crossfader question

[dave mcnasty]

ok after recently watching a video of a hip hop DJ doing some scratching it made me wonder which way is ur crossfader "supposed" to be set up for

like ....when you put the crossfader to the left.....should you be hearing the record on the left....and then move the fader to the right to hear the right track?

cuz ive seen some DJ's move the fader that way.....then ive seen others the opposite....like the fader moved to the left...plays the track on the right.......

i wanna know is there a "right" way of doing it? cuz i dont wanna be practicing the "wrong" way, if there's such a thing

[nabs]

Its called CrossFader Reverse, most mixers have it, it switches the channels when its on.

understand?

[dave mcnasty]

yeah i know....i have that

my concern is which way are you "supposed" to have it on?

[soma]

what ever way rocks your boat

there is not manual on how to scratch

[soma]

you if you are missing the switch most cross faders have a switch attatched to the cross fader in side the mixer s shell. it will usually reverse the curve.

[dave mcnasty]

yeah i figured it didn't really matter

im just concerned for some advanced scratching techniques like crabs or somethin.....like it might not work if i have the fader the wrong way

[decypher]

It's called hamster style. Made popular by Q-bert.

[dave mcnasty]

lol yeah i saw q-bert doing that

does anyone know if it would cause me problems in the future if i didnt do it that way?

cuz currently i move the fader left to hear the left track ...and so on

[decypher]

Well it's all about personal preference. But obviously it's better to be ambidextrous or however you spell it. I remember hearing somewhere that q-bert said he would learn regular way if he could start over. Just go with whatever works for you.

[dave mcnasty]

ight cool thanks

here's somethin i found which clears a lot of this shit up too

Hamster Style: Normally a DJ setup would be configured with the right turntable playing on the right channel of the mixer and the left turntable playing on the left channel of the mixer. With a hamster style setup, however, the opposite is true. The right turntable plays through the left channel, and the left turntable plays through the right channel. Many DJs find it more comfortable to scratch hamster style since to do many moves it is easier to bounce the fader off of the side of the fader slot using your multiple fingers rather than your thumb. Personally I think that hamster style seems more conducive to flaring and doing continuous crabs. DJ members of the Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters/Space Travellers crew are most commonly recognized as the first DJs to practice/demonstrate this style thus giving it the nickname "hamster" style. There are two ways to achieve this mixer configuration. One is to physically hook your turntables up to the opposite channels where they come into the back of your mixer, and the other is with a hamster switch. Normally a hamster switch only reverses your crossfader's configuration, while physically reversing your turntable cables reverses the crossfader and volume faders' configuration.

[nabs]

to mix, i reverse it then unreverse it and stuff, i use it both ways.

[dj_soo]

i use a standard format, but i'm not very good - i can barely crab at this point...

it really depends on what you find comfortable...

[dave mcnasty]

ight cool....i feel more comfortable with the standard format too so i'll just stick with it

[decypher]

I find hamster way easier for crab scratch. Crabbing and 2 click orbits is about as far as i got. Haven't tried to scratch in awhile going to start up again soon.

[dave mcnasty]

yeah i don't even really know how crab scratch would work regular style....? cuz u cant really use your thumb as the "spring" for your fingers since your thumb is on the opposite side of where ur pulling the crossfader

[decypher]

I can crab regular too just not as well.. You exert more force with your thumb trying to balance it.

[Akeel]

i use both...it just takes practice...for example I can crab regular, but can't crab hamster...however i can only double click flare hamster...but not regular.