VIRTUAL VINYL

Emulate scratch effects and the sonics of wax

The medium of vinyl has undergone a huge renaissance in recent years, with sales of both records and record players climbing substantially over the last decade. While at least some of this revival has stemmed from die-hard music fans and hipsters wanting physical, collectible products from their favourite artists, the warm sound and tactile nature of placing a needle on a record is also a huge factor in the medium’s popularity.

Prior to today’s vinyl boom, records were mainly the preserve of disc jockeys and audiophiles: DJs use two turntables to mix, cut and scratch tunes together, while audiophiles eschew the hi-res perfection of CDs and digital downloads in favour of the warm, analogue imperfections of vinyl. And even though the majority of DJs now perform using digital files instead of lugging heavy record bags to gigs, the leading CD/USB turntables from companies like Pioneer and Denon offer jogwheels and comprehensive vinyl emulation modes, allowing DJs to perform the same tricks they once did with vinyl turntables.

With so much nostalgia surrounding vinyl and its unique sound, it’s only natural that producers and engineers want to emulate this sound for themselves in the studio – and this is where our scratchtastic feature comes in! We’ve put together a series of essential tricks, tips and tutorials all aimed at helping you to emulate turntable effects and the sonics of wax in your digital audio workstation.

Want to create convincing ‘sampled’ loops that sound like they’re directly taken from a battered old record, give your mixdown a realistic vinyl tone, or bust a few scratches on your arrange page? We’ve got your back. It’s time to get into the groove…