Finally someone who can take the mystery out of a simple concept. I’ve seen all the anti skating videos and you know how to talk to the common music lover
Very informative, have owned 1200s &1210s for 20 years, always wondered what the anti skate did. Explained very well, very clear, very appreciated. Types of Stylus explained very clearly as well. Thanks
Wow, this is the best explanation I've come across so far. It's actually helped with with an almost 50 year old Magnavox record changer. LOL I had to replace the cartridge and there's really zero info (for vintage turntables) out there to get everything set back up properly. I got the weight correct with a small electronic scale, but it just sounded funny riding in those grooves. Grinding, scraping.Too much anti-skate! The only way I found out about the anti-skating adjustment was from my mom. "There's that screw right there. You have to adjust it. I don't know how, but that's it." It's a tiny screw to the right of the tonearm. No markings. Nothing telling which direction to go. I didn't know what to do. So, ANYWAY, you're explanation of how it actually works and which direction to turn that screw has helped me get rid of that "groove eating" sound. Many thanks!
Nice explanation :) I would humbly add three things (gathered in other vinyl videos) that came to mind and might help some users: - Level your TT (with a 'bubble' spirit level) before doing anything on it. - Regarding the drawings in the video, a stylus that 'floats' towards the edge of the groove will produce an imbalance in the left/right audio channels so if a speaker always sounds louder, this might be the cause. - Lastly, on stylus shape, DJ (round) ones can achieve very nice audio qualities on normal home hi-fi's and preserve records if reverse playback occurs. Audiophile (elliptical) styli perform better but ruin grooves if used backwards. Have a nice day.
Hello viperfrank (James) and thank you for showing this step by step video on outlining us on how to set your anti-skating on the correct dial, depending on what stylus (needle) you are using. I used it on both my Technics SL-B3 & Technics (By Panasonic) SL-1300 & it worked....seriously, this is an outstanding job you did tutoring us with this method. And thank you Mikey Phillips.....I was able to purchase The Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Blue Record EP from J&R Record shop for pennies and I got two for the price of one!!! We, as humans, learn something everyday we live. Everyone here on this blog stay Blessed.
Goodness gracious!! I'm somewhat what of a RUclips junkie and I look at all types of videos. Without a doubt your video has to be one of, if not THE best explained video I have ever seen!! You did a masterful job with your presentation.....clear, concise, to the point, your drawings enhanced what you were talking about......everything was just superb. Regardless of the viewers skillset...novice to an expert...anyone can understand and learn from your presentation. GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!
The force that pulls the tonearm/stylus toward the center is call SKATE; the tone arm skates to the center of the record. So, the counter measure is then called Anti-SKATE. As indicated in the video, you want to balance those two forces. It is very subtle, but I can hear it on my turntable, when the Anti-skate is set correctly.
iv been djing for four years, and am ashamed to say that i did not know what the anti-skate was for before watching this, thanks man! much appreciated.
I'm not a DJ or anything but I'm a starting record collector and your video's are extremely informative for keeping them in good condition! Thank you very much!
You have the most comprehensive and easy to understand instruction on You Tube. Looked at other instructional videos for adjusting turntables, didn't understand any of them. Great job!
I knew most of that, but your diagrams enlightened me. I never imagined the needle crawling up one side. Just thought it would apply more pressure to one side or the other. thanks.
This has been extremely informative. I never really knew if my anti-skating on my old sl-h401 panasonic TT ever worked. Luckily I have a blank record and I've been able to equalize my anti-skating perfectly like you shown here. Now I can't wait to have a listen to hear the difference in quality. I saw a video before that showed me how to tune my TT correctly and the only thing that was bad was that it said to set the anti-skate at the same number as the tonearm adjustment, which for me was 1. Which was terribly wrong. Now I have it set to something close to 0.67 and it looks good. Thank you again for sharing this with us.
Anti skate was developed long before DJ'ing and scratching was a thing... It's purpose was to center the stylus pressure in the groove in order to achieve an equal sound level balance between the left and right channels.
Been djing for 20+ years and never taken a second thought about the adjustments. Just got a pair stantons after stupidly selling my Technics years ago and just thought what is that dial for and i'm glad I know now. Cheers for the upload.
What a refreshing change from all these so-called experts (all USA dudes). I've got a really good vintage turntable - suspended chassis, belt driven - that I can't part with. But never once has anybody told me that the anti-skate setting number doesn't really have to match exactly with that of the gram weight of the tone-arm - and as you instruct, as long as you set it to when there's no skate. Man, before this I've messed around for hours and then watch this and hey presto. Brilliant!
Hi James,Gijs Thieme here from Hamburg,Germany..... Just wanting to let you know that your video is exellent and in particular your style of explaning.Well done......
Great video Frankie!! The reason I searched. I got a record yesterday, when I dropped the needle on, the needle just kept skipping all the way to the center. I realized by the name of it that anti-skating was the corrective mechanism but didn't understand the underlying mechanics. I thought it was just specific to singular situations with poorly cut records, I didn't realize it was something that should be set to a single level for all records. Good thing I also got a couple 1-sides in my order yesterday. Thanks for the information!!
Thanks - after looking at video after video, and reading explanations, your video finally made the concept clear, and showed how to tell if my anti-skate is working.
Thanks for this! I went through a few different written & video instructions trying to figure out how to calibrate individual parts of the tone arm on an Audio Technica AT-LP120. This is the first video I found which clearly and thoroughly explained the function of the anti-skate feature. On a side note, I used my blank Side 4 of Vijay Iyer's "Far From Over" to test the calibration of the anti-skate, and it worked like a charm with your instructions.
Spherical does NOT make your records last longer - quite the opposite. Advanced shapes can give you the same (or smaller) side radius (better ability to read high frequencies) with a bigger contact surface (less wear) than spherical designs.
Yes! switching to an elliptical will greatly improve the soundstage on just about any cartridge, a cost effective way to improve sound quality and make your records last longer.
