Numark PT01 Scratch & Portablism

Welcome to our review of the Numark PT01 Scratch. In this post we will be diving deep into the thriving portablism market. Firstly looking at it’s staple product, the Numark PT01 Scratch, plus two of the popular portable crossfaders on the market; Stokyo Kutter & Raiden RXI-F2. We will also explain how this turntable can be used in a DVS set up with Serato or Rekordbox. There is a full review video at the bottom of the post as well as a #SundayDJSkills showcasing the Numark PT01 with a DVS set up.

What is the Numark PT01 Scratch?

The Numark PT01 Scratch is a turntable designed for DJs who want to take their skills on the road and practice their scratching and cuts. You have the option to run this turntable using either batteries or the power cable. The turntable is all built out of plastic. It has a 3 speed setting and can play any size record from 7inch up to 10 & 12inch. There is a pitch adjust in the form of a rotatory knob as well as a tone adjust which is basically a simple eq knob. The turntable has an on board speaker, however it does sound like an old mobile phone. Not to worry as it also has an RCA master out, allowing you to hook the turntable up to a portable speaker.

The tone arm is a little lightweight for our liking, especially as this is designed for scratching. You can always tack a coin to it to add some weight. There is a line in meaning you can play beats from your phone through the turntable to scratch over. There is also a USB output for ripping any vinyl you already have to your laptop.

The crossfader isn’t the same a traditional crossfader, instead it has a scratch switch. This is basically an on/off switch between the vinyl and line in. This style of crossfader is a great way to learn the basics of scratching. However, once you get into more advanced scratch techniques we would definitely recommend looking at upgrading this switch or buying an external crossfader.

If you’re purchasing the Numark PT01 without any add on’s then have a look at purchasing specific scratch vinyl, the most popular being the ‘Practice Yo! Cuts’ series.

Numark PT01 DVS Set Up

To start making the most of the Numark PT01 we would definitely recommend using it with a DVS set up. This however limits the portability a bit more. What will you need?

• Portable turntable.
• Portable fader with inputs & outputs.
• DVS enabled soundcard/mixer.
• Control Vinyl (Serato now make 7inch ones, which will also work with Rekorbox)
• RCA to 1/8inch jack cables. (At least 2 or 3 minimum)
• Portable or monitor speakers.
• Serato, Rekordbox or Traktor with DVS mode enabled.

For a basic DVS set up with the Numark PT01 Scratch you will need to run the turntables master out into one of the channel inputs on your DVS soundcard. The same channel output from your soundcard then needs to run into the channel input on the crossfader. The other channel can then be either a beat from your phone or a track played on internal mode within you software. The output from the crossfader then runs to your speaker.

Stokyo Fader Review

One of the most popular portable faders on the market is the Stokyo Kutter. This fader is fantastic for its price. It’s a plug and play fader which doesn’t need charging. It’s compact and fits well when tacked onto your PT01. There are simply two channel inputs and an output, plus a switch to reverse the channels for hamster style scratching. We did find the crossfader to have a little wobble to it but this doesn’t affect its performance much at all.

Raiden Fader Review

Raiden have a couple of faders on the market, we decided to look at the RXI-F2. This is an inno fader that is much more robust and sturdy in it’s build quality. It has a metal casing instead of a plastic one like the Stokyo and no wobble to it at all. There are two channel inputs and an output the same as the Stokyo, but you will need to charge this fader with the micro usb cable provided. There is also a calibrate button which allows you to change the crossfader cut length and lag etc. We definitely prefer the Raiden fader over the Stokyo one, however this is totally reflected in the price.

Portable Fader Prices:

Stokyo Kutter – $59.95
Raiden Fader RXI-F2 Portable Fader – £129.99 / $134.95

How to use the Numark PT01 with a Controller

Do you have a DVS enabled controller, such as the Pioneer DDJ RX or DDJ SX2? If so you can simply plug the Numark PT01 in a channel input on your controller then use a control vinyl to scratch within the Serato or Rekordbox software. This is a cheap way to introduce a scratch set up to your current controller set up. It’s also a very small and compact turntable for those with limited bedroom space.

If you’re using this turntable with DVS mode make sure you have the channel switched to Relative mode within your software. You may also have to activate DVS mode within your DJ software’s set up screen.

Full Review Video

Any questions?

Just post them in the comments section below and we will do our best to help out in any way! Remember we have loads of DJ courses on our website with a dedicated scratching course! Click here to view our courses.