at the time it was referred to as “electrical”. A 1926 Wanamaker’s ad in The New York Times offers records “by the latest Victor process of electrical recording”. It was recognized as a breakthrough; in , a Times music critic stated:

“…the time has come for serious musical criticism to take account of performances of great music reproduced by means of the records. To claim that the records of succeeded in exact and complete reproduction of all details of symphonic or operatic performances… would be extravagant. [But] the article of today is so far in advance of the old machines as hardly to admit classification under the same name. Electrical recording and reproduction have combined to retain vitality and color in recitals by proxy.”

Peter Carl Goldmark (Hungarian: Goldmark Pter Kroly) was a Hungarian engineer who, during his time with Columbia Records, was instrumental in developing the long-playing (LP) microgroove 3313 rpm vinyl phonograph discs which defined home audio for two generations.

Example of Congolese 78 rpm records

A 10-inch gramophone blank for self recording with 78 rpm, brand as material “Decelith” with special surface for hardening

Electrical recording preceded electrical home reproduction (much as digital recording preceded digital home reproduction), because of the initial high cost of the electronics. In 1925, the Victor company introduced the groundbreaking Victor Orthophonic Victrola, an acoustical record player that was specifically designed to play electrically recorded discs, as part of a line that also included electrically-reproducing “Electrolas.” The acoustical Orthophonics ranged in price from US$95 to $300 (about US$1140 to $3600 in year 2007 dollars), depending on cabinetry; by comparison, the cheapest Electrola cost US$650 (about US$7500 in year 2007 dollars).

The Orthophonic had an interior folded exponential horn, a sophisticated design informed by impedance-matching and transmission-line theory, and designed to provide a relatively flat frequency response. Its first public demonstration was front-page news in the New York Times, which reported that:

“The audience broke into applause… John Philip Sousa [said]: ‘Gentleman [sic], that is a band. This is the first time I have ever heard music with any soul to it produced by a mechanical talking machine.’ … The new instrument is a feat of mathematics and physics. It is not the result of innumerable experiments, but was worked out on paper in advance of being built in the laboratory…. The new machine has a range of from 100 to 5,000 frequencies[sic], or five and a half octaves…. The ‘phonograph tone’ is eliminated by the new recording and reproducing process.”

Gradually, electrical reproduction entered the home. The clockwork motor was replaced by an electric motor; the ‘needle’ and diaphragm (the ’sound box’) was replaced with a ‘pickup’ using either a steel or sapphire stylus, and a transducer to convert the groove vibrations into an electrical signal. The exponential horn became an amplifier and loudspeaker.[citation needed]

78 rpm materials

Early disc records were made of various materials including hard rubber. From 1897 onwards, earlier materials were largely replaced by a rather brittle formula of 25% shellac, a filler of a cotton compound similar to manila paper, powdered slate, and a small amount of a wax lubricant.

The mass production of shellac records began in 1898 in Hanover, Germany, and continued until the end of the 78 rpm format in the late 1950s. “Unbreakable” records, usually of celluloid on a pasteboard base, were made from 1904 onwards, but they suffered from an exceptionally high level of surface noise. “Unbreakable” records could be bent, broken, or otherwise damaged; but not nearly as easily as shellac records. Vinyl was first tried out as a 78 rpm material in 1939, as a cigarette radio commercial mailed to stations, as vinyl was less breakable in the mail. On the record, mention is made of the Lucky Strike exhibit at the 1939 NY World’s Fair. Decca introduced vinyl “Deccalite” 78s after the Second World War. During the war, the US Armed Forces produced thousands of V-Discs for the soldiers to play overseas, as well as giant 16-inch War Department radio transcriptions, all of which were made of vinyl. Victor made some vinyl 78s, but other labels would restrict vinyl production to the special DJ copies of 78’s, which were also commonly issued in vinyl to be mailed to radio stations, during the late 40’s and early 50’s. Finally, 78 reissues have been manufactured in vinyl since the 1990s for juke box collectors, by Rhino Records. Care should be made never to play vinyl 78’s on a victrola, as it will destroy them.

78 rpm disc size

In the 1890s, the early recording formats of discs were usually seven inches (nominally 17.5 cm) in diameter. By 1910 the 10-inch (25.4 cm) record was by far the most popular standard, holding about three minutes of music or entertainment on a side. From 1903 onwards, 12-inch records (30.5 cm) were also sold commercially, mostly of classical music or operatic selections, with four to five minutes of music per side. (Victor, Brunswick and Columbia also issued 12″ popular medleys, usually spotlighting a Broadway show score.) However, other sizes did appear. 8 inch discs with a 2 inch diameter label became popular for about a decade in Britain, they cannot be played in full on most modern record players because the tone arm can’t reach far enough without modification to the equipment.

78 rpm recording time

The playing time of a phonograph record depended on the turntable speed and the groove spacing. At the beginning of the 20th century, the early discs played for two minutes, the same as early cylinder records. The 12-inch disc, introduced by Victor in 1903, increased the playing time to three and a half minutes. Because a 10-inch 78 rpm record could hold about three minutes of sound per side and the 10-inch size was the standard size for popular music, almost all popular recordings were limited to around three minutes in length.

For example, when King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, including Louis Armstrong on his first recordings, recorded 13 sides at Gennett Records in Richmond, Indiana, in 1923, one side was 2:09 and four sides were 2:522:59.

By 1938, when Milt Gabler started recording on January 17 for his new label, Commodore Records, to allow longer continuous performances, he recorded some 12″ records. Eddie Condon explained: “Gabler realized that a jam session needs room for development.” The first two 12″ recordings did not take advantage of the extra length: “Carnegie Drag” was 3:15; “Carnegie Jump”, 2:41. But, at the second session, on April 30, the two 12″ recordings were longer: “Embraceable You” was 4:05; “Serenade to a Shylock”, 4:32.

Another way around the time limitation was to issue a selection on both sides of a single record. Vaudeville stars Gallagher and Shean, recorded “Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean”, written by Irving and Jack Kaufman, as two-sides of a 10″ 78 in 1922 for Cameo.

An obvious workaround for longer recordings was to release a set of records. The first multi-record release was in 1903, when HMV in England made the first complete recording of an opera, Verdi’s Ernani, on 40 single-sided discs. In 1940, Commodore released Eddie Condon and his Band’s recording of “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” in four parts, issued on both sides of two 12″ 78s.

This limitation on the length of both popular-music and jazz numbers persisted from 1910 until the invention of the LP, in 1948.

In popular music, this time limitation of about 3:30 on a 10″ 78 rpm record meant that singers usually did not release long pieces on record. One exception is Frank Sinatra’s recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Soliloquy”, from Carousel, made on May 28, 1946. Because it ran 7:57, longer than both sides of a standard 78 rpm 10″ record, it was released on Columbia’s Masterwork label (the classical division) as two sides of a 12″ record. (See date.)

In the 78 era, classical-music and spoken-word items generally were released on the longer 12″ 78s, about 45 minutes per side. For example, on June 10, 1924, four months after the February 12 premier of Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin recorded it with Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. It was released on two sides of Victor 55225 and runs 8:59. Look under the title

Record albums

Such 78 rpm records were usually sold separately, in brown paper or cardboard sleeves that were sometimes plain and sometimes printed to show the producer or the retailer’s name. Generally the sleeves had a circular cut-out allowing the record label to be seen. Records could be laid on a shelf horizontally or stood upright on an edge, but because of their fragility, many broke in storage.

German record company Odeon is often said to have pioneered the “album” in 1909 when it released the “Nutcracker Suite” by Tchaikovsky on 4 double-sided discs in a specially-designed package. (It is not indicated what size the records are.) However, Deutsche Grammophon had produced an album for its complete recording of the opera Carmen in the previous year. The practice of issuing albums does not seem to have been widely taken up by other record companies for many years; however, HMV provided an album, with a pictorial cover, for the 1917 recording of The Mikado (Gilbert & Sullivan).

By about 1910[note 1] bound collections of empty sleeves with a cardboard or leather cover, similar to a photograph album, were sold as “record albums” that customers could use to store their records (the term “record album” was printed on some covers). These albums came in both 10″ and 12″ sizes. The covers of these bound books were wider and taller than the records inside, allowing the record album to be placed on a shelf upright, like a book, suspending the fragile records above the shelf and protecting them.

Starting in the 1930s, record companies began issuing collections of 78 rpm records by one performer or of one type of music in specially assembled albums, typically with artwork on the front cover and liner notes on the back or inside cover. Most albums included 3 or 4 records, with 2 sides each, making 6 or 8 songs per album. When the 12-inch vinyl LP era began in 1949, the single record often had the same or similar number of songs as a typical album of 78’s, which gave rise to the tradition of the term “album” being given to the LP.

New sizes and materials

A modern 12″ vinyl album being played. Note the stylus’s contact with the surface.

Both the microgroove LP 33 rpm record and the 45 rpm single records are made from vinyl plastic that is flexible and unbreakable in normal use. However, the vinyl records are easier to scratch or gouge, and much more prone to warping.

In 1931, RCA Victor (which evolved from the Johnson and Berliner’s Victor Talking Machine Company) launched the first commercially available vinyl long-playing record, marketed as “Program Transcription” discs. These revolutionary discs were designed for playback at 33 rpm and pressed on a 30 cm diameter flexible plastic disc, with a duration of about ten minutes playing time per side. In Roland Gelatt’s book The Fabulous Phonograph, the author notes that RCA Victor’s early introduction of a long-play disc was a commercial failure for several reasons including the lack of affordable, reliable consumer playback equipment and consumer wariness during the Great Depression. Because of financial hardships that plagued the recording industry during that period (and RCA’s own parched revenues), Victor’s “long playing” records were quietly discontinued by early 1933.

There was also a small batch of “longer playing” records issued in the very early 1930s: Columbia introduced 10″ ‘longer playing’ records (18000-D series), as well as a series of double-grooved or longer playing 10″ records on their Harmony, Clarion & Velvet Tone cheap labels. All of these were phased out in mid-1932.