Nice work. I've been a pro DJ on and off since the late eighties, and I've never seen anti-skating explained more clearly than in your video. For those reading, the use of an "un-cut" vinyl record is key to getting this somewhat misunderstood turntable adjustment set properly.
Thank you soo much for this explanation. For years ive always wanted to know how and what it did. I can now play my records at it optimum sound. Have you done a video on how to setup the counter balance for the tone arm?
my dad played his records on a gramophone when i was very young and here i am learning all these skills on how to use a turntable in my late forties, all the tutorials i watch here teach me tricks i would never have known about and remind me that young people like vinyl too. thank you.
Thank you so much for the thorough explanation not only of what anti-skate does, but also the difference between spherical and elliptical needles. Now I understand!
yes I would say that I kind of got a fell with the tone arm and I seem to get it right I was a DJ years ago got a good felling all round a beautiful pice of machinery love them glad their coming back.
So when using the blank disc set the anti skate so it pulls a little bit outward? Subsequently, when using a regular vinyl track, it will THEN sit straight down perfect?
@@Tunz909 Yes, on blank disc it should pull a little bit outward. It will never be PERFECT in the sense that louder tracks have more traction and more skating force. But it will be about right. Perfect can only be with a liner tracking arm.
H- it's a great video, BUT I went out and, very luckily, found a one-side LP. However, I found that I could only get the arm to stay in one position, basically near the middle (not the label). That was on about 2.5 on the dial, but when I put the stylus on the outside, it zoomed into the centre no matter how much I turned up the antiskate. Same case for moving the arm close to the label. What am I doing wrong? I have a Denon DP 500 M; cart is Denon - DL 110.
@echoed61 Did you ever figure out if what you first experienced with setting the anti skate was normal and correct? I purchased a blank calibration LP just for this purpose. Instructions for use said to place the tonearm at the middle of the record, lower the stylus, and adjust the anti skate so that the tonearm stays in the middle. Like you, I was concerned with other parts of the record and the tonearm moving toward the middle. What is right? I have the AT-LP120 USB which is known for not having the right spring for adjusting the anti skate. I haven't modified it yet because I want to know if adjusting anti skate with the tonearm set to the middle is the correct method or not because the spring change-out is rather involved.
Do not forgot the Tone Arm the Tone Arm must be balanced as level as you can get it with the needle not just backed off and weighted down. I am a pro and you are right but the Anti-Skate also is to be set by the weight of the Tone Arm, For example you put a new needle on different type, It has the weight so the Tone Arm is to be re-balanced as level as can be then once you have this you turn the weight till the Tone Arm touches the Vinyl then the black nob on the weight is to be turned back to the weight till it reaches the number of the needle used this nob it will bring the weight back to its setting after this is done the Anti-Skate is to be set like you say its normally set too. But donot forget the balance of your Tone Arm if it is not weighted the Anti-Skate will have problems. I have been at this since 1985 and have helped many DJ's. Not Saying your wrong, But the Tone Arm must be weighted right also. There are also video's you can find on this.
@@DJ1Hands1on Your tone arm when balanced properly should be somewhere @ +2 - 3 grams depending on make of cartridge and needle you are using etc, and can make a difference to the anti skate.. Don't trust the tone arm increments as being perfect as they will invariably be slightly out.. Easier to buy a digital stylus force scale gauge, which will be totally accurate.. But you also need to ensure your cartridge and needle is properly centred, otherwise the needle will pull from the grooves in certain positions on the vinyl if not sitting straight, and not give steady sound quality.. That's a job in its own right, and I've seen DJ's who don't bother to do it properly, then complain about the sound, saying, "my tone arm and anti skate is all set properly, so it's not my fault"..
That was a great help ViperFrank...thanks a lot. I used to turn the counterweight backwards on my 1210's to make it skip less when scratching. I tried this with a 1 sided record & it works a treat. To everyone who uses Shure M44-7's with Technics 1200/1210's. There's no need to turn your counterweight backwards. I find putting counterweight on normally & setting to it 2.5 & setting Anti -skate to 2, I can scratch great now & get no skipping. Try it people...it works well. Peace!
That's even easier. Just set the counterweight back until the tonearm balances itself horizontal, set the dial to zero and then move the whole thing forward for your desired tracking force. Safe range for playback is 1.5 to 2.5 grams, 3 grams to 3.5 for DJ ing some cartridges demand more, some less. Your cart's manual should have the ideal weight somewhere.
PS, get a stylus weight scale, because the counterweight numbers are really not 100 percent correct.Then again, I play my concorde pro's at 2g, whilst ortofon recommends 4g ...
Thank you, Sir! I am trying to bring my old Dual CS 522 back to life after years of neglect. This was a very succinct, to-the-point tutorial. You could not have made it any more clear than this! This explains thoroughly why my left channel was always so weak. Thank you for posting. ~Jon
Nice work bro. I've had a set of decks since I was 15 and now I'm 37 and I never knew that is the way to set the anti skate! Appreciated, and you never stop learning! 👍
Brilliant. My anti skating is not working so I needed to understand how it works. This explanation provides this. Spot on - many thanks. Now to mend it!
that's the best explanation of anti skate on you tube, and a practical way of setting it up, looks like you can forget those numbers on the dial, found a blank record on ebay, but not cheap, think ill have a piece of perspex cut to size, and try this out . ive read you can use a CD, as the blank record.
I would really like to help you as that is not how anti-skate is set. Not dissing you but you need to understand, if you set anti-skate with the tonearm raised or on a BLANK disc, you are not setting it correctly. Its NOT about keeping the arm in the middle with no resistance, its about countering the force that PULLS a tonearm IN. So the way you are doing it, that force will be in place when the stylus in on the album..and will be heard as IGD (inner groove distortion) on the inner tracks. There are several ways to set anti-skate. Trust me, this is not one of them, But like I said, no dis...you are just trying to help folks..
Actually you want it to move very slightly inwards to the center. Because you will have som friction when sylus are in the groove. Plus pickup mount is angeled to center of record.
