Turntable Cartridges and Needles
You got your gig at some underground club in the Lower East Side of New York. They're paying you to DJ all night and you're totally psyched to get your stuff up there and blow the roof off that place. You want those hot, sweaty bodies to dance until their feet beg for mercy. And who would blame them? With your mad skills you can set any dance floor on fire. But waitStylus'>special to you?
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Cartridges
You might already know this but just in case you're still new to this profession, the cartridge is the piece of the turntable that houses the needle. It converts the mechanical vibration into electrical output. It rests in the
Ortofon brands.
!
* Pinch cartridges are not widely used in DJing.
* Obviously, if you have a preference for any particular brand, weight or quality it's smart to stick with it.
* The cartridges will have either of two types of needles. Select the one that fits your goals.
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Needles (Styli)
Depending on what kind of DJing you do, you're going to be looking for certain traits. Needles are either
Stanton and Ortofon as good products to invest in.
* If you're
recording your work.
* The spherical styli are used for scratching purposes. However, spherical needles will cause more damage to your
vinyl.
* Elliptical styli will provide the sound quality you want. These are for playback uses, not battling.
* For higher groove control you want a needle with
low tracking force needle.
* Switch it up. You will have to buy several
replacement needles anyway because you will be using them for different reasons and, the more obvious reason being that use will wear them.
* Elliptical are more expensive than spherical. If you're a beginner you'll probably want to buy the spherical because it won't slip on the vinyl, won't skip and will cost you less money.
* If you use a certain stylus on a record, always use that shape. If it's elliptical make sure you have it with you because DJs are often provided spherical when they don't bring their own stuff. (You do bring your own stuff, right? You definitely had a
neon yellow stylus. Just admit it, already).
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Replacing The Damaged Needle or Cartridge
Needles:
* You'll want to remember your turntable and cartridge models and makes when you go to buy any replacement parts. Some styli may not be compatible.
* Don't remove the current stylus until you've found a new one you like. This will prevent dust from getting into the tone arm.
* To remove the old one use gentle tools like
tweezers to pull at the needle.To put the new one in simply push the stylus lightly into the space you just emptied for it. If you push too hard the diamond will break.
Cartridge:
* First unscrew the
head of the tonearm and remove it.
* Slide out the cartridge at the tip and place it somewhere safe.
* If you bought a half-inch cartridge you'll want to connect the wires to the tonearm head. They should be color coded in green, red, white and blue. Be careful with it and don't tear them. You can use tweezers to do it but make sure that no matter how you choose to do it, that the connection is secure.
* Place the tonearm head screws in place, then slide the cartridge in its spot and screw it in with a
mini screwdriver to tighten it.
Just for reference: Your needles are wearing partly because of dust in the vinyl grooves. Keep them clean. Dust them off and buy a
dustcover.
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