Vinyl Lessons

Learning how to DJ on vinyl is a real pleasure and a major goal for many DJs old and new! Beatmatching on vinyl is a lot harder than with digital players that display the BPM and allow you beatmatch visually. Learning how to beatmatch and mix with vinyl will challenge your listening skills and concentration. Can you master vinyl mixing?

We believe that everyone can master this skill and the quickest way is with one-to-one vinyl DJ classes at our Manchester, Birmingham or London studios.

Click here to learn how to mix with vinyl at London Sound Academy.

What are vinyl records?

Vinyl records are a format for storing and playing music. They are circular discs commonly made from plastic. A master copy is etched and then copies are pressed. Watch this video to understand how the process works but if you want to know how the grooves generate the sound you hear click this link and find out how vinyl works.

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Why do DJs still play with vinyl?

Not all DJs still use vinyl but it is undeniably popular. There is something really human about using and mixing on vinyl. In a world of digital DJing vinyl mixing is a great way to switch off and really focus on the music.

While many DJs will tell you that the sound quality of vinyl is superior it's actually a myth, especially when you take into account that each time your play your vinyl record it will degrade the quality of the sound. However, many consumers and DJs love that vinyl crackle!

It is possible for digital music to precisely replicate a an analog sound wave when using a sampling rate twice that of the frequency rate of the sound and within a band limit. Look up the Nyquist-Shannon theorem if you don't believe us! So that's settled! Vinyl isn't better sound quality than digital music but you have to admit it is certainly cooler!

The appeal of vinyl goes way beyond the sound and into the culture itself. There is something truly joyous about digging through crates of vinyl in a dusty record shop. Having a place to look for vinyl and meet people is much more enjoyable than purchasing music online. It's also fun to build a collection and admire the fantastic artwork. You can find hidden gems and build memories around your purchases and experiences in real life that you can't really compare to internet browsing.

It's more engaging, it's more human!

Vinyl DJing is also harder than digital DJing when it comes to beatmatching so vinyl DJs are often seen as more experienced or advanced than digital DJs. This might be true when it comes to beatmatching skills. Learning how to DJ with vinyl means you'll be training your ear to a higher degree of accuracy and you'll be learning how to use the pitch-shifting method to determine the BPM while beatmatching. It's overall an amazing experience that will increase your listening skills, beatmatching accuracy and dexterity!

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Why not buy the latest vinyl in the studio from our in-house record shop!

If you want to challenge yourself take vinyl DJ lessons!

Other than the skills mentioned above vinyl DJing can also pay dividends. Many vinyl DJs will get more gigs and better pay. This is partly because there is a demand for vinyl DJs, as there are less of them. It's also because vinyl DJs get more points when it comes to skill level and so promoters often see them as being more advanced in their careers and worthy of larger booking fees. Many promoters also want to cash in on the vinyl resurgence trend and have vinyl DJs playing at their venue. It's certainly a hipster qualifier and very instagram friendly! Even coffee shops have DJs nowadays so wake up, smell the coffee and get into the groove (sorry! couldn't resit the pun, haha!)

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Anyone can learn how to mix with vinyl

All it takes it the right tutor and a professionally structured course of lessons. You can take vinyl DJ lessons in our Manchester, Birmingham and London studios. Lessons are taught one-to-one so you can take your time and learn at your own speed. It also means you can mix with your chosen style of music, something that is very important when learning how to DJ on vinyl.

Another amazing benefit is that you can choose your own lesson times. We have lessons available seven days a week and you can book them ad hoc whenever you want to take the classes.

It takes about eight-hours of lessons to learn the pitch-shifting skill if you are already a DJ but if you also want to learn how to DJ at the same time you'll need a few more lessons on top. Contact us to find out more and book.