I used this method, and got a very accurate result; first with the original Audio Technica AT70 MM cartridge on a Harman Kardon T25 turntable, belt drive. Then I mounted a Denon DL-80A MC I recently bought, and set it up as accurately as possible. I used a blank record that I purchased from the UK. I also discovered that I had to add 2 grams more on the anti-skate dial compared to the tracking force setting from the scale's counterweight. This method is accurate.🎼🎵
max bauer he's talking about placing a CD (write side UP) on the platter and using it to set antiskate, it works for setting the AS but it will ruin the CD. A blank CD is alot easier to find than a blank vinyl disk.
I bought my anti-skating record on ebay for $20.00 plus shipping. Serious vinyl people need this if you like keeping your records in pristine playing condition. don't listen to all the negative comments from the jerks in this thread. you'll notice they don't have and videos up! most are just trolls! Have fun, enjoy your vinyl.
a lot of bootleg twelves are one sided.Boots or white labels were a thing in the 90s.Ask a dj fiend that has a lot of white labels.Some will have a groovless b side
for anyone wanting to do this: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Blue Record EP is relatively cheap on amazon and has a flat B-side (+ the A side is too sweet) if you're wanting to get this done and haven't got a flat record.
Sorry, not really the right method actually. Putting the needle on a blank vinyl will not put the same forces on the arm as when putting it into the grooves. Although the blank side of the vinyl will force the arm inwards, it is no where near the same force as the grooves. If you use this method, you will set your anti skate wrong, unless you like listening to blank vinyls only. The rule of thumb is to set your AS to the same as your tracking force (stick to that). The needle also has something to say about how to set your AS. Also the TT must be 100% level, not sure the floor of the room in the video is that? It takes a bit more science to do this then just what is shown in the video.
I have a Technics 1600 MK1 which uses a very long straight spring for antiskate. It is so strong that at the last song i cannot use more than 0.5g let alone 1.8g (tracking force of cart) otherwise when you lower the arm down it pulls it back 2-3 cm earlier in the song. Also the start and stop for autoreturn gets out of wack. There is no skipping and no IGD when antiskate is set to 0.
Best anti-skat explanation ever!! Easy to understand and made perfect sense. That guy is bristling with common sense, he should be working for NASA designing Mars rovers and tings like that. Thanks and respects.
I know this is an old video, but it just came up on my feed. I found it very helpful. I have an acrylic turntable platter that I use for testing my tonearm. Some of my one-sided records have a “rough” B-side, and the acrylic platter is totally smooth. I had been under the false impression that tracking force and anti-skating were supposed to be set at the the same value. This is not the case.
About the anti-skate with a spherical and an elliptical needle: I used to use the Ortofon Concorde DJ-S (a.k.a. "The Blues"), which has a spherical needle, with a perfect anti-skate at about 1.5 grammes. Now I use the Ortofon Concorde Nightclub MK2, which features an elliptical needle, and the anti-skate is now a whole gramme higher at 2.5 g.
All these technics videos are so helpful. I've had one of those blank sided records for ages, no idea I could use it to calibrate the anti-skate. Cheers mate!
James, I have great respect for you for how you can break things down and translate thoughts to others. I have been a producer in LA for 20 years and you have truly added to my knowledge. Thank you!
I'm just about to start work on digitalising all my old 12"s, and your videos have been a fantastic help for getting the best sound quality. Huge appreciation mate.
glad i did this, i'm new to this kind of music player so i really don't know how set up my teac tn-300 anti skating. they said it should be equal to the tracking force.but when i tried this method i just realized that no.2 anti-skating is too much, it pulls to the right real fast, so tried turning the knob to no.1 and it stayed on one spot. so now my tracking force is 2g and 1 on anti-skating. i use CD since i don't have a blank record. but be very careful cos the CD is to small and the needle move really fast going to the right or left when you set your anti-skating on the wrong number.
Shure made records designed to set your needle very precisely with the proper anti skating and stylus pressure settings, the tracks actually are designed to push your needle side to side and will make it skip if the setting is incorrect. They came out when stereophonics were first developed but you can still find them in a used record store. They were called something similar to "Shure stereophonic set-up test tracks"
Superb video! I've been using turn tables for over 25 year, but never knew the function of anti skating. Thanks to you now I know. Thanks for the first class tutorial!
Ha ha Ive had Technics since 1990 and never really understood what the anti-skate did before I saw this! Clearly explained without sounding patronising like some other tutorial vids on here. Thanks!
To be honest I never knew this what the heck it was used for and now I know....but my poor worn out stylis ..why I bought them occasionally ..great video for ease of explaining the in and outs of turntables
Just want to say thanks for posting all these vids (anti skating/weight/height)...it really helped me out to set my 1200. now my records sound sicker than ever. Cheers bro, Roy
Thank you very much,James! you just saved me buying a new turntable. I followed your instruction and it worked.I still have some fine tuning to do. Also I found out that I have a Stanton 681eee cartridge installed on my Garrard turntable. (I inherited the turntable from my dear brother.) Thanks again!
You can also look up the tracking force for your cartridge which will be somewhere on the manufacturer's specs. As a rough guide, you can set your anti-skating to be the same (in grams) as the tracking force you apply. Its a rough guide as the anti-skating and tonearm set up may vary on each deck but useful if you dont have a blank record to check it with.
Oh my God! I wish I'd seen this before playing out at a stack of parties getting completely frustrated with skipping needles, and ultimately looking like a fool. Great explanation. Top diagram. Always wanted to know. I'm sure this will save me from frantically swapping needles on the fly next time! Big thanks;)
Very useful vid. Now I understand why I couldn't rip my vinyls properly. Signal from left channel was weaker than the right one. Thanks a lot. Need more people like you to make things go forward. Peace!!!
Nice explanation and thanks, I just check and see if the arm will stay in place when I have the needle cued up above the record in various spots. If the needle move forward or backwards, I know it’s not balanced or the anti skating is off. The other tricky thing is the counter weight on the back bc the numbers just move freely and I believe you put once you’ve you’ve have it set. Meaning if you have a used tt, you have no idea how it was setup and you have to do it from the beginning, especially if you’ve changed the cartridge. Yeah, I’m not that patient to do it by the instructions and always try to figure things out on what makes sense to me.
