Thanks for watching! 🎶🎧 Do drop your comments and questions below. If you'd like to support the channel, check the video description for many DISCOUNT CODES codes to enjoy money off various products and feed your vinyl habit! (I earn a small commission - no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!
I've lowered the tonearm on the records by hand since the 80s and none of those things have happened, I've never scrached any of my records, I have a lot of experience, but it was not because I didn't want to use the lever, it's because the lever of the turntable we had was broken and didn't function. Today I'm the proud owner of 800 records and most of them are in pristine condition.
Be very quiet now. The all things audio gods are easily spooked whilst engaged in their ceremonial self appraisals where the rigorous stroking of each others egos can often lead to climax. Very rare that to see so many in one place and in agreeance. Magical really.
When I studied radio broadcasting in college (mid '90s) we were taught how to play vinyl on the air. Mind you, this was at the height of the popularity of CDs! What we were taught was pretty similar to what's in this video, but with one extra step that will help further prevent the stylus from sliding the wrong way: Manually spin the record in neutral until you get to the absolute beginning of the music, then rotate the record counterclockwise a quarter turn. Then when you're ready, hit the start button. That way it'll start fairly quickly while still having enough time to spin up to full speed before the music starts. I do that with my records at home, although because I'm not queueing up the songs for airplay, I give it a half-rotation, not a quarter-rotation!
This excellent idea only works with a direct drive turntable unfortunately, a belt drive turntable takes time to get up to speed so you start the turntable well in advance before lowering the tonearm.
Cue lever, I’ve been looking for what the hell that was called. The turntables at the college radio station I did some time in had this feature and I swore to make sure any record player I ever got had it but didn’t know what to look for in product descriptions because I didn’t know it was called a “cue lever”. Thank you for this vital piece of information!
I really love your podcast, you have helped me learn so much,of how to get the most out of my,turntable @ improve my sound,it sounds alot better now,one improvement, was an acrylic mat,it made a great difference, thank you,so much
Great to hear! It’s always nice to hear those real-life stories as it makes putting these videos together worth while. Enjoy the music and thanks for watching! 🎶🎧
Excellent demonstration video on starting, lowering the cartridge. Thumbs up. An Ortofon Moving Coil ranks high, and a highly regarded cartridge; a Quintet Red Moving Coil! I Just want to add that dropping the needle in between the tracks could potentially cause damage. When I was very young, 12.5 to 14 years old back in late 1974, '75, I did not know better, and scratched records; a couple of vinyl discs got very damaged. Furthermore, Moving Magnet, or MC Cartridge, a replacement of a Stylus can be very expensive. Most MC cartridges are costly enough; whereby an MC is to be re-tipped as you aware of to have a new stylus installed. Therefore, even a light scratch can be detrimental to the sound of any recorded music on vinyl! Through experience I've learned to located the Stylus as close to that very small area between the tracks. Recently, from a couple of years ago, I simply let the cartridge pass through the entire side of tunes, and songs; whether I'm interested in the more preferable ones.🔉🎵🎶
I think maybe I need some help with a balance so how would I do that um? It's all new to me when I had a record player before. It was a plug in play when I get in the wall and it put the record on and it played this one it's? New. And I bought a year ago and I have not been able to play my records yet. So I'm in you know kind of a sad spot. Thanks for your help you've been very kind. I hope you have a pleasant day and I'll wait to hear from you. Thank you so much.
Just dropping a comment.. Hi Mark never have i ever not used the cue level,good advise though on preventing expensive and unwanted damage to just 2 most important parts.
They Andy! Thanks for watching. All this stuff is considered simple to you and I, but you’d be surprised how intimidated newcomers can feel! Enjoy the music my friend 🎶🎧
Personally, I prefer not to take any chances, and ALWAYS make it an absolute point to carefully lower the tonearm onto the record with the cue lever. Every time. No ifs, ands or buts. Period.
What about stopping mid record? Is it advisable to stop the platter spinning first before setting the cue lever to up. Does setting the cue lever to up on a spinning record damage the stylus?
The best way is to let the record play through from start to finish, but that's in an ideal world and we don't live in an ideal world. Generally, people say it's best to lift the stylus first as leaving the stylus still on the record could have a negative effect due to potentially heat energy generated during playback. This seems logical to me, though I've never scientifically tested how much heat energy there might be and the consequence on the record surface while stationary. Try and lift the stylus between tracks if you can, as this way you reduce the risk of damaging the record where music is located.
