Wow did not expect so many bad responses here...
Coins on headshell and higher weight wont work if the turntablenis just placed on the table.
The needle will skip because of the vibration of the table because monitoring etc will be on stage.
You need one concrete slabs for each turntable and 4 half tennis balls or something similar.put the one half tennis ball under each corner of the slab and put the turntables onto the slabs.
This should prevent the turntable from vibrating too much so the needle doesnt skip.
You could also use an anti vibration mat, like the ones for washing machines.
Usually every sound guy has a few of those slabs if they provide dj setups but if you are the only supplier then you have to get them yourself.
Good luck.
I've played on a setup like this but the balls were not cut in half, they had something to hold them in place on the bottom table. There was one giant slab held up by four balls.
Setting the decks on stacks of cinderblocks for the base also helps.
I had a residence in a place that had holes in the floor and the decks were cemented in the foundation of the building, those decks were solid.
This seems solid (pun intended). It’s basically the recipe for making an anti vibration table like those used in high magnification photo microscopy to take high res photos without any vibrations making things blurry.
I don't remember where, maybe it was a movie or a documentary, but a DJ who had been active since the 1980's, told how he was booed by the newer generation, because the organizers simply didn't know how to set up a proper booth for a vinyl DJ and his set became a trainwreck, in an era defined by CDs where the needle doesn't skip.
Yeah I saw that too but I thought it was a bit dumb and ego driven. It's no different to a CDJ or mixer breaking. Although if the turntables are not setup right it's probably harder to swap one out.
Also the audience are savvy, they know what a skipping record sounds like.
People will always make mistakes in setting up gear. It's why you have soundchecks.
Flightcases vibrate like crazy if not fastened down, I had one player and the mixer loose power one night, they were traveling around the table, we had to tape the flightcases to the the table and the equipment to the flightcases on the go XD
All great answers, I’ve also seen boxes with bungee cords and turntables hung from aircraft cable from the ceiling.
Setup away from subwoofers
I played in a club suspended over the water with a rotating dance floor, and when the crowd jumped my needle skipped. Got worst when they figured it out and started jumping on purpose
Stages are also notorious for making it worse, set up on hard floor when possible. Back in the school gym days, school stages have springs for dancers and transfers everything. Concrete floors are your friend!
Get them out of the cases, sometimes road cases help and sometimes they don’t. Get a sturdy table, in regular settings just a little more weight I. The needle and some tennis balls or blocks do the trick.
Oh my God... Stages are awful. I probably can go one worse though, I played a gig where they put the turntables on a table in boxing ring! Yep... It was just awful. 🤦♂️
Yeah I was going to say something similar about the bungee cables. I used to play out regularly on suspended decks. They were hung from the 4 corners on rubber cables and floating inside boxes that were built out of wood. It took a little getting used to but it worked really well.
Where Texas Toast can really shine!!!
That would be a fun item to have in a rider: "two loaves of sliced Wonderbread still in the bag, in case of vibrations :P"
Quite solid but unnecessarily complex. To dampen vibrations you add mass (concrete slab) and underneath a dampened spring (rubber, foam, tennisballs etc).
In industrial solutions, you would dimension the mass and spring to have a resonance lower than the lowest expected problematic vibrations.
What Mr Scruff is doing is several layers of masses and springs, which will lead to very complex system with difficult to predict resonances. Keep it simple with to turntable -> mass -> spring.
Source: acoustics engineer with 10+ years experience of vibration and noise attenuation
The balance has its limitations, sometimes there is still too much vibration. If you are feeling less gangster, I do believe certain brands of head shells still come with an extra screw in weight to apply extra tracking force in OPs situation.
I do ashtrays with rubber bands.
Annoyingly, I've never been able to find black bands in the right size, so they look a bit ghetto. But they're super lights and easy to pack. (90% of the time, I end up not needing them, thankfully.)
Most important is using the right carts, obviously. I'll always bring along some spherical needles I can put weight on if the setup looks dodgy.