However, vinyl’s lower surface noise level than shellac was not forgotten, nor was its durability. In the late ’30s, radio commercials and pre-recorded radio programs being sent to disc jockeys started being stamped in vinyl, so they would not break in the mail. In the mid-1940s, special DJ copies of records started being made of vinyl also, for the same reason. These were all 78 rpm. During and after World War II, when shellac supplies were extremely limited, some 78 rpm records were pressed in vinyl instead of shellac, particularly the six-minute 12-inch (30 cm) 78 rpm records produced by V-Disc for distribution to US troops in World War II. In the ’40s, radio transcriptions, which were usually on 16-inch records, but sometimes 12-inch, were always made of vinyl, but cut at 33 rpm. Shorter transcriptions were often cut at 78 rpm.

Beginning in 1939, Dr. Peter Goldmark and his staff at Columbia Records undertook efforts to address problems of recording and playing back narrow grooves and developing an inexpensive, reliable consumer playback system. In 1948, the 12-inch (30 cm) Long Play (LP) 33 rpm microgroove record album was introduced by the Columbia Record Company at a New York press conference on June 21, 1948. In February 1949, RCA Victor released the first 45 rpm single, 7 inches in diameter, with a large center hole to accommodate an automatic play mechanism on the changer, so a stack of singles would drop down one record at a time automatically after each play. Early 45 rpm records were made from either vinyl or polystyrene. They had a playing time of eight minutes.

On a small number of early phonograph systems and radio transcription discs, as well as some entire albums, the direction of the groove is reversed, beginning near the center of the disc and leading to the outside. A small number of records (such as Jeff Mills’ Apollo EP or the Hidden In Plainsight EP from Detroit’s Underground Resistance) were manufactured with multiple separate grooves to differentiate the tracks (usually called ‘NSC-X2′).

Speeds

Edison Records “Diamond Disc” label, early 1920s. Edison Disc Records always ran at 80 rpm.

The earliest rotation speeds varied widely. Most records made in 19001925 were recorded at 7482 revolutions per minute (rpm). Edison Disc Records consistently ran at 80 rpm.

However a few unusual systems were deployed. The Dutch Philips company introduced records whose rotational speed varied such that the reproducing “needle” ran at a constant linear velocity (CLV) in the groove. These records, also unusually, played from the inside to the outside. Both of these features were later to be found in the modern day compact disc, which itself was also invented by Philips. The London Science Museum displays a Philips CLV record marked as “Speed D”.

In 1925, 78.26 rpm was chosen as the standard because of the introduction of the electrically powered synchronous turntable motor. This motor ran at 3600 rpm, such that a 46:1 gear ratio would produce 78.26 rpm. In parts of the world that used 50 Hz current, the standard was 77.92 rpm (3000 rpm with a 38.5:1 ratio), which was also the speed at which a strobe disc with 77 lines would “stand still” in 50 Hz light (92 lines for 60Hz). After World War II these records were retroactively known as 78s, to distinguish them from other newer disc record formats. Earlier they were just called records, or when there was a need to distinguish them from cylinders, disc records.

Columbia and RCA’s competition extended to equipment. Some turntables included spindle size adapters, but other turntables required snap-in inserts like this one to adapt RCA’s larger 45 rpm spindle size to the smaller spindle size available on nearly all turntables. Shown is one popular design in use for many years.

After World War II, two new competing formats came on to the market and gradually replaced the standard “78″: the 33 rpm (often just referred to as the 33 rpm), and the 45 rpm (see above). The 33 rpm LP (for “long play”) format was developed by Columbia Records and marketed in 1948. RCA Victor developed the 45 rpm format and marketed it in 1949, in response to Columbia. Both types of new disc used narrower grooves, intended to be played with smaller styliypically 0.001 inches (25 m) wide, compared to 0.003 inches (76 m) for a 78o the new records were sometimes called Microgroove. In the mid-1950s all record companies agreed to a common recording standard called RIAA equalization. Prior to the establishment of the standard each company used its own preferred standard, requiring discriminating listeners to use pre-amplifiers with multiple selectable equalization curves.

While stroboscopic speed checkers can be used to correctly adjust a turntable speed to 45 rpm in the US where the stroboscope disc is illuminated by a lamp run from a 60 Hz supply, most strobes are slightly inaccurate where there is a 50 Hz supply. Using a conventional single segment per pulse, the nearest that can be achieved is 45.112+ rpm which requires a disc with 133 segments. The difference amounts to the record sounding sharp by about a twenty fifth of a semitone (i.e. practically unnoticeable). To construct a 50 Hz stroboscope disc that appears stationary at exactly 45 rpm is possible, and would require 400 segments advancing by 3 segments on each pulse of light.

A number of recordings were pressed at 16 rpm (usually a 7-inch disc, visually identical to a 45 rpm single). Peter Goldmark, the man who developed the 33 rpm record, developed the Highway Hi-Fi 16 rpm record to be played in Chrysler automobiles, but poor performance of the system and weak implementation by Chrysler and Columbia led to the demise of the 16 rpm records. Subsequently, the 16 rpm speed was used for radio transcription discs or narrated publications for the blind and visually impaired, and were never widely commercially available, although it was common to see new turntable models with a 16 rpm speed setting produced as late as the 1970s.

1959 Seeburg 16 rpm record

Seeburg Corporation introduced the Seeburg Background Music System in 1959, using a 16 rpm 9-inch record with 2-inch center hole. Each record held 40 minutes of music per side, recorded at 420 grooves per inch.

The older 78 format continued to be mass produced alongside the newer formats until about 1960 in the US, and in a few countries, such as India (where some Beatles recordings were issued on 78), into the 1960s. For example, Columbia Records’ last reissue of Frank Sinatra songs on 78 rpm records was an album called “Young at Heart”, issued November 1, 1954. As late as the 1970s, some children’s records were released at the 78 rpm speed. In the United Kingdom, the 78 rpm single lasted longer than in the United States and the 45 rpm took longer to become popular. The 78 rpm was overtaken in popularity by the 45 rpm in the late 1950s, as teenagers became increasingly affluent, although some of Elvis Presley’s early singles sold more copies on 78 than on 45. The last new 78 rpm singles in the UK were released in March 1960 and production ceased in 1961.

The commercial rivalry between RCA Victor and Columbia Records led to RCA Victor’s introduction of what it had intended to be a competing vinyl format, the 7-inch (175 mm) 45 rpm disc. For a two-year period from 1948 to 1950, record companies and consumers faced uncertainty over which of these formats would ultimately prevail in what was known as the “War of the Speeds”. (See also format war.) In 1949 Capitol and Decca adopted the new LP format and RCA gave in and issued its first LP in January 1950. But the 45 rpm size was gaining in popularity, too, and Columbia issued its first 45s in February 1951. By 1954, 200 million 45s had been sold.

Eventually the 12-inch (300 mm) 33 rpm LP prevailed as the predominant format for musical albums and 10″ LPs were no longer issued. The last Columbia Records reissue of any Frank Sinatra songs on a 10″ LP record was an album called “Hall of Fame”, CL 2600, issued October 26, 1956, containing six songs, one each by Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Ray, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, and Frankie Laine. The 10″ LP however had a longer life in the United Kingdom, where important early British rock and roll albums such as Lonnie Donegan’s Lonnie Donegan Showcase and Billy Fury’s The Sound of Fury were released in that form. The 7-inch (175 mm) 45 rpm disc or “single” established a significant niche for shorter duration discs, typically containing one item on each side. The 45 rpm discs typically emulated the playing time of the former 78 rpm discs, while the 12″ LP discs provided up to one half hour of time per side. The amount of music per LP varied from label to label and possibly from performer to performer. Frank Sinatra’s “A Swinging Affair”, a monaural album, contained 15 songs and ran 50 minutes. Other albums by other performers could run as little as 30 or 35 minutes. After the introduction of stereophonic recording, record times dropped because, presumably, the early stereo groove was wider than the monaural groove.

A stroboscopic disc for 33 and 45 rpm (actually 44.77 rpm as it has the wrong number of segments on the 45 ring) at 50 Hz

The 45 rpm discs also came in a variety known as extended play (EP) which achieved up to 1015 minutes play at the expense of attenuating (and possibly compressing) the sound to reduce the width required by the groove. EP discs were generally used to reissue LP albums on the smaller format for those people who had only 45 rpm players. LP albums could be purchased 1 EP at a time, with four items per EP, or in a boxed set with 3 EPs or 12 items. The large center hole on 45s allows for easier handling by jukebox mechanisms. EPs were generally discontinued by the late 1950s as three- and four-speed record players replaced the individual 45 players. One indication of the decline of the 45 rpm EP is that the last Columbia Records reissue of Frank Sinatra songs on 45 rpm EP records, called “Frank Sinatra” (Columbia B-2641) was issued December 7, 1959. However, the EP lasted considerably longer in Europe, and was a popular format during the 1960s for recordings by artists such as Serge Gainsbourg and the Beatles.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, 45 rpm-only players that lacked speakers and plugged into a jack on the back of a radio were widely available. Eventually, they were replaced by the threepeed record player.

From the mid-1950s through the 1960s, in the U.S. the common home “record player” or “stereo” (after the introduction of stereo recording) would typically have had these features: a three- or four-speed player (78, 45, 33, and sometimes 16 rpm); with changer, a tall spindle that would hold several records and automatically drop a new record on top of the previous one when it had finished playing, a combination cartridge with both 78 and microgroove styli and a way to flip between the two; and some kind of adapter for playing the 45s with their larger center hole. The adapter could be a small solid circle that fit onto the bottom of the spindle (meaning only one 45 could be played at a time) or a larger adaptor that fit over the entire spindle, permitting a stack of 45s to be played.