You can stop the music mid-song if you want to it won't do any harm , just be sure to lift the tonearm straight up in a fast enough motion so it instantly stops making sound and the needle doesn't skim across the grooves , i do it with my record player and it doesn't do any harm to my albums. To be safe if you're not confident in lifting the arm you can use the little lever to lift it so it doesn't slip from your fingers and crash down onto the record.
Hi, I've noticed that you own the Ortofon 2M Blue, as well as the Quintet Red. I currently have a 2M Blue and was considering getting into MC Cartridges, is the Quintet Red a worthwhile upgrade over the 2M Blue, what are the differences in your opinion? (I already own a MC Capable phono pre amp, Tube box S2)
Yes! I have recently purchased the Quintet as I need something MC given what I do. My first instinct is that it’s more agile as is expected with MC. However, I’ve not had chance to properly do any A/B comparison so far. Stay tuned on the channel as I’ll be doing just that at some point. Sorry I can’t give you any more detail than that just yet, but it would be unfair of me to give you a half baked response. 🎶🎧
So you release the cue lever, then, with the stylus already on the record, you start up the turntable? All my life I’ve released it and let it down on an already spinning platter.
Okay thanks. At 2:08 when you said “start the platter spinning” the image looks a bit like the stylus is down”. I’ve been doing it right for about the last fifty years. Whew😢!
I agree it does look as though the cartridge is on the vinyl when the TT is started probably an optical illusion, but I'm with you; start TT first, carbon brush the LP whilst the deck gets up to speed then align the cartridge with the run-in groove, lower the tonearm ensuring the stylus catches the groove then sit down relax and let the music flow.
@@seedney Oh yes, try lowering your tone arm onto a spinning deck without a record in situ, the stylus doesn't last long in those situations. But if you buy / have a moving magnet cartridge you may be able to just replace the stylus rather than the whole cartridge if the worst does happen. Not applicable to Rega cartridges as their styli cannot be swapped out by the end user.
@soundmatters yeah probably 4 out of every 5 times. The turntable performs great every other way so its likely user error, but I can't figure out why I can't start a record without it skating across the first 30 seconds almost every time.
Can we have another video re how to rise out of your chair and mobilise across the room to your record player, while managing to breathe at the same time?
@@mayhem492 You'd be surprised how many newbies get started with vinyl but know very little about the basic's, this is good advice for a newbie and could be updated with some of the suggestions in the comments.
Thanks for watching! 🎶🎧 Do drop your comments and questions below. If you'd like to support the channel, check the video description for many DISCOUNT CODES codes to enjoy money off various products and feed your vinyl habit! (I earn a small commission - no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!
I always drop it too early and it pops and then plays how, do I just get it right? I love any help on this.
I've lowered the tonearm on the records by hand since the 80s and none of those things have happened, I've never scrached any of my records, I have a lot of experience, but it was not because I didn't want to use the lever, it's because the lever of the turntable we had was broken and didn't function. Today I'm the proud owner of 800 records and most of them are in pristine condition.
I have a good handle on lowering the tonearm as well. I take my time.
The only thing I do that’s mentioned in the video is not having the record spinning.
Exactly. These kids today think that they're all experts yet they know nothing. 😅
Wow lucky. I just dropped a brand new record today. Big scratch in it now 😂
Be very quiet now. The all things audio gods are easily spooked whilst engaged in their ceremonial self appraisals where the rigorous stroking of each others egos can often lead to climax. Very rare that to see so many in one place and in agreeance. Magical really.
Love those thick LP edges where you put on the stylus and instantly slide into the song scratching it.
When I studied radio broadcasting in college (mid '90s) we were taught how to play vinyl on the air. Mind you, this was at the height of the popularity of CDs! What we were taught was pretty similar to what's in this video, but with one extra step that will help further prevent the stylus from sliding the wrong way:
Manually spin the record in neutral until you get to the absolute beginning of the music, then rotate the record counterclockwise a quarter turn. Then when you're ready, hit the start button. That way it'll start fairly quickly while still having enough time to spin up to full speed before the music starts. I do that with my records at home, although because I'm not queueing up the songs for airplay, I give it a half-rotation, not a quarter-rotation!
