Ultrapitch mod for MK5G Technics 1200 / 1210

[Guest Symatic]

sup peeps

 

you might have heard about the dope ultrapitch mod for technics 1200's that was invented by the awesome Kevin from KABUSA.com. He is a talented guy who mods Technics for hi-fi and archive purposes mostly, but he also mnaged to get round the problems that bugged modders for years that meant -50% on a 1200 was impossible without the platter going a bit crazy.

 

His Ultrapitch Mod managed to fix those problems, and has since been developed by Backtrack to add some more features for turntablists like Midi Input and USB update ability.

One thing that was unknown about the Mods was whether it worked on the MK5G versions of the Technics decks. The Mk5G has a different type of fader and a wider pitch range than the MK2's, 3's and 4's, so no one was 100% sure it was going to work as there was a chance that Technics had made some siginificant changes to the insides of the newer decks.

 

Luckily, Kitty Kuts was so keen to get her MK5G's working at -50% pitch that she took the plunge and installed the mod - and it worked!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htiFYYFbciQ&feature=youtu.be

 

that's a unique deck right there! She chose the option of the "Half Speed Mod" from KABUSA.com, and this means than when she holds the Start/Stop button for a few seconds, the 33.33 button becomes 16.66 rpm, and the 45 button becomes 22.5rpm - but she still has +/-16% available on the pitch fader. That makes for some useful cross-overs in pitch if you want to scratch and mix at ultrapitch. For example, let's say you're in ultrapitch mode, at 16.66 rpm (AKA -50%), and your samples aren't quite in the right speed for the beat you're skratching to. You speed up the pitch using the fader but it's not quite fast enough, so you push the 45 button (in ultrapitch mode this actually functions as a 22.5rpm button) and move the pitch fader down to -16%. on a regular MK2 technics there would be a big gap in speed/pitch between 33 + 8% and 45 -8%, and there would be certain BPMs that become un-usable becasue the pitch range isnt there on the deck. but with a Mk5G that 16% pitch range extends across the ranges available between 33 and 45, so it opens up a lot of possibilities.

The other option from KABUSA.com is called the Ultrapitch Mod. Kevin developed this to behave more like a Stanton/Reloop/Epsilon etc (aka Hanpin or OEM decks), where the pitch fader can do +/- 50%, but across the whole fader. This has it's benefits, but its worth noting that the "Half Speed mod" also makes that extra pithc range available a little beyond 50%.

 

Te other option, based on the same technology, is Backtrack's ultrapitch mod for Technics. He spent years trying to suss out the same problem that Keven solved, and once Kevin opened the door, backtrack was able to develop more features into the design. His mod allows MIDI input (control the pitch from a Midi controller like you can with Vestax PDX3000 turntables) and also has USB input for updates and upgrades, and also more options for custom calibration.

for £150 you can avoid messing with any of the (mostly awful) OEM decks, and retain the feel and quality of your technics. I think it's really valuable as no one has actually come up with a real "technics beater" turntable, and many die-hard technics fans would never switch anyway, but now you can perform this mod without worrying you're decks will blow up, no matter what model you have.

 

Massive shouts to Kevin at KAB, Backtrack, and Kitty Kuts for jumping in and being the guinea-pig for this product on MK5G's!

 

More info:

 

KABUSA Half-speed Mod and Ultrapitch Mod: https://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/m1200.htm

 

Backtrack Ultrapitch Mod: http://www.djbacktrack.com/

[d00ban]

What's ultra pitch like for cutting on with Techs torque?

[Guest Symatic]

there IS less torque than a vestax or OEM. but the technics motor behaves as expected i guess - at ultrapitch the pickup time is just like normal, if you stop the platter with your hand and let it go, it gets back to speed nice and quick.

 

but with the lower torque at 33 anyway, when its at 16rpm its definately a little harder to get stabs sounding solid without some practice. but what i've found it it helps me move away form some bad/lazy habits ive picked up with the high torque decks, and theres a certain silkyness to the heavy platter that is great to cut with, especially if you learned on technics.

 

plus the sound quality is way better and the tone arm is great.

 

so at the cost of having to learn light-handed techniques for things like stabs, i've actually improved my hand control and have got better at expressive, pitchy scratches.

[d00ban]

there IS less torque than a vestax or OEM. but the technics motor behaves as expected i guess - at ultrapitch the pickup time is just like normal, if you stop the platter with your hand and let it go, it gets back to speed nice and quick.

 

but with the lower torque at 33 anyway, when its at 16rpm its definately a little harder to get stabs sounding solid without some practice. but what i've found it it helps me move away form some bad/lazy habits ive picked up with the high torque decks, and theres a certain silkyness to the heavy platter that is great to cut with, especially if you learned on technics.

 

plus the sound quality is way better and the tone arm is great.

 

so at the cost of having to learn light-handed techniques for things like stabs, i've actually improved my hand control and have got better at expressive, pitchy scratches.

 

 

Noice.

 

I'm really tempted as I want ultra pitch but I've had my Techs since I was like 14 so they have too much sentimental value for me to get rid of em.

[Guest Symatic]

next time youre in my town youre welcome to try the kab ultrapitch and backtrack mods

[DJ Rock Well]

Nice one for taking the time to post all this up Si, having info on the sharp end of DIY and modding DJ gear is greatly appreciated.

 

Im forever toying with the idea of an ultra pitch 1200. Im such a lazy, slow hand moving fool these days but Im no fan of spinning or particularly, sampling records on my PDX either. Right now I stupidly have my OG 1200s and three other ultra pitch decks, so theres no real need to hack up my 1200s. Although space is limited at home - theres room for two decks and mixer, but then nothing else and I have quite a lot of other tat to play with too. So I often end up swapping stuff round and one 1200 that does it all would be pretty cool.

[Guest Symatic]

i've got the same diehard technics mentality built in. which is why i spent so long looking for a ultrapitch mod believe I have spent WAYYYYY too much time trying to understand it, and pestering people like KAB and Backtrack among others, chipping away at it until eventually someone invented it, and I dived right in.

 

I love the fact that the decks seem totally normal without the mod engaged, and I've had mine for a few years now, so I'm not worried about them blowing up at all.

 

 

Im forever toying with the idea of an ultra pitch 1200. Im such a lazy, slow hand moving fool these days

 

personally i've found this mod has helped get me out of some bad habits associated with high-torque ultrapitch decks. mostly letting go of the record in a lazy way, relying entirely on the turntable's platter pickup speed. since practicing on the technics at slow speeds, i've developed my technique to be more of a lighter touch, with more control over the record and less letting go of the record. i think it's helped me a lot.

[Jam Burglar]

I'd like to mod one of my M3Ds one day.

[Focus]

If you are going to order this Kit for the 5G make sure you let Kev/Kab know...I recently sold one of the original kits from 2015, went to Spain and big headache getting it returned due to not compatible with the 5g...

There has been changes made over time according to Kev, not sure if there are a few versions...Tripple check with him before you order....

 

Also I was the reason why a 2nd Ultra Pitch Kit was posible, put some respekt on that ish :-)...