RCA 45s were also adapted to the smaller spindle of an LP player with a plastic snap-in insert known as a “spider”. These inserts, commissioned by RCA president David Sarnoff and invented by Thomas Hutchison, were prevalent starting in the 1960s, selling in the tens of millions per year during the 45’s heyday. In countries outside of the US, 45s often had the smaller album-sized holes (e.g. Australia and New Zealand), or otherwise a pseudo-spider was “built-in” to the record, which could be punched out if desired (ie the United Kingdom, especially before the 1970s).

Deliberately playing or recording records at a higher speed gave an antic quirkiness to voices; doing so at a slower speed changed music and voice to an ominous, growling tone. Canadian musician Nash the Slash also took advantage of this speed/tonal effect with his 1981 12-inch disc Decomposing, which featured four instrumental tracks that were engineered to play at any speed (with the playing times listed for 33, 45 and 78 rpm playback).

Sound enhancements

As the LP became established as the dominant size for longer recordings, several developments were made to enhance the sound.

High fidelity

The first of these was the attempt to develop high fidelity, or hi-fi, sound.

In the late `20’s and early `30’s, since vertical modulation was considered the higher fidelity medium due to its’ immunity of picking up common lateral turntable rumble, caused by the rubber puck driving the edge of the turntable rim, an earlier version of the Cook binaural system (described below in Stereo) was experimented with as well, but for high-fidelity, not for stereo (at least not yet).

This system utilized vertical modulation in the smaller space near the center of the disc for the bass portion of the program, starting from halfway through the disc going to the label avoiding inner-groove distortion, and used lateral modulation for the treble portion of the program in the larger space from the edge of the disc to halfway through for the treble portion of the program. This meant that the lateral turntable rumble could be filtered out of the treble electronically by a crossover network and the crackle and static of the treble could be filtered out of the bass by the same process.[citation needed]

Since vertical pickups were harder to come by and took up more space than their lateral counterparts, experiments were soon underway to record both the bass and the treble portions of a high-fidelity program in their own separate grooves in a lateral fashion on the same side of the disc. Utilizing a two-channel amplifier and speaker system, with one channel driving the wide-range woofer, and one channel driving the combination wide-range midrange and tweeter, true wide-range high-fidelity would be achieved. The format was only experimental but, it wasn’t long before this system was adapted once again for early Stereo (see below).

People who were concerned with hearing all the quality sound now embedded in the new LPs began to buy separate turntables, amplifiers, speakers and woofers to get the best sound possible.

Stan Freberg satirized these fans in his 1956 radio show with a skit about a man who turned his whole house into a speaker.

Flanders & Swann also poked fun at installing the components necessary for high fidelity in their Song of Reproduction.

(In 1931, Victor experimented with a high-fidelity microphone recording system and a number of records issued in the 22900 and 24000 series were surprisingly “hi-fi”. However, the records were too loud and ‘blasty’ on most home reproducers, and after getting complaints from their dealers, Victor stopped using this equipment in their New York and Camden studios around mid-1932 and sent it to their Chicago studio, where it continued to be used until about 1934.)

Stereo sound

In 1957 the first commercial stereo two-channel records were issued on translucent blue vinyl by Bel Canto, the first of which is a highly-collectible multi-colored-vinyl sampler featuring `A Stereophonic Tour of Los Angeles’ narrated by Jack Wagner on one side, and a collection of tracks from various Bel Canto albums on the back.[citation needed]

Following in 1958, more Stereo LP releases were offered by Audio Fidelity in the USA and Pye in Britain, using the Westrex “45/45″ single-groove system.

While the stylus moves horizontally when reproducing a monophonic disk recording, on stereo records the stylus moves vertically as well as horizontally. In fact, prior to the full development of the 45/45 system, the first stereo cutting heads were made by bolting together one lateral cut head and one vertical cut head sharing a common stylus holder. Feeding the driving coils with suitably phased material, a practice which would later give rise to the matrices used in quadraphony, achieved the 45/45 groove.

See also http://78rpmrecord.com/altformat.htm

rill with sound only on left channel

One could envision a system in which the left channel was recorded laterally, as on a monophonic recording, with the right channel information recorded with a “hill-and-dale” vertical motion; such systems were proposed but not adopted, due to their incompatibility with existing phono pickup designs (see below). Prior to these experiments, the lateral and vertical portions of the groove were experimented with in a discrete twin-groove system described below.

However, before this lateral-vertical single-groove system was experimented with for stereo reproduction, its’ components were adopted for other uses, namely many radio station music transcriptions used the vertical modulation portion with its’ higher fidelity and being less susceptible to rumble, and lateral portion for speech, as the rumble could be filtered out electronically and not affect the program.

Also by the mid-`50’s, an audio engineer by the name of Mintner grew tired of the incompatibility of the vertical portion of Stereo records and their susceptibility of damage when played with a mono vertically-noncompliant cartridge and stylus and came up with a way to have both channels recorded laterally and in the same groove.

Due to the frequency limitations of cutting heads of the period, the disc needed to be mastered at 16-2/3 RPM for playback at 33-1/3 RPM, a practice which would later be adapted and improved in the 70’s, coupled with 180 gram super thick virgin vinyl to create Half Speed Mastered audiophile LPs.

Similar to lateral-vertical stereo played through a 45-45 stereo system, Mintner left the normal mono signal in the normal frequency range of 20Hz-20KHz, ensuring compatibility with normal mono players of the period, and then moved the difference signal up to a supersonic band of 20KHz-45KHz by modulating a 30KHz carrier signal engraved on the disc. A carrier detector and de-matrix circuit, similar to what would later be used for FM Multiplex Stereo sensed the carrier wave, stripped it off, retrieved the signal and then matrixed it with the original mono signal to create stereo.

Unfortunately, the development of lightweight pickup arms was still many years away in the future, and so the heavy weight of pickup arms in the 50’s caused the carrier wave on the record to be completely destroyed after only a few plays. But, both the modulated carrier wave and matrix-encoding systems used herein would later be multiplied by two and used as CD-4 and SQ/QS respectively in quadraphonic.[citation needed]

Another early-stereo experimental engraved the left channel of the program on the left (top) side of the disc running conventionally in a clockwise format, and the right channel engraved on the right (bottom) side of the disc in a counterclockwise fashion. This was accomplished simply by flipping the stylus round front-to-back in the recording head, and introducing a figure-8 flip in the lathe drive belt, causing the recording to still be made outside-in but in reverse.

To play the disc, a pedal was depressed to separate the twin gramophone heads which faced one another across the turntable and load the disc vertically as in a jukebox. Then the pedal was very carefully released again in order to set the heads upon the disc for play. As the pedals were spring loaded, most of the records were destroyed by the two heavy gramophone heads crashing into the disc when the load pedal was released.

The format died mainly because of the brittleness of 78’s as described above, and also due to the fact that some discs were produced in an offset format for players with heads at opposite sides of the turntable, while others were produced for playback on machines with gramophone heads on the same side. Playing a disc made for one on a player made for the other would induce a half-revolution difference in the program, similar to trying to play a manual-sequence album on a changer where the sides would be out of sequence.[citation needed]

Utilizing another technique borrowed from vintage Vitaphone recordings which accompanied sound films in the `20’s before the advent of sound-on-film, arrows were inscribed on the master indicating the start of the lead-in groove. Stampers could then be either aligned with or staggered from one another fpr production, which incidentally, due to the exacting care needed for stamper alignment was accomplished at the long-dormant and exact same Vitaphone disc production facilities which produced the originals.

For a good visual of the early problems associated with Vitaphone, see the recording scene and the movie-preview scene of Gene Kelly in MGM’s Singin’ in the Rain. Unlike most phonograph discs, the needle on Vitaphone records moved from the inside of the disc to the outside, a practice which would be half-borrowed by live recording engineers of those pre-tape days, recording odd sides of a live performance conventionally outside-in, and even sides of a program inside-out back and forth between twin disc recording lathes. When plated and pressed, these discs were produced with a hybrid of manual-operator and automatic-changer sequence called DJ disc sequence so that at all times an operator would never have to flip a disc over in order to continue.

This inline/staggered heads idea from twin-sided stereo shellacque 78’s would later be utilized in competing home-stereo tape recording formats of the early 50’s, once again, one machine being unable to play stereo recordings made on the other. This time, however one format, Inline, won out.

After laying dormant for over 40 years, this idea of having one head on the front of a disc and one head on the back was picked up in the 70’s by Sharp Electronics and used in a space-saving turntable design to play both sides of a vertically-oriented LP in sequence without having to move the stylus from one side to the other (as in a two-sided Laser-Disc player where the pickup travels from bottom to top to play the other side). Each side had its’ own cartridge and stylus, and the three-inch platter could spin in either direction allowing for as much as 45 minutes of uninterrupted music.

The Cook twin-groove stereo system borrowed from this but put both grooves on the same side of the disc, engraving the left channel of the groove beginning near the edge of the disc and the right channel beginning near a point halfway through the recording and concluding near the label. A twin-lateral pickup was used for playback.

In the Westrex system, the lateral-vertical system described above is tilted 45 degrees, allowing each channel to drive the cutting head at a 45 degree angle to the vertical, sharing equally in both the lateral and vertical modulations and eliminating the need for a matrix when encoding from a stereo source.

During playback the combined signal is sensed by a left channel coil mounted diagonally opposite the inner side of the groove, and a right channel coil mounted diagonally opposite the outer side of the groove.

It is helpful to think of the combined stylus motion in terms of the vector sum and difference of the two stereo channels. Effectively, all vertical stylus motion conveys the L-R difference signal, and horizontal stylus motion carries the L+R summed signal.

The advantages of the 45/45 system are:

greater compatibility with monophonic recording and playback systems. A monophonic cartridge will reproduce an equal blend of the left and right channels instead of reproducing only one channel. (However many monophonic styli would damage a stereo groove, leading to the common recommendation to never use a mono cartridge on a stereo record.) Conversely, a stereo cartridge reproduces the lateral grooves of monophonic recording equally through both channels, rather than one channel.

a more balanced sound, because the two channels have equal fidelity (rather than providing one higher-fidelity vertically recorded channel and one lower-fidelity laterally recorded channel);

higher fidelity in general, because the “difference” signal is usually of low power and thus less affected by the intrinsic distortion of hill-and-dale recording.

This system was invented by Alan Blumlein of EMI in 1931 and patented the same year. EMI cut the first stereo test discs using the system in 1933 see Bell Labs Stereo Experiments of 1933. It was not used commercially until a quarter of a century later.

Stereo sound provides a more natural listening experience where the spatial location of the source of a sound is, at least in part, reproduced.

Other enhancements

Under the direction of recording engineer C. Robert Fine, Mercury Records initiated a minimalist single microphone monaural recording technique in 1951. The first record, Kubelik/Chicago’s performance of “Pictures at an Exhibition” was described as “being in the living presence of the orchestra” by The New York Times music critic. The series of records was then named ercury Living Presence. In 1955 Mercury began three-channel stereo recordings, still based on the principle of the single microphone. The center (single) microphone was of paramount importance, with the two side mics adding depth and space. Record masters were cut directly from a three-track to two-track mixdown console, with all editing of the master tapes done on the original three-tracks. In 1961 Mercury enhanced this technique with three-microphone stereo recordings using 35 mm magnetic film instead of half-inch tape for recording. The greater thickness and width of 35 mm magnetic film prevented tape layer print-through and pre-echo and gained extended frequency range and transient response. The Mercury Living Presence recordings were remastered to CD in the 1990s by the original producer, Wilma Cozart Fine, using the same method of 3-to-2 mix directly to the master recorder.

The development of quadraphonic records was announced in 1971. These recorded four separate sound signals. This was achieved on the two stereo channels by electronic matrixing, where the additional channels were combined into the main signal. When the records were played, phase-detection circuits in the amplifiers were able to decode the signals into four separate channels. There were two main systems of matrixed quadraphonic records produced, confusingly named SQ (by CBS) and QS (by Sansui). They proved commercially unsuccessful, but were an important precursor to later “surround sound” systems, as seen in SACD and home cinema today. A different format, CD-4 (not to be confused with compact disc), by RCA, encoded rear channel information on an ultrasonic carrier, which required a special wideband cartridge to capture it on carefully-calibrated pickup arm/turntable combinations. Typically the high frequency information inscribed onto these LPs wore off after only a few playings, and CD-4 was even less successful than the two matrixed formats. (A further problem was that no cutting heads were available that could handle the HF information. That was got round by cutting at ‘half-speed’. Later, the special half-speed cutting heads and equalization techniques were employed to get a wider frequency response in stereo with reduced distortion and greater headroom.)

Through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, various methods to improve the dynamic range of mass produced records involved highly advanced disc cutting equipment. These techniques, marketed, to name two, as the CBS DisComputer and Teldec Direct Metal Mastering, were used to reduce inner-groove distortion. RCA Victor introduced another system to boost dynamic range and achieve a groove with less surface noise under the commercial name of Dynagroove. Two main elements were combined: another disk material with less surface noise in the groove and dynamic compression for masking background noise. Sometimes this was called “diaphragming” the source material and not favoured by some music lovers for its unnatural side effects. Both elements were reflected in the brandname of Dynagroove, described elsewhere in more detail. It also used the earlier advanced method of forward looking control on track distance with respect to volume of sound and position on the disk. Tracks were close to each other with lower volumes and farther away with loud passages, especially for the bass. Also the higher track density at lower volumes enabled disk recordings to end farther away from the inner circle than usual, helping to reduce endtrack distortion even further.

Also in the late 1970s, “direct-to-disc” records were produced, aimed at an audiophile niche market. These completely bypassed the use of magnetic tape in favour of a “purist” transcription directly to the master lacquer disc. Also during this period, “half-speed mastered” and “original master” records were released, using expensive state-of-the-art technology. A further late 1970s development was the Disco Eye-Cued system used mainly on Motown 12-inch singles released between 1978 and 1980. The introduction, drum-breaks or choruses of a track were indicated by widely separated grooves, giving a visual clue to DJs mixing the records. The appearance of these records is similar to an LP, but they only contain one track each side.

The early 1980s saw the introduction of “dbx-encoded” records, again for the audiophile niche market. These were completely incompatible with standard record playback preamplifiers, relying on the dbx compandor encoding/decoding scheme to greatly increase dynamic range (dbx encoded disks were recorded with the dynamic range compressed by a factor of two in dB: quiet sounds were meant to be played back at low gain and loud sounds were meant to be played back at high gain, via automatic gain control in the playback equipment; this reduced the effect of surface noise on quiet passages). A similar and very short lived scheme involved using the CBS-developed “CX” noise reduction encoding/decoding scheme.

Laser turntable

Main article: Laser turntable

ELPJ, a Japanese-based company, has developed a player that uses a laser instead of a stylus to read vinyl discs. In theory the laser turntable eliminates the possibility of scratches and attendant degradation of the sound, but its expense limits use primarily to digital archiving of analog records and the laser does not recognize colored vinyl or picture disk. Various other laser-based turntables were tried during the 1990s, but while a laser reads the groove very accurately, since it does not touch the record, the dust that vinyl naturally attracts due to static charge is not cleaned from the groove, worsening sound quality in casual use compared to conventional stylus playback.

Loosely connected to the laser turntable is the IRENE http://irene.lbl.gov/ invented by a team of physicists at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories to retrieve the information from any laterally-modulated monaural grooved sound source without touching the media itself.

However, IRENE is only good for mono, lateral recordings. For vertically-modulated grooved media such as cylinders and some radio transcriptions which feature a hill-and-dale format of recording, or for stereophonic or quadraphonic grooved recordings which utilize a combination of the two as well as supersonic encoding for quadraphonic, this would not work.

Enter the IRENE progeny, the Confocal Microscope Cylinder Project http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/2711763438/ which capture a high resolution 3-D image of the surface, down to 200M. In order to convert to a digital sound file, this is then played by a version of the same `virtual stylus’ program developed by the research team in real-time, converted to digital and, if desired, processed through sound-restoration programs.

However, before final playback in the computer to convert to digital audio files in real-time, it is also possible to remove many of the sonic imperfections in the media while still in the video domain, by utilizing the same tools as major motion picture studios in restoring their films. The result is truly stunning.[citation needed]

Formats

The protective cover of the one-off Voyager Golden Record, containing symbolic information on how it is to be played.

Types of records

See also: Recording medium comparison

See also http://78rpmrecord.com/altformat.htm

As recording technology evolved, more specific terms for various types of phonograph records were used in order to describe some aspect of the record: either its correct rotational speed (“16 rpm” (revolutions per minute), “33 rpm”, “45 rpm”, “78 rpm”) or the material used (particularly “vinyl” to refer to records made of polyvinyl chloride, or the earlier “shellac records” generally the main ingredient in 78s). Other terms such as “Long Play” or L.P. and “Extended Play” or E.P. describe multi-track records that play a lot longer than the single-item-per-side records, which typically don’t go much past 4 minutes per side. An L.P. can play for about thirty minutes per side. The 7″ 45 rpm format normally contains one item per side but a 7″ EP could achieve recording times of 10 to 15 minutes at the expense of attenuating and compressing the sound to reduce the width required by the groove. EP discs were generally used to make available tracks not on singles including tracks on LPs albums in a smaller, less expensive format for those who had only 45 rpm players. The large center hole on 7″ 45 rpm records allows for easier handling by jukebox mechanisms. The term “album,” originally used to mean a “book” with liner notes, holding several 78 rpm records each in its own “page” or sleeve, no longer has any relation to the physical format: a single LP record, or nowadays more typically a compact disc.

Sizes of records in America and the UK are generally measured in inches, usually represented with a double prime symbol, e.g. a 7-inch or 7″ record which are generally 45 rpm records. LPs were 10″ records at first, but soon the 12″ size became by far the most common with 78s generally being 10″ but also 12″ and 7″ and even smallerhe so called ‘little wonders.’

Common formats

Diameter

Revolutions per minute

Time duration

12 in. (30 cm)

33 rpm

45 min Long play (LP)

45 rpm

12-inch single, Maxi Single, and Extended play (EP)

10 in. (25 cm)

33 rpm

Long play (LP)

78 rpm

3 minutes

7 in. (17.5 cm)

45 rpm

Single, and Extended play (EP)

33 rpm

Often used for children’s records in the 1960s and 1970s.

Notes:

Before the early 1950s, the 33 rpm LP was most commonly found in a 10-inch (25 cm) format.

The 10-inch format disappeared from United States stores around 1950, but remained a common

format in some markets until the mid-1960s. The 10-inch vinyl format was resurrected in the 1970s

for marketing some popular recordings as collectibles, and these are occasionally seen today.

The maximum time per side for an LP is only achievable with special playback styli,

so cutting engineers often dislike cutting such grooves.

Less common formats

Main article: Unusual types of gramophone records

Structure

A standard wide-hole 7″ vinyl record from 1978 on its respective sleeve.

The normal commercial disc is engraved with two sound-bearing concentric spiral grooves, one on each side of the disc, running from the outside edge towards the centre. The last part of the spiral meets an earlier part to form a circle. The sound is encoded by fine variations in the edges of the groove that cause a stylus (needle) placed in it to vibrate at acoustic frequencies when the disc is rotated at the correct speed. Generally, the outer and inner parts of the groove bear no intended sound (at least one exception is Split Enz’s Mental Notes).

Since the late 1910s, both sides of the record have been used to carry the grooves. Occasionally, records were issued in the 1920s with a recording on only one side. In the eighties Columbia records briefly issued a series of one-sided 45 rpm singles as “loss leaders”, the theory being that they could charge less for a one-sided single when not obligated to pay the artist royalties for two.