Nice radio insight there - love it! Keep spinning my friend!
This excellent idea only works with a direct drive turntable unfortunately, a belt drive turntable takes time to get up to speed so you start the turntable well in advance before lowering the tonearm.
Good advice for those starting with vinyl, the speed selection advice should include external power sources as often these contain the 33/45 switch.
Great to see a record lover presenting old school method. Thumps up. A real record lover. Like myself
Cue lever, I’ve been looking for what the hell that was called. The turntables at the college radio station I did some time in had this feature and I swore to make sure any record player I ever got had it but didn’t know what to look for in product descriptions because I didn’t know it was called a “cue lever”. Thank you for this vital piece of information!
Great video Mark- really useful info for beginners! 👍. Also like that turntable mat !
Thanks for watching! I appreciate this is simple stuff for most Sound Matters viewers, but it’s important to bring new folks in! Enjoy the music 🎶
I really love your podcast, you have helped me learn so much,of how to get the most out of my,turntable @ improve my sound,it sounds alot better now,one improvement, was an acrylic mat,it made a great difference, thank you,so much
Great to hear! It’s always nice to hear those real-life stories as it makes putting these videos together worth while. Enjoy the music and thanks for watching! 🎶🎧
Excellent demonstration video on starting, lowering the cartridge. Thumbs up. An Ortofon Moving Coil ranks high, and a highly regarded cartridge; a Quintet Red Moving Coil! I Just want to add that dropping the needle in between the tracks could potentially cause damage. When I was very young, 12.5 to 14 years old back in late 1974, '75, I did not know better, and scratched records; a couple of vinyl discs got very damaged.
Furthermore, Moving Magnet, or MC Cartridge, a replacement of a Stylus can be very expensive. Most MC cartridges are costly enough; whereby an MC is to be re-tipped as you aware of to have a new stylus installed.
Therefore, even a light scratch can be detrimental to the sound of any recorded music on vinyl! Through experience I've learned to located the Stylus as close to that very small area between the tracks. Recently, from a couple of years ago, I simply let the cartridge pass through the entire side of tunes, and songs; whether I'm interested in the more preferable ones.🔉🎵🎶
Excelent my friend, listening vinyl i feel the music alive... thanks
The plural of vinyl is vinyl, not vinyls. Lol.
THANKS
Thank you, this is so helpful!
Glad it was helpful! Enjoy the music 🎶
I think maybe I need some help with a balance so how would I do that um? It's all new to me when I had a record player before. It was a plug in play when I get in the wall and it put the record on and it played this one it's? New. And I bought a year ago and I have not been able to play my records yet. So I'm in you know kind of a sad spot. Thanks for your help you've been very kind. I hope you have a pleasant day and I'll wait to hear from you. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much! I’m just a little kid trying to know how to use records properly harhar
Just dropping a comment..
Hi Mark never have i ever not used the cue level,good advise though on preventing expensive and unwanted damage to just 2 most important parts.
They Andy! Thanks for watching. All this stuff is considered simple to you and I, but you’d be surprised how intimidated newcomers can feel! Enjoy the music my friend 🎶🎧
With practise, lifting and placing your tonearm should be a matter of self taught care and skill.
Personally, I prefer not to take any chances, and ALWAYS make it an absolute point to carefully lower the tonearm onto the record with the cue lever. Every time. No ifs, ands or buts. Period.
What about stopping mid record? Is it advisable to stop the platter spinning first before setting the cue lever to up. Does setting the cue lever to up on a spinning record damage the stylus?
The best way is to let the record play through from start to finish, but that's in an ideal world and we don't live in an ideal world. Generally, people say it's best to lift the stylus first as leaving the stylus still on the record could have a negative effect due to potentially heat energy generated during playback. This seems logical to me, though I've never scientifically tested how much heat energy there might be and the consequence on the record surface while stationary. Try and lift the stylus between tracks if you can, as this way you reduce the risk of damaging the record where music is located.
@@soundmatters I can see why that would make sense. Thanks for the reply, very helpful!
