A direct-drive hybrid turntable: it plays regular records with a stylus, and in DIGITAL VINYL mode it controls tracks in rekordbox or Serato with no stylus and no timecode vinyl. It has a battle-style layout and four pads.
PlatterPlatterA 332 mm aluminum platter driven by a direct-drive motor. It's attached to the body with six screws.
You put the slip mat and a record on the platter and start it with START/STOP. Motor torque (LOW, MID, HIGH) is set in the Utility settings.
Mentor tip: To slow a track down slightly while mixing, lightly touch the side edge of the platter with your finger.
Slip mat / Slip sheetSlip matA soft mat on the platter, with a thin slip sheet underneath so it slides easily. Both come in the box.
With a slip mat you hold the record with your hand while the platter spins and let it go at the right moment. Scratching and clean starts depend on it.
Mentor tip: With the Magvel Clamp, don't use a thick rubber mat: according to the manual, it interferes with DIGITAL VINYL mode.
MAGVEL CLAMPMagvel ClampA magnetic clamp that fits on the spindle, for DVS without the tonearm. Turning the top from LIGHT to HEAVY changes how heavy the record feels.
You put down any 12-inch record, fit the clamp and press it down firmly. When you don't need the clamp, it sits on its holder near the tonearm base.
Mentor tip: There's a magnet inside: keep the clamp away from cards and watches, and keep its underside free of dust and metal particles.
Strobe patternsStrobe dotsFour rows of dots around the platter's edge. Under the blue light, one row seems to stand still: +7.2%, +3.3%, 0% or −3.3%.
You raise the light and see which row stands still to check the rotation speed.
Mentor tip: The dots are for checking the turntable; you still learn to mix by ear.
START/STOPStart/stopThe big button in the bottom right corner starts and stops the platter. The BRAKE switch sets how long it takes to stop.
You start the platter before you let go of the record. Pressing it at the end of a track gives you a slowdown effect.
Mentor tip: This is a battle layout: the button is at the bottom right, not the left as on the PLX-1000. Practice ahead of time.
MOTOR OFFMotor offThis button switches the motor off, and the platter coasts to a stop on its own. You can start it again with START/STOP.
You use it for a slow, natural stop at the end of a track. This button also wakes the turntable from standby.
Mentor tip: Compare MOTOR OFF and START/STOP by ear at different BRAKE settings and pick the one you like.
33 / 45Speed 33/45Two buttons by the right edge select 33⅓ or 45 rpm. There's no 78 speed.
You set the speed to match the record. The numbers are printed for battle orientation, so check which button is which first.
Mentor tip: The adapter for large-hole singles isn't included. If you play 7-inch records, buy one separately.
BRAKEBrake timeA switch on the front panel sets how quickly the platter stops after START/STOP: in about 0.5 s, 1 s or 3.5 s.
A sharp stop suits clean cut-offs; a long one suits a smooth track ending.
Mentor tip: For the familiar club feel, start with the middle setting.
Tempo sliderTempo faderThe horizontal fader at the top right changes the rotation speed. Right is faster, left is slower; the −8 to +8 scale is approximate.
You match one track's tempo to the other. With DVS, this fader also changes the track's tempo in the software.
Mentor tip: Move the fader in small steps and listen to the result for a couple of bars.
TEMPO RANGETempo rangeThe button cycles through the fader ranges: ±8%, ±16%, ±50%. The display shows the current range.
For mixing you usually stay on ±8%: it's more precise. The wider ranges are for effects.
Mentor tip: At ±50% the fader steps are coarse, and mixing gets noticeably harder.
RESETTempo resetThis button with an indicator gives you exactly 33⅓ or 45 rpm, wherever the fader is. Press it again to hand control back to the fader.
You turn RESET on when you need the record's original tempo.
Mentor tip: Fader “not working”? Check whether RESET is lit.
STEP PITCHStep pitchThis button changes how the fader works: the speed changes in semitone steps instead of smoothly. The display shows the approximate key.
This lets you play a melody from a single sound by moving the fader from semitone to semitone.
Mentor tip: Turn STEP PITCH off before regular mixing, or you won't be able to match the tempo precisely.
Target illuminatorTarget light (stylus and strobe)The button raises a lamp at the edge of the platter: white light falls on the stylus tip, blue light on the strobe dots. Lower the lamp to turn it off.
You turn on the light in a dark club to drop the needle precisely and check the speed with the dots.
Mentor tip: Lower the lamp when you don't need it so you don't hit it with your hand while scratching.
HeadshellHeadshell and cartridgeThe removable headshell holds the cartridge and stylus. The cartridge isn't included; you buy it separately.
You mount the cartridge, place the stylus tip 54 mm from the point where the headshell attaches to the tonearm (overhang adjustment) and insert the headshell into the tonearm, tightening the nut. In DIGITAL VINYL mode you don't need to lower the stylus at all.
Mentor tip: Don't touch the stylus tip, and put the stylus guard on when you're not playing.
Balance weightCounterweight and pressure ringThe weight at the back end of the tonearm balances it, and a ring with a scale shows stylus pressure from 0 to 4 g.
