Hi everyone. - I have a Denon system but I also have two SL1200 Mk2. Does anyone know of a piece of equipment that I can plug each turntable into and get a real time BPM read out, must be hardware and not PC based. I know there are some cheap mixers that do this but I have a Xone 96 mixer and two SC6000. I know the old DB4 mixer used to do this but it’s not available now, plus don’t want to change my mixer. Any Thoughts please.
I use a BPM reading app on my phone, it’s about £10 I think and works very well. I use it for marking my 45s up with the BPM.
Edit: it’s called BPM detector.
The one I use is called liveBPM ($3.99).
Hardware wise, I have a “Micro BPM” headphone amp/BPM display which was one of many gadgets made by Red Sound in the 90s.
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Hi DJ Dragon From what I can see the Citronic BC-2 would bee perfect for my needs but no longer in production.
Many of these units were OEM made under different brands. Like the Gemini BPM-1, you might find something used. Good luck.
I don’t mean to sound like a jerk, but why do you need this? Is it for you to beat match?
I know many DJ’s that use a BPM counter for their vinyl collection when organizing music by putting the BPM on the sleeve. Yes it does help for a quick glance on what the BPM is when mixing vinyl into MP3.
I’ve already labeled my vinyl years ago so I was ready for the digital age without knowing it LOL
Hi DJLiquidice - Yes & No Let me explain I was a club DJ for many years and did mix on Technics and did then and still do reasonable mix’s for my own pleasure now, but unlike some DJs that can hear a track and say that’s 120 bpm or 125 bpm I need a little help to get there. But then when it’s close use the headphones to get it right for the mix I just prefer a visual read out as it helps me get there. Although I do mix I have never considered myself a mix DJ I have always believed that playing the right track at the right time to fill the floor was more important plus a reasonable voice too. Also another reason I like a visual readout is music from the 70s 80s & early 90s that was made by a band and not a electronic machine the beat often gets faster or slower as they are human so with older dance music I find it helps, unlike new tracks that are more consistent. So in response to your question I do need a bit of help as don’t have the natural ear that mix DJs have.
Another method could be to use something like an RMX effects unit to calculate the bpm, run it through the insert on the Xone mixer so you can essentially send the signal to the FX unit from the cued channel and it’ll show you the BPM.
It seems like an awful lot of effort for something that can be learnt with practise mind.
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I had the original RedSound Cycloops back in 99/2000-ish. I’ve still got a SoundBite XL Pro (rebranded as Peavy in the US).
Cracking but if kit.
LOL there’s someone trying to sell one on eBay for £10,000
I’ve got a Soundbite Micro which is still useful for syncing audio to MIDI clock.
I know they’re rare and not easy to find but wow.
I had a prototype one that I purchased from RedSound about 10 years ago. It’s still boxed pretty much as new.
Kerrr-ching!
Best option TBH, also gets him a nice FX unit to play with
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Thank you for taking the time to reply @DJKeith !
BPM displays will not make it easier to beat match. They always lag.
It took me a sold 6 months to build the ability to listen to two different songs and determine the tempo differences in my cerebral matter. Not a single person I’ve met has a “natural” ability to do this. It is all hard work and something that can benefit your DJing in the future. If you want to master anything, put the time in.
Hope I don’t come off as harsh. I am passionate about mixing and I have only seen people handicap themselves by taking shortcuts to mastery.
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Hi DJ Liquidice There is no need to apologise if you feel your remarks where harsh as you say you are passionate about DJing that’s a good thing, I asked a question and you and others where good enough to reply.
Maybe I was not to clear about why I wanted a real time BPM read out and what I can do mix wise, I can match two tracks with split cue via the headphones and have done for many years but I do not consider myself a mix DJ as I play what I consider the best track next and give no thought to if it mix’s or not, but if it does that’s a bonus. So by having a real time read out even with a slight lag gives me ideas for mixing plus a bit like when you are driving a car, you know that you are doing about 50mph from experience but just take a quick look at the speedo to check.
We all have our own way of working and the Citronic BC-2 would be perfect for my needs if still around as I used to use two DJ BPM gadgets that you worked out the BPM to each record, Intro, Vocal, break ect in advance and put it on the sleeve, very time consuming but very accurate, but that’s all there was at the time years ago. I should have bought the DB4 before it went off production and not the Xone 96.
The only thing I would disagree with you on is some have a remarkable natural ability to mix. I knew a DJ by the name of Simon Scott he worked in a well known club in East London the club did not have SL1200 so he took in an old Technics home deck with him that had a very primitive pitch control and could mix like you have never herd, so only one deck he could change the speed, the sad thing was everyone on the dance floor thought it was made this way but he was doing it live. I have seen some ■■■■ hot mixers since but there sets are all pre-worked out, his only down full was if he used the mic he sounded like a 5 year old kid but what a mixer.
If you are brave enough you can go to my page on Mixcloud “Garry Stevens” and hear what I can do but please remember I do not clam to be a mix DJ, the oldest thing on my page is a mix only thing I did everything else is me live at the time on Mixcloud and only about one quarter of each show is mixed, if you get the chance before the 29th (as coming off for about 6-9 months due to moving house and opp) nice to know your thoughts. - Thanks Keith (real name)
What about a more primitive solution Keith, mark the base BPM on the record sleeve then use the pitch fader to set it at the right speed, e.g. knowing what effect 2% pitch has on a 128bpm track?
Hi Stu-C Believe it or not I used to have the BPM on the front top left of each record before I slimed down my collection and put them all on a spread sheet, when I did that and gave each one a number I removed the BPM label. At the time there where various gadgets around that did the BPM live plus some mixers and I thought that’s better for me I get one of them.
I know it sounds odd but just seeing the BPM read out gives me some good ideas, it’s my own fault but I sort of thought with so many DJs using vinyl more mixers would have this built in but this type of tech is in software or effects and I don’t really want to go down that route.
Anyway thanks for every ones help. - Keith
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I see that you’re in the UK. My advice would be to grab this for a bargain as it’s only got three days left: Numark Beatkeeper. BCM125. | eBay
The Numark Beatkeeper was a classic bit of kit that takes your two decks and reads out a BPM and also gives you a phase meter so you know how far they are out from each other.
At its current price of a tenner I wouldn’t even hesitate at that, depending on how high it goes (obviously!).
It would be literally perfect for what you need. I don’t think you’d find anything else that could do it as good as this for the money.
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I was just talking about this with someone last night. Elliot Marx & Chris Roman apparently developed it.
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