Turntablism
Vinyl simulation
Vinyl simulation is the setting that makes a jog wheel behave like a platter: touching the top stops the track, the side nudges it, and releasing lets it spin back up to speed.
In practice
With vinyl mode off, the top of the jog wheel only bends pitch — nothing you do will produce a cut.
Check it before the first track on unfamiliar gear, because the symptom of it being off is not an error, it is a nudge where you expected a stop. Then set vinyl speed and jog tension in the utility menu rather than living with the defaults: a fast return suits scratching, a slower one suits the sagging sound of a hand released off a real platter. The same settings govern the start and stop curves, so the brake effect and the jog feel move together. None of this replicates a slipmat exactly, and the gap is mostly in how the wheel behaves under sustained pressure — which is why timecode vinyl still exists.
Top stops
Vinyl mode on
Top bends
Vinyl mode off
Speed and tension
The two settings behind it
Where these come from: Player configuration convention, not catalog figures — nothing we store describes a device. For what we can measure, see the option that uses a real record.
Why it matters
It is the switch that decides whether a player can be scratched at all. With it off, the top of the wheel does the same thing as the side — a pitch bend — and no amount of technique will produce a cut. With it on, the wheel is a platter with a very short record on it.
The two settings behind it are what make it feel right or wrong. Vinyl-speed adjustment sets how quickly the track returns to pitch on release, and jog tension sets how heavy the wheel feels; both are in the utility menu and both ship on a default nobody chose.
Frequently asked
What does vinyl mode do on a CDJ?+
It makes the top of the jog wheel touch-sensitive, so pressing it stops playback the way a hand on a record does. With it off, the top only bends pitch like the side.
Can you scratch without vinyl mode?+
No. Without it the platter never stops the audio, so there is no cut to make. Turning it on is the first step on any unfamiliar player.
What is vinyl speed adjustment?+
A utility setting controlling how quickly the track returns to full speed after you release the wheel, and how fast it slows on stop. It also governs the brake effect.
Related terms
Backspin
A backspin is the record pulled sharply backwards while the platter keeps turning underneath, throwing the track back through itself. It is used as an effect mid-phrase and as a way out of a track.
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.
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.
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.
Explore: Mixing guides · Pitch and tempo calculator · Timecode vinyl · All DJ terms