# DJs who use fake turntables/don't mix -Fraud? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 5, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119 "2013-03-05T21:35:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SleuFeets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@SleuFeets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SleuFeets)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/1 "2013-03-05T21:35:34Z")
I like to dance. I especially like House because I think it really shows who’s a good a DJ and who’s not. I’ve noticed that a lot of “DJ’s” unpack a boat load of equipment but mostly they are playing digital pre mixes. I’ve even seen them fake “scratching”. A lot of people don’t seem to have a problem with this, and I do know that some digital turntables allow you to mix digitally - I’m not really talking about that. What’s the point in buying all of this expensive equipment if you’re essentially playing from your Ipod? Is it THAT easy to be a DJ? ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/2 "2013-03-05T22:01:50Z")
yes, DJing is that easy. You ever listen to music at home and dance to it? Did you do a bad job of it? ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/3 "2013-03-05T22:14:30Z")
> [@FrankJBN](#): > > yes, DJing is that easy. You ever listen to music at home and dance to it? Did you do a bad job of it? When I’m the DJ, only good songs get played. I’ve never had this happen with any other DJ. Funny how that works. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/4 "2013-03-05T22:59:41Z")
I just can’t get my head around the notion that anyone would deliberately scratch an LP. That’s like a _mortal sin_ where I come from. Scratching noises from LPs are strictly humorous sound effects that denote an unpleasant back-to-reality crash from a pleasant daydream. Even then, the disrespect that is being shown toward the vinyl makes me cringe. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/5 "2013-03-06T00:26:48Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I just can’t get my head around the notion that anyone would deliberately scratch an LP. That’s like a _mortal sin_ where I come from. I don’t think they’re actually putting scratches on the LP, at least not deliberately. [Check it out](http://youtu.be/0AkeAoHigis). ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/6 "2013-03-06T00:58:02Z")
> [@SleuFeets](#): > > I like to dance. I especially like House because I think it really shows who’s a good a DJ and who’s not. > > I’ve noticed that a lot of “DJ’s” unpack a boat load of equipment but mostly they are playing digital pre mixes. I’ve even seen them fake “scratching”. A lot of people don’t seem to have a problem with this, and I do know that some digital turntables allow you to mix digitally - I’m not really talking about that. > > What’s the point in buying all of this expensive equipment if you’re essentially playing from your Ipod? Is it THAT easy to be a DJ? I’ve caught djs faking scratching too. Most real hip hop shows these days are a very specific thing, though. When I go to a real hip hop show, I will see real cutting and scratching. If I’m at a regular club, I won’t. That is why I don’t go to regular hip hop clubs anymore. I do go to reggae/dancehall clubs, and they do have the real turn tables up there along with the computer. Sometimes they fake it, sometimes they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/7 "2013-03-06T01:15:46Z")
One might almost think that they are not proper musicians! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/8 "2013-03-06T01:50:14Z")
> [@FrankJBN](#): > > yes, DJing is that easy. You ever listen to music at home and dance to it? Did you do a bad job of it? If I’m _DJing_ at home, I can’t really dance, because I’m busy with the turntables. It’s not the same thing as just choosing recorded music to play–though the same term is used to mean that, in contexts other than dance music. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I just can’t get my head around the notion that anyone would deliberately scratch an LP. That’s not what “scratching” means. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/9 "2013-03-06T01:50:31Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > One might almost think that they are not proper musicians! :eek: I was working at a pharmacy some years back, and one of the student pharmacists said she was going to Chicago for a week with her fiance. I said something like, “Great, Chicago’s supposed to have a great music scene!” She said, “Yeah, me and my boyfriend are going to see this one DJ. . .” And my soul broke. Going. To CHICAGO! To see. An effin’ DJ. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/10 "2013-03-06T02:42:08Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > I don’t think they’re actually putting scratches on the LP, at least not deliberately. [Check it out](http://youtu.be/0AkeAoHigis). AAAAAGGGGHHHHH! Fingerprints all over the vinyl! Almost as bad as making scratchy noises! People. Only handle a record at its edges. Discwasher is a good product, but it can’t perform miracles. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/11 "2013-03-06T03:07:58Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > I was working at a pharmacy some years back, and one of the student pharmacists said she was going to Chicago for a week with her fiance. I said something like, “Great, Chicago’s supposed to have a great music scene!” She said, “Yeah, me and my boyfriend are going to see this one DJ. . .” > > And my soul broke. > > Going. To CHICAGO! To see. An effin’ DJ. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > AAAAAGGGGHHHHH! Fingerprints all over the vinyl! Almost as bad as making scratchy noises! > > People. Only handle a record at its edges. Discwasher is a good product, but it can’t perform miracles. Yes, yes, we get it. Hip hop isn’t real music. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/12 "2013-03-06T03:11:31Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Yes, yes, we get it. Hip hop isn’t real music. I get the feeling that you’re being disingenuous. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/13 "2013-03-06T03:27:30Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Yes, yes, we get it. Hip hop isn’t real music. Didn’t say that. I _will_ say that a turntable isn’t a real musical instrument, though. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/14 "2013-03-06T03:32:10Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > I was working at a pharmacy some years back, and one of the student pharmacists said she was going to Chicago for a week with her fiance. I said something like, “Great, Chicago’s supposed to have a great music scene!” She said, “Yeah, me and my boyfriend are going to see this one DJ. . .” > > And my soul broke. > > Going. To CHICAGO! To see. An effin’ DJ. It sounds like she knew more than you did. Chicago is one of the great centers of dance music. Consider the third and fourth items on [this program of music events](http://chicagohistory.org/planavisit/upcomingevents/music-series/) at the Chicago History Museum. Or [this feature story](http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/a-history-of-the-second-wave-of-chicago-house-music/Content?oid=6194277) from the _Reader_. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/15 "2013-03-06T03:37:01Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > It sounds like she knew more than you did. Chicago is one of the great centers of dance music. Consider the third and fourth items on [this program of music events](http://chicagohistory.org/planavisit/upcomingevents/music-series/) at the Chicago History Museum. Or [this feature story](http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/a-history-of-the-second-wave-of-chicago-house-music/Content?oid=6194277) from the _Reader_. Fair enough. I think Chicago is just one-half of a word, with the second half being “blues.” ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/16 "2013-03-06T03:43:46Z")
This brief post in a forum frequented by sound mixers perfectly illustrates the problem: [http://www.sactalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1053&p=3695#p3695](http://www.sactalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1053&p=3695#p3695) > [@](#): > > I actually had a “DJ” on a national radio gig (arena show) that was actually faking his “DJing” … dummy mixer on a table in the middle of the stage - wired to nothing - while we played a CD from monitor world. There was simply NOTHING happening on the stage other than an idiot standing there and pretending to do something. > > Seriously - how do these people sleep at night? ---
**Author:** ![SleuFeets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@SleuFeets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SleuFeets)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/17 "2013-03-06T18:40:46Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > This brief post in a forum frequented by sound mixers perfectly illustrates the problem: > > [http://www.sactalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1053&p=3695#p3695](http://www.sactalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1053&p=3695#p3695) Exactly! exactly…smh…shameful. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/18 "2013-03-06T19:44:34Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Didn’t say that. > > I _will_ say that a turntable isn’t a real musical instrument, though. 😛 It’s actually pretty damned amazing what a turntable in the hands of a skilled DJ/scratcher/whateveritistheycallthem can do. I went to one rock show to see a band that plays “real musical instruments”–and lots of them–only to be just absolutely floored by the opening act, [Kid Koala](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5XZOsSH2DI). I’m purposely linking to a video with a little bit of opening banter to kind of give you a sense of his personality and some anecdotes on dj-ing, but get to the 2:10-ish part of the video if you want to see turntables really being played like an instrument. Or [here’s something directly from the soundboard](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ7UVTbGzUY) with good quality. Guy fucking floored me. ETA: Actually, I’m an idiot: [Drunk trumpet](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbFIGFv4GLQ) would probably be the best example of him using the turntable as a more traditional melodic instrument. ---
**Author:** ![SleuFeets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@SleuFeets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SleuFeets)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/19 "2013-03-06T19:50:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s actually pretty damned amazing what a turntable in the hands of a skilled DJ/scratcher/whateveritistheycallthem can do. I went to one rock show to see a band that plays “real musical instruments”–and lots of them–only to be just absolutely floored by the opening act, [Kid Koala](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5XZOsSH2DI). I’m purposely linking to a video with a little bit of opening banter to kind of give you a sense of his personality and some anecdotes on dj-ing, but get to the 2:10-ish part of the video if you want to see turntables really being played like an instrument. > > Or [here’s something directly from the soundboard](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ7UVTbGzUY) with good quality. Guy fucking floored me. I think that’s one of the things that people who havn’t experienced a good Dj don’t understand. A DJ who knows what they’re doing can floor you. I would relate it to the experience of hearing a really good song you like on the radio that you’ve never heard before. That feeling x 20 and the songs keep coming to the point you can’t even wonder who’s it by. Now not all people can be good. But after seeing that, and then seeing a guy getting a paid gig to stand around with equipment not plugged in…it makes me feel some sort of way ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119/20 "2013-03-06T20:13:46Z")
> [@SleuFeets](#): > > …it makes me feel some sort of way I know exactly what you mean. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/djs-who-use-fake-turntables-dont-mix-fraud/652119.md?page=2)