The majority of non78 rpm records are pressed on black vinyl. The colouring material used to blacken the transparent PVC plastic mix is carbon black. Carbon black increases the strength of the disc and renders it opaque. Polystyrene is often used for 7-inch records. Recently (2008), reissue label Classic has announced their future releases would all be on clear vinyl after technicians determined that the carbon black itself has magnetic properties that detrimentally affect proper playback from the cartridge.

Some records are pressed on coloured vinyl or with paper pictures embedded in them (“picture discs”). Certain 45 rpm RCA or RCA Victor “Red Seal” records used red translucent vinyl for extra “Red Seal” effect. During the 1980s there was a trend for releasing singles on coloured vinyl sometimes with large inserts that could be used as posters. This trend has been revived recently with 7-inch singles.

Vinyl record standards for the United States follow the guidelines of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The inch dimensions are nominal, not precise diameters. The actual dimension of a 12-inch record is 302 mm (11.89 in), for a 10-inch it is 250 mm (9.84 in), and for a 7-inch it is 175 mm (6.89 in).

Records made in other countries are standardized by different organizations, but are very similar in size. The record diameters are typically 300 mm, 250 mm and 175 mm.

There is an area about 6 mm (0.25 in) wide at the outer edge of the disk, called the lead-in where the groove is widely spaced and silent. This section allows the stylus to be dropped at the start of the record groove, without damaging the recorded section of the groove.

Between each track on the recorded section of an LP record, there is usually a short gap of around 1 mm (0.04 in) where the groove is widely spaced. This space is clearly visible, making it easy to find a particular track.

A macro photo of the innermost grooves of a vinyl record. Stored sound in the form of variations in the tracks is clearly visible, as is dust on the record.

Magnified grooves. Dust can be spotted. Red lines mark one millimeter

Towards the label centre, at the end of the groove, there is another wide-pitched section known as the lead-out. At the very end of this section, the groove joins itself to form a complete circle, called the lock groove; when the stylus reaches this point, it circles repeatedly until lifted from the record. On some recordings (for example Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles and Atom Heart Mother by Pink Floyd), the sound continues on the lock groove, which gives a strange repeating effect. Automatic turntables rely on the position or angular velocity of the arm, as it reaches these more widely spaced grooves, to trigger a mechanism that raises the arm and moves it out of the way of the record.

The catalog number and stamper ID is written or stamped in the space between the groove in the lead-out on the master disc, resulting in visible recessed writing on the final version of a record. Sometimes the cutting engineer might add handwritten comments or their signature, if they are particularly pleased with the quality of the cut. These are generally referred to as “run-out etchings.”

When auto-changing turntables were commonplace, records were typically pressed with a raised (or ridged) outer edge and a raised label area. This would allow records to be stacked onto each other, gripping each other without the delicate grooves coming into contact, thus reducing the risk of damage. Auto changing turntables included a mechanism to support a stack of several records above the turntable itself, dropping them one at a time onto the active turntable to be played in order. Many longer sound recordings, such as complete operas, were interleaved across several 10-inch or 12-inch discs for use with auto-changing mechanisms, so that the first disk of a three-disk recording would carry sides 1 and 6 of the program, while the second disk would carry sides 2 and 5, and the third, sides 3 and 4, allowing sides 1, 2, and 3 to be played automatically; then the whole stack reversed to play sides 4, 5, and 6.

Vinyl quality

The sound quality and durability of vinyl records is highly dependent on the quality of the vinyl. During the early 1970s, as a cost-cutting move towards use of lightweight, flexible vinyl pressings, much of the industry adopted a technique of reducing the thickness and quality of vinyl used in mass-market manufacturing, marketed by RCA Victor as the “Dynaflex” (125 g) process, considered inferior by most record collectors. Most vinyl records are pressed from a mix of seventy per cent virgin vinyl and thirty per cent recycled vinyl.

New “virgin” or “heavy/heavyweight” (180220 g) vinyl is commonly used for modern “audiophile” vinyl releases in all genres. Many collectors prefer to have 180 g vinyl albums, and they have been reported to have a better sound than normal vinyl. These albums tend to withstand the deformation caused by normal play better than regular vinyl 180 g vinyl is more expensive to produce only because it uses more vinyl. Manufacturing processes are identical regardless of weight. In fact, pressing lightweight records requires more care. An exception is the propensity of 200 g pressings being slightly more prone to “non-fill”, where the vinyl biscuit does not sufficiently fill a deep groove during pressing (percussion or vocal amplitude changes are the usual locations of these artifacts). This flaw exhibits a grinding or scratching sound at the non-fill point.

Since most vinyl records contain up to thirty per cent recycled vinyl, impurities can be accumulated in the record, causing a brand new album to have audio artifacts like clicks and pops. Virgin vinyl means that the album is not from recycled plastic, and will theoretically be devoid of these impurities. In practice, this depends on the manufacturer’s quality control.

The orange peel effect on vinyl records is caused by worn molds. Rather than having the proper mirror-like finish, the surface of the record will have what looks like an orange peel texture. This introduces noise into the record, particularly in the lower frequency range. It should be noted that with direct metal mastering (DMM) the master disc is cut on a copper-coated disc which can also have a minor “orange peel” effect on the disc itself. As this “orange peel” originates in the master rather than being introduced in the pressing stage, there is no ill-effect as there is no physical distortion of the groove.

While all vinyl records are pressed from metal discs known as ’stampers’, a technique known as lathe-cutting is used to cr…
About the Author

I am China Suppliers writer, reports some information about photo sticker machine , antique gumball machine.

Consider me a reverse snob: I love CDs. My music collection contains hundreds of them.

I still have four or five vinyl LPs and a couple dozen 45-rpm singles packed away somewhere, but I no longer have a turntable to play those relics on.

This makes me uncool in some music lovers’ eyes (or, rather, “ears”). There’s a sizeable number of audiophiles who disdain CDs and digital music in general and who decry the passing of vinyl as the standard medium of recorded sound.

Vinyl lovers assert that music sounds better–some use the term “warmer”–on records than on CDs. They also contend that the analog nature of vinyl records comes closer to capturing the original musical experience than does modern digital technology.

Frankly, I don’t see it (er, hear it). But then, maybe I don’t have sufficiently finely tuned ears.

Given the fact that, at least to my hearing–and I suspect to that of the vast majority of listeners–, there is little noticeable difference between the sound of a song on vinyl and the sound of it on CD, here are the reasons I prefer to own the latter:

1. CDs take up less room. My CD collection fills three shelves of a six-shelf bookcase, plus a standalone rack that holds maybe 150 CDs. That same amount of music on records would probably require all of my living room shelf space (i.e., five big bookcases) to hold.
2. CDs hold more songs. Vinyl long-playing albums usually contained only ten or a dozen songs. Check out any CD that is a copy of an album originally produced on vinyl; unless it has “bonus tracks” you’re unlikely to find more than 12 songs on it. Original CDs–those produced as CDs from the get-go–may contain 18, 20 or even two dozen tracks. More music is a good thing.
3. CDs open up troves of great recorded music to more people. If not for the many old records committed to CD, I probably would not have discovered the marvelously haunting blues recordings of the 1920s and ’30s. Not everyone has the knowledge, time, persistence and funds to build a collection of original 78s of this music. The advent of CDs has made this “people’s music” available to the modern masses.
4. CDs pick up less noise over time than vinyl does. Even with care, vinyl records acquire hisses, pops and scratches that never go away. Admittedly, CDs are not indestructible, either. But of the hundreds of CDs that I own–some of which have been played over and over–none has any permanent “acquired” noise that I can detect.(Yes, I am aware of reports suggesting that the earliest mass-produced CDs are prone to degrade with time. Believe me, I’m monitoring my CD collection carefully for any problems along this line. So far, nothing. In any event, today’s CDs are said to be manufactured to higher standards than the first ones were.)
5. CDs, to me, represent a cleaner form of music playback technology, less encumbered by physical constraints. Streaming audio, mp3 files and iPods take this freedom even further. Maybe it’s an aesthetic peculiar to me, but I like the notion of music that flows at the push of a button, with a minimum of human or (noticeable) machine intervention. The mere act of turning a record over to play the other side now seems quaintly antiquated and hopelessly industrial-age to me.

As you might have noticed, all of these points in favor of CDs apply even more forcefully to mp3s that one can download to a hard drive or load onto an iPod. We’ve entered an age of broad music availability, in which it possible for the average person to explore a multitude of genres and sub-genres and to enjoy the past hundred years’ worth of the greatest recorded performances and artists.

Assuredly, CDs will one day become as extinct as vinyl records. As much as I love them now, I doubt I’ll lament their passing. It just means that some better medium of recorded music will have taken their place.

Stefan Smith writes on entertainment and other subjects for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Recently, he has written an extensive review of amazing new software anyone can use to capture music audio streams from Internet radio broadcasts and break them up into individual mp3 song files–a legal way to download virtually free music. Read the review at: http://www.solid-gold.info/radio2mp3.html

Minimum DJ equipments for DJ

Beginners have no enough knowledge about what types of equipments are better for his.

How they purchase, manage & give batter publics satisfaction. It’s important for DJ career.

 

The important step is buying your first DJ equipment, because you do not want to purchase the wrong equipment. This will help your growth as a DJ and limit the caliber of jobs you can get before upgrading.

 

Here I write some DJ equipment tips from my professional experience for beginners to build their own DJ sets from different manufacturers of DJ equipment. Many company across world provide

There product to fulfill all types DJ equipment requirement.

 

Numark, Stanton, Gemini, JB Systems, American audio, Reloop are some reputed brand for Dj equipments market.

