Vinyl Care Tutorial 3 - Setting Up Turntables

How to properly set up turntables is a widely misunderstood issue. The most common mistakes are the platter not being level, too much weight on the cartridge, and anti-skating overkill. Incorrect tightening of the retaining screws at the point where the tonearm pivots can also can also be a problem, however this usually doesn't need adjusting.

Let's have a look at the basic anatomy of a DJ turntable (this is my Technics SL-1210 Mk 2, the general design is roughly the same on most DJ turntables though).

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/s...CKS/DECKSc.jpg

Looks complicated doesn't it? The first thing to do is locate the deck on a good solid surface. Let's start by levelling the platter. Notice the rubber feet at the base http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/s...S/DECKS004.jpg

You will need a Spirit Level, available from any hardware / DIY store. If you don't have one, go and buy one now. You can't set up your decks properly without it. Get a medium-sized one with two bubbles (up-down / left-right)

Place the spirit level flat on the platter as near to the spindle as possible. By rotating the feet clockwise (to raise) or anti-clockwise (to lower) you will eventually be able to get the platter level. If you hear the foot clicking as you rotate it, it has gone as far as it can go. This step takes a bit of time and patience to get right. The general principle is if you see the bubbles are too far right and up, you need to raise the bottom left foot, or lower the top right foot.

One the platter is level, the spirit level will have both bubbles centred like this

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/s...S/DECKS001.jpg

Now lets's set up the tonearm. Set the antiskating control to zero. Start turning the weight at the back of the tonearm in a clockwise direction and the tonearm will start to lift up, away from the platter. Keep adjusting the weight until the tonearm balances freely, like this

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/s...S/DECKS003.jpg

If you are having difficulty getting the tonearm parallel to the platter, you may have to adjust the height of the tonearm pivot. Carefully release the lock that's behind the anti-skating control, and adjust the height by rotating the height adjust wheel. In the picture above you can see the tonearm is slightly angled up towards the cartridge, the tonearm base should really be a bit higher in this case.

Now we have our tonearm balanced and parallel to the platter, we are pretty much done.

See the smaller wheel at the front of the tonearm weight? We need to rotate it, (left or right), until it is set to '0'. Don't move the weight. When you do this you will probably find it hard not to move the weight a bit, so adjust both the weight and front wheel until the front whell is set to '0' and the tonearm is balanced again, like this

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/s.../DECKSB002.jpg

Now we are going to add the weight of the cartridge, by rotating the weight (from the back) in an anti-clockwise direction. Imagine if it was possible to have the cartridge floating freely on the record, suspended in space, without any downward pressure coming from the tonearm. That is exactly what we are going to end up with! Adjusting the tonearm to balance freely, then adding the weight of the cartridge in downward force achives this result. If you don't know the weight of your cart, look it up on the web or take a guess. About 2 grammes is probably about right for most carts. The final step is to set the anti-skating to the same value as the weight, in my setup both are set to 2

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/s.../DECKSB003.jpg

False: the anti-skating control stops the needle from jumping. The higher the setting, the less the needle will jump.
True: the anti-skating mechanism pulls the tonearm to the right. The needle is always being pulled to the left by the groove in the vinyl, because records are cut in a spiral. The anti-skating mechanism counteracts the directional pull of the vinyl groove and keeps the stylus centred in the groove.

You're done! So now it's time to throw down some wax :)

Remember:
- Keep your decks clean and free from dust
- Never play dirty records
- Replace worn stylii
- Clip the tonearm into the rest for protection when not in use
- Remove the platter or tape it into place when moving (it can come up and break the tonearm)
- Mark your name and contact details on your decks with security ink that's visible under Ultra-Violet light

I hope you found this guide helpful...