Mixing Vinyl in 2026: Everything You Need to Get Started
Get kitted out with gear from Technics, Ortofon, Reloop, Allen & Heath, and more.
Ready to start mixing vinyl? Here are the turntables, cartridges and mixers you need to spin records.
Mixing Vinyl in 2026
Mixing Vinyl
Vinyl is the most popular physical media format in the United States and Japan, and sales just keep on increasing. That means that there’s never been a better time to start mixing vinyl. You have plenty of great new releases to play with, plus all of the last 100 years of legacy records still out there.
Mixing digital is convenient, yes, but playing records is just so fun. It’s a physical and meditative act, requiring mental concentration and skill with manipulating the records and turntable. It’s also a great introduction to DJing in general. Once you get started, you can always add a DVS system to mix digital files from your turntables, or expand to media players as well.
That’s all down the road, though. For now, let’s concentrate on the three main things you need to get going mixing vinyl: turntables, cartridges, and a mixer. For each category, I’ll suggest a few different models. These are not intended to be exhaustive, just ideas to get you started. If you need headphones, here’s an article with some recommendations. And another for speakers.
Let’s get into it.
Mixing Vinyl: Turntables
The gold standard for the DJ turntable is the Technics SL-1200MK2. While that classic is no longer being manufactured, Technics is still making SL-1200 models, with the MK7 the latest to get the famous name.
Available in silver SL-1200 and black SL-1210 variations, the MK7 offers a direct drive system for accurate rotation and powerful torque, plus a pitch slider capable of +/-8 and +/-16 percent. It plays at 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPMs, and will even spin backwards. Includes a slipmat, slipsheet, cover, EP adapter, auxiliary weights, and headshell.
- Technics SL-1200MK7 product page
The SL-1200 may be the DJ standard but it’s also expensive. For similar features and styling at about half the price, check out the RP 7000 MK2 from Reloop. Also available in silver and black liveries, it’s got the S-shaped tonearm, pitch up to 50% variation, and 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM modes plus backwards play. Note that the dust cover is sold separately.
- Reloop RP 7000 MK2 product page
Not everyone needs two turntables and a mixer. If scratching is your sole focus, you may be able to get by with just a single record player: Numark’s PT01 Scratch. The leader of the portablism movement, the Scratch gives you a turntable and scratch fader in a single unit with 10% pitch adjustment, the standard three-speed playback, and a built-in speaker. It’s even got USB out for digitizing records.
- Numark PT01 Scratch product page
Mixing Vinyl: Cartridges and Styluses
While your new turntable may come bundled with a basic cartridge, you’re going to want to replace that right quick. One, because you want something that sounds good. And two, you need a cartridge designed for DJing with a needle that can withstand the back-and-forth wear and tear that comes from cueing.
For general-purpose DJing, Ortofon’s Concorde MKII DJ is a great option. It’s what I used back when I was a touring DJ, and I always brought them with me just in case the club had janky needles on their decks. You never know.
- Ortofon Concorde MKII DJ product page
For the scratch DJ, the choice of needle is even more crucial. While there are lots to choose from, you can’t go wrong with the Concorde MKII Scratch from Ortofon. With its spherical needle, it’ll stay in the groove no matter how furious your fingers.
- Ortofon Concorde MKII Scratch product page
Much like a computer, the best cartridge is the one that you can afford. And don’t forget, you’ll be buying two. If Ortofons or other brands are out of your reach right now, take a look at Audio-Technica’s AT-XP5. Excellent for DJing or even just listening, it offers an output level of 5.5 mV, and its elliptical bonded stylus will track the record groove well.
- Audio-Technica AT-XP5 product page
Mixing Vinyl: Mixers
When it comes to mixers, there are a lot of options. If you’re looking for something that will let you mix two record players with a crossfader and an analog filter, check out Xone:24 from Allen & Heath. Part of the company’s revered Xone series, 24 (and the USB sound card-boasting 24C), you get isolator EQ knobs, a Mini innoFADER crossfader with three curve settings, and a microphone channel.
Allen & Heath may not be hip-hop enough for some, but if your tastes lean techno or bass-wise, and you have around €400 to play with, you may have just found your mixer.
- Allen & Heath Xone:24 product page
- Allen & Heath Xone:24C product page
Of course, the sun does not rise and set on the crossfader. For many DJs, house and disco purists especially, it’s all about rotaries. The rotary mixer has risen in status again recently, thanks to audiophile DJs bringing them back. They can be very expensive but they don’t have to be, as Warm2 from Ecler proves.
Waiting for you are two channels of all-analog goodness, with two phono/line channels and a micro/line channel, classic Ecler sharp filters, and a fourth-order isolator.
- Ecler Warm2 product page
I get it. You’re not made of money. You just dropped a lot on turntables and needles, and you don’t have much left over for a mixer. In that case, check out the RMX-10BT from Reloop. It’s got two channels with line and phono inputs, channel strips with 3-band EQ and gain adjustment, a crossfader and – get this – Bluetooth connectivity so you can stream directly to the mixer. Why not? It’s also extremely affordable.
- Reloop RMX-10BT product page
More Information
- More about DJing
- More about turntables
- More about mixers
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