 

Here some of the list of DJ equipment:

• Turntables
• Mixer
• Cartridges
• Connecting cables
• Headphones
• Speakers
• Microphones
• Amplifier
• Megafoons
• Mixtable verlichting
• Effector/Beat counter
• iPOD
• Software
• Slipmats
• Versterkers
• Draaitafels
• Divers
• Montage materiaal
• CD/DVD/Media spelers
• All types decoration lights
• DJ Gear

Most important equipments for beginner DJ professionals:

• Turntables
• Mixer
• Connecting cables
• Headphones
• Speakers
• Microphones

 

Trntable:

The Numark – TT200 delivers many of the innovative features found in the TTX. With a direct drive motor that delivers 1.7 kg/cm of torque, the TT200 competes spec for spec with any other turntable out there.

 

Cartridges:

Cartridges are what actually play the songs. The Shure M44-7 Competition Cartridge or the Ortofon Elecktro Concorde Cartridge is a highly reviewed cartridge that will not break your budget.

Mixer:

The Reloop RMX-40 DSP owes its name to the effect unit which gives DJs in addition to the send/return loop for external processors also a choice of integrated effects like Pan, Trans, Delay, Echo, Flanger, Filter, Phase and Pitch Shifter. Linked to the beat counter, the effect parameters can be assigned to the various beats or simply manually modulated with a time and a level/depth parameter potentiometer. Especially DJ-friendly is the RMX-40 series with a headphones output that features an equalizer and a mono switch. Additionally, all channels have reversible faders with variable curves, their own level LEDs and automatic beat counters. The cross fader controls all input channels, activates the sources with Fader Start and cuts their frequencies using the Kill Switches. Technology for the pro!

DJ headphones:

The Xone XD-40 offer excellent audio fidelity in a comfortable, lightweight and compact format. The closed cup design provides good isolation from ambient noise, and minimal bleed. The extended, punchy bottom end is complemented by a crisp and detailed mid and upper range. They are light and well padded, making them more comfortable and less fatiguing for extended use.

 

Microphones:

MadBoy TUBE-202 is the right microphone for professional users. If you need a strong and clear sounding mic, this is right choice. Strong metal grill protects your mic and makes it a long lasting tool for professionals.

All in one packages are also available, but they often include cheaper hardware and may not last as long as a custom-built kit.

 

Are you interested with these equipments? If yes you can built your set from these or you can choice more product of most company from http://www.poweruser.be/shop/index.php a online DJ musical instrument store, a customer friendly seals & service provider. You can get best support from them.

 

I hope this tips will help you build your won DJ set, if you follow this. I all so tell you first know more about DJ product before bay that.

About the Author

My  hobby & experience in web related work, Interest in listen rock, pop, classic, romantic video & audio  Music, gaming, content writing, news reading, painting.

 

Name – Antaryami Rout

Email – antaryami.webmaster@gmail.com

Vintage Music with Vinyl and Turntables

Long before there were cassettes, CDs and MP3 players, there were only vinyl records. A vinyl record, also aptly called a gramophone record or phonograph record, is an analog sound storage medium. This is the precedent of compact discs or CDs. Only this time, CDs contain digital data such as music.

Vinyl records came to the commercial music scene starting from the 1920s. It revolutionised how music was commercially distributed since the old mean was through phonographs. Vinyl records had all the attention until the 80’s when digital media took over the scene. However, albeit the absence from mainstream music distribution, vinyl records still continued to be produced. Patrons continued to enjoy these records so production of it never completely halted. In fact, as the years passed, more and more people demanded for vinyl records.

Therefore today, aside from the already vintage albums, newer and mainstream records are made not only in CDs but vinyls as well. Adults and audiophiles are the common patrons of these records. Djs are commonly seen utilising these records during their gigs using modern turntables.

And speaking of turntables, because vinyl records were continued to be supported, turntable models also developed. Today there are now digital turntables that produce quality sounds from modern vinyl records. More and more people, especially the adult music lovers are investing in these music paraphernalias.

Commonly, these items can be bought at regular music shops. This fact is far from the common misconception that such items are hard to find. People can in fact just buy the equipment using their credit cards. Other fans of vintage vinyl records even take up payday loans just to afford such items in cash. Vinyl records range from vintage, meaning made years back, to newly produced albums. The prices range from as little as $1 to as costly as $100. It all depends on the seller and the popularity of the records.

For the turntables, the prices vary between less than $100 to a thousand. These are also carried by various brands such as Sony, Crosley, Pioneer and so on. For the pricey turntables, people can take online pay day loan if they don’t like using their credit cards. There are vintage turntables as well that aren’t found commonly. Usually, these are seldom found in flea markets, auction sites such as Ebay and so on.

Vinyl records and turntables are definitely here to stay for a while. So long as more and more people want to have them, they will continue to be produced, making it even easier for people to purchase them.

About the Author

Kata Pott, a marketer of Payday Loans. She’ll help people in the long run by providing budgeting tools and individually researched articles on money and financial tips. This will assist people in achieving instant and long term financial freedom., shares her insight on money matters.

Buying Music and Starting a Collection Once you have your DJ equipment set up, the real journey begins: learning how to mix. Obviously in order to do this you need music, and plenty of it! To be a true DJ, you need to have a real passion for music and the way it sounds, both in isolation and in a sequence.

Many great DJ’s were cutting and editing DIY tapes well before they ever purchased a set of turntables, just because they were fascinated with the idea of continuous back to back music. You are joining a worldwide community of people who spent their school days hanging out in record shops, tuning in to crackly pirate radio stations late into the night, passing around hot mix tapes and desperately seeking through piles of records to find the elusive gem at the top of a cherished ‘wants’ list. There is an excitement and a hunger for music that must accompany DJing. If you don’t have it, then you will not develop that all important suicidal approach to bank balances that a record collection encourages!

For the modern DJ, you have 3 main options (depending on your equipment choice) which are vinyl, CD and downloaded mp3/wav files. It is unhelpful to get caught up in the ‘format war” argument as music is music however you choose to buy it. Many DJ’s have such a fondness for records, that no amount of persuasion will convince them to use anything else. Seen in a prudential and unbiased light, there are pros and cons to all 3 formats, so it is best to objectively deal with it now then move on.

For more info on how to select good music as an up and coming DJ go to www.learnhowtobeadj.com

Jerry K Frempong

Buy Pioneer DJ Package For Learner

If you are like to select the DJ profession, you have to spend money in the turntable. But when it comes to beginner, pioneer DJ turntable is the first step. There is lot of producers providing the pioneer DJ equipment. To get training as DJ, you must buy the best Pioneer DJ package. If you succeed in selecting the correct equipment, you get qualified to become a DJ.

Each and every DJ who is newly entering to the DJ profession, they must put more effort to become DJ. If the person knows anything about the DJ before itself, it is very ease for them to tackle the situation, and they will get some hint on what to do and how to do. The learner of the DJ turntable package must know how to provide music for a person and make one to join in the music. If DJ is just a hobby for a person, he can learn it without interest. But if it is a profession for him, he has to work hard and they have to learn a lot about the way of art.

DJ packages comprise of bundle of tips to follow and the person should not be playful, because the instruction given by the is overloaded by the person, the person will do only which is simple and observation to persons mind. If the person newly enters into the DJ profession, he should know about how to use DJ equipment and ensure that they will use their DJ equipment frequently.

If the person going to buy new DJ equipment, he should ensure which DJ equipment is best to use and they should have a knowledge about which DJ package equipment is covers all facilities. So that every new person into the DJ profession can spend money in one package and they save can save money for purchasing other musical equipments.

If you want to become good DJ you have to buy new books constantly in different places to learn about DJ profession entirely. But if invest your money into a learner pioneer DJ turntable package it will be helpful to investing money in the DJ package equipment.

If the person is well in DJ profession and person can handle if any problems occurs on DJ equipment in future. There is no alternation for each and every good quality and the certified quality. The DJ profession person should have a sense to choose the best musical instrument. If you aware of all the details about DJ equipment you can easily solve the DJ Package issues.

If you have a goal to do best in DJ profession, then you spend money in the gadgets, gadgets is a scope to become best. You can invest your money into buying a good and certified brand name to purchase the musical equipments.

Always ensure your budget before you going to purchase a new learner DJ equipment package and pick any one of the DJ equipment that comes under your budget. Always we should keep in our mind our budget should be surplus then only we can afford everything; if we don’t keep enough money to buy equipment then we can’t able to buy the equipment.

If you want to learn more about DJ equipment, then you should read a product review details which is available in the market place, so that you can get an idea about which one is better brand? And which is affordable price to get the pioneer DJ Package for learner.

About the Author

Alex is a Professional writer working with Gigasonic and he writes articles for Pioneer DJ Package. He written many articles like Buy Pioneer DJ Package and AKG Wireless Microphone. For more information about all our services, go to http://www.gigasonic.com/. Contact him at gigasonic.info@gmail.com

Review of the Tlc CD 3d

3D is the latest release from TLC, and I can only think of one word to describe it… AWESOME!

TLC have been a super stars in the Pop genre for quite some time now and 3D is an excellent illustration as to why.

3D is a nicely varied, mix of 13 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly superb musicians. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own real life experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, heartbreak, pain, failed relationships and unattainable romance. They’re all here.

I give 3D my highest recommendation. It just plain belongs in any serious music collectors collection regardless of genre preference.

While this entire CD is really very good some of my favorites are track 3 – Girl Talk, track 5 – In Your Arms Tonight, and track 7 – Hands Up

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 13 – Give It To Me While It’s Hot. This is a great track!

3D Release Notes:

TLC originally released 3D on November 12, 2002 on the LaFace label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. 3D – (intro) 2. Quickie 3. Girl Talk 4. turntable 5. In Your Arms Tonight 6. Over Me 7. Hands Up 8. Damaged 9. Dirty Dirty 10. So So Dumb 11. Good Love 12. Hey Hey Hey Hey 13. Give It To Me While It’s Hot

TLC: Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Chilli, Lisa Left Eye Lopes (vocals). Additional personnel: Rodney Jerkins (vocals, samples); Tron Austin (vocals); Babyface (acoustic & electric guitars, keyboards, programming); Raphael Saadiq (guitar, bass); Tomi Martin, Danny O’Donough, Tony Reyes (guitar); Colin Wolfe, Shorty B (bass); Sigurdur Birkis, Tom Knight (drums); Riprock, Alex G., Organized Noize (programming); DJ Ruckus (scratches); Debra Killings, Missy Elliot, Chase Rollison, Lester Finnel, Bill Diggins, Mark Pitts, Marde Johnson, Shawn Beasley (background vocals); Eddie Hustle. Producers: Lisa “Left Eye Lopes”, Chilli, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Bill Diggins.