You level the tonearm, line up the ring's “0” with the line and turn on to your cartridge's stylus pressure. For heavy cartridges there's a sub weight; for light ones, a shell weight.
Mentor tip: Remember the scale value for your headshell so you don't have to balance it again later.
ANTI-SKATINGAnti-skateA dial at the base of the tonearm that counters the force pulling the stylus toward the center of the record.
Usually you set the same value as the stylus pressure. For scratching, you find the right setting through practice so the stylus doesn't skip.
Mentor tip: When you balance the tonearm, set anti-skate to 0 first.
Height adjustment dialTonearm heightA ring raises the tonearm base within a 6 mm range, and a separate lock holds the height.
You open the lock, put the stylus on the record and turn the ring until the tonearm is parallel to the record, then close the lock.
Mentor tip: The value depends on the cartridge height: 19 mm is 0 on the scale, 25 mm is 6.
Lifter leverCueing lever, arm rest and clampThe cueing lever raises and lowers the tonearm gently. Next to it is the arm rest with a clamp (arm clamper).
You open the clamp, raise the lever, move the tonearm and lower the lever, and the stylus settles softly. After you play, you put the tonearm on the rest and clamp it.
Mentor tip: In DIGITAL VINYL mode, keep the tonearm clamped so you don't hit it while scratching.
NEEDLE MODEMode: ANALOG or DIGITAL VINYLThe button switches between ANALOG (the stylus plays) and DIGITAL VINYL (DVS with no stylus and no timecode vinyl). The lit label next to it shows the selected mode.
In ANALOG you play a regular record or a timecode control vinyl with the stylus. In DIGITAL VINYL the turntable generates the signal for the software itself, and you control the track with a record under the Magvel Clamp.
Mentor tip: If the track won't follow the record in DVS, check NEEDLE MODE and whether the Magvel Clamp is seated firmly.
APPLICATION · DECK/UTILITYSoftware and deck selectAPPLICATION selects the software for DIGITAL VINYL mode: rekordbox or Serato. DECK/UTILITY selects the software deck for the pads, and a long press opens the Utility settings.
Before your set, you select your software and deck number. In Utility you can change motor torque, light brightness and auto standby.
Mentor tip: If the turntable goes to sleep after 20 minutes of inactivity, turn off POWER MANAGEMENT in Utility.
OLED displayDisplayA small screen shows the tempo range, the software and the deck number. When it's connected to a computer over USB, it also shows the track's BPM and key.
You check the display so you look at your laptop less during a set.
Mentor tip: In STEP PITCH mode the key on the display is approximate, not the exact current key.
Performance PadsPadsFour colored pads below the platter trigger software functions: hot cues, samples, stems and more. They need a USB connection to a computer or mixer.
You set and trigger hot cues, launch samples or drop the vocals right from the turntable. The PARAMETER 1 and 2 labels are a hint: while you hold 5-8, the pads change the mode's parameters.
Mentor tip: Start with HOT CUE mode: set two or three cues and practice coming back to them in rhythm.
HOT CUE / SAMPLERPad modesTwo buttons select the pad mode; a press, a double press and a press with SHIFT each give a different mode. In Serato these are Hot Cue, Roll and Stems, and via SAMPLER: Sampler, Saved Loop and Scratch Bank.
In rekordbox you get Hot Cue, Pad FX and Track Separation, and via SAMPLER: Sampler, Beat Jump and Sample Scratch. A double press with SHIFT turns on user modes.
Mentor tip: Learn two modes first, HOT CUE and SAMPLER, and add the rest gradually.
SHIFT / 5-8SHIFT and 5-85-8 switches the pads between functions 1–4 and 5–8. SHIFT opens the second functions of the buttons and pads.
SHIFT + 5-8 turns on INST. DOUBLES: this deck loads the track from the other deck, and if that track is playing, from the same position. SHIFT + a pad in Hot Cue mode deletes the cue.
Mentor tip: Instant Doubles are worth learning for beat juggling: the same track on two turntables.
USBUSB portA USB Type-C port on the rear panel. The pads, MIDI and the BPM and key readout on the display all work through it.
You connect the turntable to a computer, or to the mixer's USB port if the mixer has a USB-A port. The pads don't work without USB.
Mentor tip: When it's connected to rekordbox over USB, Performance mode unlocks for free (Hardware Unlock).
PHONO OUT / SIGNAL GNDPhono out and groundGold-plated RCA outputs and a ground terminal on the rear panel. They carry the record's sound and, in DIGITAL VINYL mode, the control signal for the software.
You connect the cable to the mixer's phono input and the ground wire to SIGNAL GND. For DVS, the mixer must support DVS for your software.
Mentor tip: Without the ground wire you'll get hum, so always connect it.
⏻ / AC INPowerThe ⏻ button on the rear panel turns the turntable on and puts it into standby. The power cord plugs into AC IN on the left side panel, where the Kensington slot is too.
You connect all the cables, then the power cord, and press the button.
Mentor tip: The turntable goes to sleep by itself after 20 minutes of inactivity; you can wake it with the MOTOR OFF button.
Lessons run on the school's Pioneer DJ / AlphaTheta gear. A mentor shows you every control live, and you mix your first track yourself.