I've been djing, all vinyl for 13 years now. I've never had to abandon a record because it was worn out. Great video by the way. I didnt know what the skate setting was until today :)
I always thought anti skate was for helping the record from skipping by pushing it forward. Boy was I wrong. After I saw your video I did what you said to do and very happy to be using the anti skate for what it was meant to be used for. You would think that after nearly 40 years playing with records I would know this. Now I do. Thank you for your help.
Extremely helpful...just this week I got my first turn table (excluding my parent´s when I was a kid of course), the guy at the store told me this feature adds extra weight to the needle to avoid skipping on old records...I found that hard to believe..Your explanation makes total sense! :-)
I just stumbled on your videos and I love them! I'm one of those people that always learns better when I see a picture of what your talking about and you do that in all the videos that I've watched so far! Great video's my friend, keep them coming!
most people just say leave it on zero so that it doesn't skate when the tonearm weight is at 0, hanging in the air. i did that years ago when i bought the 1210. tonight I noticed on my dirtstyle battle record, after the last track, it didn't have any grooves in the vinyl, it was just blank dont know why.. however, i noticed that with the antiskate a 0 it moved towards center (exactly like you explain here). i set it at around 1.8 and it stayed pretty much perfectly balanced. thanks!
Using thge same carts/needles as you for scrathing (I mix but can't afford a spare set for when I scratch from time to time) always thought the antiskate pushed it further into the grrove but didn't realise more could be counter productive. Have since calibrated my anti skate properly and shit do they stick 10X better than before! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
Well done,my friend. This gives the "unwashed multitude" of vinyl users an insight to the finer details of making their grooves stay intact longer. Thanks for your expertise, as I'm a long ago user, just getting back into what I've forgotten.
Thank you for explaining it, I had always wondered about how to set anti-skating. I had set mine 2g tracking and 2 on anti-skate, but using a blank vinyl, I found mine works best on 1 a.s. Cheers mate!
Excellent & helpful Video. Just a couple of things. If you want max fidelity, you go with an elliptical stylus. If you are a DJ, you go with a conical needle because they are better for scratching and sampling. Conical is in the groove the same regardless of the angle of the tone arm. DJ tables tend to have short tonearms causing a sharper angle near the center. Also, DJ's don't really want maximum fidelity; they want loud with lots of bass. I've another comment, I'll leave that separte.
Great tutorial mate. Very well explained. Thanks to you I'm now re-discovering my whole vinyl collection. I've had a Project Debut turntable for about 5 years and never bothered with the anti skating counterweight. Ignorance is bliss as they say. Always used to wonder what the fuss was about over this turntable. I just accepted the sound as it was at got on with my life. After fitting the anti skating weight properly, the difference is nothing short of amazing. Thanks mate I owe you a drink.
Same thing happens to me on an old JVC QL-A5 I have set up. I believe there's a gear inside the turntable that controls the factory calibration of what 0 is.
My understanding between the two styli is the spherical, or conical diamond tracks less dynamic range being of the limitation of the round point if one was looking directly above the point of contact with the stylus in the groove, plus also, the round ball form resting in the groove has high pressure contact with the wall of the groove adding more wear. The elliptical bring the oval shap and looking directly above, can offer more dynamics due to the oval doesn't have the restrictions as with the conical, and the elliptical has a wider point of contact with the groove wall to reduce side pressure of the stylus creating less groove wear. True, conical so are good for scratching and heavy DJ work
Finally someone who can take the mystery out of a simple concept. I’ve seen all the anti skating videos and you know how to talk to the common music lover
don't you have google? It's been explained on the internet for many years, so you waited for this to find out, seems kinda stupid to me
@@cirrus1964 Not as stupid as you replying to a 2 year old comment just to put someone down.
Very informative, have owned 1200s &1210s for 20 years, always wondered what the anti skate did. Explained very well, very clear, very appreciated. Types of Stylus explained very clearly as well. Thanks
Your videos are still the best 15yrs later !✌👍
Wow, this is the best explanation I've come across so far. It's actually helped with with an almost 50 year old Magnavox record changer. LOL I had to replace the cartridge and there's really zero info (for vintage turntables) out there to get everything set back up properly. I got the weight correct with a small electronic scale, but it just sounded funny riding in those grooves. Grinding, scraping.Too much anti-skate! The only way I found out about the anti-skating adjustment was from my mom. "There's that screw right there. You have to adjust it. I don't know how, but that's it." It's a tiny screw to the right of the tonearm. No markings. Nothing telling which direction to go. I didn't know what to do. So, ANYWAY, you're explanation of how it actually works and which direction to turn that screw has helped me get rid of that "groove eating" sound. Many thanks!
Nice explanation :) I would humbly add three things (gathered in other vinyl videos) that came to mind and might help some users: - Level your TT (with a 'bubble' spirit level) before doing anything on it.
- Regarding the drawings in the video, a stylus that 'floats' towards the edge of the groove will produce an imbalance in the left/right audio channels so if a speaker always sounds louder, this might be the cause.
- Lastly, on stylus shape, DJ (round) ones can achieve very nice audio qualities on normal home hi-fi's and preserve records if reverse playback occurs. Audiophile (elliptical) styli perform better but ruin grooves if used backwards.
Have a nice day.
Hello viperfrank (James) and thank you for showing this step by step video on outlining us on how to set your anti-skating on the correct dial, depending on what stylus (needle) you are using. I used it on both my Technics SL-B3 & Technics (By Panasonic) SL-1300 & it worked....seriously, this is an outstanding job you did tutoring us with this method. And thank you Mikey Phillips.....I was able to purchase The Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Blue Record EP from J&R Record shop for pennies and I got two for the price of one!!! We, as humans, learn something everyday we live. Everyone here on this blog stay Blessed.
Wow thank you. An amazingly good explanation of something I've never understood.
+Derek Williams no problem, I'm glad the video was useful.
thank you for your comment.
+Derek Williams here here!
