Scratch

Character category, section-level.

A turntable scratch locked to the song's tempo. Each phrase fires one down-then-up scrub, the sound of a hand pushing a record back and letting it spring forward, then rests until the next one. You do not perform it. You pick a feel and it plays in time.

Controls

Speed. How fast a single scratch moves: Slow, Medium or Fast.

Every. How often one happens: every beat, every two beats, or once a bar. This is what sets the groove. Every beat is busy and driving; once a bar is an occasional accent.

Speed and Every do most of the work, so start with them. A slow scratch once a bar is a tasteful flourish. A fast scratch every beat is battle-DJ energy.

Style. The gesture itself. Baby is the classic smooth back-and-forth. Chirp is sharper and quicker. Transformer and Scribble cut each scratch into several rapid chops, which suits busy fills.

Depth. How hard the record is pushed, from Off through Subtle, Light, Steady and Heavy to Wild. More depth bends the pitch further. It changes intensity, not volume.

Blend. How loud the scratch sits against the untouched track: Off, Hint, Half or Full. It is separate from Depth on purpose, so a Wild scratch at a Hint blend can add turntable texture under a melody without taking it over. Off is a clean bypass; Full leaves only the scratched signal.

Presets

Baby, Transformer Cuts, Wild Scribble.

When to use it

Hip-hop, electronic and pop fills, anywhere a scratch can punctuate a phrase or ride under the groove. A drum loop or a vocal-style lead gives the most recognisable result. Because it is section-level, the verse can stay clean while the chorus scratches.