The DJing and sampling industry has attracted many people in the recent past. Most of these people have to do a lot of search in order to tell what’s the best turntable for sampling vinyl.
Sampling is a very important component of any DJ’s craft. Replicating unique sound quality is not as easy as just taking samples straight from your vinyl records. A DJ will, therefore, have to do more work on their turntables than an average home listener.
Table of Contents
- Our Pick: Pioneer Pro PLX-1000 Direct Drive
- Bang For The Buck: AT-LP120-USB Audio-Technica Professional Turntable
- Budget Pick: Numark PT01 USB
- Also Great: Reloop RP-2000-M Turntable
- Also Great: Numark TTX Professional Turntable
- Also Great: Stanton ST.150 Direct Drive Turntable
- How To Sample Vinyl Records?
- What to look for when buying Turntable For Sampling Vinyl?
The same case applies to producers as they require something that makes their job less strenuous. With the many brands available on the market, choosing the best turntable for sampling vinyl can be quite a challenge.
In this article, we review the top 6 turntables for sampling vinyl to help you make an informed choice.
Our Pick: Pioneer Pro PLX-1000 Direct Drive
This is a direct drive high torque turntable that gives you exceptional control and stable rotation. Apart from its die-cast chassis, it has a heavy mass that assists in preventing resonance and vibrations.
It works well for those equipment placed on the same surface with vibrating speakers and mixers.
Its multi-tempo controls help you in increasing or decreasing the tempo. It also has a reset button that helps you revert the track back to its original tempo.
Its interchangeable audio and power cables help in easily connecting the turntable to a power supply to sample the vinyl records. Its gold-plated RCA jacks will ensure low impedance hence amazing sound quality.
This turntable also features a multi-pitch control, detachable cables, sound quality and club-grade build. It has been built for excellent vibration damping, high-grade audio, and ultra-precise playback.
Pros
- A high starting torque of about 33.3 revolutions per minute in just 0.3 seconds ensures exceptional control and stable rotation
- The gold-plated RCA jacks will ensure excellent sound quality due to low impedance
- The interchangeable audio and power cables ensure flexible connection
Cons
- The bright start and stop button may be an inconvenience to some people
- Some customers have complained about the tone arm having some loose bearings hence leading to severe tracing distortion
- The bottom case is made of plastic and hence less resistant when it comes to resonance feedback
Bang For The Buck: AT-LP120-USB Audio-Technica Professional Turntable
The AT-LP120-USB is an affordable turntable that gives you an opportunity to listen to your vinyl records in a simple setup. It has a built-in preamp which enables you to use it without requiring any additional accessories.
The turntable can be directly connected to a set of powered speakers or stereo. Its pre-calibrated cartridge is replaceable and comes with a needle that makes it great to listen to any kind of music.
It features a direct drive high torque motor that helps you in sampling and scratching of the vinyl records. It starts up quickly and its USB feature enables you to connect it directly to the computer.
It also has a reverse and forward play capability, a high accuracy selectable pitch lock which is also quartz controlled and a pitch change control.
The slider for the pitch change is able to move between the +/- 10 percent and +/- 20 percent ranges. A hinged dust cover which is removable, a slip mat cast aluminum platter and three speeds of 33 rpm, 45 rpm, and 78 rpm are the other features you get with this turntable.
Pros
- It’s easy to set up and even fine tune once it has been set up
- High-quality features at an affordable price
- Its adjustment options are far much more than other models on the market
Cons
- The use of internal preamp is not one of the best options as it exposes it to some level of feedback noise
- The RCA cable is non-removable and this can be quite frustrating for those people intending to output to the desired source
- It’s not an automatic player and requires you to turn it on, push the start button, lift the tonearm and manually put it on the player
Budget Pick: Numark PT01 USB
The recent years have seen an increased sampling of the vinyl records. The Numark’s PT01 USB is an affordable turntable that comes with scratching capabilities meant for proper music creation.
It has a rugged and attractive classic look with its unique modern design. It has been built for affordability and portability using travel-friendly and durable materials.
It features an exclusive Scratch Switch that is adjustable and separate from other controls. The pitch controls operate in the range of +/- 10 percent.
The three RPM options of 33, 45 and 78 accompany its tone and audio feature.
The pre-balanced tonearm makes the most out of any vinyl records at your disposal. The class-compliant USB that includes a USB cable is ideal for connecting the turntable to your computer.
Apart from the built-in speakers, it also includes an AC adapter. A protective dustcover accompanies this device and it also comes with an integrated handle for carrying it around.
Pros
- A unique and creative device at an affordable price
- Easy to learn and use adjustable scratch dial
- A drive motor that converts all the 45s & 78s and 12-inch vinyl records to digital files
Cons
- For a portable product, its built quality is not very robust
- The materials used are quite basic and may not appeal to most people
- It needs some platter modification for increased stability
Also Great: Reloop RP-2000-M Turntable
Reloop RP2000M is one of the most capable turntables costing less than $300. As a simple reliable tool, this device will give any DJ a feel of proper sampling and scratching of the vinyl records.
It’s not only sleek but also has a black metallic finish. Your professional expectations will be fully met by its powerful direct drive driven by quartz. It transfers the power directly to the collar.
Its professional start button enables a much quicker generation of power while contributing to a much higher accuracy.
