Many of these new turntable models that come with fancy pre-programmed options are supposed to prevent the problem of vinyl records getting stuck or scratched, but depending on how much you play them, your precious vinyl record player might lose its sound quality. A different processor is automatically switched to the record at the moment of playback while other listeners, who hadn’t noticed anything strange happen, continue in the room.
It slides across the surface of my plate and leaves a great scratch. That’s not usually a problem. Sometimes the eraser slips out. Sometimes it falls off when people touch the cantilever to clean it.
Most of the time, when the player needle slips past a certain point, it’s because there was one or more problems in your game that weren’t solved adequately. Below is a list of 7 possible causes and how to eliminate them.
The Sliding Needle of the Recording Player
No simple answer to this problem, there are several possible causes. My advice for you is to take a few minutes and read this guide and figure out what’s going wrong. Then you can take the appropriate action in order to fix this problem. There are various reasons a tonearm might be skating on a record. We’ll look at some of the most common causes and solutions below.
Possible Causes and Solutions for a Sliding Tonearm
If your tonearm is skating, check to see if the following issues are causing the problem. When you find a bug, please follow our steps to fix it.
Surface Not Level
Your turntable might be getting a little uneven at the right side. This will cause the tonearm to move down toward the center, but it is also possible that your needle has started skipping.
This is more common than you think and can affect even the best turntables. Depending on how sensitive to gravity your setup is, it can present a significant problem.
Solution
Either change your player’s location to a flat surface or make the ground it is currently sitting on straight. To level your board, you will need a simple bubble level–something that can be purchased at any hardware store for about ten dollars.
Level the surface on the 2 middle lines of the level and make sure it is perfectly centered. You can level your phone with a smartphone app that provides you with helpful features, like handy camera apps and direction finders. There are lots of different apps to make your phone more useful.
Too Much Pressure on the Stylus
The way that a record player works is by the needle making contact with the grooves of the disk. The pressure exerted on your needle, or what is known as stylus pressure, is according to where it lands on the disk.
The stylus will barely contact the record when it is low on pressure. This causes skating because there is not enough friction to stop the needle moving across the record.
Solution
Some units have an adjustable stylus pressure setting. Refer to your manual and make the necessary adjustments.
Farmers often use old-school methods to deal with pests like bugs, deer, or gophers. It is worth a shot, but it will not solve your problem(don’t try this at home).
Keep your records and turntable away from those hard surfaces. This can cause a lot of damage to the stylus and record. Hopefully, you’ll find something better soon.
The Old Stylus is Wearing Out
If your stylus has become old and worn out it’s going to sound awful which is an excellent indicator. Additionally, it can cause your tonearm to move across the floor and could even scratch your records.
The stylus is positioned in the grooves, and this action along with its pressure as well as the pressure of the anti-skate (that will be covered later) make up a stylus properly placed and doing its job.
To see if the stylus is worn out examine it carefully and look at the tiny point. If it appears to be flat saucers, it’s over.
Many record players with budget prices have needles of poor quality which should be replaced right away. Similar is the case for all compact players. Even the most powerful portable turntables are equipped with low-cost needles and cartridges.
Solution
It’s time for a new stylus, because OEM cartridges don’t last forever. For example, when you replace the cartridge, you’ll need to invest in a new stylus. If your stylus is shot, it’s time for you to replace your cart as well.
Insufficient Anti Skating Pressure
Physics. This is called physics. Turntables make use of mechanical components to do the job. This means that certain components must be held in place by springs. These springs come with pressure adjustment.
A majority of turntables feature an anti-skating feature. This adjustment is usually controlled by the tonearm’s up and down lever, and it typically a dial with numbers from 6 to the like. Each turntable comes with a suggested setting for this anti-skating adjustment.
Anti-skating is a setting that maintains opposing pressure on the tonearm, which is determined to adhere to the grooves on the record for the end of time. It ensures that the tonearm is on the record at the correct position.
