Reddit reviews DJ Qbert's complete DO-IT-YOURSELF, Vol. 1 Skratching

If you can get your hands on this DVD . . . BUY IT. If not, just go online and youtube "DJ QBERT DO IT YOURSELF." Those videos pretty much set the foundation for what I'm able to do today.

But on another note, the best way to learn is having sessions with people who are already familiar with the art form.

First and foremost, just play with it. Noodle about and have some fun! I did this for quite some time with 1 scratch record and then bought Qbert's Do it yourself DVD. I can't recommend it enough, really cool. Yoy can switch between a few different camera angles at any point (eg. overhead, zoomed in on fader hand, record hand etc). Loads of cool extras as well as the scratch techniques too . And it's not boring, Qberts a bit of a nutter so you will be laughing...

Yup, what others have said. Use your dominant hand on the fader as you rarely need much fine control over the record itself. Practice practice practice. I found that an instructional like Q-bert's scratch tutorial helped immensely. Just run through it hundreds of times, faster and faster each time. You'll get there. But yeah, dominant hand on the fader.

edit: https://www.amazon.com/Qberts-complete-YOURSELF-Vol-Skratching/dp/B000096JHI

Honestly, the best thing you can do is just mess around and practice for as long as possible! Both me and Fever are old enough that we predate video tutorials or Youtube vids and wotnot, but tbf, they do make that initial hump easier to get over I think - this was really useful for me when it came out

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DJ-Qbert-Yourself-Skratching-NTSC/dp/B000096JHI

Yeah, you definitely want a direct drive turntable. I found a Technics 1200 in brand new condition for like $250, so that's what I am going to learn on (one of these days).

You also want to get a new cartridge and needle specifically designed for scratching. I just picked up and Ortofon Concorde Pro S, but there are a lot out there to choose from.

As far as a mixer, it's necessary that you pick up one with a steep slider slope. As you drag the slider from left to right, or right to left, a slow slope will slowly fade from one turntable to the other (or just get quieter and eventually silent). A steep slope means it will just cut the sound completely with a very slight move of the mixer (if that doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to describe it better).

The problem with cheaper mixers is that the sliders tend to wear out quickly and are very expensive to replace, so it's definitely worth getting into a good mixer to begin with. I don't really have any suggestions because that's what I'm looking at now.

As far as learning, DJ Qbert has amazing DVD series called Do It Yourself Skratching where he covers all the techniques. A few of the lessons are on Youtube.


Oh, edit. you'll want to get Qbert's Butter Rugs and he has some amazing battle records released through his Thud Rumble company, too.

You can find plenty of tutorials on youtube, but if you got some $ to spend, get a copy of DJ Qbert's complete DO-IT-YOURSELF, Vol. 1 Skratching DVD. Qbert shows and explains lots of dope techniques from basic to next level stuff, you can choose several angles to watch from, get all the intricacies + it has some educational bits and other fun features to keep you entertained.

You can find it cheaper on Ebay. There is also a volume 2, but its mostly sessions and the gang goofing around.

I bought a few records and bought a cheap pair of Gemini turntables and the cheapest Vestax mixer they made. Some of my friends who were into spinning house taught me about counting the beats and phrases, and to listen for the changes. I personally liked drum and bass much more, so I basically applied the same methods to mixing dnb. I practiced counting phrases and beats, worked on my eqing skills, and just mixed constantly. Hours and hours, recording my mixes and seeing where I could sense a mix starting, and working on making it smoother and smoother. Unfortunately that was about it for input other than an old dvd which I used to learn scratching from.. This one -Qbert's Do It Yourself.

Before I bought my Technics I owned a Stanton STR8 wich handled pretty well for the price. The torque is not on par with proper turntables but you can work with it. In time and with practise you'll know how the drive functions, i.e. how much pressure to apply, torque spin recovery and such. Quick ebay search I saw them go for about 70 dollars used.

I still use mine today for record digging and sampling and it still functions after hundreds of hours.

I really have a bad experience with numark turntables and would advise against them. And they're a terrible eyesore.

Ecler Nuo 2 would be my mixer of choice. Well built, good component, sounds nice, compact and costs about 100 doilla used if you're lucky. Another choice could be a Vestax PMC-05

Remember that cartridges also cost money. I personally use Shure M44-7's and I'd recommend them. The Ortofon Concords are also nice.

That is probably over the budget which is way to low. Trust me vinyl djing is not cheap but it is very rewarding. I like the idea that you want to start on vinyl. Transitioning to cdj's or controllers in the future will be a lot easier rather than then the other way around.

I'd also recommend getting a DVS system or a DVS integrated mixer. There's a lot more creative freedom with that to experiment with different things. You also don't have to spend as much on vinyl.

Don't forget the headphones! Out of budget, again. You can go with something cheaper, just try to get closed and on-ears.

But you're starting to see a trend right? 300 dollars are just not gonna cut it in my opinion. Even if you manage to get everything with that budget it's most likely going to perform really poor which makes everything less enjoyable, and more importantly.... harder. And learning to play vinyl is hard enough to begin with.

And I'm not saying go drop 2 grand on industry standard gear. Just... you know maybe save up to like 6-700 maybe. just so everything functions nice and well. Buy used gear, do research, practise practise practise and have fun :)

PS. This helped me out a lot when I was starting, and is very good information and lessons on turntablism. It also goes over basic turntable setup, i.e. arm adjustments, need and cartridge maintainance etc