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How to Set Up Your Turntable

This guide will help you set up your turntable correctly.

Turntable setup is an important part of your record listening experience. Improper setup can result in skipping and may even damage your records. If you’ve been looking for information on how to set up a turntable, these tips are here to help.

Turntable setup is an important part of your record listening experience. Improper setup can result in skipping and may even damage your records. If you’ve been looking for information on how to set up a turntable, these tips are here to help.

Read the manual

For this example, we’re going to use the always trusty Technics 1200. The Technics 1200 is widely considered to be the industry standard turntable for DJing. When you’re setting up a turntable, the first thing you should do is read the manual. If your turntable’s manufacturer suggests something different than what’s discussed here, it’s probably best to follow their suggestions.

Plug it in

How and what you’re plugging your turntable into is an important part of getting your turntable setup correct. Always make sure all your equipment is turned off before making any connections to avoid damaging your speakers.

The Technics 1200 produces a phono output signal. A phono output level is significantly lower than the normal line or aux level that comes out of your phone or other media player, so it needs to be boosted. If you’re plugging in a phono output into a DJ mixer, there’ll be a preamp built in — just make sure you use the mixer’s phono inputs.

photoof the various wires that are used to connect a turntable to an amplifier and power.  Ground, Red and White RCA terminals and a north american power plug are noted

Most old stereo receivers will also have phono inputs. If you’re plugging a phono output into a newer stereo receiver or directly into powered speakers, you’ll need a phono preamp to boost the signal to line level. Phono output turntables also need to be externally grounded. Your phono input device will have a small screw where you can affix the ground fork from the turntable. If you’re using a newer home listening or portable style turntable, there’s a good chance the preamp is built into the turntable itself. Be sure to check your turntable’s manual first.

Where’s your head?

A lot of newer turntables will come complete with a needle, cartridge, and headshell, however, the Technics 1200 does not. For this example, we’re using another industry standard: the Shure M44-7 cartridge and stylus, also known as the needle. The cartridge will need to be attached to the headshell, which will then be attached to the tonearm.

photo of the components of a turntable cartridge.  the headshell, cartridge and stylus are noted.

You should use extreme care when attaching the cartridge to the headshell and always be sure to follow the instructions included with your cartridge. Once you’ve got your stylus, cartridge, and headshell fully assembled, line up the guide posts and gently screw the assembled headshell onto the tonearm.

Achieve balance

Now we’re ready to set up the tonearm’s counterweight, which determines how much tracking force is applied to the cartridge. Setting the tracking force too low will cause your needle to skip, and setting it too high can wear down your records and stylus prematurely.

various components of a turn table tone arm mount.  Tonearm, Cue lever, Anti-skating dial, and counterweight are noted

With the cue lever down, set the anti-skating to 0 and bring the tonearm over the platter, gently supporting it with your finger from the headshell. Now, adjust the tonearm counterweight back and forth until the tonearm is balanced in a level position like a see-saw. Once you’ve got a good balance going, you can return the tonearm to its resting position.

With the tonearm balanced, the tracking force is now at 0 grams, so we’ll need to adjust the dial on the front of the counterweight to 0. Now we’re ready to dial the counterweight tracking force to what’s recommended by the cartridge’s manual. The Shure M44-7 recommends a tracking force of 1.5 to 3 grams, however, your cartridge and the way you play records may require different settings.

Setting the anti-skate

Anti-skate counteracts the tonearm from being pulled into the center of the turntable and the side wall of the vinyl’s groove. Generally, the anti-skate setting should be the same as the tracking force on the cartridge, however, a lot of DJs leave it at 0 to prevent jumping while scratching or back cueing.

close up of an anti-skating setting dial

Platters matter

Most turntables like the Technics 1200 will come with a rubber or felt mat that goes on top of the platter. For home listening purposes, a rubber or cork will work really well for absorbing unwanted vibrations. For DJing purposes, a felt mat is preferred to reduce friction while scratching or cueing. The thickness of your mat will determine how high you’ll need to set your tonearm.

photo of a black technics turntable with a discogs logo slipmat on it

On the Technics 1200, you can adjust the height of the tonearm using the large outer ring where the tonearm connects to the deck.

That’s it! Now that you’ve got your turntable set up, you’re ready to start spinning.

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