Tuesday, July 22, 2008

We can have a portable turntable DJ in the band?


Not yet but very soon. Since 2004 inventor Thierry Alari has been working to turn the DJ world upside down by creating a portable all-in-one scratch instrument capable of being played while walking, standing, or sitting. At first glance, the Scratchophone looks like a cross between a hand drum and turntable, but upon further inspection it’s quickly revealed to be much, much more.

Scratch musicians are able to comfortably perform on stage thanks to stable tracking provided by a hanging micro tonearm, adjustable crossfader wrist position (+/- 15°), and the inclusion of turntable start/stop mechanism w/ adjustable pitch. While needing only a reliable power source, vinyl, and a skilled turntablist, the Scratchophone delivers a near complete portable scratch experience utilizing components from a Stanton TT500 direct drive turntable, Vestax VMC-002xLu mixer, and Eclectic Breaks Pro X Fade Crossfader.

Still only a prototype, version 1.0 has an expected date of September ‘08 with plans to make available "empty" Scratchophone cases for those wishing to implement their own customized setup.

See the Scratchophone website for more info and check out the video of Grand Wizard Theodore and DJ Fade Wizard performing a live demonstration.

No comments: