Discuss the various methods you use in music production, from compressor settings to equipment type.
By onumb Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:38 pm
i'm gonna buy a new set of cartridges and was wondering what you guys were using? I've read the specs but those can only tell you so much. any input would be great

keep in mind that i do need to be able to do some cuts so good tracking is a factor as well as sound quality.


peace
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By incurablebeatlust Mon Nov 15, 2004 11:08 pm
shure m447s are cool. really for cutting but they track like no other..the stanton sk5s(?) dj craze series are pretty nice for the price..if you can afford it get ortofons..

By JHouse Tue Nov 16, 2004 8:34 pm
447's all the frickin' way, especially if you're really into skratching. They stick like sh1t sticks to a shoe. No joke. And they last. The sound quality is dope as well.

I skratch my @ss off and they very seldom skip (pretty much never, and I'm smackin' sh1t around), plus they're easy on your records, meaning, they minimize record burn and thus preserve your precious vinyl.

http://www.needlz.com/cartridges/m44-7.asp

Peace.
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By dj_evs Tue Nov 16, 2004 10:17 pm
Shure's M44-7 I use those as well, and have used them for along time. They do have a better sound pickup than other stylus's out there. However I used to use some crappy stantons when I first started out, and those work perfectly fine for sampling and are about half the price of a shure needle.
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By cyrus Wed Nov 17, 2004 3:34 pm
ive got shure whitelabels. Very easy to put on (not that any cartrdige is, but you dont have to connect wires, or anything) and the sound is nice. It also is easy to see the actual needle and seems fine for sampling....there isnt alot of extra noise.

They are nice. I love them also because they come with a case. So i kept my old cartridge..........i keep the old one on most of the time, but when i sample i put the new one on.

I do this because i have some friends who come over and sometimes mess witih my table, and i dont want them to **** up my nice needles. plus i have a cat who likes to scratch

I dont scratch at all. So i bought them with the intention to keep them nice for sampling. I really think if you are just sampling, just keep one needle for sampling-one for scratching; that way you dont have to worry about losss of sound quality because of a worn needle....and you can get one more for hifi, and one for durability. You really dont have to spend alot on the needle. Overall i think the whitelabel is the best price.

they are not perfect for scratching, but they would stand up. Back cuing, start stop, etc. for sampling they do just fine. Plus the arm on them is easy for skipping around on the record-they are low profile so you can see exactly where its going.

Finally to add. You cant tell i sample. I mean, unless you are a beat maker, but some of my friends know that if they hear "crackle" then its a sample.....but with my new needle i have less hiss, hum, and crackle (ive also been cleaning my records) And they cant tell its a sample as easy. But i figure if i want that "classic crackle" sound, i can just add it overtop the beat with a crackle sample or something. Anyways, my point is i feel like i can do more with this needle than my old one cause my old one gave me alot of noise; my overall sample quality is nicer now. I think sometimes a samplerist might get "use" to the sound of his needle........sometimes overlooking lots of noise, etc. i have a few beats where i listen to now and im like "**** that it sounds like shit" and at the time i thought it was cool. In any event, clearer is better from the beginning.

P
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By samuraisam Wed Nov 17, 2004 5:21 pm
if you're scratching only get the m447
if you're scratching and sampling get the m44g
they are very very similar but the g has 20,000 hz instead of 17,000.
i first used the m44g about a year ago. i played on my tt's heavy for about 10 hours a week. after 6 months (which included someone trying to clean my room, and knocking the needle onto my slipmats bending back the needle 90 degrees, which i then bent back and it worked like a charm) the needle snapped off. very very very durable. rarely skips too. **** wonderful.

By onumb Thu Nov 18, 2004 4:26 am
thanks for the input. I think I'm gonna go with one SC353C mainly because I can buy a 78rpm stylis that snaps right in and one m447 . best of both worlds.

thanks Again