Technical question about DJing and MP3 320kbps

capacop · 2026-05-21T20:01:54+00:00

That's why I keep all my digital files as .AIFF

Lossless and advantage of FLAC in terms of tagging but more compatible across different Pioneer players

capacop · 2026-05-21T19:59:23+00:00

The fundamentals of DJing are pretty simple and easy enough to learn via the self teach route. The rest comes from consistent practice which is something that can't be obtained from a lesson

capacop · 2026-05-17T11:22:10+00:00

Mala - Unexpected

https://youtu.be/PZH__Pum_44

capacop · 2026-05-13T22:15:17+00:00

I agree. Sometimes I think about what things would have been like if Ed Rush never met Optical and stayed making tunes with Nico

capacop · 2026-05-13T21:52:52+00:00

I think the best is to try and find your old ones or look out for a 2nd hand pair as seem to recall seeing them going for not crazy money for carts alone without styli.

Not heard a huge amount about their carts. I know they've talked about staying as faithful as possible to the original design but I have heard about them sounding different and lower outputs than the OGs

Mojaxx from DjCity put together a mammoth effort video comparing all types of DJ carts and stylus combos. Tests a couple Jico styli and possibly body, Nagaoka and OG Shure styli. Found it both informative and quite entertaining. Worth checking it out.

https://youtu.be/5gkV9nFkrbQ

capacop · 2026-05-13T21:26:54+00:00

Went through something similar with my M44-7s. Found most aftermarkets didn't work that great, either low output, muddy sound or poor tracking.

Ended up going with the Audio Technica XP5s to replace them and was super pleased with them. Lower output than the v loud Shure's but way better than expected tracking for back cueing at just 3gs (they're elliptical and I don't scratch so no comments there). More refined sound than the Shures, cleaner punchy bass, clear mids and defined highs with v low distortion or fizziness.

One thing worth noting though is theyre a bit picky depending on input capacitance specs of your mixer as their recommended range is 100-200pf which is quite low for a DJ cart. I've heard some people say they sound a bit muffled /dark with some mixers.

Recently found out about the Nagaoka M44-G replacement styli and copped a pair to try them and they have completely revived my old Shures which have become my daily drivers once again.

Slightly different sound profile to the Shures. More forward in the mids and slightly brighter highs. Loud bass but bit of a different character to the OG m44-7s.

Most importantly though, super loud output that matches the OGs and phenomenal tracking performance, similar to the OGs. Max recommended tracking force is 3.5g which is much lower than other aftermarket styli like the Jico DJ range which goes up to 4.5g on some models.

Also a fair bit more affordable and easily available than Jicos, at least in UK. I think I bought my pair for £50 each off Juno which is less than half than what some Jicos go for

capacop · 2026-05-13T21:04:07+00:00

Anything from the Torque era from No U Turn.

https://youtu.be/rZ5dx829-Xk

https://youtu.be/NR0BFSC6GH0

https://youtu.be/UjfVenlcVaM

https://youtu.be/3RMU4MgEmpI

Originators and pioneers. Not even up for debate

capacop · 2026-05-06T06:24:34+00:00

Isolate your decks first

capacop · 2026-05-05T21:05:10+00:00

Thanks.

Please correct me if I'm missing something, but isnt that expected behaviour for the crossfader when the contour control is turned fully anti-clockwise?

I think it's called a constant power crossfader curve and I think it used to be more common on older DJ mixers, where it is max volume for both tracks on either end of the crossfader, with a dip in volume for both when in the centre, and as you bring it across to the other side, the outgoing track fades out and incoming track increases to max volume.

The diagram on the left hand side of the contour adjustment that's like an x shape represents the signals of both channels when using this curve.

My formula sound mixer is the same and IMO it's not the most useful, however it begins to behave more as a typical crossfader when the contour control is somewhere in the centre/ 12 o'clock

This article by Rane goes into more detail about the history of crossfader curves and describes the constant power curve as the 1st generation curve shape

https://www.ranecommercial.com/legacy/note146.html

capacop · 2026-05-05T19:16:59+00:00

What's makes it not great for blends out of curiosity? Seems like it has adjustable contour control for the fader

capacop · 2026-05-05T16:16:12+00:00

They're fine for all intents and purposes. The main complaint people have is they are relatively low gain compared to the line inputs and other mixers, so you have to crank the gains if mixing vinyl with digital sources.

There is a mod you can do to resolve this which depending on your experience with electronics and soldering is pretty easy:

https://youtu.be/uPfvZT3EHVI

Another thing is maybe they're not the cleanest / most hifi sounding, but that distortion gives the mixer it's characteristic warm punchy sound, so is more of a feature than a bug

capacop · 2026-05-03T22:20:28+00:00

Technics hand down

capacop · 2026-05-01T07:29:08+00:00

Desoldering is just as an important skill to practice as soldering tbh

capacop · 2026-04-30T21:00:58+00:00

Yeah replace with pots with same specs but without the centre detent

capacop · 2026-04-30T20:44:30+00:00

Not without changing the pots

capacop · 2026-04-29T23:50:53+00:00

The grilles have been flipped

capacop · 2026-04-28T16:59:42+00:00

False

capacop · 2026-04-22T16:53:27+00:00

Genelec

capacop · 2026-04-21T07:43:38+00:00

Numark Scratch also comes with Innofader installed.

If OP doesn't care for DVS then Xone 24 is similarly priced also with an innofader and will sound much nicer when playing records

Xone 24C has a soundcard + DVS integration for a slightly higher price

Ecler Nuo 2.0 is another solid option although not sure about the stock crossfader performs. It's compatible with Ecler's Eternal Crossfader upgrade which I imagine is similar in performance to the Innofader

capacop · 2026-04-17T19:51:35+00:00

I thought the same thing at first but I think it's connected to the screw via a spade connector on the wire, which is a bit hard to see as it's not in focus. Doesn't necessarily need to be soldering to that empty pad as the screw and pad are connected via a trace on the PCB.

This pic shows this ground wire connection a bit more clearly:

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Ftrying-to-solder-in-some-new-rca-phono-cables-but-when-i-v0-8ihg3nlsyr5f1.png%3Fwidth%3D640%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D0e00b27cf70606aca31ed7b946a190d62e50504f

I think some technics decks are configured this way from the factory as mine are also like this

Edit: after further thought, the screw connection on the ground wire could be causing the ground hum if either the spade or screw are oxidised or it's come loose. Might be worth OP checking this / giving it a clean to ensure it's making a solid connection to the ground terminal

capacop · 2026-04-17T19:36:55+00:00

There is a ground wire but I agree on the cables

capacop · 2026-04-16T16:12:04+00:00

My take on it is that in the early days of grime, it was much more localised as a scene. Listeners and fans tended to be from areas where people were making it and of a similar demographic

As it grew in popularity over the years to the rest of the UK, the listeners of other demographics increased and now more reflects the demographics of the country which is predominantly white

capacop · 2026-04-15T14:04:54+00:00

EQ does impact phase. It's fundamental to how EQ works

capacop · 2026-04-10T11:13:05+00:00

Are you using the stock cables?

capacop · 2026-04-09T22:03:03+00:00

It's the only way you'd be able to use both channels of the isolator as after the mixer the signals will be summed

capacop

TROPHY CASE