Solution
If you didn’t manage to find your manual, the internet probably knows how to adjust your skates. Take a look at it if you need any help 🙂
Some skaters have an issue with their blades even when there may be a problem with the anti-skating adjustment. Remember though, it’s not the best idea to overcompensate with this adjustment. They may last for a while, but they eventually become worn out.
Worn Out Vinyl Record
Old, worn-out records still have some music left on the grooves. This will sound really crappy, because there are no tracks for the stylus to ride. It could get lost and go on a long journey by itself.
Solution
If you insist on playing those old records that have been played a billion times, please don’t play them! It’s true that they’re good for nostalgia, but you should only buy reissues to keep your collection contemporary.
Cartridge and Head Shell Alignment
The cartridge is, in fact, the most crucial component of the chain of audio. It has magnets with sensitive properties connected to a magical needle that detects sound hidden in wax.
If the alignment is not correct it may cause sliding and skating and damage the expensive Abbey Road LP. Everyone doesn’t want that.
If the head shell of your vehicle is not in alignment this can lead to similar issues. This is a problem, but it’s not difficult to correct by having some patience and an instruction manual for the user.
Solution
Your user manual usually has instructions on how to properly align your head shell and cartridge. It can be tough, but nothing difficult.
Dirty or Static Charged Record
It’s not identical to the worn out issue with records. I’ve bought new records and experienced this problem.
If you’ve purchased new records in the past you, you’ll know that it’s not unusual for them to contain high levels of static electrical current. This can not only cause a shock, but it could also cause the tonearm to move out of place.
A static force is one that is physically exerted similar to someone pushing against your tonearm. It’s not visible since it’s invisibly, as if it were a ghost.
Record that are dusty and dirty might not cause intense skating as static, but when your record is extremely filthy, it may.
Solution
Luckily there are anti-static sprays you can buy, but also brushes. This is a great set on Amazon. To get rid of dust, you just dampen your brush with a bit of water, roll it gently on a record, and the static is gone!
To clean a record with a different special spray, you may have to do some troubleshooting. Be sure to use that device to clear up any leftover dust or pet hair. You’ll be amazed at how clean it makes your records.
It’s time for you to clean up your records! Clearing out unnecessary junk will reduce the clutter on your hard drive and ensure that you can find what you’re looking for.
Anti-Slip Properties: How to Set Up Compensation on the Tonearm
There’s plenty of debate on the market regarding the nature, definition and methods of customizing in the field of fighting the ice. Some manufacturers don’t adhere to antiskating.
Many owners of players made of vinyl are more interested in understanding how the force of “riding” is displayed in the distortion analyzer, and how to adjust the compensation of your tonearm instead of discussing the root cause or the existence of the phenomenon known as anti-riding. We are more looking for solutions to this issue when distortions are observed by an analyzer for distortion.
As the table turns the stylus on the tonearm’s rotary cylinder could experience an irregular pressure across the walls of the groove that can cause a the lateral push, in that the stylus presses more on one end of the groove, than other. It is a lateral force, which is usually controlled by anti-slip adjustments, is result of the degree of displacement of the head’s body variations in grooves and other elements.
If there isn’t a compensation for the force sliding the force of vertical tracking distribution along the groove walls will increase on the Left Channel (the inside wall of the groove) which causes an increase in distortion of the Right channel and vice versa.
There aren’t all tonearms that offer anti-slip adjustments. For 12-inch tonearms, anti-slip safety is not always needed, however for levers that are 9 inches long, an force to prevent slips is often required.
Some recommend making a groove in an empty record to “monitor” what speed that the cartridge moves across the. Some make use of a mirror that is cut in the shape of an LP or a slip-proof cover. The speed can be determined by watching the slide of the cartridge across the surface. Some use torture tracks or other sophisticated instruments that test the bearings’ friction. Others utilize test tracks and their ear to determine the distortion of sound.
But all of these strategies are in any way related to what you’re trying to quantify and could result in an unintentional force against skating which may not be in alignment with the actual issue you’re trying to offset.
