With the advent of digital technology never has a new technology such as MP3 found so many uses. Final Scratch is another amazing way that digital files such as MP3’s, Aiff’s, and wav’s are being used to remix music using an analog control surface, namely a vinyl record.
As a long time DJ/Remixer who has played at clubs, birthdays, dances, and many weddings, final scratch is the answer to a lot of prayers I have had over the years. Final scratch uses your existing and growing mp3, aiff, or wav library on your computer (music you “own” and have copied to your computer legally ) and allows you to manipulate, mix, remix, slow down, speed up, and scratch as if the digital file were actually a real vinyl record. What’s great about final scratch is you can create custom playlists of a group of songs that you would like to play, and you can quickly search for a song that someone has requested on the fly just by typing the song into the built in search engine in the final scratch software. The beauty of this is assuming your doing a fairly typical wedding or opening at a nightclub you can plan out your playlist days, weeks, and even months in advance to make sure everything sounds smooth and flawless. Practice as the say makes perfect and final scratch allows you to perfect your mix to new levels.
Final Scratch works by using special time coded Vinyl records or time coded CD’s and it sends a signal to a hardware circle input device that is called “scratch amp” provided with the final scratch package. The scratch amp sends the signal to your computer, your computer interprets the signal as data that tells the program when to start the song, when to stop the song, when to slow it down, speed it up etc. All of that is directed in real time with very little to no latency factor. So if your a club DJ and have been using vinyl records as your main source of music, final scratch might be the answer you have been looking for. You can now show up at many nightclubs throughout the US with just an I-POD and your pre recorded digital music files and plug into a pre setup Final Scratch system. Within a few moments your entire playlist can be setup, your songs ready to roll, and the music flowing all without picking up one record crate or cd folder.
Final scratch has already revolutionized the DJ/Remix/Producer markets and it has set the stage to revolutionize the way people mix records, develop tracks, fix samples on the fly, record in the studio, mix vocals and many more unique opportunities. Using digital files with a live control surface allows a new level of flexibility, convenience and fun, that many DJ’s, musicians, bands, studios, radio producers and creative people have been looking for. I highly recommend adding final scratch to your arsenal for both a new beginning DJ/Remixer and a pro alike. It will revolutionize the way you mix, and you’ll do new exciting things that you never thought possible with vinyl alone!