About the Author

Brian McCoy is an industry leading internet marketer and President and CEO of McCoy Marketing Group. His mission is to develop leaders into full time 6-figure earners and home business entrepreneurs.
If you are looking to Make Money Online, visit Brian’s Abunza website.

Avoid a Disaster On The Decks With Quality DJ Equipment

The lights are low, the crowd is expectant, air horns are blasting. Hundreds of sweaty people are shoulder to shoulder blowing whistles and stomping feet. The strobe lights start pulsating and BANG! Power is down – and the crowd start heckling.

That is every DJ’s nightmare, failing equipment. When you are well known or making a name for yourself you cannot afford to have such mess ups and sometimes even quality equipment can’t get you out of it. And in my time interviewing DJs from across the world, I have heard of a few tales of the ultimate terror. I have also witnessed a few when it comes to reviewing club night sand gigs. I can assure you that the audience is rarely sympathetic to the plight of the cursed DJ.

One such tale was a university gig, a DJ who was in the charts at the time came on to finish the night off, which he certainly did. The trouble with a headlining act is that often there are many hours of drinking that can take place before a foot manages to even step upon a stage or in a DJ booth. I know a lot of vinyl spinners who opt to drive to prevent the evil allure of beer taking over their senses, but not this guy. All was going well and then he tried to a super slick move whilst attempting a bit of a rewind, stumbled and sent the decks flying. Broken turntables, broken records and a badly bruised ego ensued!

Being the first on doesn’t guarantee a simple start either. With so many buttons, switches, amps, lights and leads if the system doesn’t start up, it can take a crack team of audio detectives to find out what is defective. A cry of ‘the show must go on!’ is all well and good, but sometimes a CD player and Kylies latest album has to suffice whilst the crowds bay for their entertainment. It’s not that uncommon for things like that go wrong mid-set. One guy I knew was busy having a boogie to a good tune he was spinning when his dancing feet whipped a lead from a jack and like a hells angel gatecrashing a frat party, the whole lot went dead. He did say that a blip like that can ruin an entire night.

Whipping the crowd into a dancing frenzy is a harder job than many non DJ types realise. Us awkward lot have to be coaxed into dancing, built up to a heaving mass of excitement that is aimed to guarantee wolf whistles and whoops when the DJ drops the beat of the finest tune that has graced a living things ears. If that process is interfered with, and a five minute silence is all the punters have to hang on to, that vibe can be lost and is hard to claw back. Then there is the reputation to think of. Some stories can be a memorable blip that talent can get around; others are statements of incompetence that the paying public will not forgive.

Technical failures can exacerbate silly mistakes, but at least technical failures can be avoided by investing in equipment that has less chance of letting you down. Good quality buys are a must, and often taking your own equipment to a club or party will minimise controllable difficulties. I have heard stories from many DJs where bad sets have been the result of broken headphones; worn out needles, sub standard monitors and generally old equipment with no spares should something go fatally wrong. Invest in the best and take it with you if you want to spin with success.

About the Author

Shaun Parker is a leading technical expert with many years of experience in the music industry. Find out more about DJ equipment from decks to headphones and flight cases at Get In The Mix.

Probably the first thing you want to think about before you start spending any money on getting a home recording facility together is, why do I want to record at home?

You probably already know the reason, but the clearer you are about this the better your results will be.

Do you want to just pick up your guitar on a whim and record the latest idea that’s passing by? Do you intend to record an album in its entirety at home and release it? Do you want to make podcasts to broadcast on the web? Do you want to ‘flesh out’ your musical ideas to get an idea of how the final product might sound. All are valid reasons for having your own home recording setup. Each one also suggests a particular amount of money you will need to spend to get the result you desire, and the amount of effort you need to expend making it happen.

What you will need.

From a basic standpoint you will need some way to record your performance or ideas – this could be into a Personal Computer[PC] or mac or onto a stand alone recorder. You’ll also need someway of getting the performance into the recording medium – whether that be via microphone or a piano keyboard. You will also need to find some way to ‘deliver’ your product – via mp3 mix/cd or podcast. All factors to consider as you set up you home studio.

What is best; Computer recording or stand alone?

I will confess that in my opinion and experience, the simplest and most effective way to record anything at home is with a stand alone recorder. Several years ago I recorded an entire album using Fostex DMT8, 8 tracks to do the lot- including backing vocals guitars and eveything. To those of you unfamiliar with what I mean by stand alone recorder then have a look at units from Fostex, Yamaha, Roland and others. In general they have a built in hard drive or media card which records data that you produce as a result of recording yourself. This can be as simple as engaging a ‘record’ button and playing or singing. There’s no fuss involved with this. Some of them also allow you to burn a CD at the end of the process so you can amaze your friends! There can be disadvantages as I will discuss later, but depending on your final aims as discussed earlier, you will make allowances for any shortcomings.

Recording onto a pc or Mac takes us into a more complex word, so if you’re not computer savvy, or prepared to engage in a long and sometimes frustrating journey I’d go with the stand alone unit.

Why is it more difficult to record into a PC?

Recoding into a PC has a minimum of 3 steps:

Input device-microphone/keyboard/turntable

Sound card-converts your ‘real world’ sound into computer language.

Recording software-does the job of ‘capturing’ your performance.

Once you have got your recording chain set up then it ‘can’ be as easy as using a stand alone unit, but to get to that point you have to deal with a number of factors-the #1 bugbear of most home computer recording nuts is a friendly tike called ‘latency’ .

Latency: ‘ something that is revealed later’.

For those not in the know, latency can be compared to hearing your voice echoing back from a canyon, heloooo-hellllllloooo. There is a gap between when you yell and when you hear your voice returned. If you plug in a microphone and set up your recording software and say the ubiquitous ‘hello’ you will get a similar effect!

Unless you invest in a super high end recording system such as ‘Pro Tools HD’, then this is something you need to work with as a home computer recording aficionado.

The reason we encounter latency is that the computer needs time to convert the analogue [physical sounds via electricity] into digital data; ones and naughts. With a good sound card this can take between 7 and 15 milliseconds [ yep that's 15 thousandths of a second] and then about the same number of milliseconds to convert it from a digital signal back into an electrical analogue system that we can usefully use to hear the sound coming out of the computer. Bare in mind that our ear ‘notices’ a sound as an echo at around the 50 millisecond mark [ more on this later] – so if we have a sound card with 25millisecond [ms] input delay and 25 ms output delay then our ear will perceive it as an echo- not much good to play along with as we will be out of time.

That’s pretty useless you might shriek, so how do people manage to do all this computer recording stuff at home? A-ha. Those clever people who make sound cards m-audio, Presonus, Yamaha etc have done something very clever, they instigated a process called ‘direct monitoring’.

Direct monitoring allows us to hear the incoming sound at its source- straight after you have plugged it in- instead of through the computer where you will pick up a substantive delay. You can still listen ‘though the computer’ if you choose, but in my experience it’s pretty distracting especially with large latency times. The other thing that your clever software program/soundcard combo will do is to record your new track in time with the others by making allowances for the current latency times.

In summary; For ease of use and less technology hassles get a stand alone hard disk recorder. For more complex productions consider getting a computer/soundcard/software combo, but be prepared for a sharp learning curve.

For more information on home recording visit www.myhomerecordingstudio.com
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A few decades ago, music media wouldn’t fit in your pocket. Music has gone through a lot of changes in the last 40 years, and not just in the way it sounds. The sound of music has progressed with the changes in trends, and the changes in society, but so has the way we listen to it. Our society has become ever more reliant on technology to help us, to make our lives more convenient, and to entertain us. Look at the way we watched television 30 years ago. Our kids would feel lost without a remote control, but 30 years ago, we didn’t have remote controls or DVD players. Entertainment technology has grown to proportions many of us would never have imagined in childhood. Now blue-gray has taken over, and high definition television is common. In the music industry, changes have been even more drastic.

In the days of Elvis Presley, radios were either large family consoles, or noisy transistors. Records were the only other form of music media. Record stores sold the large round discs to millions of fans to hear a few scratchy songs on a turntable. By the time of Pink Floyd, 8 track cassettes were found in every home and car. 8 track cassettes were revolutionary because they were more portable, and the sound quality was better than a record. 8 tracks were still pretty bulky, and they were difficult to maintain. In the age of Madonna and Michael Jackson, cassette tapes had taken over as the primary music media. The music industry was seeing big profit from the comparable small plastic cassette tape that was even more portable than the 8 track. Small radios could play cassette tapes anywhere you wanted to take them. Cassette tapes saw a long shelf life, but by the time Nirvana was dominating the music industry, CDs were in demand. CDs were a much smaller version of the record, but they were more durable with significantly better sound quality.

CDs are still popular today. Most everyone has CD players in their car, and CD sales are higher than ever. In recent years, though a new music media has become competition for the shiny discs. Digital music has gained popularity and notoriety because of its clear sound quality, and its accessibility. CDs can still be bought in stores and online, but digital music is available on any internet connected computer, and even on many cell phones. Digital music has given the music industry a new way to reach out to more fans than ever, but it has also caused a great deal of trouble. Pirating or illegal downloading of music has become a major legal battle for the music industry. The music industry depends on record sales to profit. Illegal downloading allows fans to obtain music without paying for it, resulting in losses for both record labels and musicians.

The music industry has come a long way from the humble start many years ago. As demands of society changed, the music industry has evolved to meet our needs. In this current digital era, they music industry is facing more conflict than ever before, but like they always have before, the music industry will find a way to overcome.