We believe that any instruments that attempt to determine the anti-slip force with no stylus being in the grooves of the LP during the recording’s rotation introduce an entirely distinct coefficient of friction that is experienced by the stylus. It is not correlated with the actual amount of friction and pressure in the playback settings that are real-time.
For instance, if you are using mirror plates or an unfinished plate with no grooves your coefficient of friction would differ from an ordinary plate that has actual grooves. They are not connected to one another, and this could result in incorrect results.
It is necessary to look back and see the impact of anti-skating. If the force of the anti-slip is too low the stylus puts an additional pressure over the inner or left sides of the groove, which causes an increase in distortion within the channel. If the force of the anti-slip is too big and too strong, it could cause excessive pressure on the outer or right wall of the groove which results in an increase in distortion of the L channel.
This is only measurable only when the stylus is placed in the slot when you play the recording. The idea behind our antiskating strategy is to reduce the distortion between the left and right channels.
Play the track of the anti-skating tests in the AnalogMagik test disc and utilize the Anti-Skating function within AnalogMagik software. AnalogMagik software. Repeat the tests with an increased or less forces against slip.. The force against slip is maximized in the event that distortion signals in the right and left channels are in balance in a way or are as similar to one to each other as they can be. We believe that distortion analyzers are much more precise than your ears in order to discern the distortions we hear.
In the end, results of any significance are dependent on VTF as well as the cartridge and tonearm’s design. When we used the right settings we saw a difference in distortion around 0.05 percent for each channel and with the best settings, the total number should be lower than percent.
Certain combinations of cartridges and tonearms may require different methods for anti-slip measurement (for instance, using pulse modulation, sine wave observation and so on. ) however, this is outside the scope of the method we’ve selected that according to us, is compatible with the majority of combination of tonearms.
Establishing Correlation & Obtaining Meaningful Results
Some setups allow us to establish a very strong correlation with anti-skating adjustments. For example, on the Schroder Reference tonearm, you can detect a change in number with the slightest shift in anti-skating. But on some tonearms, despite what we do, there will still be a negative correlation.
Anti-Skating is so disputed because of this reason.
The effects of Antis-kating is dependent on many factors:
- Mass of the armwand
- Vertical Tracking Force
If you’re able to detect an association, this indicates that the anti-skating adjustment is within the area where the amount of anti-skating is important. In these cases you’ll be in a position to optimize Anti-Skating with AnalogMagik’s AnalogMagik Anti-Skating THD% analysis.
If you have 12″ tonearms that track at 2g or more You may see an amount where the R and L channel distortion is already quite close. You may also notice that the numbers do not match with anti-skating variations. In these instances the force of anti-skating is not necessary.
Certain tonearm models are prone to imbalances and generate numbers that will be biased towards one channel, in these cases the only option is to fix it. Certain tonearms have too much anti-skating power even when they are at their lowest setting and the result is heavily dependent on the quality of the equipment.
It is important to realize that the force exerted by the stylus isn’t linear, so the amount of force required is different in relation to the position of the cartridge in relation to the spindle of record. The curve can be described as having an arc and the force of skating is greater at the outer groove than that of the inner groove, and the lowest within the middle. Some designs of tonearms have an element that increases the forces against skating gradually in order to counteract the non-linearity of the centripetal force.
The best anti-skating adjustment can be made at the outer grooves where skating force is strongest can lead to over-compensation in the inner grooves. This is the reason the anti-skating track has been placed close to the grooves’ inner edges.
Anti-skating affects crosstalk measurements. We’ve observed that when anti-skating settings are not correctly set this imbalance can (but it is not the only time) cause crosstalk readings to be distorted so that a perfect number is not reached. It is crucial to alternate to Anti-skating, Azimuth in addition to VTF as well as VTA to get the best number of numbers.
