Turntablism
Battle position
Battle position turns the turntables ninety degrees so the tonearms sit at the back rather than the right, and the pitch faders face you. It puts the record surface and the crossfader in one continuous working area.
In practice
Rotate the decks ninety degrees and the tonearm stops being where your hand needs to be.
Try it before deciding it is not for you — the difference in how much record surface is reachable without moving your body is larger than it looks. In a club you will almost never find it set up this way, and turning a venue’s decks around is not usually welcome, so if you rely on it practise both layouts. The mixer position matters as much as the decks: battle position only pays off when the crossfader is close enough that one hand covers both.
90°
The rotation
Arm at back
What it moves out of the way
Both layouts
What to actually practise
Where these come from: The standard battle-position layout and its trade-offs — established practice, not catalog figures. For what we can measure, see the mixer that goes with it.
Why it matters
It exists to solve a physical problem: in the standard layout, the tonearm is exactly where your hand wants to be when scratching. Rotating the deck moves the arm out of the way and puts the platter closer to the mixer, which is where the other hand is.
The trade is that cueing by eye and reading a label become slightly less natural, and the pitch fader ends up in an unfamiliar place. That is why almost nobody blending records uses it, and almost everybody scratching does.
Frequently asked
Why do turntablists turn the decks sideways?+
To get the tonearm out from under the scratching hand and bring the platter closer to the crossfader. It makes the record and the fader one working area rather than two.
Is battle position better for beatmatching?+
Not particularly. Cueing by eye and reading labels are slightly harder, and the pitch fader ends up somewhere unfamiliar, which is why blend-focused DJs stay with the standard layout.
Will a club have the decks in battle position?+
Almost never, and rearranging an installed booth is rarely welcome. Practise both ways if you rely on it.
Related terms
Battle mixer
A battle mixer is a compact two-channel mixer built around a fast, replaceable crossfader, with curve and reverse controls to hand. Everything else is stripped back to keep the fader area clear.
Turntable
A turntable spins a record at a constant speed while a stylus tracks its groove. A DJ turntable adds a pitch fader, high torque so it reaches speed instantly, and a platter you can hold and release.
Routine
A routine is a composed, rehearsed sequence of scratches, juggles and cuts performed to a set piece of music. Unlike a mix, it is written in advance and repeated the same way each time.
Hamster crossfader
Hamster is a crossfader wired in reverse, so the left deck lives on the right side of the fader. Scratch DJs run it because it puts the cut on the pull rather than the push.
Explore: Transition techniques · Battle mixer · Turntable · All DJ terms