Why should we care about the Types of Turntables in today’s age of digital? Frankly, Vinyl never went out of style, just out of mainstream production. It is back and growing steadily. From the origins of the phonograph to the modern-day electronic devices for CD and digital playback, the recording and reproduction of sound have come a long way. The revival of turntables by modern DJs and record players by music enthusiasts has given a new lease to Vinyl. If you are just starting out as a DJ, start the right way and learn on paid or turntables. There are many types of turntables available, what suits your needs?
Types of Turntables
When choosing a record player or turntable there’s one main factor to understand and that’s between primarily 2 types of Turntables. These are based on the position and placement of the motor.
Types of Turntables: Belt Drive
In Belt Drive type of turntable, the motor is placed at a distance from the platter and connected via an elastic belt. The platter sits on a bearing (a bearing is a device that is used to enable rotational movement) and is placed away from the motor.
Pros
- The elastic belt helps by absorbing the shocks and prevents the platter from the vibrations generated by the motor.
- Isolation of the motor from the platter also results in less noise transmission to the tonearm.
- People believed that these turntables produce better sound because of less noise interference from the motor.
Cons
- Belt Drive turntables have lower torque.
- The belt made of rubber can eventually wear down and need to be replaced.
- Due to having lower torque can’t be used by DJs while performing.
Read our blog posts for more information on Belt Drive turntables
Types of Turntables: Direct Drive
The Direct Drive type of turntable is one of the most commonly used DJ turntables. The motor is housed directly under the platter allowing for more control and consistent speed when pitched up or down It’s sensitive and responsive enough for the DJ to work with.
Pros
- These turntables have higher torque and offer consistent speeds. Higher torque makes the platter less sensitive to outside forces, such as the stylus or your hand.
- The higher torque also helps the platter to accelerates to a constant speed faster.
- For DJs, it becomes easy to spin the platter backwards to create special sound effects.
Cons
- The motor which is attached directly to the platter generates unwanted vibrations that can affect sound quality. But this problem can be resolved with the use of shock absorbers between the platter and the motor.
Read our blog posts for more information on Direct Drive Turntables
There is a third kind but it is less common:
Types of Turntables: Idler Wheel
A lesser-known type of turntable that is rarely found, but worth the mention, as it works similar to the direct drive but has a rubber wheel connected to a motor shaft that gets further connected to the platter and makes it rotate. It provides as much control as a direct drive but has issues with maintenance and is therefore not the favourite.
Pros
- It has the same torque as the Direct Drive turntable.
Cons
- It has lots of moving parts just to do a single action.
- If any of them needs to be replaced, it becomes very hard to find it.
- You can’t use it over time because the wheel gets slippery over time.
Want to know more about Direct Drive and Belt Drive turntables, please check the links.
DJ Turntables
What is a DJ Turntable?
A DJ turntable generally has a high torque motor which is sensitive towards the outside forces and offers a constant speed. Some of the best turntables right now in the market are Audio Technica LP-120-USB, Stanton ST-150, Denon VL12, Pioneer PLX-1000 and Numark NTX-1000.
For a better understanding of Dj turntables, read Turntables- The breakdown.
In these types of turntables, many model and makes are available in the market today, but our OUR ALL TIME FAVOURITE is the Technics SL-1200 and its series.
Technics SL-1200
Technics SL-1200 was one of the most influential turntables ever made. A Direct Drive type turntable manufactured between October 1972 until 2010, by Matsushita (It became Panasonic later on ) under the name of ‘Technics’. It came back into production by popular demand in 2016. Read more about the TECHNICS SL-1210
The S here stands for “Stereo” and L for “Player”.
Originally launched as a consumer record player, it quickly became famous among radio and club DJs. The Technics Sl 1200 changed the game for Dj’s with the direct drive design; due to this new design, turntables had better torque allowing Dj’s better control, giving them the ability to evolve Dj effects and tricks like scratching and beat juggling.
Check out the TECHNICS BRAND NEW SL-1210 GR Turntable’s First Look