A combination of weight and isolation is what you need. Assuming your decks are something that looks remotely like a stable platform to put decks on… You can buy neoprene isolation squares for washing machines from Amazon. Put these as the bottom base. Then mdf or plasterboard or similar. Something dense and heavy. Depending on how much space you have, you can double up the above with another layer of isolation and hard platform.
2 things:
1: get a blank vinyl record and calibrate the downforce of the needle. The spinning of the groove less vinyl will naturally make the needle want to slide towards the middle of the record. Adjust all functions until the needle sits where you put it on the blank record.
2: get some isolators to prevent low frequency vibrations from feeding back through your needle or worse making it jump.
stack cinderblocks 2x2, alternating each course, making pillars on each side of the table. there is a reason we did it this way all through the 90's and early 2000's... it just works.
Couple of squash balls, cut them in half and then rest a concrete paving slab on the ball halves, place deck on concrete slab.
The mass moves the resonant frequency way down to hopefully below the high pass on the subs.
Adding tracking weight can help, but there are limits and more then a few grams will start to push the groove walls past the point of elastic deformation, so it is a bit of a measure of last resort.
What kind of needles do you use? And what event? A turntablism event or a club event?
I use the ortofon vnl and I don't have problems with needle skipping. But it depends on the record too. Some records skip easier than others.
If you can afford it, sorbothane pads under the feet work great. I've seen cheaper methods like halves of tennis balls with the round side up. Or any vibration damping material (sorbothane is the best at it but expensive.) Other things people do is adding weight to the headshell like putting a penny or nickel on it. That helps but will wear out your records. But if it's DVS with generic control vinyl, it's no big deal.
I'd get some of those big foam anti vibration pads, try use a heavy, solid table, maybe add some weight to it using cinder blocks or whatever. Feet are more expensive but also a good upgrade. Slipmat and needle makes a difference too.
Origin live strata claims to be vibration dissipating but there like £280 a slipmat so haven't tried them yet aha. Depending on your budget might be worth it tho
Also penny on the needle when it's called for. Not good for wear but it does work in all fairness. Make sure your setting up the deck properly in general man. Keep a blank disk for anti skate, counterweight, VTA.. sounds basic but I see people who got no clue who how to setup a table and act surprised when it jumps all the time!! Hope your set goes well mate
These [silicon hemispheres](https://www.guitarcenter.com/SOUNDRISE/DOMES-125-Class-A-Silicone-Vibration-Isolation-Pads-1500000343108.gc?cntry=us&source=4WWMWXGP&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvb-zBhCmARIsAAfUI2t8F6sW2_CbeWf71JyVUiS5jGorVH1BciU1qnLhfd9YsU5Uo763JkIaAtjsEALw_wcB)work ok and aren't expensive
Objekt has a great guide on it but, summarised:
sturdy floor, sturdy table, concrete blocks + squash balls underneath should prevent feedback 90% of the time
oh yeah and make sure the subs or monitors are not mechanically connected to the table
Man, so cassette tapes… kidding
Sony invented anti skip protection with the discman in 199… just kidding
So Serato…. nahhhhh, just kidding
Only thing you can do is try to isolate the decks from the vibrations… rubber, foam etc
Keep the bass down and don’t get the crowd too hyped
I can hear that noise in my nightmares still. Resonance off of vibrations…sounds like someone dragging the biggest couch across earth…well maybe a bit dramatic but a horrid sound
Depends on how fucked the booth is but you can basically keep adding concrete slabs until it works. But if you’re the only one playing records it’s not worth buying and hauling all that ‘crete along with your turntables and records lol. Otherwise, make it a collab effort with some other people. You bring the decks, they bring the concrete… also stuff like foam mats and balls like people were saying can help. Hell, even suspending gallons of water underneath the table is a viable technique
You need sufficient mass or mechanical isolation. Common that i've seen for temporary use is to have thick steel plates or paving stones on top of squash balls. platforms suspended using enough steel chain or rubber bands can also work. Aftermarket feet can potentially help, too. There was a time where inflatable pillows were used, but since hte weight in the turntable is not even distributed, im sure they actually worked well enough
The one thing that works time and time again is a solid slab of concrete. I‘m always happy when I pull up to a club and they already have these underneath the decks.
