I'm always surprised at how reactionary people get when the subject of replacing turntables with a superior (yet not so sentimental) alternative comes up. You'd think someone had suggested to the pope that the earth isn't the center of the universe!
surprisingly enough, the technics sl-1200mk2 is not the center of the universe either. Think about it - have we stuck with vinyl thus far because it's the best possible solution? No. We've stuck with it because it's been the only possible solution. Sure, there's some nostalgic value in the image of Grandmaster Flash on the decks in the early 80s. But things have moved on since then. There are 3 things happening right now that suggest that we will have a viable non-vinyl mixing format in the near future: 1) Digital music technology is just starting to develop. Witness all the incredible things that've come out in the last year - Audio programs like Reaktor and Reason, Mixers with effects built in, optical crossfaders, cheap cd burning technology, and let's not forget the thing that started this whole discussion: napster. All of these things have a potential to change what a DJ does. 2) There's money in the DJ Equipment business. There never used to be. Take a look at a PSSL catalog from a year ago, and compare it to a current one. If there's one positive aspect to the push for mainstreaming of electonic music in america, this is it. Everyone wants to be a DJ, and this allows vestax or whoever to actually put money into newer and better products. Laser crossfaders, EQ kills, dj-oriented effects units, these things are just the beginning. 3) people are aleady working on it. I forget the url right now, but there's already a product that interfaces between a turntable and a computer, allowing you to play mp3s the same way you'd play a record. This is an actual product, available now. The reason you don't hear more about it already is because it's being made by a couple kids in belgium out of their garage, and it only runs on BeOS. Don't be too surprised when some major equipment manufacturer picks it up, develops a version for windows, and starts mass-marketing it. We're really not that far away. The only possible reason i can see for sticking by vinyl as better alternatives come to market is sentimentality. There's a place for nostalgia, but getting so caught up in it that you are blind to everything else is just dumb. anyway that's my long, inarticulate rant. I like vinyl just as much as the rest of you. But it's not the end-all, be-all medium for mixing music. chris