@@eoinodonnell Happy spinning! 🎶
You can stop the music mid-song if you want to it won't do any harm , just be sure to lift the tonearm straight up in a fast enough motion so it instantly stops making sound and the needle doesn't skim across the grooves , i do it with my record player and it doesn't do any harm to my albums. To be safe if you're not confident in lifting the arm you can use the little lever to lift it so it doesn't slip from your fingers and crash down onto the record.
is the cue lever adjustable ,mine seems to drop to fast [audio technica 120]
This is a common problem on the AT120. This guy has a video showing a fix using silicone:
ua-cam.com/video/CQxvnLpv1hQ/v-deo.htmlsi=bnnzMz3uTHuFr0Bq
How do I get the needle fix
what is your thought on that quintet red cartridge?
So far, I really like it. I'm just trying to decide if I can afford to be a "moving coil person"😅💰💰💸
Thanks!
Thanks for your generosity 🎶🎧
Hi, I've noticed that you own the Ortofon 2M Blue, as well as the Quintet Red. I currently have a 2M Blue and was considering getting into MC Cartridges, is the Quintet Red a worthwhile upgrade over the 2M Blue, what are the differences in your opinion? (I already own a MC Capable phono pre amp, Tube box S2)
Yes! I have recently purchased the Quintet as I need something MC given what I do. My first instinct is that it’s more agile as is expected with MC. However, I’ve not had chance to properly do any A/B comparison so far. Stay tuned on the channel as I’ll be doing just that at some point. Sorry I can’t give you any more detail than that just yet, but it would be unfair of me to give you a half baked response. 🎶🎧
Thanks!
@@soundmatters
So you release the cue lever, then, with the stylus already on the record, you start up the turntable? All my life I’ve released it and let it down on an already spinning platter.
You've got it correct. Start the platter spinning so it can get up to speed before lowering. 👍
Okay thanks. At 2:08 when you said “start the platter spinning” the image looks a bit like the stylus is down”. I’ve been doing it right for about the last fifty years. Whew😢!
@@recordtime4923 Ah, I see. Yes, this video is intended at absolute beginners. Enjoy the music my friend! 🎶
I agree it does look as though the cartridge is on the vinyl when the TT is started probably an optical illusion, but I'm with you; start TT first, carbon brush the LP whilst the deck gets up to speed then align the cartridge with the run-in groove, lower the tonearm ensuring the stylus catches the groove then sit down relax and let the music flow.
Great advice I cringe when I see people placing the stylus on the lead-in grove by hand.
how can I be sure that my stylus will be blocked from scratching the label?
Every record has a locked groove at the end that prevents the stylus simply running into the label area. Hope this answers your question
@@soundmatters ok, but can we damage stylus somehow?
@@seedney Oh yes, try lowering your tone arm onto a spinning deck without a record in situ, the stylus doesn't last long in those situations. But if you buy / have a moving magnet cartridge you may be able to just replace the stylus rather than the whole cartridge if the worst does happen. Not applicable to Rega cartridges as their styli cannot be swapped out by the end user.
Hi Mark, what turntable is that? Thanks
Hey! It’s a Technics SL1500c - thanks for watching 🎶🎧
I noticed the speed selector on my Technics SL-D2 says 33. Is this a red flag or is it miss marked?
They're labeled 33 and 45 respectively. 33 being rounded down from 33 1/3
❤❤❤❤❤
Why does it skate over and skip the very beginning of the song every. Single. Time?
Sorry, I don't quite understand. Is your tonearm skating across the record surface?
@soundmatters yeah probably 4 out of every 5 times. The turntable performs great every other way so its likely user error, but I can't figure out why I can't start a record without it skating across the first 30 seconds almost every time.
Can we have another video re how to rise out of your chair and mobilise across the room to your record player, while managing to breathe at the same time?
This video isn't for you
@@soundmatters
Please tell me it’s not for anyone over 8 years old, please!!!
@@mayhem492 You'd be surprised how many newbies get started with vinyl but know very little about the basic's, this is good advice for a newbie and could be updated with some of the suggestions in the comments.
What a phaff! 😮
I’ll stick with CD 💿 thanks 🤷♂️
Fair enough! Enjoy the music however it suits you 🎶🎧
no idea why you watch it
What a load of nonsense 😅
How do you do it then?
i just ordered my first record player or turntable
Welcome to the hobby. Enjoy! 🎶🎧