One of the things I get asked all of the time is:
“What is the difference between hamster (reverse) and regular scratching, and which one, if any, is better?”
Here is a video to take you through it:
To summarise:
I do think some scratches are easier hamster and some are easier regular.
- “Open” fader scratches are easier hamster – e.g. flares
- “Closed” fader scratches are easier regular – e.g. stabs and transforms
Note that if you wish to beat juggle, regular style can be easier.
I feel it is best to choose one style and stick with it.
2 examples of opposite styles but equal skill are DJ Qbert (Hamster / Reverse) vs D-Styles (Regular).
It is possible to do almost every scratch either way. I find it helps to think in terms of open and closed fader.
I have learnt many techniques from regular scratchers by breaking it down into an understanding of open and closed fader motions and then working out how this translates to hamster.
So over to you in the comments – which do you prefer and why? What are your thoughts?
Which Beat?
Christmas Looper Beat from Stay Cool – Beats for Scratch Practice Volume 4
Happy hamster / regular scratching! 😀
– Short-E
P.S. The term “hamster” comes from DJ Quest of the Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters, often credited for inventing the technique.
I cut regular for 2 reasons:
1 – it’s how I learned to cut. The first mixer I had was the Technics DMC mixer, which obviously hadn’t got a hamster switch & it would never have occurred to me to wire the decks into the opposite channels.
2 – aside from cutting, I used to play a lot of club sets & as simple as it sounds to get my head around the decks being setup opposite to how they appeared, it was too easy to mess it up… Especially after a drink or 2
Hey Pete, yeh i understand that. If i ever beat juggle, which is rare, I still do that regular. If you wire up the mixer the wrong way you have to remember the volume faders will be for the wrong deck it gets messy! Nice to have your presence in the comments!
Actually, my 05proIII has a busted right channel (I cut with my right hand on the record, left hand on the fader) so I actually do plug it into the opposite side & use the hamster switch to change it back. It makes it easier for me to use the up faders I find so even if it did work on the right channel, I would set it up this way.
inventive bunch us DJs!!!!
I love checking you out,You are so great. I’m 47 years old and I started djing when I was 13. I started scratching when I was 15 I had a rotary mixer so I got use to turning the dial away from me. So when I got my next mixer which was a radio shack one that had the little switches at the top. Because the fader was so stiff I would use the switch for a sharper cut. It would only work pushing the switch away from you.Because,it would be from line to phono. Now when I finally got me a better mixer. I just couldn’t get it together scratching the regular way. And, back then there was no such thing as a hampster switch.the closest thing to that was this add on box called the flash former.invented by the great grand master flash. Hence the name flash former. So what I did to make my fader act the same way as the switch was to plug my turntables in backwards. The only thing was when I would dj with anyone else we would have to play a cassette tape as we would switch the turntables back and fourth. Regular for him and backwards for me. So they would say I scratch backwards. Then later down the road someone called it hampster.l was doing it long before it had a name. And, if i’m not mistaken terminator x from public enemy scratched the same way.Because, I remember feeling, it was great to see someone famous scratching like me. Peace out! Dj trax909
Hey Tonie! Thanks so much for checking out the site and for sharing your story! Now us hamster DJs are a dime a dozen hey!