Goodness gracious!! I'm somewhat what of a RUclips junkie and I look at all types of videos. Without a doubt your video has to be one of, if not THE best explained video I have ever seen!! You did a masterful job with your presentation.....clear, concise, to the point, your drawings enhanced what you were talking about......everything was just superb. Regardless of the viewers skillset...novice to an expert...anyone can understand and learn from your presentation. GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!
The force that pulls the tonearm/stylus toward the center is call SKATE; the tone arm skates to the center of the record. So, the counter measure is then called Anti-SKATE.
As indicated in the video, you want to balance those two forces. It is very subtle, but I can hear it on my turntable, when the Anti-skate is set correctly.
iv been djing for four years, and am ashamed to say that i did not know what the anti-skate was for before watching this, thanks man! much appreciated.
I'm not a DJ or anything but I'm a starting record collector and your video's are extremely informative for keeping them in good condition! Thank you very much!
You have the most comprehensive and easy to understand instruction on You Tube. Looked at other instructional videos for adjusting turntables, didn't understand any of them. Great job!
I knew most of that, but your diagrams enlightened me. I never imagined the needle crawling up one side. Just thought it would apply more pressure to one side or the other. thanks.
This has been extremely informative. I never really knew if my anti-skating on my old sl-h401 panasonic TT ever worked. Luckily I have a blank record and I've been able to equalize my anti-skating perfectly like you shown here. Now I can't wait to have a listen to hear the difference in quality.
I saw a video before that showed me how to tune my TT correctly and the only thing that was bad was that it said to set the anti-skate at the same number as the tonearm adjustment, which for me was 1. Which was terribly wrong. Now I have it set to something close to 0.67 and it looks good.
Thank you again for sharing this with us.
Anti skate was developed long before DJ'ing and scratching was a thing... It's purpose was to center the stylus pressure in the groove in order to achieve an equal sound level balance between the left and right channels.
Randy Levine really. Do you not get an expression in this video that’s the case?
Been djing for 20+ years and never taken a second thought about the adjustments. Just got a pair stantons after stupidly selling my Technics years ago and just thought what is that dial for and i'm glad I know now. Cheers for the upload.
Wow.....perfectly explained!
Thank you lots and lots for taking the time to make this tutorial for us!
What a refreshing change from all these so-called experts (all USA dudes). I've got a really good vintage turntable - suspended chassis, belt driven - that I can't part with. But never once has anybody told me that the anti-skate setting number doesn't really have to match exactly with that of the gram weight of the tone-arm - and as you instruct, as long as you set it to when there's no skate. Man, before this I've messed around for hours and then watch this and hey presto. Brilliant!
Hi James,Gijs Thieme here from Hamburg,Germany..... Just wanting to let you know that your video is exellent and in particular your style of explaning.Well done......
Great video Frankie!!
The reason I searched. I got a record yesterday, when I dropped the needle on, the needle just kept skipping all the way to the center. I realized by the name of it that anti-skating was the corrective mechanism but didn't understand the underlying mechanics. I thought it was just specific to singular situations with poorly cut records, I didn't realize it was something that should be set to a single level for all records.
Good thing I also got a couple 1-sides in my order yesterday. Thanks for the information!!
Thanks - after looking at video after video, and reading explanations, your video finally made the concept clear, and showed how to tell if my anti-skate is working.
Thanks for this! I went through a few different written & video instructions trying to figure out how to calibrate individual parts of the tone arm on an Audio Technica AT-LP120. This is the first video I found which clearly and thoroughly explained the function of the anti-skate feature. On a side note, I used my blank Side 4 of Vijay Iyer's "Far From Over" to test the calibration of the anti-skate, and it worked like a charm with your instructions.
Spherical does NOT make your records last longer - quite the opposite. Advanced shapes can give you the same (or smaller) side radius (better ability to read high frequencies) with a bigger contact surface (less wear) than spherical designs.
Yes! switching to an elliptical will greatly improve the soundstage on just about any cartridge, a cost effective way to improve sound quality and make your records last longer.
Nice work. I've been a pro DJ on and off since the late eighties, and I've never seen anti-skating explained more clearly than in your video. For those reading, the use of an "un-cut" vinyl record is key to getting this somewhat misunderstood turntable adjustment set properly.
Thank you soo much for this explanation. For years ive always wanted to know how and what it did.
I can now play my records at it optimum sound.
Have you done a video on how to setup the counter balance for the tone arm?
my dad played his records on a gramophone when i was very young and here i am learning all these skills on how to use a turntable in my late forties, all the tutorials i watch here teach me tricks i would never have known about and remind me that young people like vinyl too. thank you.
How do you do this for virtual dj
Thank you so much for the thorough explanation not only of what anti-skate does, but also the difference between spherical and elliptical needles. Now I understand!
actually you should set it to just a bit more, because the tracks "pull" the needle more than the blank vinyl. especially louder tracks.
Correct.
yes I would say that I kind of got a fell with the tone arm and I seem to get it right I was a DJ years ago got a good felling all round a beautiful pice of machinery love them glad their coming back.
So when using the blank disc set the anti skate so it pulls a little bit outward? Subsequently, when using a regular vinyl track, it will THEN sit straight down perfect?
@@Tunz909 Yes, on blank disc it should pull a little bit outward. It will never be PERFECT in the sense that louder tracks have more traction and more skating force. But it will be about right. Perfect can only be with a liner tracking arm.
@@zagyex Thanks for replying!! Liner tracking arm?
Great video. Never considered using a blank vinyl to set the anti-skate. Genius! Thank you so much.
See my newest video about using a vintage grooveless Garrard test record to set anti-skating. You may want to reconsider using this technique.
H- it's a great video, BUT I went out and, very luckily, found a one-side LP. However, I found that I could only get the arm to stay in one position, basically near the middle (not the label). That was on about 2.5 on the dial, but when I put the stylus on the outside, it zoomed into the centre no matter how much I turned up the antiskate. Same case for moving the arm close to the label. What am I doing wrong? I have a Denon DP 500 M; cart is Denon - DL 110.
