With quartz lock on, the same mechanism will simply play your records more accurately at a steady pitch (0%). (Makes sense – platters on CDs and Blu-Ray spin far, far faster.) That’s the actual platter speed we’re talking here. (Reloop call it “high-resolution.”) Set it to +- 8% (hello Technics-style pitch), or +/- 16% for a wider range (hello, Romanian techno, -16%), or an insane +/- 50%. Call it digital-kinetic-mechanical.Īlso digital: the pitch fader Reloop. It’s still an analog/mechanical device, but with a greater range of playing options thanks to digital tech under the hook. Serato and Reloop have built a close relationship with turntablists this lets them build the vinyl deck into a more versatile instrument. (I’m checking with Reloop to find out if the performance pads require Serato to work, but either way, they do actually impact the platter rotation – it’s a physical result.) That gives the pads a new life, as something integral to the turntable instead of just a set of triggers for software. You can use the colored pads on the turntable, or connect an external MIDI keyboard.
“Platter Play” rotates the turntable platter at different speeds to produce different pitches – rapidly. Reloop have gone one step further on the RP-8000 MK2.
So digitally controlled motors were what Technics was boasting earlier this week with their SL-1200 MK7, which they say borrows from Blu-Ray drive technology (Technics is a Panasonic brand). And we’re seeing digital control on motors providing greater reliability, more precision, and broader ranges of speed on conventional turntables. We’re seeing digitally controlled motors for haptic feedback, as on the new Native Instruments S4 DJ controllers.