Mixing & Performance

Scratch

A technique of moving a record or jog wheel rhythmically while cutting the fader to create percussive sounds.

Scratching is a turntablism technique where the DJ manually pushes and pulls a record or jog wheel back and forth across a sound while opening and closing the crossfader or channel fader in a rhythmic pattern, producing the characteristic cutting and stuttering sounds associated with hip-hop and DJ battle culture.

Why it matters

Scratching transforms the turntable into a melodic and percussive instrument rather than just a playback device. It is the defining skill of turntablism and ranges from simple baby scratches used as accents to complex combination routines.

Turntablism

Related terms

Crossfader Jog Wheel Cut Needle Drop

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Frequently asked questions

No. You can scratch on a DVS setup using timecode vinyl with digital files, on a motorized CDJ using the jog wheel, or on a DJ controller with a high-resolution touch-sensitive platter. Vinyl gives the most authentic feel, but modern jog wheels and platters are capable of precise scratch technique.

A baby scratch is the most basic technique: you move the record forward and back over a sound without touching the fader. A transformer scratch adds rhythmic fader cuts while the record moves, chopping the sound into staccato bursts. The transformer is more percussive and is a foundational building block for advanced scratch patterns.

Vinyl platters have physical mass and torque that give natural resistance and tactile feedback. Controller platters are lighter and some use capacitive touch sensors, which can feel less responsive and have higher latency. High-torque motorized controllers close the gap, but most serious scratch DJs still prefer vinyl or DVS for the feel.

Hey, it's Ben Modigell 👋

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I DJ and produce as so I so — downtempo, minimal, dub house, tech house, and techno (releases on Spotify and SoundCloud, links above). Everything I write here comes from my own gigs, studio sessions, and library cleanups: the rules I follow, the failure modes I've actually hit, and the workflow I use when nobody's watching. If a technique didn't earn its place in my own sets, it doesn't make it into a tutorial.

DJingMusic ProductionTech HouseMinimal HouseDub HouseTechnoDowntempoLibrary Organization