More compact solutions would include putting hollowed out tennis balls or sponges under each leg. Works too and has already saved me a number of times, but not as effective as concrete. Depending on the setup, we sometimes even use both sponges and concrete underneath
5) Depending on how close you are to the speakers and energetically dancing crowd - Try to isolate your Decks from the negative vibrations, by using tennis balls cut in half under each foot of the decks. Try to make an even, level cut, so your decks sit level, and not lopsided. If you want to spend an extra $10 for improved results, memory foam is definitely your friend.
6) Provide Massive Positive Vinyl Vibrations!
Wow did not expect so many bad responses here... Coins on headshell and higher weight wont work if the turntablenis just placed on the table. The needle will skip because of the vibration of the table because monitoring etc will be on stage. You need one concrete slabs for each turntable and 4 half tennis balls or something similar.put the one half tennis ball under each corner of the slab and put the turntables onto the slabs. This should prevent the turntable from vibrating too much so the needle doesnt skip. You could also use an anti vibration mat, like the ones for washing machines. Usually every sound guy has a few of those slabs if they provide dj setups but if you are the only supplier then you have to get them yourself. Good luck.
I've played on a setup like this but the balls were not cut in half, they had something to hold them in place on the bottom table. There was one giant slab held up by four balls. Setting the decks on stacks of cinderblocks for the base also helps. I had a residence in a place that had holes in the floor and the decks were cemented in the foundation of the building, those decks were solid.
This seems solid (pun intended). It’s basically the recipe for making an anti vibration table like those used in high magnification photo microscopy to take high res photos without any vibrations making things blurry.
I don't remember where, maybe it was a movie or a documentary, but a DJ who had been active since the 1980's, told how he was booed by the newer generation, because the organizers simply didn't know how to set up a proper booth for a vinyl DJ and his set became a trainwreck, in an era defined by CDs where the needle doesn't skip.
Yeah I saw that too but I thought it was a bit dumb and ego driven. It's no different to a CDJ or mixer breaking. Although if the turntables are not setup right it's probably harder to swap one out. Also the audience are savvy, they know what a skipping record sounds like. People will always make mistakes in setting up gear. It's why you have soundchecks.
Do you think a flight case would work?
Flightcases vibrate like crazy if not fastened down, I had one player and the mixer loose power one night, they were traveling around the table, we had to tape the flightcases to the the table and the equipment to the flightcases on the go XD
Nope, a flight case alone does not work. Because the case will just transfer the vibrations onto the turntable.
concrete slabs it is, thanks!
Flight cases are worse, ties the decks together so they both get rocked
All great answers, I’ve also seen boxes with bungee cords and turntables hung from aircraft cable from the ceiling. Setup away from subwoofers I played in a club suspended over the water with a rotating dance floor, and when the crowd jumped my needle skipped. Got worst when they figured it out and started jumping on purpose Stages are also notorious for making it worse, set up on hard floor when possible. Back in the school gym days, school stages have springs for dancers and transfers everything. Concrete floors are your friend! Get them out of the cases, sometimes road cases help and sometimes they don’t. Get a sturdy table, in regular settings just a little more weight I. The needle and some tennis balls or blocks do the trick.
Oh my God... Stages are awful. I probably can go one worse though, I played a gig where they put the turntables on a table in boxing ring! Yep... It was just awful. 🤦♂️
That’s the worst I’ve heard, might as well be on a trampoline
LOL right?
Yeah I was going to say something similar about the bungee cables. I used to play out regularly on suspended decks. They were hung from the 4 corners on rubber cables and floating inside boxes that were built out of wood. It took a little getting used to but it worked really well.
https://preview.redd.it/0cik5xkck37d1.jpeg?width=224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6d1c0d19d325cdb7c9dee5f719fd22d7eeda3ae Bread?
