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"Slipmat" or platter mat?

kmp14

kmp14

Active Member
I may be wrong on this, but technically, isn't a "slipmat" something used on DJ turntables that allows the record to slip, so that they can scratch?

It is a pet peeve of mine that slipmat is often used when, for the most part, it is a hifi table being discussed that would never be used for scratching, and we would never want the record to slip!

Am I wrong?
 
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kmp14 said:
I may be wrong on this, but technically, isn't a "slipmat" something used on DJ turntables that allows the record to slip, so that they can scratch?

It is a pet peeve of mine that slipmat is often used when, for the most part, it is a hifi table being discussed that would never be used for scratching, and we would never want the record to slip!

Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

No! :no:
 
"Slip-cueing is a turntable-based DJ technique which consists of holding a record still while the platter rotates underneath the slipmat and releasing it at the right moment. In this way the record attains the right speed almost immediately, with no need to wait for the heavy platter to accelerate"

Of course this technique predates just about everything but electricity. :biggrin::biggrin:
 
Slip mats are used by scratch-mixing DJ's and also as a cuing device for radio station DJ's.

In a HiFi context the record is better when secured so it doesn't slip, so rubber-type compounds and cork are better choices than felt. Each can have a sonic signature impact, and this will depend on your turntable model/design, so it will be good to experiment if you can to get the one that best fits your needs and audio preferences.
 
Some people here may be putting "felt mat" (such as Linn uses) and DJ "slip mat" in the same category. I have both. My slipmat is NOT felt: it's some kind of synthetic with a smooth/sleek texture, very slippery. And it's far stiffer. Felt slips but not as easily. The different materials no doubt have a sonic effect but I don't hear a difference. I prefer a metal mat FWIW.
 
bimasta said:
Some people here may be putting "felt mat" (such as Linn uses) and DJ "slip mat" in the same category. I have both. My slipmat is NOT felt: it's some kind of synthetic with a smooth/sleek texture, very slippery. And it's far stiffer. Felt slips but not as easily. The different materials no doubt have a sonic effect but I don't hear a difference. I prefer a metal mat FWIW.
Click to expand...
Felt was traditionally used with radio broadcast transcription decks. I'm not surprised that decades later the DJ industry developed different materials for a similar function.
 
Ever see a really old machine that has a flocked platter? No separate mat, its a felt-like stuff that is sprayed right on the metal.
 
Some Luxman turn table have felt with rubber backing mat - Luxman PD-277. :music:
luxPD277.jpg
 
The reason I started this thread is because I ran across a brick-and-mortar Shinola store, and had a chance to look at their Runwell Turntable in person. Wow, what a beautiful piece of equipment! It is good that they are using VPI as a partner as it should result in a decent product. Anyway, after seeing it in person I wanted to learn more about it, and I saw somewhere on their site, or in their manuals, or maybe their own setup video, that the table comes with a leather "slipmat", which I find annoying. Clearly they are going for a style conscious consumer, and most would not know the difference, but at that price they are also selling performance, and not knowing the difference between slipmat and platter mat makes me raise an eyebrow about how much they really know about the space. That being said, I am still drooling a bit because the table is gorgeous. They played me something in the store and I gotta say it sounded good.:dunno:
 
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