VirtualDJ – How To Set Up Vinyl Break Effect (Quickest Method!)

To set up the vinyl break effect in Virtual DJ, change the rampStopTime setting. If you also want a slow vinyl start, use rampStartTime. Here I’ll quickly show you two simple ways to set these effects up in 30 seconds or less. Let’s boot up VDJ and get started!

1st method: Deck vinyl break & vinyl start setup

If you simply want to get that classic vinyl break effect every time you stop one of the tracks on your virtual decks, the only thing you need to do is to modify one single parameter in the VirtualDJ settings menu.

To set up the vinyl break effect in Virtual DJ software:

• Open the Virtual DJ settings menu by clicking the little cog icon in the top right of the main VDJ screen.
• Start typing “ramp” into the search bar on the top of the newly opened settings window.
• Modify the “rampStopTime” parameter:
  • For a quick vinyl break set rampStopTime to around 0.3-0.4.
  • For a longer vinyl break effect, set rampStopTime to around 1.0.

All done! Now, every time you stop the playback of one of your tracks, the vinyl break effect will be applied. To turn off the vinyl break effect altogether, simply repeat all the steps mentioned above, now resetting the rampStopTime parameter back to 0.

If you want the “slow start” effect to be applied every time you play one of your tracks, you need to modify the other parameter in the very same menu, namely the “rampStartTime” parameter.

• For a quicker vinyl start, set rampStartTime to around 0.3-0.4. For a slower start, set it to around 1.0.

Done! If you want to get rid of the slow start effect, reset the rampStartTime parameter to 0.

The third parameter I haven’t mentioned – rampScratchTime – controls how quickly Virtual DJ reacts when the platter is touched in Vinyl mode.

If you want to know how to change the jog wheel sensitivity settings in Virtual DJ, refer to here: How To Set Jog Wheel Sensitivity In Virtual DJ (VDJ Jog Wheel Settings)

2nd method: Vinyl stop/start effect setup

The other way to set up the vinyl brake or vinyl start effect in VDJ software is to use the deck FX section. Depending on your current Virtual DJ layout, the FX panel can look a little different. If you’re using the Starter layout, switch to Essentials or Pro first, as the three Starter FX cannot be changed.

This method is great when you don’t want this effect to be present every time you start/stop the track playback on each of your decks. In the FX section you can trigger it whenever you like and assign it to a keyboard hotkey or a button on an external MIDI controller of your choice.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the FX section of your chosen deck and open the effect selection list.
2. From the list that appears, choose the BrakeStart FX.
3. Now, when activated, the effect will function as follows:
   1. If the track on the deck is not playing – it will apply the “slow start” effect and play the track.
   2. If the track is playing – it will apply the “vinyl break” effect to the track and then stop the playback.
4. Using the knob that’s located next to the effect activation button, you can regulate the length of both the “slow start” and “vinyl break” effects.

And it’s done! Now, if you’d like to, you can use the MIDI assignment features of Virtual DJ to assign this effect to a hotkey or controller button of your choice.

The conclusion – vinyl break & vinyl start FX in Virtual DJ

Besides the two methods I mentioned in this short guide, the brake stop and brake start effects can also be assigned to one of the custom VDJ FX trigger buttons, or scripted using VDJScript.

If you want to learn more about what Virtual DJ can do, check out my full Virtual DJ software review: Virtual DJ Software – New Vital Features You Didn’t Know About

If in doubt, you can always refer to the official Virtual DJ documentation here.