No matter what DJ software you use, there is one common variable that vinyl-emulation systems all rely on: needles. Normally, needles are the last things on your mind. Fidelity and cartridge specs are sometimes thought to be a trivial factor in the performance of the software. The common opinion is that, “As long as you have a good strong signal, then it does not matter what needle you use.” Although that is partially true, any regular user of multiple DJ carts will tell you that they all seem to feel or respond differently. That is, of course, a subjective observation and is dependent on a lot of variables that are hard to nail down. Now to further confuse the ranks of DJs, Ortofon has released a new DJ cartridge specifically aimed at the digital DJ market called the DigiTrack, which Ortofon claims to be a superior cartridge designed specifically for the digital realm. But what exactly makes one DJ cartridge better than the other? And how can we get optimal performance out of the needles we already have? Continue reading ‘How to pick a dj needle for Serato’