The first direct-drive turntable was invented by Shuichi Obata, an engineer at Matsushita (now Panasonic), based in Osaka, Japan.
From the late 1990s onwards manufacturers such as Vestax started to include other electronic controls such as reverse, and "nudge".ĭJs and turntablists use all the above functions to assist them in musical performances.
Many turntables also include a pitch control, for fine tuning to the correct speed, used in conjunction with a strobe light, plus it also allows a DJ to mix using a technique known as beatmatching. In direct-drive turntables, the slipmat also helps isolate the record from motor vibrations that would be picked up by the stylus. This way a DJ can scratch the record while the platter continues to spin underneath. Nowadays slipmats are used to reduce the friction between the spinning platter and record, and is often made of a felt-like material. In the past rubber mats were used to hold the record in place so that it would not rotate independently of the platter. On top of the rotating disk ( platter) is a mat and on top of the mat records are placed to be played. In all turntables a motor spins a metal disk at a constant speed. This means that there is no motor, per se, in the turntable - the platter is entirely driven by the magnetic field induced by the turntable's stator. Some direct-drive turntables further reduce the separation of motor and platter by using the platter itself as the rotor in the turntable's synchronous motor. Higher torque also means the platter will accelerate to its proper speed faster so less distortion is heard when the record begins to play. This means the platter speed is less susceptible to outside forces ( stylus, hand). The torque on direct-drive turntables is usually much higher than on belt drive models. However, in recent years, shock-absorbing (less dense) material, placed between the motor and platter, has been used to cut back on vibrations. On the other hand, direct-drive turntables may suffer from vibration due to the motor, which is less of an issue for belt-drive turntables. This makes scratching possible, as the motor would continue to spin at the correct RPM even if the DJ wiggles the record back and forth on the platter. A direct-drive turntable eliminates belts, and instead employs a motor to directly drive a platter on which a vinyl record rests.
It is a significant advancement over older belt-drive turntables, which are unsuitable for turntablism, since they have a slow start-up time, and are prone to wear-and-tear and breakage, as the belt would break from backspinning or scratching. In a direct-drive turntable the motor is located directly under the center of the platter and is connected to the platter directly. ( December 2009) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This section needs additional citations for verification.