+echoed61 Usually you set the anti skating to what your counter weight is...if its at 2 the anti skate is 2
Uses LP as mention to set up. Good idea it work fine. Thanks for sharing.
@echoed61 Did you ever figure out if what you first experienced with setting the anti skate was normal and correct? I purchased a blank calibration LP just for this purpose. Instructions for use said to place the tonearm at the middle of the record, lower the stylus, and adjust the anti skate so that the tonearm stays in the middle.
Like you, I was concerned with other parts of the record and the tonearm moving toward the middle. What is right? I have the AT-LP120 USB which is known for not having the right spring for adjusting the anti skate. I haven't modified it yet because I want to know if adjusting anti skate with the tonearm set to the middle is the correct method or not because the spring change-out is rather involved.
@@tooshort4892 i Got the same
@@imxg I never did the spring change-out or any mods. I left it as good as I could with the middle sweet spot and trusted my ears..... Good luck!
This is the best explanation of anti-skating and adjustment I've ever seen. Thank you.
Do not forgot the Tone Arm the Tone Arm must be balanced as level as you can get it with the needle not just backed off and weighted down. I am a pro and you are right but the Anti-Skate also is to be set by the weight of the Tone Arm, For example you put a new needle on different type, It has the weight so the Tone Arm is to be re-balanced as level as can be then once you have this you turn the weight till the Tone Arm touches the Vinyl then the black nob on the weight is to be turned back to the weight till it reaches the number of the needle used this nob it will bring the weight back to its setting after this is done the Anti-Skate is to be set like you say its normally set too. But donot forget the balance of your Tone Arm if it is not weighted the Anti-Skate will have problems. I have been at this since 1985 and have helped many DJ's. Not Saying your wrong, But the Tone Arm must be weighted right also. There are also video's you can find on this.
Wut
Useful additional info
Correct.. anti-skating forces will be incorrect if the tip weight is not set to the actually operating weight.
Deany D Arton does the height of the tone arm play a part also on the anti skate.
@@DJ1Hands1on Your tone arm when balanced properly should be somewhere @ +2 - 3 grams depending on make of cartridge and needle you are using etc, and can make a difference to the anti skate.. Don't trust the tone arm increments as being perfect as they will invariably be slightly out.. Easier to buy a digital stylus force scale gauge, which will be totally accurate.. But you also need to ensure your cartridge and needle is properly centred, otherwise the needle will pull from the grooves in certain positions on the vinyl if not sitting straight, and not give steady sound quality.. That's a job in its own right, and I've seen DJ's who don't bother to do it properly, then complain about the sound, saying, "my tone arm and anti skate is all set properly, so it's not my fault"..
That was a great help ViperFrank...thanks a lot. I used to turn the counterweight backwards on my 1210's to make it skip less when scratching. I tried this with a 1 sided record & it works a treat. To everyone who uses Shure M44-7's with Technics 1200/1210's. There's no need to turn your counterweight backwards. I find putting counterweight on normally & setting to it 2.5 & setting Anti -skate to 2, I can scratch great now & get no skipping. Try it people...it works well. Peace!
do you have video on how to set the balance of the arm?
That's even easier. Just set the counterweight back until the tonearm balances itself horizontal, set the dial to zero and then move the whole thing forward for your desired tracking force.
Safe range for playback is 1.5 to 2.5 grams, 3 grams to 3.5 for DJ ing some cartridges demand more, some less. Your cart's manual should have the ideal weight somewhere.
thanks!
PS, get a stylus weight scale, because the counterweight numbers are really not 100 percent correct.Then again, I play my concorde pro's at 2g, whilst ortofon recommends 4g ...
Yeah but then again, unlss you do radio, 2g and 2.1g wont make a difference
Thank you, Sir! I am trying to bring my old Dual CS 522 back to life after years of neglect. This was a very succinct, to-the-point tutorial. You could not have made it any more clear than this! This explains thoroughly why my left channel was always so weak. Thank you for posting. ~Jon
the best explanation for the anti-skating ever!
Nice work bro. I've had a set of decks since I was 15 and now I'm 37 and I never knew that is the way to set the anti skate! Appreciated, and you never stop learning! 👍
Very good explanation. Thanks a million!
+Rick Langley I agree. I clicked on this to hate on it. The guy's legit.
Brilliant. My anti skating is not working so I needed to understand how it works. This explanation provides this. Spot on - many thanks. Now to mend it!
"crazy doodle time"
Love it.
that's the best explanation of anti skate on you tube, and a practical way of setting it up, looks like you can forget those numbers on the dial, found a blank record on ebay, but not cheap, think ill have a piece of perspex cut to size, and try this out . ive read you can use a CD, as the blank record.
I would really like to help you as that is not how anti-skate is set. Not dissing you but you need to understand, if you set anti-skate with the tonearm raised or on a BLANK disc, you are not setting it correctly. Its NOT about keeping the arm in the middle with no resistance, its about countering the force that PULLS a tonearm IN. So the way you are doing it, that force will be in place when the stylus in on the album..and will be heard as IGD (inner groove distortion) on the inner tracks. There are several ways to set anti-skate. Trust me, this is not one of them, But like I said, no dis...you are just trying to help folks..
Actually you want it to move very slightly inwards to the center. Because you will have som friction when sylus are in the groove. Plus pickup mount is angeled to center of record.
Its basically a light tension spring that puts force on a rod connected to the tone arm. Nothing hocus pocus.
some turntables use a little weight on a string to achieve this.
I used this method, and got a very accurate result; first with the original Audio Technica AT70 MM cartridge on a Harman Kardon T25 turntable, belt drive. Then I mounted a Denon DL-80A MC I recently bought, and set it up as accurately as possible. I used a blank record that I purchased from the UK. I also discovered that I had to add 2 grams more on the anti-skate dial compared to the tracking force setting from the scale's counterweight. This method is accurate.🎼🎵
Use a cd, doesn't have any grooves. Just did it, thanks!
that's a good idea, thanks for your comment.
you dont get it do u
max bauer he's talking about placing a CD (write side UP) on the platter and using it to set antiskate, it works for setting the AS but it will ruin the CD. A blank CD is alot easier to find than a blank vinyl disk.
