FINAL SCRATCH
Final Scratch is a new revolutionary system developed by a group of hackers in the Netherlands last year. It allows you to play records as you would normally with your own system (ie. Turntables and Mixer), but the audio is sourced from a PC with a software playing MP3 or wave files. How the hell does this work you ask ?
The 2 records (one for each deck) supplied by Final Scratch, simply contains digital information in audio form (Similar to the sounds you hear from your modem) and this information is passed on into your PC. This is achieved by plugging your Turntables with standard RCA's to a Unit which relays digital information to the PC via a USB Cable which then returns the MP3's audio track from your PC back to the line input of the mixer. The information that is relayed back and forth between the record and the MP3 file is so precise that you can cut, scratch, spin, with 100% accuracy and analogue hands on feel. You can even needle drop at any place on the record just as you would conventionally and the point of the track the needle drops will be the same point on the track of the MP3 file (eg. if you drop the needle in the middle of the record, the MP3 accurately plays the middle of the song instantly). The software splits the screen with track listings for each side. Just click to change audio files instead of changing actual records, then cue and play as normal.
I had a chance to finally test run the unit last week and you have to see it to believe it, there is absolutely no difference whatsoever between playing the "Final Scratch" record and any other records. Think of the possibilities.....
* Record your whole record collection on the PC, lock them away forever and not worry about them getting scratched or stolen at gigs.
* Just rock up to gigs with just 2 records and a PC, and have endless supply of tracks to play from the hard drive.
* You can make a track over night, save it as a wave or MP3 file and play it out in the clubs the next night.
* Make your own battle records on your PC with the tracks you want to use and enter a comp with just the 2 records !
For all of those DJs who have stayed true to their roots with their love of vinyl, now can look into the future of DJ-ing without fear.
The full package is set to retail at around $1,700.00 and it includes, the software disc, two encoded records, and the FSIO (an In/Out Box that eliminates the need for two soundcards). You get two high-quality slipmats, the appropriate USB and RCA cables, and you even get a pair of the supreme 890SA cartridges (pre-mounted on headshells). All you need is a computer with 500 MHZ processor or greater.
"Final Scratch is an attempt to solve the D.J.’s quandary." NEW YORK TIMES
For more info visit http://www.finalscratch.com/
If you are on a tighter budget there are now many similar product that utilises the same technology. Not sure how accurate they will be compared to Final Scratch, but worth checking out. A good example is the D-Vinyl 2020 (Click for more details).
VESTAX RELEASES THE NEW SAMURI MIXERS
Samurai Series Vestax PMC-07ProD
The long awaited mixer was finally showcased in Australia last week at ENTECH. The new digital crossfader is maintenance free and resistant to liquid spills. The crossfader technology in this mixer allows you to cut the track in and out numerous times as you slide the fader across. You can adjust the amount of cuts the fader makes via a knob with several settings. On maximum setting, the "Euro Scratch" as DJ Plus One named it, can be achieved by just sliding the fader across (instead of using 2 hands and cutting the Cross Fader with one and the Up/ Down Channel with the other). You can also do other scratches as you would normally and a crab effect will be added to the scratch creating a new sound. What you can do with this added feature is limited only by your imagination. It is set to retail at around $3,800.
Check out www.vestax.com.au for further details.
VESTAX PDX 2000 TURNTABLE
So many companies have tried to compete against the Technics SL1200 Turntable in the last decade. Especially since Turntables outsold guitars in Japan in 1999 and in London in 2000. Many have tried to duplicate the look and have claimed to have the same or better TORQUE than the SL1200, but they all have a light platter which takes a while to get used to when beat mixing (especially when speeding up the track). Vestax have approached this with a total new outlook. You must have an open mind when approaching this turntable because the PDX 2000 does not look anything like the Technics SL1200 and most old school DJ's can't get out of that comfort zone. First of all, the main concern is the platter which has the same feel as the SL1200 when beat mixing (Same pressure is needed when Speeding and slowing down the track). Secondly the pitch control, which feels a bit looser, but does not have a click at quartz lock so it is not pitch sensitive around that area like the SL1200. How many DJ's do know that keep away from the click area of the SL1200 so that it's easier to mix. It also has an ultra pitch for the mixing extremists who like to speed up a hip hop beat to mix with jungle or break beats. It is ideal for turntablists utilising the pitch to create melodies and basslines with test tones so they can reach every note. The Start/ Stop button has an adjustment feature for slow or intantanious response. The reverse feature is also instantanious. The straight arm technology is what blew me away as it would not skip a groove whilst scratching whatever cartridge I used. The only thing left to test on this turntable is it's durability, which only time will tell. I'm sure that you've read many reviews on this turntable, so all I can say is try it for your self !
VESTAX VRX 2000 VINYL RECORDER
Of all the ground breaking products designed for audio recording and playback, there are a certain few that change the course of music forever. Products like the Shure SM-58 microphone, the Technics SL 1200MK2 turntable, Roland TR-808 & 909 drum machines, Vestax PMC 05PRO DJ mixer, the Fender Stratocaster guitar…and the list goes on. As these products evolve, they become a symbolic, and in some cases a legendary part of the music cultures that spawn from the sounds the machines process and create. Enter the new player, the Vestax VRX 2000 Vinyl Recorder.
Vinyl, the preferred playback medium for decades of music listening suffered badly during the technology boom of the 80’s, and was filtered out of domestic sales through first the audio cassette, and then the compact disc. Commercial record companies stopped vinyl production, and the popularity of vinyl was taken over by the CD. So vinyl was forced even further underground. Throughout the club house boom of the late 80’s, the evolution of techno / trance in the 90’s, and throughout the continual standards set by the turntablists and hip hop / scratch DJ’s that pioneered the art of turntablism, there is one consistant factor that has kept vinyl alive: Vinyl is the preferred format for the majority of the world’s professional DJ’s.
In more recent years, the popularity of club culture and hip hop / turntablism has increased the global sales of vinyl. Recent trends have seen many popular live bands and R’n’B artists incorporating a DJ into their line-up. Throughout this time, the DJ’s of all of the different music genres are constantly searching for the latest sounds, or the hardest to find records to enhance their performance. Not all dance music tracks are pressed in commercial quantities, and as a result of this many unofficial releases make their way to the shelves as bootlegs or white label records. High profile DJ’s, promoters and records shops receive one-off pressings from producers and record labels, testing a release’s popularity before committing to quantity vinyl pressings. These one off pressings are referred to as acetates, or more commonly within the dance music industry as “dubplates”, and they hold a very important role for both DJ’s and dance music producers alike. It is these dubplates that often make or break the next biggest thing. Up until now, “dubplates” have been quite expensive to produce, and have had an extremely limited lifespan in comparison to standard vinyl. The Vestax VRX 2000 changes this forever. The new Vestax Harmodisk blank vinyl record is a totally new plastic that can last up to 90% of the time of a standard record, maintaining excellent sound quality throughout playback. Vinyl recording works in real time, allowing for instant duplication from any line level audio source: Compact Disc, DAT, Mini Disc, Cassette, MP3 data, even the audio output on your computer’s sound card. A track created or discovered one day on another format can now be rocking a club that night on vinyl!
The VRX 2000 is a compact machine, only 18Kg in weight, and it has changed all of the rules about what vinyl cutting and mastering is all about. The Vestax stereo cutting head cuts directly into the vinyl without any mother plates or processors, and the recording is instantly playable. This machine has been a rumour for some years, but it is now a reality. Bring on the vinyl revolution…
Exclusive Vestax VRX 2000 dealers around Australia will be able to offer their customers an in house vinyl cutting service, as well as offering available units for sale and ongoing service. Vinyl blanks and replacement cutting styli will be available only through Vestax VRX 2000 dealers.
The Vestax VRX 2000 Vinyl Cutting Machine will retail at $17,995 inc GST and will initially be available in limited quantities.
Blank Harmodisk vinyl records will retail at $29.95 each inc GST, and replacement cutting styli will retail at $499 inc GST.
PIONEER CDJ1000
A dream for the turntable addicts that wants to switch over to CD's. The large platter can be used just like a turntable and can manupilate the CD exactly like a turntable. The LCD in the centre is just like a mark on a record that you use to visually see the exact track position. There are no drags or delays when handling the platter. It's truely just like the real thing. We've tried all types of complex scratches and juggles and it surprisingly responds exactly like a turntable. At the moment it retails around $2,500, which means $5,000 for a set which is a little expensive for the average DJ. So hopefully the price will come down in the near future.
For further info visit www.pioneeraus.com.au
