How to be a scratch DJ? A question that is on the lips of many wanna be DJ's. I've been Dj'ing
now for about eight years in total. I have enjoyed ever minute of it! I'll be honest and say
that there we're times when I felt like banging my head off the wall trying to learn new
techniques and skills as a DJ. I learned how to DJ through self teaching! Not the best way to
go about developing your skills, but I got there in the end.
One of my favourite skills I have developed as a DJ is knowing how to scratch records over
beats. I know from talking to other DJ's that this is a skill DJ's like to get involved with.
The reason being is because scratching over records is very much a live addition to a Dj
performance and can convey a real personal experience with the crowd.
So the question remains, How to be a scratch DJ? How does one go about this? Well... I'm
going to give you 3 tips you can take with you. Follow them through and you will be on the
right road to dj scratching success!
Tip 1 - Get the right Turntable equipment
This is really an essential tip! Its very important if you are serious about becoming a
scratch DJ. I Personally use two technics 1210's turntables and a scratch mixer. The technics
are an industry standard and have been in that position for decades. I've heard good things
about Vestax also. But Technics are the way forward when using turntables. They are the best
direct drive turnable on the market today. Whatever you do... do not buy any sort of belt
driven turntables. These types of turntables are NOT industry standard and will frustrate you!
Tip 2 - Use the correct type of slipmats
As part of the correct equipment you need to use, it is important to use the correct slipmats
so that you will find it easy to manipulate your records whilst scratching. Go to a
specialist record shop and ask for their opinion on hip-hop mats.
Tip 3 - Set your needles up correctly
Lastly, make sure that you have your needles setup correctly! Always check to see if there is
any dust that has stuck to the needle and make sure to clean it off before you start playing
the record. Positioning the record correctly is important too. There are a lot of people that
swear by angling the needle in by roughly 10 degrees so it cuts into the records groove at an
angle. The reason for this is because the record has less of a chance of slipping when you
are involved with your scratching.
SO there you have it... I hope these tips have helped you out on how to be a scratch DJ. I'm
sure if you use them, you will become more successful with your scratching efforts...
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