18 years and never knew what that was for until now! Thank you!
Everyone should just check the owners manual for their tt.That will show you how to set anti skating the right way.
Hello there! For antiscate adjustment, I was using a CD, and it worked perfectly! No blank vinyl needed!
This is real rocket science isn't it? ha ha! Just one question - where in heck do you get a record that is perfectly smooth i.e. no grooves?
+Mrphilharmonic At the no music record store.
Mrphilharmonic you could use a CD
I bought my anti-skating record on ebay for $20.00 plus shipping. Serious vinyl people need this if you like keeping your records in pristine playing condition. don't listen to all the negative comments from the jerks in this thread. you'll notice they don't have and videos up! most are just trolls! Have fun, enjoy your vinyl.
A laser disc would be better than a CD. @@MikesRecordBox
a lot of bootleg twelves are one sided.Boots or white labels were a thing in the 90s.Ask a dj fiend that has a lot of white labels.Some will have a groovless b side
for anyone wanting to do this: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Blue Record EP is relatively cheap on amazon and has a flat B-side (+ the A side is too sweet) if you're wanting to get this done and haven't got a flat record.
Sorry, not really the right method actually. Putting the needle on a blank vinyl will not put the same forces on the arm as when putting it into the grooves. Although the blank side of the vinyl will force the arm inwards, it is no where near the same force as the grooves. If you use this method, you will set your anti skate wrong, unless you like listening to blank vinyls only. The rule of thumb is to set your AS to the same as your tracking force (stick to that). The needle also has something to say about how to set your AS. Also the TT must be 100% level, not sure the floor of the room in the video is that? It takes a bit more science to do this then just what is shown in the video.
www.sound-smith.com/faq/how-do-i-adjust-anti-skating-my-cartridge
Upload video and show how actual method to set up properly. i cannot understand the link that provided. Too slow draft inwards !
I have a Technics 1600 MK1 which uses a very long straight spring for antiskate. It is so strong that at the last song i cannot use more than 0.5g let alone 1.8g (tracking force of cart) otherwise when you lower the arm down it pulls it back 2-3 cm earlier in the song. Also the start and stop for autoreturn gets out of wack. There is no skipping and no IGD when antiskate is set to 0.
Best anti-skat explanation ever!! Easy to understand and made perfect sense.
That guy is bristling with common sense, he should be working for NASA designing Mars rovers and tings like that.
Thanks and respects.
He sounds like Nigel Tufnel (Spinal Tap) ;)
r3v3rs3tWiLiT3 "This [anti-skate control] goes up to three, but yours might go higher... like, to eleven, maybe"
I know this is an old video, but it just came up on my feed. I found it very helpful.
I have an acrylic turntable platter that I use for testing my tonearm. Some of my one-sided records have a “rough” B-side, and the acrylic platter is totally smooth.
I had been under the false impression that tracking force and anti-skating were supposed to be set at the the same value. This is not the case.
A very good film, my only criticism would be calling records "vinyls". The plural of vinyl is vinyl and those round black discs are called records.
adam morris ahaha. Cheers
Just tell him “good video” and get on with your day. Do you want somebody who makes movies to tell you why this isn’t a “film”? Internet pedant.
About the anti-skate with a spherical and an elliptical needle:
I used to use the Ortofon Concorde DJ-S (a.k.a. "The Blues"), which has a spherical needle, with a perfect anti-skate at about 1.5 grammes. Now I use the Ortofon Concorde Nightclub MK2, which features an elliptical needle, and the anti-skate is now a whole gramme higher at 2.5 g.
All these technics videos are so helpful. I've had one of those blank sided records for ages, no idea I could use it to calibrate the anti-skate. Cheers mate!
Ive been djing since 92 and now i know how to set my anti skating properly... Nice tutorial... Thank you
James,
I have great respect for you for how you can break things down and translate thoughts to others. I have been a producer in LA for 20 years and you have truly added to my knowledge. Thank you!
Excellent video. Not only explaining anti-skate but also the differences and benefits of each type of needle. 👏🏻
Best explanation of antiskating adjustment I have ever seen. Thanks a lot, mate.
This is the best explanation I have seen for anti-skate set-up and about stylus differences.
Thanks very much.
I'm just about to start work on digitalising all my old 12"s, and your videos have been a fantastic help for getting the best sound quality. Huge appreciation mate.
glad i did this, i'm new to this kind of music player so i really don't know how set up my teac tn-300 anti skating. they said it should be equal to the tracking force.but when i tried this method i just realized that no.2 anti-skating is too much, it pulls to the right real fast, so tried turning the knob to no.1 and it stayed on one spot. so now my tracking force is 2g and 1 on anti-skating. i use CD since i don't have a blank record. but be very careful cos the CD is to small and the needle move really fast going to the right or left when you set your anti-skating on the wrong number.
top video, ive had 1210s for years and now i know what that anti skate wheel is for, well explained for everyone to understand, thanks
Thank you 15 years with my 1210's only set them up again last week anti skate works near perfect on both. And i now know what its for!
WOW!!!! I adjusted the antiskating and the sound of my vinyls improved dramatically!!! Thank you my friend!!!
Shure made records designed to set your needle very precisely with the proper anti skating and stylus pressure settings, the tracks actually are designed to push your needle side to side and will make it skip if the setting is incorrect. They came out when stereophonics were first developed but you can still find them in a used record store. They were called something similar to "Shure stereophonic set-up test tracks"
Superb video! I've been using turn tables for over 25 year, but never knew the function of anti skating. Thanks to you now I know. Thanks for the first class tutorial!
Ha ha Ive had Technics since 1990 and never really understood what the anti-skate did before I saw this! Clearly explained without sounding patronising like some other tutorial vids on here. Thanks!
finally a great straightforward explanation without too much nonsense talking and endless intro.
