Hardware & signal path
Timecode vinyl
Timecode vinyl is a record pressed with a control signal instead of music. DVS software reads that signal to work out where the needle sits and how fast the platter is turning, then plays a digital track to match.
In practice
Flip the record when playback gets erratic — a worn side reads as a software fault and is not one.
Both sides carry the same signal, so flipping is a free repair and worth doing before troubleshooting anything else. Keep the discs sleeved when they are not on the platter, because the signal lives in the groove and dust in the groove is noise in the reading. Set tracking weight to the arm’s specification rather than piling on extra: heavier tracking buys stability at the cost of wearing the control signal faster, which is the problem you were trying to avoid.
Flip the side
The free repair
Sleeve it
What keeps the signal clean
Spec weight
Not as heavy as possible
Where these come from: Maintenance practice for control records, not catalog figures — nothing in our analysis describes a physical medium. For what we can measure, see the system reading it.
Why it matters
The record is a sensor, so it wears like one. A side that has been scratched over for a season reads worse than a fresh one, and the degradation is gradual enough that most people blame the software long before they flip the disc.
Which mode you run it in changes what a mistake costs. Absolute mode ties track position to needle position, so it is precise and unforgiving; relative mode reads only movement, so a skip or a knock is survivable.
Frequently asked
How does timecode vinyl work?+
The record carries a control tone rather than music. Software decodes the tone to derive direction, speed and — in absolute mode — position, then plays the digital file at exactly that speed and position.
How long does timecode vinyl last?+
Until the groove wears, which depends entirely on how hard it is handled. Scratch DJs replace control records regularly; someone doing long blends may run the same pair for years.
What is the difference between absolute and relative mode?+
Absolute maps needle position to track position, so a needle drop jumps to that point. Relative reads only speed and direction, so the track keeps playing through a skip.
Related terms
DVS
A DVS — digital vinyl system — plays software tracks from real turntables or CD decks. A control record carries a timecode signal, an interface digitises it, and the software follows the position and speed of the platter.
Slipmat
A slipmat is a felt disc between the turntable platter and the record. It lets the platter keep spinning while you hold, drag or pull back the record itself, which is what makes cueing and scratching possible.
Needle drop
A needle drop is starting a track at a chosen point with no blend at all — dropping straight in on a downbeat, named for placing a stylus onto a moving record.
Audio interface
An audio interface converts between the digital signal inside software and the analogue signal a mixer or amplifier accepts. In a timecode rig it also converts the other way, digitising the control signal coming off the turntables.
Explore: Mixing guides · Needle drop · Pitch and tempo calculator · All DJ terms