tips on technics 1200's

[02tranzam]

hi everyone,
im almost to embarrased to ask this question. but what is the function of the little black anti-skate dial in the back of the tonearm. i really beleive it doesnt have to be there it doesnt change any aspect of sound or anything else.please someone give me an answer that will make me change my mind. and what about the height adjustment dial. what the deal with that.

[BrunoRepublic]

Originally Posted by 02tranzam

hi everyone,
im almost to embarrased to ask this question. but what is the function of the little black anti-skate dial in the back of the tonearm.

Antiskate provides a counterforce to the tonearm's natural tendancy to move towards the center of the disc. This ensures even wear on both walls of the groove, less distortion, and reduces the chance of skipping. Ideal settings vary for stylus type, tracking force, and playing style (i.e. straightforward listening or DJing with backcueing).

i really beleive it doesnt have to be there

I was at a party where they'd hired a DJ who didn't know what they were for. He had them set to 0, and couldn't figure out why the records kept skipping forward. I changed them to -2 and everything was fine after that.

it doesnt change any aspect of sound

It does with a decent cartridge, but then you wouldn't likely find one of those on a 1200.

and what about the height adjustment dial. what the deal with that.

This is known as VTA (vertical tracking angle), and has a much more subtle effect, although some people claim to be very sensitive to it. Again, it is really only noticeable with a hyperelliptical or microline stylus, and you'd never have one of those for DJing. Anyway, you usually want the stylus to be perpendicular to the record surface. If you're using a tall (or short) cartridge, or a thick slipmat, or playing heavy 200g vinyl, this will be off. Some claim that it impacts how the treble/bass respond... I don't yet have a table with adjustable VTA, so I can't really comment.

[02tranzam]

hi graham, thanks for shedding some light on the subject i greatly appreciate it. i have a pair of stanton needles i dont know the model numbers but they are the ones with the green lettering on the side. would you or anybody else know what setting i should use for them. (they are the long ones that comes with there own handle).
thanks,
carmine

[BrunoRepublic]

Originally Posted by 02tranzam

hi graham, thanks for shedding some light on the subject i greatly appreciate it. i have a pair of stanton needles i dont know the model numbers but they are the ones with the green lettering on the side. would you or anybody else know what setting i should use for them. (they are the long ones that comes with there own handle).
thanks,
carmine

Generally, anti-skate should be set to be the same as the vertical tracking force. However, if you are doing slipcueing/scratching, it should be set to half of that. The reason being that when pushing the vinyl backwards, the anti-skate effect is doubled, and it will likely jump out of the groove.