Anti skate setting using blank disc

I came across a blank disc and thought why not give it a go and setup anti skate on my turntable correct. Put on the disc, made sure skating was set correct in that the arm didn't move in or out. Then on with a record and it sounded really bad. Adjusted by ear and had to increase anti skate pretty much and then on with the blank disc again and the arm was swinging inwards.

This leaves me to think blank discs for anti skate setting is not reliable at all. Anyone else with the same experience? I'll trust my ears instead but was surprised in how off it became with the blank disc.

 

The simplest way to set bias is to use headphones, and track 8, side 1 of this record HiFi News - Test LP Producer's Cut | Shop Music Direct
There are other records with similar things on them, but this one is readily available.

 

Don't understand how the arm now moves inward since you increased the anti skating. Does your AS have a calibrated dial or weight on a string?

 

Sorry it should be it moves outwards with increased anti skating. I have a dial. I use a Vertere DG-1.

 

You're using it wrong ... the tonearm must move inwards slowly in a blank disc.

Read the Soundsmith instructions for setting antiskate on the web site.

 

The tonearm is supposed to skate. Your goal is not to eliminate skating. Your goal is to center the stylus in the groove. If the stylus isn't centered, the outer wall is pushing the stylus to the center instead of the skating force. So slowly inward is desirable.

 

Just to get you in the ballpark set the anti skating dial the same as the tracking force. Double check tracking force with digital scale.

 

It seems to depend where I put my arm down on the blank disc. If I set anti skate so it moves slowly inwards from track 1 then it stops like 3-4cm in and stays there. If I with the same setting put down the arm on say last track on the blank disc then it moves outwards instead. Is this a correct behaviour? Should the result change depending on where I drop the arm?



This is my Turntable. I'm not sure what the dots relates to in terms of VTF. Nothing on it in the manual.

 

What was the blank disc made of? I use one to set mine (and have done so for decades) with excellent results. Almost no stylus wear, no record wear, cantilever is centered as it should be during play and in most cases, is close to the recommended dial settings. Some tables are slightly less, some are slightly more.

Glass does not work. Polycarbonate or Acrylic work the best.

 

Don't use a blank disc, use a record that has a good amount of runout. Lower the needle in between the runout groove, and it should slide slowly inwards (before it gets picked up by the runout groove). Check the Lederman method on the Soundsmith site for a better description of this !

 

Acrylic

 

When you drop the stylus on a disc, the amount of skating force is going to vary based on the indentation of the tip in the surface of the disc. Indentation is probably less with acrylic than vinyl. To have a good idea of how to set antiskating on acrylic, you’d need some experience observing the difference.

 

A dummy asks...I have that disc....could you explain what to listen for (via headphones)....I f anti-skate is "correct", what should you hear? I f it is wrong, what will you hear, and how would you correct it?

 

Are we using CD's for this test?

 

It tells you what to listen for on the back of the sleeve.
When things sound pretty much the same in both ears your work is done.
It obviously doesn't work if have severe listening imbalance between left and right ears.

 

Which test?
The one I've just described is an LP test record.

 

In a nutshell, you want to try to make both channels sound identical. Simple as that.

 

For Anti skate test using backside of cd, to see how the arm moves.

 

A CD is too small in diameter for a proper test of anti-skating. Use a LaserDisc or a vinyl LP with a blank side. The skating force changes depending on diameter while your turntable's anti-skating compensation is fixed, so it's always a compromise. Ideally it should be set and tested halfway through the side of a 12" record. If you set it using a CD you'll end up with too much anti-skating compensation.

 

People still using a blank disc for anti-skate? With all the information that’s out there, for shame. The stylus tracks very different in a groove compared to a blank disc.

So let’s put this all this blank disc stuff behind us and move on please.

 

https://www.sound-smith.com/faq/how-do-i-adjust-anti-skating-my-cartridge

 

Considering that friction is partial to the cause of skating, it makes sense to gauge it using the same material as a record. That means acrylic and polycarbonate plastics are out.

 

Track #8 is way too hot.

You're not going to encounter anything near that loud on anything but test albums.

12db is plenty sufficient for setting anti-skating.

Using more (than 12db) will likely result in too much anti-skating.

 

So a CD is just made from cheap plastic?

 

I doubt it, but it's the wrong type to test for AS.