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introduction : calibration : troubleshooting Calibrating your Turntable This is a fairly critical part of the DJing set up so its worth taking time to do this properly and ensure its as accurate as you can get it. Badly calibrated needles can mean they wear out quicker than they should and give you poor quality play back. The biggest disadvantage is that you may find the decks are totally unstable and skip grooves under the most sensitive of handling, even when cueing. For more info on types of stylus and cartridge click here. If you need a reminder of the terminology or what each part does check the turntable functions page
Getting Your Decks Level As with all things Turntably, if you have a budget setup nothing in the world will make them un-skippable apart from an upgrade to the best decks on the market. Poor quality engineered product will only do an average basic job. As long as you don't expect your Kams to be Technics you should be able to make them at least stable-ish for 90% of the time with some careful hand ling. Firstly you need to ensure the turntable itself is totally level. It shouldn't be assumed that a table or desk your decks sit on is level. This means getting a spirit level and checking it is flat from left to right. I got hold of a tiny pocket sized one from B&Q. Cost about three quid.
Don't forget to do the same from front to back checking in several places across the TT. No good if its on a slope in any direction. Should you find there is inconsistency it needs to be leveled. You should find that any adjustments can be corrected by undoing the screw-in feet on the turntable. This allows you to raise any particular corner of the TT by screwing or unscrewing each individual foot. You should have it level in no time. Should you not have adjustable height on your decks you'll need to get some beer mats or similar and get it as level as you can.
It's probably best not to go into this in too much detail as each cartridge will be different so always following the manufacturers provided instructions. You will need these instructions also for future reference when setting up the weight for the stylus. If you do need to wire it up it should be a matter of unscrewing the cartridge from the head shell. This will leave you four coloured wires. This connect from the back of the cartridge to the tone arm. If you are doing this for the first time be very careful as this is delicate. Push each one onto the pin of the same colour and try to press it in using fingers from both sides to ensure it goes on straight. Bend one and your investment will be no use to you. So we assume you've wired the cartridge and slid the new stylus into place. It is all clipped back onto the tonearm, all stable and we're good to go. If not re-read your manufacturers instructions. I'll wait here for you! Leveling the Tonearm We need to find the central balancing point of the tonearm so before we start turn off your stereo if its on. If its new remove any protective plastic housing on the stylus that won't be there when you play your records. Gently lift the tonearm from its cradle by the handle on the cartridge. Whilst holding it level adjust the weight on the back of the tonearm and twiddle this so that the final result is the tonearm floating level and parallel to the Turntable. You don't want the cartridge tipping forward toward the record or too much weight at the back making the cartridge point up in the air. Get it as level and horizontal as possible.
Once the tonearm is level there is a numbered dial on the tonearm. Holding the weight steady to prevent it rotating turn the numbered dial ONLY so that it set to 0. The tonearm is now zeroed. Holding the weight only now, using the max weight recommendation as set by the manufacturer of your stylus, turn the weight and add the required number of grams by increasing the number from 0. As you do this the cartridge will lower towards the platter. If your max recommended weight is 3 grams increase the weight so the dial goes from being totally level at 0 to 3. Dead easy. If it is recommended you use more than the numbered wheel will allow you should have got some small square lead weights that slide in between the cartridge and head shell. Unscrew the cartridge from the headshell put the weights in then bolt it all back together. Re-zero the tonearm and then add the correct number of grams. This means you don't have to blue take a 1p coin to the top of the head shell to get the extra weight.
This is probably the least understood part of a turntable and can be the cause of getting through needles quicker than you should. You may find that over time you are getting less noise from one speaker than the other. This can be the result of the anti-skate setting being wrong. If you need to know more about the functionality of the anti skate setting click here. To check this properly you need to get a 12" record that is a one sided promo. One side will have normal grooves on it where the tune is , the other side will be totally smooth and is uncut. It will be totally smooth and shiny. Pop it on the platter shiny side up. Ensuring the stereo is off and the platter is on, place the needle on the shiny side of the promo. You want the needle to sit dead in the centre of the record. It shouldn't pull towards the middle of the record and shouldn't push out towards the edge. It should sit in the middle on its own with the platter running. Adjust the anti-skate dial until this happens. You then know that the tonearm is tracking correctly.
It should be noted that if you have installed a new stylus it won't be unskippable from the minute you put it on the cartridge. You need a certain period of usage to wear the stylus in. Choose a record that you know is flat and is not warped in any way. Also ensure that the record fits snuggly around the spindle and there is as little movement as you can get. A perfectly balanced tonearm will still be hopeless if there is a lot of movement on the record around the spindle. One method is to put part of a cigarette paper through the hole in the record and then place it on the deck. This should create a nice snug fit. If this doesn't work, get a circular stationary label and stick it covering the centre hole of the record on the on the reverse side of the record you are trying. Ensuring the spindle is central, push the record down onto the spindle so it punches a hole and comes up through the stationary label. This will prevent any sideways movement and further prevent any skipping. Cue the record up (preferably somewhere near the middle of the record as this is its truest point. Switch your stereo/hifi on, and pop the fader on your mixer in the middle.
There are several ways to do this before you can go scratch crazy. First option is to find a record that has an infinite final groove. This means when the record gets to the end it will sit in the last groove going round and round. You don't want one that then allows the needle to move on and ride the centre label. Switch on the deck to 33 speed with the stylus in the final groove and leave the platter turned on and let it go round and round for a few hours. You might want to take this opportunity to do something else as although it can be somewhat hypnotising it can also be seen as a bit of a boring pastime. This process will help shape the stylus to the new calibration settings and ensure you are getting a good connection between the stylus and the groove walls of the vinyl. If you don't have a record that lets you do this you can leave the needle on the record so the weight is still there but leave the deck switched off. This will have the same effect but worth leaving this overnight. Use the final grooves on the vinyl as before and preferably use a record you aren't bothered with. It shouldn't do any damage to your record but better to be safe than sorry. All you need is to knock the deck whilst using your favourite tune on it and you could send the tonearm flying across it, scratching it up. Better to be safe than sorry is my advice.
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