Month: November 2020

So two things recently. I finally got a hold of an Innofader PNP 2 to go into my Reloop Elite mixer. It’s the “red dot” version so it will work with the Elite. I got one before but it was an older version that won’t work. You need the one with the red sticker on the package to denote it’s the newer version. It’s a dope crossfader and it’s really made scratching even more fun. It was easy to install once I understood how to configure it properly. Second thing is I also got my second Gemini PT 2000 II turntable fixed finally. Shoutouts to Repair DJ Gear in Orange County, CA for hooking that up. It’s a great repair shop and Scott does excellent work. Wherever you are in the USA you can send your equipment to him and he’ll fix it. Do a Google search for them. My brother gave me those two Gemini decks as a gift and they both were messed up after trying to calibrate them while following erroneous directions. I have two Audio Technica 1240XP decks as my main decks, but it’s nice to have two classic decks like the Gemini’s as backups. They are missing their feet, but they work fine without them. They are great decks and are good for all kinds of turntablism. If you pick some up, make sure to get some Dr. Suzuki Skratch slipmats to go with them. When all I had was the Gemini decks, getting those Suzuki mats made them seem like new turntables. Before I thought they may be underpowered for scratching, but proper slipmats changed all that. Well that’s it. COVID is still popping off and the world has gone crazy. Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned… I’ve decided I’ll mix and scratch. Peace and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

So I’m using a new method to help practice scratching. I write down different scratch techniques on a piece of paper and label them 1 thru 6. Then I roll two dice and whatever numbers it lands on, I do that appropriate scratch off the piece of paper, which gives me two scratches to practice combining together. It’s working pretty well so far and this is only day two of using the technique. I’ve come to realize that scratching is like learning. Think about how long it takes a human to learn anything and be very good at it. A few years at least. I’ve been DJing since September of 2018 and seriously alittle less time. The good news is that us humans are amazing and in 3 years we can do amazing things. Don’t believe me? Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3875jSXk0s&ab_channel=NDTV

He was sick right? Well that’s about how long it takes to get really good at something.. so put in the time, be patient, and keep working at it. Peace.

So these are two very good DJ cartridges/needles. The Shure M447 is legendary and has been a mainstay for turntablism DJs for a long time now. It’s knack for holding the groove is the stuff of legends and it’s proven it’s worth at many a DJ competition throughout the world. The Ortofon OM Qbert is not as old and storied as the M447, but it’s no slouch of a DJ cart itself. When I first got a set I didn’t set them up properly and thus they seemingly didn’t perform as well as my M447s. However, if you secure them to the headshell deathly tight, calibrate your tonearm weight properly, they will hold that groove just as good as the Shure M447. Now spec wise, in terms of output, the OM Qbert is a “louder” cart at 10-11mV compared to the M447s 9mV. That difference is really negligible, especially when you’re running it on Phono output. To me the key difference between these two carts, is the needle cutout on the OM Qbert, and lack thereof on the M447. When you’re using analog vinyl, it’s hard to see the groove you’re dropping the M447 needle into. With the OM Qberts, when looking down on it, you can see exactly which groove you’re dropping the needle into, which during fast and furious mixing, can be a lifesaver. Now I’ll be honest, with the M447, you eventually get a feel for where the needle is on the stylus head, so it’s not THAT big of a deal. For a new DJ not used to either though, I’d say the OM Qbert will be easier to work with analog vinyl on. The Shure M447 cart is discontinued, as is it’s needle, but Jico makes great replacements for the M447. They sell a version with the “guard” on it and it looks just like the original. The OM Qbert still has needles being produced by Ortofon. The only other worthwhile note is that the M447 with Jico stylii is set to track at about 4 to 4.5grams whereas the OM Qbert gets down at 3g. That means that the OM Qbert will be a lot easier on your vinyl in the long run. At the end of the day it’s a matter of preference and really what you like looking at on your decks. Do you like the flatter, fatter look of the M447 with it’s guard hovering over your spinning vinyl, or do you like the sleeker look of the OM Qbert and the ability to see the groove you’re dropping into very easily? Either one will work well for playing music or turntablism. It’s harder to find a Shure M447 at a decent price these days. Right now they are going on Amazon.com for $300+ dollars and ebay isn’t much better. You can get lucky at times and find a steal for some, but you gotta keep an eye out. The OM Qberts are at $79 no matter where you go, so that’s another thing to keep in mind. Good luck and happy Djing!

So I got a great deal on some Shure M447s a while back. It was two carts for about $80 which if you know anything about how Shure M447s prices have been being gouged lately, that’s a steal of a deal. I decided to try out the Ortofon Qberts, but I kept having problems with both when trying to beat juggle. The needle would end up skipping and with control vinyl, it would start drifting toward the outer edge of the vinyl/platter. I finally realized recently that the screws and nuts I was using for the carts I have were not being tight enough. I found a nut or two that would tighten the Ortofon OM Qbert cart to the point where it was rock solid and immovable on the headshell. Once I did that, the drifting to the outer edge issue went away completely. The cart is more stable and it does not skip. It’s a night and day difference. No matter what I did with the previous screws/nuts, it would not get extremely tight so I thought that was how all carts were. That’s not the case and you want it so tight you can’t move the cart on the headshell not even a centimeter. I’m pretty happy with the Ortofon OM Qberts now and see no need to get the Ortofon VNLs that are releasing soon. They look like Shure M447 clones but they don’t have as high an output as the Shures. Between the OM Qberts and the Shure M447s with Jico Stylii, I’m good on carts for the forseeable future. I even have some Ortofon OM Pro S carts for backup. Long story short, get those carts secured as tight as possible and work from there. If you need better screws/washers/nuts, check out your local Home Depot or at worst, Amazon.com. Perhaps on one of my pages I’ll put directions on how to properly set up a DJ turntable for turntablist DJing. Peace and stay up!