It is important to remember that each setup parameter cannot be optimized on its own. You must strive to reach optimal settings for all setup parameters feasible. For instance, if significant numbers are not able to be obtained in the Anti-Skating test this could be due to an error in the due to an inadvertent VTF, Azimuth or even alignment. It is possible to be required to switch through a variety of settings to obtain an acceptable result and the ideal setting.
Final Thoughts
If your record player needle keeps sliding out of place, run through the list above and see if anything on it helps solve your problem.
Almost all the potential issues a little further down. Once you know what’s causing the problem, try these solutions to fix it: (1) Clean your stylus. (2) Update your firmware. It may take a few minutes to get your turntable back up and running with no issues again!
FAQ for Suggestions Technics 1200 Anti-Skate Repair
What is anti-skate?
As a rule, most vinyl record players have this function. In those sound reproducing devices that do not provide manual anti-skate settings, they will most likely have a mechanism that will counteract the force of skating.
The fact that the vinyl turntable does not come with an anti-skid handle does not mean that the turntable will perform poorly.
The cartridge built into the tonearm does not need an adjustable protection function against needle rolling, since the cartridge is not removable, and it also does not require a counterweight. In a word, it will be impossible to adjust the strength of the counteraction manually.
How to set up an anti-skate correctly?
The cartridge will work correctly when a certain force or weight is applied vertically at the point of rolling between the tip of the needle and the groove with the recording on the vinyl record.
The required weight or tracking force will create the optimal condition for finding the needle inside the recording groove, which in turn allows the needle to accurately track the music you are listening to.
If the tracking force of the tracking is quite large, then the needle will simply file your plate, as well as the needle and cantilever will be difficult to move in vertical positions.
If the tracking force is too small, the needle will not be completely in the groove of the recording groove and will most likely jump all over the surface of the record.
How to check anti-skate on vinyl record players?
I know of two ways to check the correctness of the anti-skate settings.
The first of them is to use a special test Record, which contains certain signals with which you can adjust or evaluate the correct operation of your vinyl record player.
And with regard to the anti-skate, there is a certain signal in the recording, for each of the channels. All possible differences and distortions in the signal intensity are a clear sign of improper anti-skate settings.
You should try to adjust the anti-skate to such an extent that the sound becomes clear and the level is balanced.
The second way is to use a clean vinyl record, it is without grooves and with a flat surface, and of course without music.
What needs to be done to check the anti-skate mood: lower the needle to the middle of the record (after turning on the player) and observe its operation.
If it retains its location during playback, it means that the anti-skate is working correctly, and if the needle moves to the edge or center of the plate, then it is necessary to make an adjustment.
What should I do if there is no anti-skate function on the player?
There are a large number of vinyl record players (as a rule, this is a budget segment) on which the function of manual adjustment of the counteraction force is not provided, and unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about it.
However, you can still try to do something with players of this kind.
First you need to make sure that your sound reproducing device is set to the level and then turn on music playback.
If you notice that after leveling the player, the needle is still rolling, then experiment with paper pads, placing them under the legs in order to change the angle of the player.
How to properly install an anti-skate on a vinyl player that has an anitescating regulator?
To install an anti-skate on a player that has an anitescating control (often in the form of a round rotary knob with divisions applied to the right of the tonearm), start by setting it to the same value as the vertical tracking force used (VTF or downforce) on the counterweight of the tonearm. In particular, distortions on the inner groove can be quite noticeable.
Listen carefully to the last few minutes of the recording to determine whether you need to increase or decrease the antiskating. Listen to the distortion, perhaps it is most noticeable in the form of sibilance (this annoying hissing sound made when pronouncing certain letters or combinations of letters, such as “S” and “Sh”), and determine whether this sound is louder on one of the channels, left or right.
Adjust the anti-skate value until distortion is minimized. Now listen carefully at two or three different recording points. If you have used an alignment protractor to adjust the cartridge, listen to the alignment points. Listen for any differences in tone, dynamics, and sound stage at these points. If there are differences, some anti-skate setup may be required. If adjusting the anti-skate does not fix a specific problem, it may be caused by another reason.