Old Turntable Question.

alright, so i wana start using vinyl sampling to my mpc... the old technics sl 5200 i have has no needle, but ill get one soon enough...

as i said its a pretty old turntable, on the back of it, the only cables are the (1) red and (1) white cable, the power chord to plug into an outlet, and a really thin cable with an end that almost looks like a little pitch fork (hmm).

besides getting a new needle for it, and adapters to fit on the 2 red and white cables to go into my mpc, what exactly is this little skinny cable (and its use) and basically im a little confused if im either missing something/if itl work at all...im debating buying a needle (if i come to a consensus) or saying **** the needle because (maybe)it wont work at all even with a needle, so just a new portable turntable would be the option.

if you can help a brother out, id be a happy man. Thanks guys.
Peace

New Jack wrote:and a really thin cable with an end that almost looks like a little pitch fork

That would be the ground wire. Without it connected to a ground (which there is always a terminal for on a preamp, mixer, or receiver) you will get an annoying hum.

the 2 red and white cables to go into my mpc

Those do not go into your MPC. They need to go through one of the following and out to your MPC:

1) A standalone phono preamp (can be had for about $20-30 from Radio Shack)
2) A DJ mixer
3) A receiver with a phono input; your MPC would be connected to "tape out."

im debating buying a needle (if i come to a consensus) or saying **** the needle because (maybe)it wont work at all even with a needle, so just a new portable turntable would be the option.

If this turntable is in fact in working condition, it will be miles better than a shitty Handy Trax or PT-01. You will want to look into a mid-range cartridge from Shure, Ortofon, or Stanton ($50-60). Get it hooked up and make sure it's working well first though; stuff this old sometimes needs TLC.

Even if you buy the preamp and cartridge and find out the table does not work you can still use both if you buy any turntable that accepts a standard mount cartridge. Something like a Stanton T50 or T60X with a good cart, even though they are entry level tables, would still be much better than a portable turntable, and about the same price. I think the T50 comes with a cart even; though not the greatest it's good enough to get your feet wet.

Like I said though, if the Technics deck is working it would be awesome. I definitely lust after the classic 70s and early 80s model Technics decks (the 1100A is such a beast). You might want to check what cartridge is already on it; it might be a good one that only needs a new stylus (if that even).

thanks for the words, your the man

the cartridge is still in tact, so i think the stylus is all i need for it, and radioshack might be my next destination.. haha!

im gunna go for it, and get a 201 needle, like 35 bucks on the one site, and soon enough a pre amp, which sucks because im broke as F.CK, but whatever

THANKS AGAIN MAN.

check it out homie

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=phono+preamp&oe=UTF-8&cid=11452916062981367069&sa=title#ps-sellers

oh shit, real cheap! tight

im thinking soon to get the preamp, but i think i might be able to get a working dj mixer for about 60 bo, is it going to really matter much soundwise (price is much more important at the time being) if im sampling into my mpc through that phono preamp/if i ran it through a dj mixer..

im thinking the mixer would be a little costier due to it being able to manifest to more equipment than the preamps straight cut job of just taking care of things in between our mpcs and turntables lol, thus, is why im confused as to why i should not just get the phono preamp!

Peace, Thanks again for the help guys

You just need a preamp. The premp built into an entry level mixer will be no better than the dedicated ones.

Before you spend too much money on this turntable though, make sure it's in good shape. If something is wrong with it, it is most likely the motor due to the unit's age. You'll wan to use the strobe light on the unit to make sure it's spinning at the right speed. If it's at the correct speed you will have one line of dots that do not move, like in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-9KAkNzzSw

The pitch control should be at 0% or in the middle. I don't know if your turntable is not quartz locked, so that solid line may be moving to the left or right just a bit. In that case you adjust the pitch until it's barely moving in either direction.

If that center line is erratic or non-existent, you could have a problem. A solid line should appear at both 33 and 45 RPM speeds, though they will change rows depending on which speed you choose. You may need to readjust the pitch slightly between the two speeds, and that's normal. Basically, this is a way to ensure your turntable is spinning as close to 33 1/3 or 45 RPM as possible.

Some turntables have a microprocessor that verifies the motor's speed multiple times per rotation, and the motor is directed multiple times to slow down or speed up. Even if yours has this, you'll want to make sure the motor is in good working condition with the method above.

I actually already had the old turntable!, i checked out the red strobe and shes got one bottom line of dots that dont move, and i can even turn on the little white light for it too, so its working great, minus lack of stylus

thanks for the video and additional assistance bedouin