What’s your top pick in 90s music? You can re-discover old favorites and find other great music online at this free online music site, http://977music.com, where you can hear hundreds of the best songs in 80s, 90s, Oldies, and current music.

Most bedroom DJs will end up spending an awful amount of cash on amps and speakers if they are not willing to invest in decent equipment at the beginning. When I first started Djing I was on a budget so had to stick to a relatively cheap do it yourself set-up. This ended up costing me a lot in the end as I would always blow my system. Not having a proper understanding about how to use the graphic equaliser and playing amps at a louder wattage than the speakers can take is a very common mistake amongst bedroom DJs, I know I went through my fair share of systems when starting out.

As a general rule of thumb when buying a system you should always make sure that the speaker wattage matches that of the amp. Also it is recommended that for the best possible sound quality the speaker cables for any stereo system should be at least 10% of the cost of the overall system. therefore if your stereo system cost £1000 at least £100 spent on speaker cables would result in a much clearer sound.

I would also recommend purchasing a good strong and reliable set of needles, quality needles is a must as most bedroom DJs love to practice scratching but are very heavy handed on the turntables. Which usually results in the needles snapping. Also having a spare pair of needles is always handy, there is nothing worse than a needle snapping when you are half way through a set.

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After playing with the 44-7g was skeptical to try it. I still get high performance if you use Serato this type of application.

 

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reat Sound. Great Tracking

I’ll admit I haven’t listened to very many other cartridges, but these were a great replacement for the Stanton 500Bs that came with my T.60 turntables. These have more dynamic range and deliver more bass, and clear highs. The stanton 500Bs had a little bit of distortion in the treble range when playing passages with lots of bass. The Shure’s handle the same passages better, with less audible distortion. I believe part of the distortion I was hearing was due to the straight tone-arms reverberation on the T.60s. I’ve since upgraded to Technic 1200s with the S shaped tone-arms which seems to help as well. 

The main advantage I’ve noticed with this stylus over the Stanton’s is the increased clearance from the bottom of the cartridge to the bottom of the stylus. I have a few warped records that I couldn’t get to play with the Stanton due to the record actually bumping into the bottom of the cartridge. The Shure’s handle these records great with an extra 2mm or so more clearance.

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If you don’t know Shure’s reputation, you probably are not from this planet… This is the best scratch cartridge ever made !! Perfect sound quality, insane for scratches, loud bass response, long last standing and so on. Do not waste your time and money… GET IT RIGHT NOW !!

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These are the purfect needles for the world’s most perfect turntable, the Technique 1200’s but they are not limited to use only on 1200’s. These needles can be installed in less than a minute and the needle can handle whatever you throw at it, so you can cut your records down to the bone! The bass sound really comes through well on these babies and they track your records really well which comes in handy for records which seem worn down.

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Top Dj Equipment and Set List Resources

 

A Mobile DJ is an entertainer that travels to locations to provide entertainment for a specific event. Where will you see a Mobile DJ? You’ll see a Mobile DJ providing entertainment for Birthday Parties, Sweet 16’s, Bar-Bat Mitzvahs, Weddings, Class Reunions, Graduation Parties, Corporate Parties, etc.

Mobile DJ’s (somewhat of an oxymoron before the turn of the 21st century) weren’t so mobile. You would see 2 large turntables, a big mixer, big amplifier, big speakers, huge heavy crates full of 78’s, lots of wires, and just too much stuff and not easily mobile. Although Big Club DJ’s and some “old school” DJ’s still love spinning on turntables, it’s just not efficient for a typical Event DJ. As technology gets smaller and more efficient, DJ’ing equipment is becoming much easier to transport, set-up, and operate.

The DJ’s that use the larger turntable systems look and sound amazing while beat mixing but you won’t see many of them DJ’ing smaller events that may just require some background music. A kid with an iPod, with a good playlist, and speakers can probably provide decent songs while a big turntable mixing system is just overkill. A good mobile DJ with the right equipment can be very profitable and successful at these events and can even begin building a reputable DJ business. As the business builds, and gigs begin to accumulate, it’s important to have DJ equipment that is reliable, easy to set-up, and effective.

When looking for reliable equipment as a Mobile DJ, it’s important to look for “name” brands. Even with name brands, a DJ has a choice between lower quality-lower prices, higher-quality, higher-prices. For MP3 and CD Players, names like Gemini and American Audio are cheaper “name” brands but they are lower in quality than Denon or Pioneer. Numark, previously a mid-level quality company has been reaching new technology (check out Newmarks, NS7FX) that is beginning to compete with the big boys.

Here are some of the most popular Dual CD/MP3 Players with example-averaged prices being used by DJ’s: Gemini CDMP-6000 ($399.95), Gemini CDX-2400 Rackmount ($170.00), American Audio CK 1000 Table Top Dual ($399.00), American Audio Velocity Professional Dual ($599.00), Numark CD Mix-1 Dual (199.00), Numark CDN22 Rack Mount Dual CD Player (149.00), Denon DN-D6000 Dual CD MP3 Player ($850.00), Pioneer CMX-3000 Dual Rackmount CD Player ($1,000).

You can obviously see a price difference but you will experience a noticeable difference in quality between a cd controller selling for $200 as opposed to the Pioneer CMX for a grand.

Some Mobile DJ’s have even decided to make their set-up even more mobile by doing away with CD’s and purchasing MP3 Players that have external hard drive or iPod connections. I run all my parties with MP3’s no CD’s. Although I have a Denon 4500 CD player in my system, it is only used if someone has cd they want me to play.

Here are some of the most popular MP3 players with example averaged prices. Numark’s IDJ Mixing Console for iPod ($160.00), Numark’s IDJ2 DJ Console for the IPod and External Hard Drive connections ($399.00), Numark’s D2 Director Mass Storage Player and Manager, Denon DN-HD2500 Hard Disk Media ($599.00), Pioneer MEP-7000 Professional Media Player with CD Decks ($1400).

Some of these units can be used as controllers for popular Laptop Mixing Software like Traktor, Virtual DJ, PCDC, and Serato Scratch. There are popular controllers like the Vestax VCI-100MV Mixvibes Edition DJ Controller that is specifically designed to control laptop software. Numark’s NS7 DJ ($1300.00) is getting some big attention from Serato users.

If DJ’ing on a laptop, consider using that laptop solely for DJ’ing. Other programs or files on the laptop can slow the necessary processing speed.

Once a Mobile DJ has a player, now a good mixer has to be considered. Again, there are good name brands with lower quality-lower prices and good name brands with higher quality-higher prices. Behringer is a dependable brand on the lower end. Consider the Behringer DX626 Pro Mixer ($100.00), Vestax PMC-280 4 Channel DJ Mixer With Digital Effects ($499.00), Denon DN-X1100 4 Channel DJ Mixer ($700.00), or the Pioneer DJM-800 Professional Mixer ($1,700.00). A Mobile DJ can’t go wrong with any of these selections but the pricier mixers do offer more features like effects, more mic inputs, talk over, etc.

Once a Player is selected, and a Mixer is selected, all that’s left are some good powerful speakers. The best type of speakers a mobile DJ can use is Active/Powered Speakers. Passive speakers would require an amplifier or a powered mixer with more weight added to the rig. A DJ can run an XLR cable out of the mixers, plug directly into the powered speakers, plug the speakers in, and voile, sound!

There are a few decent companies that I could suggest. Here are a few products: Behringer Eurolive B208D Active PA ($180.00), American Audio XSP-10A Powered Speaker ($200.00). Here are the companies that I highly recommend: Mackie, JBL, and RCF. Mackie SRM450 v2 Active PA ($500.00), Mackie SRM350 v2 Active, JBL EON515 450 Watt 15″ Powered ($800.00), JBL PRX535 3 Way 15″ ($1000.00), RCF ART312A or RCFART315A Powered Speakers 15″ ($1100.00).

A Mobile DJ should have a pretty simple Set-up. At this point we have discussed a Media Player (CD/MP3 or only MP3), Mixer, and Powered Speakers. This is all the equipment that is necessary for Mobile DJ.

A good case with a sturdy rack should be considered as well ($200-$400). The Player and Mixer will be screwed down on the top, and in the front of the rack you’ll have the dual cd decks (if a cd player is purchased) and a power strip to plug everything in. Now the rig is; 2 speakers, the case with all the components all safe and secured, a bag with wires (xlr cables, rca cables, etc.), and speaker poles.

Now all you’ll need is music and set lists. Besides learning how the equipment works, this is the hardest part of DJ’ing. Good set lists and great music is what separates good DJs from bad DJs no matter how expensive or elaborate their equipment is. Djs who have been entertaining for a long time have learned from experience what songs work for specific sets.

Where do new DJs or Intermediate DJs go to learn set-mixes that work? A website has been developed for Event/Mobile DJs to give DJs immediate access to Set lists for all types of parties; Weddings, Birthdays, Kids, Sweet 16’s, Graduations, and great mixes for popular dance music, updated monthly. It can also be a resource site for DJ’s to go and get all types of helpful tips, how-to’s, and information, song programming techniques, and event forms.

Being a mobile DJ is fun, exciting, and very profitable! As technology gets smaller and easier to use,more and more people will be trying to master DJ’ing. Technology is only half of the skill. The other half of being a great Mobile DJ is knowing your music and being confident in your set lists. Having Good Equipment and great Musical programming will make a great Mobile DJ in the 21st century. The right training could really help. You can get some great dj tricks and tips at ­DJ Masterminds and get your musical set lists and dj equipment ideas at ­MixesThatWork

About the Author

http://www.mixesthatwork.com is our DJ resource site with valuable information and music programming tips that the most experienced DJ’s are willing to share. With over a Decade of DJ’ing, MC’ing, and Entertaining, I love sharing success with other DJ’s to ensure the quality and standards of our industry.  Signed JJPeterson.