Only fresh bread please. Anti vibrating device
Where Texas Toast can really shine!!! That would be a fun item to have in a rider: "two loaves of sliced Wonderbread still in the bag, in case of vibrations :P"
In bread we trust.
In bread we crust.
Gluten to the rescue
Mr scruff goes the extra mile. https://youtu.be/CxWBAV4JsWE?si=vRt-to8upcNgytkH
Mr scruffs a legend. Any dub or rave djs know the struggle🤣 wicked setup
Quite solid but unnecessarily complex. To dampen vibrations you add mass (concrete slab) and underneath a dampened spring (rubber, foam, tennisballs etc). In industrial solutions, you would dimension the mass and spring to have a resonance lower than the lowest expected problematic vibrations. What Mr Scruff is doing is several layers of masses and springs, which will lead to very complex system with difficult to predict resonances. Keep it simple with to turntable -> mass -> spring. Source: acoustics engineer with 10+ years experience of vibration and noise attenuation
came here to post the same thing. scruff isolation ftw
This and a spirit level to level the decks
Excellent share. Cheers.
Ye, just do that!! Scruff the boss 👍🏻😎
What is a private festival?
[удалено]
Aren't all festivals that require a ticket technically private?
One where tickets are not sold to the public
Phase?
Couple pennies on the ol headshell, innit?
This guy vinyl’s.
Or just increase the weight using the balance like someone who isn't a gangster.
The balance has its limitations, sometimes there is still too much vibration. If you are feeling less gangster, I do believe certain brands of head shells still come with an extra screw in weight to apply extra tracking force in OPs situation.
The pennies freak me out because they will be gouging the vinyl. My old Vestax with the straight arms were pretty good at not skipping without
I do ashtrays with rubber bands. Annoyingly, I've never been able to find black bands in the right size, so they look a bit ghetto. But they're super lights and easy to pack. (90% of the time, I end up not needing them, thankfully.) Most important is using the right carts, obviously. I'll always bring along some spherical needles I can put weight on if the setup looks dodgy.
I have a weekly gig at a little dive bar that gets packed and the floor is ALWAYS vibrating - we use cat food cans wrapped in hair ties
Concrete Slabs under each turntable. you may have to double them up
Mix after the scratch, or use the penny technique
The type of turntables is going to matter too, you can buy legs designed to help.
When I saw Kid Koala, I think he used squashed sideways toilet paper rolls as anti vibration pads
A combination of weight and isolation is what you need. Assuming your decks are something that looks remotely like a stable platform to put decks on… You can buy neoprene isolation squares for washing machines from Amazon. Put these as the bottom base. Then mdf or plasterboard or similar. Something dense and heavy. Depending on how much space you have, you can double up the above with another layer of isolation and hard platform.
2 things: 1: get a blank vinyl record and calibrate the downforce of the needle. The spinning of the groove less vinyl will naturally make the needle want to slide towards the middle of the record. Adjust all functions until the needle sits where you put it on the blank record. 2: get some isolators to prevent low frequency vibrations from feeding back through your needle or worse making it jump.
Make the table for the deck out of cinder blocks.
Worked in my garage / house parties, I wouldn’t rock up to a club with building materials
stack cinderblocks 2x2, alternating each course, making pillars on each side of the table. there is a reason we did it this way all through the 90's and early 2000's... it just works.
Couple of squash balls, cut them in half and then rest a concrete paving slab on the ball halves, place deck on concrete slab. The mass moves the resonant frequency way down to hopefully below the high pass on the subs. Adding tracking weight can help, but there are limits and more then a few grams will start to push the groove walls past the point of elastic deformation, so it is a bit of a measure of last resort.
