Back in the day, in a time before Youtube and DVD, we oldies had no reference for learning DJ skills other than dissecting the hottest vinyl from the US. Things are a tad easier these days though with various DVD products coming out, Thud Rumble’s DIY series being a prime example. But these products adopt a more hands off watch me do this approach, whereas Pedestrian’s Tutoritool is quite the opposite, wanting you to keep your hands very much on the decks while you attempt to take in the basics of turntablism. Version 1 was released to universal acclaim but now it’s time for the second edition - the return, the sequel - and it’s even better than before.
The Basics
The whole Tutoritool 2 package is aimed to walk you through the basics of turntablism. Every square inch of the high quality cover, sleeves and insert is crammed with everything you’ll need to get to grips with the basics and not so basics of the dark scratch art, all laid out in a straightforward and easy to follow way.
The insert is essentially a quick how to guide for budding tablists. I get the impression that this at one time would have been made from card as it’s designed to stand up, but being so large and made from paper, standing this up proves to be hard. The first side covers record marking. For anyone who has watched a DMC video, many tablists’ records look like portable sticker collections. But DJs actually deface their precious vinyl so that they can find particular parts of their sets quickly.
Pedestrian have gone to some expense to include a dandy set of vinyl (not paper) stickers so that you can mark up your vinyl in any way you see fit. It seems like such a shame to actually use them at all - the whole package feels like something you should keep together and most certainly not deface your vinyl with the supplied stickers. Needs must however and you’ll soon find yourself with vandalise vinyl.
Message to Pedestrian - sell these very lovely sticker sheets in packs of 5. People would snap them up!
The inside of the insert covers the wide range of scratch techniques from Babies to Crabs with many stops inbetween. You get a detailed description of the scratch as well as a dedicated vinyl track to go with it. Donning my beginner’s cap for a moment, I found it easier to read the description and then try and apply it to the vinyl. I know you want to jump in and sound like QBert within 60 seconds of opening the seal but it really does pay to take the time to read and then play.
The last section is dedicated to getting creative and putting it all together so that you make your own music. This includes drumming (the art of creating funky fresh beats armed with just a bass and snare drum sound), making basslines, dropping vocals and the often impossibly difficult art of juggling (deconstructing a loop into something entirely new with doubles of the same track - or not). The descriptions do simplify what is normally a tricky subject into easy understandable steps.
Just a note on the insert - how wonderful would the small mixer illustrated be in real life?
The Vinyl
The double vinyl is in fact 3 sides, the B-side of each being the same selection of beats, sentences and samples so you can rock doubles for juggling practice, or simply have a backup when you’ve worn a serious hole in one of them.
The label on each side has been designed to aid the DJ, with main markers every 90° and sub markers every 22.5°. If I'm honest, this would probably be my one reservation about the Tutoritool 2 - I found the markings to be indestinct. The various shades of Oranges and Browns kind of merge together making the markings hard to see. Thankfully you still have the previously mentioned stickers to make things a whole lot easier to use.
This time round, the Tutoritool is split up by somewhat soothing and dulcet English (i.e. UK) female tones, telling you what each particular part of the record is for, and guiding you through the steps to becoming a turntablist. Indeed, each one of these is quality scratch material in its own right.
Aside from the warm and friendly voice, the Tutoritool 2 is a real mixture of all that is hot in battle wax - snare/bass combos for drummers, epic Trance/DnB synth tones, deep brooding basslines as well as a selection of mainly slow beats all peppered with a liberal dose of classic samples, real voices and a few skipless beats and locked grooves. It’s clearly a case of covering as many bases as possible to give the fledgling tablist a taste of what’s to come in their journeys through scratching. It also underlines that the Tutoritool 2 isn’t necessarily limited to noobs either. If an experienced DJ wanted one record to drop in their bag, this would be a pretty good choice as well.
Summing Up
The Tutoritool 2 is nothing new, but does build on the foundations laid down with the now sold out limited run v1. Instead of just written instructions, you’re now treated to an analog instruction who will hold your hand as you start off on the path of becoming a scratch DJ. But when you wrap this double vinyl package up in a high quality sleeve with a huge instruction insert and a sheet of well designed stickers, you get an all base covering near essential tool for the beginner DJ.
It's worth finishing up with a word about Pedestrian. The Tutoritool and its successor have come about because a group of like-minded people got together to spread the word about turntablism to the masses, especially to groups of people who perhaps might not have access to decks and mixers. The entire project is run on a not for profit basis and all the money is ploughed back into creating more projects like this. So when you part with your £15.99 plus postage, you not only get yourself a quality product, but you also help continue the good work of Pedestrian. Having seen the guys at work, that's a good enough reason for me to help promote them whenever I can. Keep up the good work guys!
Ratings
Build Quality - 9/10
It's certainly a solid package and hopefully will stay glued together ths time!
Features & Implementation - 9/10
Well thought out and put together. The instructional insert breaks everything down neatly and the stickers make life a lot better.
Value For Money - 9/10
High quality double vinyl, detailed tutorials, stickers and a wide range of sounds makes for a solid return on your investment.
The Bottom Line
Beginners and experienced DJs can get a lot from the Tutorial Second Edition. Buy it today.
