The Korg Handytraxx Play finally got me learning to scratch

About 20 years in the past, I purchased a turntable with the concept that it will be a staple of my music-making setup. I dreamed of studying to scratch and digging by way of greenback bin vinyl for samples. As an alternative, it simply bought hooked as much as a stereo. However just a few months in the past, I bought my palms on the Korg Handytraxx Play. Whereas it nonetheless sat round accumulating mud longer than I’d prefer to admit, it lastly helped me accomplish a aim I’ve had for greater than twenty years — I began studying to scratch.

The Handytraxx is totally self-contained. It’s a battery-powered turntable in a suitcase with a built-in speaker and fader. It tucks away neatly like a bit of bags, so it’s simple to stay out of the best way and overlook about. However that’s what makes it nice. Once I need to pattern one thing to my SP-404 or follow scratching (I’m nonetheless very unhealthy at it), I can take it out, set it up on my desk, and get to work. I want I had the time to take correct classes, however I’m having a blast scratching alongside to follow routines on YouTube.

Once I want to create space to get some writing accomplished or take a look at one other piece of substances, it closes up and slides neatly between the sofa in my workplace and the wall. I stay in NYC, so it’s nonetheless tight quarters. My workplace can be my spouse’s workplace, my recording studio, and our visitor bed room.

The Handytraxx has a number of distinctive options, a few of which labored out higher than others. One, the entire management panel comes out and could be reversed to accommodate left- or right-handed scratchers. The fader may also be reversed relying in your desire. I’m right-handed, however this nonetheless allowed me to experiment with just a few totally different layouts till I came upon what was most snug for me.

Extra attention-grabbing are the built-in looper and results. The DJ-style filter is the form of factor that sounds nice on paper, however is much less helpful in follow. You should utilize it to transition between a loop captured from one document to a brand new document, but it surely’s clunky. There’s additionally a dub-style delay. It sounds very nice, although it will be even higher if you happen to may faucet within the tempo, quite than simply turning a knob and hoping for the perfect. At the least the button to show it on is in simple attain of the fader, so you may slap some echo in your scratching, however simply be warned that it additionally impacts any recorded loops.

Whereas a part of the pitch is the portability, there are some mildly annoying issues to bear in mind if you happen to plan to drag the Handytraxx Play around to record stores to go crate digging. First, the latches are simply terrible. Perhaps it’s my unit, however they continually get caught. (Korg hasn’t gotten again to me on this one.) I’ve had them pop off utterly when opening it, and the lid gained’t shut until they’re completely aligned (which is a ache). There’s additionally a small hole on the backside between the lid and the bottom of the unit. It won’t look like an enormous deal till you decide up the Handytraxx, and the slipmat comes flying out by way of that slit.

I’m not going crate digging with the Handytraxx. These are minor points for one thing that simply comes round the home with me and must get out of the best way when not in use. The truth that it may be powered by six AAs for as much as 11 hours is helpful for training in my workplace, the kitchen, or the lounge. Or, if I’ve the sudden urge to take heed to vinyl in my yard, for some cause. The built-in audio system are nothing to jot down residence about, so that you in all probability wouldn’t use them to take heed to music anyway. There’s a headphone jack and RCA outs, however even nonetheless, as a document participant, the Handytraxx is merely mediocre — particularly for $500.

I used to be anticipating the looper to be the killer function. It appeared excellent for grabbing a drum break or a fast instrumental passage to follow over. In actuality, it’s one of many worst-designed loopers I’ve ever used. There are mainly two logical methods to start out and cease a looper. Both you press a button, and it begins recording the second you hit it; then you definately press it once more to cease recording. Or, you press and maintain a button, and it stops recording while you let go.

By no means, in my complete life, have I come throughout a looper that you just arm by holding down a button, that solely begins recording when you let go, and that it’s good to press once more to cease. When you perceive that weird quirk, it’s not tough to seize a easy loop. But it surely took me days to determine why all the things was just a bit bit off, why each loop kicked in only a fraction of a second later than I anticipated.

All of those minor points disappear once I fireplace up a loop in Ableton and simply begin scratching. The no-fuss design of its core options make it simple to dive in, and the fader feels nice. The needle does generally tend to leap from time to time if you happen to’re too tough with it, however as a novice, it’s not hampering me an excessive amount of.

I did find yourself shopping for a Practice Yo! Cuts 7-inch, which has helped quite a bit. (And I do suggest utilizing a 7-inch on the Handytraxx. It will possibly play normal 12-inch vinyl, however the smaller platter can result in some unevenness.) It seems that discovering an acceptable document to scratch is more durable than I anticipated. And regardless that I’ve a large assortment of dollar-bin 45s, I didn’t actually need to break my classic copy of the “McDonald’s Menu Song” by scratching it up.

I positively made a mistake all these years in the past once I purchased a daily turntable to be taught scratching on. It was rooted in place and I nonetheless wanted to purchase a mixer — there have been a number of hurdles to clear. As a novice, I feel a transportable self-contained unit is the best way to go if you happen to’re simply getting began.

The Handytraxx Play turned out to be excellent for my wants, however I might not recommend everybody run out and purchase one. It’s costly at $499.99, and it has a number of quirks. If I had been shopping for one thing to be taught scratching with, I’d go for one thing cheaper. The Reloop Spin is $349.99, the Stanton STX is $249, and the Numark PT01 is $169. All of them lack among the extra superior options of the Handytraxx, they’re not as fairly, and I can’t vouch for his or her construct high quality. However they appear higher suited to somebody simply trying to take a look at the waters. The Handytraxx can be extra interesting to somebody on the lookout for a barely extra upscale portablism expertise who has already mastered the fundamentals.

Pictures by Terrence O’Brien / The Verge