So so helpful, i've had my decks for 15 years and have always been confused by the set up! Off to test it out now! :)
To be honest I never knew this what the heck it was used for and now I know....but my poor worn out stylis ..why I bought them occasionally ..great video for ease of explaining the in and outs of turntables
Just want to say thanks for posting all these vids (anti skating/weight/height)...it really helped me out to set my 1200. now my records sound sicker than ever.
Cheers bro,
Roy
Thank you very much,James! you just saved me buying a new turntable. I followed your instruction and it worked.I still have some fine tuning to do. Also I found out that I have a Stanton 681eee cartridge installed on my Garrard turntable. (I inherited the turntable from my dear brother.) Thanks again!
Finally a great explanation I found nowhere else on websites. And with a blank vinyl I already had, could set it up properly!
You can also look up the tracking force for your cartridge which will be somewhere on the manufacturer's specs. As a rough guide, you can set your anti-skating to be the same (in grams) as the tracking force you apply. Its a rough guide as the anti-skating and tonearm set up may vary on each deck but useful if you dont have a blank record to check it with.
Oh my God! I wish I'd seen this before playing out at a stack of parties getting completely frustrated with skipping needles, and ultimately looking like a fool.
Great explanation. Top diagram. Always wanted to know. I'm sure this will save me from frantically swapping needles on the fly next time! Big thanks;)
Very useful vid. Now I understand why I couldn't rip my vinyls properly. Signal from left channel was weaker than the right one. Thanks a lot. Need more people like you to make things go forward. Peace!!!
Brilliant video... I learned something even tough I've been doing radio and DJing since the late 70's!
Excellent video explaining the anti skate facility. You took out the mystery about it all. Well done. Thanks.😊
Nice explanation and thanks, I just check and see if the arm will stay in place when I have the needle cued up above the record in various spots. If the needle move forward or backwards, I know it’s not balanced or the anti skating is off.
The other tricky thing is the counter weight on the back bc the numbers just move freely and I believe you put once you’ve you’ve have it set. Meaning if you have a used tt, you have no idea how it was setup and you have to do it from the beginning, especially if you’ve changed the cartridge.
Yeah, I’m not that patient to do it by the instructions and always try to figure things out on what makes sense to me.
I used an old laserdisc to sub in for blank vinyl since I didn't have any...worked pretty well for me I think.
I've been djing, all vinyl for 13 years now. I've never had to abandon a record because it was worn out. Great video by the way. I didnt know what the skate setting was until today :)
thanks, I'm always glad to hear when my videos are helping my viewers. it makes the time and effort worthwhile.
thank you for your comment.
I always thought anti skate was for helping the record from skipping by pushing it forward. Boy was I wrong. After I saw your video I did what you said to do and very happy to be using the anti skate for what it was meant to be used for. You would think that after nearly 40 years playing with records I would know this. Now I do. Thank you for your help.
Extremely helpful...just this week I got my first turn table (excluding my parent´s when I was a kid of course), the guy at the store told me this feature adds extra weight to the needle to avoid skipping on old records...I found that hard to believe..Your explanation makes total sense! :-)
Excellent video mate! Just bought a turntable off ebay and this has helped me to understand the principles.
I just stumbled on your videos and I love them! I'm one of those people that always learns better when I see a picture of what your talking about and you do that in all the videos that I've watched so far! Great video's my friend, keep them coming!
most people just say leave it on zero so that it doesn't skate when the tonearm weight is at 0, hanging in the air. i did that years ago when i bought the 1210. tonight I noticed on my dirtstyle battle record, after the last track, it didn't have any grooves in the vinyl, it was just blank dont know why..
however, i noticed that with the antiskate a 0 it moved towards center (exactly like you explain here). i set it at around 1.8 and it stayed pretty much perfectly balanced.
thanks!
Using thge same carts/needles as you for scrathing (I mix but can't afford a spare set for when I scratch from time to time) always thought the antiskate pushed it further into the grrove but didn't realise more could be counter productive. Have since calibrated my anti skate properly and shit do they stick 10X better than before! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
Well done,my friend. This gives the "unwashed multitude" of vinyl users an insight to the finer details of making their grooves stay intact longer.
Thanks for your expertise, as I'm a long ago user, just getting back into what I've forgotten.
Thank you for taking the time to do this video, your presentation really helped me grasp what anti-skating means.
Thank you for explaining it, I had always wondered about how to set anti-skating. I had set mine 2g tracking and 2 on anti-skate, but using a blank vinyl, I found mine works best on 1 a.s. Cheers mate!
Excellent & helpful Video. Just a couple of things. If you want max fidelity, you go with an elliptical stylus. If you are a DJ, you go with a conical needle because they are better for scratching and sampling. Conical is in the groove the same regardless of the angle of the tone arm. DJ tables tend to have short tonearms causing a sharper angle near the center. Also, DJ's don't really want maximum fidelity; they want loud with lots of bass.
I've another comment, I'll leave that separte.
Nice and easy demonstration how to regulate the antisketting mechanism for a record player. Thanks for the video.
Anti-skating sorry.
Great tutorial mate. Very well explained. Thanks to you I'm now re-discovering my whole vinyl collection. I've had a Project Debut turntable for about 5 years and never bothered with the anti skating counterweight. Ignorance is bliss as they say. Always used to wonder what the fuss was about over this turntable. I just accepted the sound as it was at got on with my life. After fitting the anti skating weight properly, the difference is nothing short of amazing. Thanks mate I owe you a drink.
Same thing happens to me on an old JVC QL-A5 I have set up. I believe there's a gear inside the turntable that controls the factory calibration of what 0 is.
My understanding between the two styli is the spherical, or conical diamond tracks less dynamic range being of the limitation of the round point if one was looking directly above the point of contact with the stylus in the groove, plus also, the round ball form resting in the groove has high pressure contact with the wall of the groove adding more wear. The elliptical bring the oval shap and looking directly above, can offer more dynamics due to the oval doesn't have the restrictions as with the conical, and the elliptical has a wider point of contact with the groove wall to reduce side pressure of the stylus creating less groove wear. True, conical so are good for scratching and heavy DJ work