Rodrigo Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 Does anyone know of any 60mm "scratch" faders? I've been doing some DIY stuff with some nice 60mm alps faders and it got me thinking that it may be interesting to experiment with a DIY scratch controller option based around that. In the past I've made a DIY MIDI fader around this fader that Rasteri recommend on here many years ago, and after degreasing it and adding fader lube, it feels ok enough. Not as smooth as a contactless one, but still usable/passable. I also found some old Alps K-Series faders on ebay that appear to have two thick rails ala most DJ faders, though sadly all the ones I found are 15k audio taper, which isn't ideal for use in a DIY project. Has anyone come across something like this or know of an existing fader/product that has one? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdiggla Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 No me but will keep an eye out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutis Mayfield Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 On 3/31/2024 at 3:16 PM, Rodrigo said: Does anyone know of any 60mm "scratch" faders? I've been doing some DIY stuff with some nice 60mm alps faders and it got me thinking that it may be interesting to experiment with a DIY scratch controller option based around that. In the past I've made a DIY MIDI fader around this fader that Rasteri recommend on here many years ago, and after degreasing it and adding fader lube, it feels ok enough. Not as smooth as a contactless one, but still usable/passable. I also found some old Alps K-Series faders on ebay that appear to have two thick rails ala most DJ faders, though sadly all the ones I found are 15k audio taper, which isn't ideal for use in a DIY project. Has anyone come across something like this or know of an existing fader/product that has one? Hi Rodrigo, Why do you need long travel faders for scratching? Usually scratch is considered "cuts" because the modulation is like on/off switch (more aggressive with curve control) and it isn't just a button (or kill switch) because the soft control of the fader allows for more complex nuances and combos (think crabs and click flares). Also hamster mode allows users to switch the side where you focus the thumb force (and other things I probably miss or misunderstood over the years since my knowledge comes more from asking than doing since I'm a poor skilled scratcher...) Maybe I should build myself a sc1000 to improve my skills 😭 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodrigo Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 Hey man! That's the thing, it's definitely not *necessary* at all. I was visiting a friend and he was showing me some DIY thing he was building with 60mm faders and asked if I've tried that for scratch-based stuff and I was puzzled as to why not. Obviously most of the "action" happens in that 10mm range at the edge of it (trad or hamster), but it got me thinking about using "the rest" of the fader throw for more detailed control of other parameters. In my case I tend to do weird mappings with a DIY fader anyways, so it seemed like an interesting thing to explore. I will try cleaning/lubing an alps one, but was just curious if there was some off-the-shelf things to try too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHouse Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 I miss the old school Alps faders with the long cut-in time — it makes for funkier cuts, IMO. The new school faders are cool, but it's more on/off, even after adjusting the cut-in time. I feel like you can accomplish better/stronger stabs and chirp variations with the Alps faders. Essentially, I think Alps faders lend themselves to more of a gray area in between the cuts, and therefore not just black and white in terms of sound. Just listen to old school Qbert and DJ Shadow tracks and you'll know what I'm on about. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodrigo Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 Very interesting! I will have a search/listen. I managed to find a 10k linear Alps K-Series on ebay as well, so have ordered that to further experiment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutis Mayfield Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 22 hours ago, JHouse said: I miss the old school Alps faders with the long cut-in time — it makes for funkier cuts, IMO. The new school faders are cool, but it's more on/off, even after adjusting the cut-in time. I feel like you can accomplish better/stronger stabs and chirp variations with the Alps faders. Essentially, I think Alps faders lend themselves to more of a gray area in between the cuts, and therefore not just black and white in terms of sound. Just listen to old school Qbert and DJ Shadow tracks and you'll know what I'm on about. I thought that myself years ago but die-hards ended that thought saying "it's just an on/off". Even in TTM is just a dot... I'm that "less is more" guy which barely can do transformers (on time) who is called "smooth" by my 3ple-click-flare (off time) fellas ... 😕 On 4/6/2024 at 7:29 PM, Rodrigo said: Hey man! That's the thing, it's definitely not *necessary* at all. I was visiting a friend and he was showing me some DIY thing he was building with 60mm faders and asked if I've tried that for scratch-based stuff and I was puzzled as to why not. Obviously most of the "action" happens in that 10mm range at the edge of it (trad or hamster), but it got me thinking about using "the rest" of the fader throw for more detailed control of other parameters. In my case I tend to do weird mappings with a DIY fader anyways, so it seemed like an interesting thing to explore. I will try cleaning/lubing an alps one, but was just curious if there was some off-the-shelf things to try too. Well you made me remember the Beatfader... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodrigo Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 Managed to find an Alps K-Series that is 10k linear. Holy moly it's big (100mm)! Even though the 60mm Alps enclosure is only a touch longer than the 45mm, I have lined up the throws so you can see where they all end up. I wonder if *over double* the throw of the 45mm is too much, but if I'm gonna go in for a penny, may as well go in for a pound... I have to say that even with the generic lube/grease on it, the 100mm Alps feels quite nice. If I rock the enclosure back and forth the fader will go from edge-to-edge. Will take it apart and clean/lube it with some proper fader lube, but I'm hopeful. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHouse Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Ho-ree-shit that's massive. Interested to hear how it pans out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodrigo Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 Hehe, indeed. Gonna wire it up tomorrow with an Arduino to do some quick/initial testing and impressions. So far I'm in the "I like it" boat. The scratch feels nice (even better after some cleaning/lube) and there's soooo much additional room to play with after that. Also feels really solid with the beefy rails too. My daily driver has been a Rane Mag fader (not the Mag four) and it feels a bit rickety/wobbly with the parallel thin rails. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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