One of its great features is the S-shaped pickup arm which is statistically balanced. It also has an electronic motor brake, a needle illumination, and the shock-absorbing feet.
Its metal chassis has been constructed from an extra heavy material for longer usage. Apart from its electronic motor brake, this turntable is able to connect a beat counter and a remote starter.
The main thing with this turntable is that it delivers a solid core performance in a way that meets your expectations.
Pros
- Its clean robust design works well for most professional DJing needs
- Properly isolated feet in a heavy metal chassis
- The pitch control and the platter gives you enough precision
Cons
- There is a loss of performance with time as the pitch control begins to lose finesse hence becoming crude
- The tonearm doesn’t have a height adjustment feature and you may experience some leveling issues
- Some customers have complained about the pitch jumping around to a certain extent
Also Great: Numark TTX Professional Turntable
The Numark TTX as a professional turntable resulted from an extensive research aimed at understanding the needs of a professional DJ. It combines incredible precision, unmatched torque, and interchangeable tonearm design.
This design ensures optimal performance in different weather conditions. This turntable is sleek, attractive and has an ergonomic house weighing about 28.6 pounds.
It accommodates both the beat mixing and scratching requirements hence making it ideal for sampling vinyl.
It’s a USB professional turntable with ultra-quick conversion capabilities for converting vinyl to digital media. It has a unique ultra high torque and user adjustable motor for sampling and scratching purposes.
The interchangeable tonearm is made from aluminum and is the world’s first coming in both straight and S-shape. An included key lock helps you maintain the key while changing the tempo.
Its solid core built helps in reducing the vibration, background noise, and friction.
Pros
- A powerful motor that produces a great amount of torque
- A solid construction meant for durability
- It comes with two start/stop buttons and adjustable dials for braking and acceleration
Cons
- It’s bulky and quite heavy
- The strobe lamp is also a little finicky and requires some retightening
- The customer service is not very efficient
Also Great: Stanton ST.150 Direct Drive Turntable
The Stanton STR8150 is arguably one of the best DJ turntables available on the market. It has one of the best motors at 4.5 Kgf-cm for sampling vinyl records.
It has a tonearm and an ultra-stable platter to give you amazing controls. The turntable’s upper body is made of a heavy-duty steel material.
Its lower body is made from a heavy rubber material that plays the isolation and dampening purposes. It’s a heavyweight turntable that has the ability to clock in well over 42 pounds.
Apart from the excellent motor, you get lots of other features when you buy this turntable. One such feature is its ability to play vinyl records at 33 rpm, 45 rpm, and 78 rpm.
It comes with a speed adjustable knob with separate start and stops buttons. It also has 680HP Stanton Cartridge, pitch range adjustable buttons, digital audio coaxial output plugs, a surround receiver and a PC sound card.
A selectable line or phone level output is what grants you use.
Pros
- A heavy duty all steel construction ensures durability and reliability
- It comes with a felt slip mat and a mounted Stanton 680.V3 Cartridge
- A very strong motor of high quality and torque
Cons
- The turntable doesn’t come with a cover
- Some customers have complained about the jerking of the platter upon powering it up and its wobbling during play
- Most components are coated using a rubber compound which deteriorates over time into a sticky mess
How To Sample Vinyl Records?
Check out the video…
What to look for when buying Turntable For Sampling Vinyl?
The convenience of digital music has never taken away the popularity of the venerable vinyl records. In fact, its popularity seems to continue growing. Setting up a turntable for sampling vinyl is generally a simple process.
There are however a number of questions that need to be answered before making a purchase so as to avoid disappointments. They include:
1) Should you get a belt drive or a direct drive turntable for sampling?
This is probably the most important question you need to ask yourself. The choice of whether belt drive or direct drive remains largely yours. The only thing you need to know is that direct drive turntables are more suited for scratching purposes.
The sound quality is less the same for the two drives. So in case you need to combine sampling and scratching of your vinyl records, then a direct drive will be an ideal choice.
2) How much money do you intend to spend?
Your budget will dictate the quality you get. Just like other products, what you pay for is what you get. If you need a quality and durable turntable, then you should be able to spend some more cash.
The lowest priced turntables cost in the region of $100 whereas the highest priced ones cost well over $2000. The highest priced turntables have a better sound quality and higher quality build when compared to low priced models.
3) Is it durable?
A solid construction turntable is likely to last you longer. It comes with a high powered motor for giving you much torque and an accurate needle. The needle is responsible for giving you pitch and tracks correctly.
So when planning for your purchase, don’t go for something that breaks down easily but rather go for a durable and long-lasting one.
4) How do you connect the turntable to the computer?
Some turntables have one start button while others have two start buttons. Those with two buttons are easily adaptable to many setups and configurations unlike those with one button.
It’s therefore advisable to go for one with two buttons as it gives you flexibility in connecting to your computer.
5) Why do you need Turntable For Sampling Vinyl?
Turntables are simple devices that have been designed to spin records and transform data at a constant speed. The data in their grooves are pressed into an electrical signal to be able to reproduce your music.
Sampling is a unique art that most people (especially producers) are getting into nowadays. With sampling, you can literally pick a box of vinyl records and make a hit out of them.
It’s, therefore, an important part of a DJ’s craft. Using a turntable to sample your vinyl records gives you a unique sound quality that can not be easily replicated.
Having explored the various turntables on the market, we have come up with the top six best turntables for sampling your vinyl records. They are: