How do YOU keep your needles from skipping when scratching?

[Suprarick]

Hello,

So I have a MK5 Technic SL-1200 that I use to spin. I'm currently using a Shure M44 needle with a Technic Headshell. It was working great and I could scratch the s*** out of it when it was new. Now that the needle has some wear on it, it's starting to show signs of weakness.

I want to make this thread, so that way we can all figure out unique and creative ways that DJs use to prevent needles from skipping when performing scratches of various sorts.

I'll go ahead and start. The obvious one is to buy new needles, but that's not the point of the thread as sometimes needles start to give in the middle of a gig.

1) Raise or lower the tone arm to adjust the weight on the needle which is on the record.
2) Adjust the position and/or angle of the needle on the headshell by using the screws on the headshell itself.
3) Try new slipmats which may raise or lower the record.

And....GO.

[negativejeff]

Proper tone arm set up is key. Here is a thread about just that. http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?10419-Tonearm-Calibration&highlight=tone+arm+set+up . But as for scratching i set grams alittle higher. (warning this will wear your stylus and vinyl rapidly). some DJ's will turn the counter weight around backwards and turn it all the way toward the cartridge. As well as angle the cartridge a bit simulating a straight arm. If you don't care bout wearing vinyl and stylus i'd say play around with height and weight.

[VjQue]

Proper tone arm set up is key. Here is a thread about just that. http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?10419-Tonearm-Calibration&highlight=tone+arm+set+up . But as for scratching i set grams alittle higher. (warning this will wear your stylus and vinyl rapidly). some DJ's will turn the counter weight around backwards and turn it all the way toward the cartridge. As well as angle the cartridge a bit simulating a straight arm. If youdon't care bout wearing vinyl and stylus i'd say play around with height and weight. this is how i do mines from day one since 84 when i got my first 1200

[DTR]

Use M44-7s.

Handle the record like the oldskool DJs; not by pushing down but holding the edge pushing sideways towards the spindle.

[Sigma]

These are the ways to do it: -

1. Make sure your turntables are free of faults (particularly the tonearm and anti-skate) and are set up on a sturdy, level surface.
2. Attach the headshells straight and with the correct amount of overhang.
3. Set the tonearm height so that that tonearm is level (i.e. not tilting up or down) when the needle is down on the record.
4. Set the tonearm weight to the recommended number of grammes, which is usually a range so you may need to experiment a little.
5. If your turntable has anti-skate, set it to 0. You can set it to whatever weight figure you have applied on the tonearm, but I always find 0 works best.
6. Make sure the stylus tips aren't worn or covered in dust and crap.
7. Make sure your records aren't covered in dust/crap, that they're not badly warped, and that the hole in the centre isn't too big, as that causes the record to wobble about on the spindle.
8. Develop some finesse so you're not heavy-handed.

And a personal recommendation if you're using Shures is to not install the extra metal plate/weight when fitting the headshell, as this seems to increase skipping, mainly on turntables that don't have straight tonearms.

Also, sometimes you'll get a record that's just a really shitty pressing and it'll skip even though none of your others do (more than is normal anyway), so always try scratching with a few different records before you decide that there's a problem, because it may just be that one record.

A common mistake is to not have everything set up right in the first place. That often leads to the DJ doing things like reversing the counter-weight and pushing it all the way in, or the old "blu-tack a coin to the headshell" nonsense, but that only increases wear on your styli/records. If your decks aren't faulty, everything is set up right, and your needles/records aren't covered in crap or worn out, then it's almost always down to heavy-handedness.

[DTR]

And a personal recommendation if you're using Shures is to not install the extra metal plate/weight when fitting the headshell, as this seems to increase skipping, mainly on turntables that don't have straight tonearms.

This reminded me of something. To get the most from a cart you need to get the resonant frequency of the tonearm + cart down to around 11Hz or so. Quite often that means adding mass to the headshell (even though you compensate for this with the counterweight). When I'm back at the computer later today I'll do the calculation and see how it pans out for the Shures...

[DTR]

You were spot on Sigma.

The recommended resonant frequency (RF) is between 8 and 12Hz. On a 1200, the RF for a M44-7 without the weight is 8.266Hz. With the weight it drops to 7.85Hz. That's not a huge problem but it is moving towards the region where it will be affected by vibrations caused by touching the record.

[Phi]

Practice and proper setup.

I do most of my practice in a DVS on relative mode so skipping is not a problem, but I find that now I have gained enough record control to be gentle and precise with real vinyl and rarely skip.