Turnable for 78 RPM

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DJSerj 91
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2017 6:51 am

Turnable for 78 RPM

#1 Post by DJSerj 91 » Sun Dec 31, 2017 8:06 am

Hi everybody, FIRST ------- HAPPY NEW YEAR .....

I’m looking for a home use turntable for 78 rpm records ( maybe in the future can will be my first turntable for DJ performance). I've found some model: Pioneer LPX 500 , Audiotecnica LP 120 , Reloop 4000 or 7000 and the Stanton T92.

have you some recommendation about this kind of turntable?

thank .... and keep swinging.

lipi
Posts: 789
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 3:26 pm
Location: menlo park

Re: Turnable for 78 RPM

#2 Post by lipi » Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:49 pm

My guess is that most of us are far from experts on turntables, let alone ones that play 78s. I do know a few things:
1) You need a separate cartridge, or, at the very least, a separate stylus. Not only that, but different era 78s use different stylus widths. For the best sound, you want to make sure you match them correctly.
2) If you record straight to your computer you can fiddle with the sound in Audacity or whathaveyou, but if you want to DJ with it, you'll need a pre-amp, one specifically made for playing 78s. Either that, or you need to mess around with an equalizer. Read this for backgroud: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA_equalization Modern equipment assumes modern recordings and adjusts for this; most 78s were recorded before the standardized equalization and require fiddling to have the different registers be balanced on playback.
3) If you want to make good transfers, make sure your turntable has pitch (that is, speed) control. You sometimes need to play these things back at 75rpm or at 80rpm or at any of a million values around 78. If you're just live DJ'ing this is less important, as you'll likely not want to mess with it on the fly, anyway. The few pitch perfect people in the crowd will hate you, but they already hate life, anyway. :)

You can ask on the forum at organissimo.org or at waxidermy.com to get more detailed advice. Here's a good thread from a few years ago: http://waxidermy.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=54142

Good luck!

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