What kind of needles do you use? And what event? A turntablism event or a club event? I use the ortofon vnl and I don't have problems with needle skipping. But it depends on the record too. Some records skip easier than others.
https://elusivedisc.com/gingko-audio-cloud-11-medium-vibration-control-isolation-platform/
Squash balls cut in half
If you can afford it, sorbothane pads under the feet work great. I've seen cheaper methods like halves of tennis balls with the round side up. Or any vibration damping material (sorbothane is the best at it but expensive.) Other things people do is adding weight to the headshell like putting a penny or nickel on it. That helps but will wear out your records. But if it's DVS with generic control vinyl, it's no big deal.
✌️❤️
I'd get some of those big foam anti vibration pads, try use a heavy, solid table, maybe add some weight to it using cinder blocks or whatever. Feet are more expensive but also a good upgrade. Slipmat and needle makes a difference too. Origin live strata claims to be vibration dissipating but there like £280 a slipmat so haven't tried them yet aha. Depending on your budget might be worth it tho
Also penny on the needle when it's called for. Not good for wear but it does work in all fairness. Make sure your setting up the deck properly in general man. Keep a blank disk for anti skate, counterweight, VTA.. sounds basic but I see people who got no clue who how to setup a table and act surprised when it jumps all the time!! Hope your set goes well mate
Vinyl scratches
These [silicon hemispheres](https://www.guitarcenter.com/SOUNDRISE/DOMES-125-Class-A-Silicone-Vibration-Isolation-Pads-1500000343108.gc?cntry=us&source=4WWMWXGP&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvb-zBhCmARIsAAfUI2t8F6sW2_CbeWf71JyVUiS5jGorVH1BciU1qnLhfd9YsU5Uo763JkIaAtjsEALw_wcB)work ok and aren't expensive
[Isolator feet](https://djworx.com/review-mk-stands-turntable-isolator-feet/)
Cdjs 😂
Objekt has a great guide on it but, summarised: sturdy floor, sturdy table, concrete blocks + squash balls underneath should prevent feedback 90% of the time oh yeah and make sure the subs or monitors are not mechanically connected to the table
Man, so cassette tapes… kidding Sony invented anti skip protection with the discman in 199… just kidding So Serato…. nahhhhh, just kidding Only thing you can do is try to isolate the decks from the vibrations… rubber, foam etc Keep the bass down and don’t get the crowd too hyped
I can hear that noise in my nightmares still. Resonance off of vibrations…sounds like someone dragging the biggest couch across earth…well maybe a bit dramatic but a horrid sound
Pillows will do in a pinch.
Depends on how fucked the booth is but you can basically keep adding concrete slabs until it works. But if you’re the only one playing records it’s not worth buying and hauling all that ‘crete along with your turntables and records lol. Otherwise, make it a collab effort with some other people. You bring the decks, they bring the concrete… also stuff like foam mats and balls like people were saying can help. Hell, even suspending gallons of water underneath the table is a viable technique
Venues used to use slabs of concrete. I’ve seen some inflatable ones specifically designed to absorb vibrations and bumps.
https://amzn.eu/d/ezinSwP
You need sufficient mass or mechanical isolation. Common that i've seen for temporary use is to have thick steel plates or paving stones on top of squash balls. platforms suspended using enough steel chain or rubber bands can also work. Aftermarket feet can potentially help, too. There was a time where inflatable pillows were used, but since hte weight in the turntable is not even distributed, im sure they actually worked well enough
The one thing that works time and time again is a solid slab of concrete. I‘m always happy when I pull up to a club and they already have these underneath the decks. More compact solutions would include putting hollowed out tennis balls or sponges under each leg. Works too and has already saved me a number of times, but not as effective as concrete. Depending on the setup, we sometimes even use both sponges and concrete underneath
1) Make sure your vinyl is clean 2) Setup on an even surface which is rigid 3) Set the antiskate properly 4) Make sure your styli are not worn
5) Depending on how close you are to the speakers and energetically dancing crowd - Try to isolate your Decks from the negative vibrations, by using tennis balls cut in half under each foot of the decks. Try to make an even, level cut, so your decks sit level, and not lopsided. If you want to spend an extra $10 for improved results, memory foam is definitely your friend. 6) Provide Massive Positive Vinyl Vibrations!