DJ Woody’s polyphonic scratching

DJ Woody likes to make turntables do more than they should. And in this video, he pulls off polyphonic scratching with just one deck. Scratch voodoo?

DJ Woody has always been a tinkerer with DJ gear. Back in the day it was quite normal to see Woody doing things with decks that he shouldn’t do (am I the only one who whistles the horn set in this video?), thus confirming his credentials as a turntable hacker. And while software companies are dropping millions on R&D to create new features, Woody simply engages his creative brain, digs into his gear stash, and comes up with something very cool, in this case polyphonic scratching on one deck. Wait what?

When you know how, it’s very simple. As the video explains, Woody splits the single turntable output to three channels on the Rane Sixty Four, essentially sharing the Serato noise map to control three Serato DJ decks, and has the beat running on the fourth deck in internal mode. Each of the three decks has individual pre-made note arrangements that are being controlled by the noisemap vinyl, and the rest is Woody’s skills in using the Vestax Controller One turntable to change the pitch via the buttons around the platter. Well the principle is simple (one noisemap controlling three channels), but the execution is incredibly complex, and pulled off effortlessly by Woody.

This is not unlike Traktor Remix Decks. But it’s the work that goes into figuring out such tricks — beating the odds to do things that shouldn’t be possible. And frankly it’s just lots of fun to dick around with DJ gear isn’t it?

Good work sir!

Mark Settle
Mark Settle

The old Editor of DJWORX - you can now find Mark at WORXLAB

Articles: 1228

15 Comments

  1. This idea isn’t so new but it is true that dj Woody make it clever. If you remember the Ammobox essemble for reaktor by Nathan Ramella you will find some similarities. Also if you use a DVS cappable of vst or multiple instances inside live in example (ehem) you could perform this trick without splitting the cable and regular midi controller. You should route internally the outputs and manage all with one regukar setup but by far remix decks are easy and powerful than those workarounds.

      • He understand my pointing and stop developing the essemble due “this kind of setups” (like Dj Woody) were possible even back in the days. Now with remix decks and Flip (we can expect some updates in this to match traktor) or even with scratch track software you could do everything more or less… So maybe he was focusing in something different or maybe he is reading us and could answer… I think his mail was on the net, maybe we could drop him a line… ;)

  2. I’m just remembering Radar back in Skratchcon2000 showing his notation system, and making the proclamation “scratching, you can’t do chords, only notes.” My how times have changed.

  3. Nice but it does get boring after 1 min, then i want to hear some raw wordplay routines. With most of these experimental things you watch it 1 time and prob never again.

    Its clever tho, i would have to do some practicing before i can pull that off but i dont owe a C1, should have bought it when it came out.

  4. nuthin special here to me, more tech equals the same boring shit! wow does the turntable even need to be on?? it’s on the fucking mixer! dido with that guitar turntable! cool that it was made but…. at least scratch with some style or rhythm!!! it’s just a big sloppy mess!! you guys get caught up with the visual!!

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