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I'm not an expert on vinyl. The only record players I've interacted with have only had two speeds. Do most of them do variable spin rates? How frequently do th

I'm not an expert on vinyl. The only record players I've interacted with have only had two speeds. Do most of them do variable spin rates? How frequently do the rates get out of sync? What causes it? Do they vary on an album by album basis?

CaptainOfCoit 2y ago
> I'm not an expert on vinyl. The only record players I've interacted with have only had two speeds. Do most of them do variable spin rates? Lots of turntables have variable speed, DJs can tell you more about it :) > How frequently do the rates get out of sync? What causes it? Do they vary on an album by album basis? When you're DJing, one of the main things you'd deal with, is making things be in sync, one way or another. I'm not sure how much value you'd get from an app like this that seems to be more "fire and forget" and not for on-the-fly matching. I'm guessing this app is for people who do their own maintenance, repairs and such of turntables, so they can easily verify their work.
- hnlmorg 2y ago
  I don’t think this would be aimed at DJ turntables. It doesn’t matter if those things drift because you’re never playing anything locked in at a specific RPM. Plus DJ turntables tend to be direct drive, which should be pretty consistent. Where as consumer record players tend to be more belt drives. And I’m assuming those belts can stretch with time?
  - CaptainOfCoit 2y ago
    > I don’t think this would be aimed at DJ turntables I agree :) > Plus DJ turntables tend to be direct drive, which should be pretty consistent Indeed, but once you start doing repairs and/or modifications, things can get fuzzy. Maybe the app would help those people?
    - LM358 2y ago
      People who are serious about turntable repair have calibration records with sine waves for that purpose.
beAbU 2y ago
Fancy record players have a trim setting where you can fine adjust the speed up or down a semitone. But all of them have a built in stroboscope/calibrator to help get the speed right. I think the drag of the needle impacts the speed, hence the desire to tune it per record. Audioplebs need not apply.
yial 2y ago
So really short description, you have 33, 45, and 78 rpm. Most record players are belt drive. Anything that is belt drive usually has some slip / variation (if more familiar to you, imagine the belt drive on a lawn tractor). Many have a finer adjustment to tune the spin rate. +- off of the selected rate. (Perhaps you selected 33 rpm but it’s really spinning at 32) I’m sure someone who knows much more then I do, could give a much better explanation along with other types of tuning. (Arm weights, needles, etc etc)
- echoangle 2y ago
  Is the problem really the slip in the belt drive? I thought its just the motor driving it at a slightly wrong speed.
  - yial 2y ago
    That may be the case, my experience is with a limited number of record players. I only commonly use a dual 1219, dual 1229, (both purchased for under $30), and a victor victrola from 1908 so my knowledge is severely limited despite having played with others it’s focused on those units.
datpiff 2y ago
Models targeted at DJs will have variable speed adjustment on the front panel to allow beat-matching. Some turntables for home listening will have 2 or 3 speeds with a fine adjustment for calibration. Rates will be off due to manufacturing tolerance or mechanical wear (i.e. a loose belt slipping on a motor). Most people don't worry about it. It doesn't really vary album-to-album, unless you have some ridiculously heavy records that slow the motor.
tpurves 2y ago
Yes, it turns out that it is rare for mass-produced mechanical devices like record players to spin at exactly the rate they are supposed to (eg 33.3 or 45). Or they can drift put of calibration over time. Often they will be a few % off or worse for really cheap players. Usually there is a way to adjust calibration by turning a small screw someplace on the machine.
rufus_foreman 2y ago
DJ turn tables have a pitch fader and lights for calibration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbdK94vl_Bs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbdK94vl_Bs.
- empath75 2y ago
  I used to DJ with vinyl at clubs and I don't think I ever knew a DJ that looked at those lights even once.
  - recursive 2y ago
    A DJ has no use for knowing if the turntable is calibrated correctly in an absolute sense. Only whether this song is calibrated with that song. And for that, good old fashion human ears will suffice.
okatbest 2y ago
So you have multiple speed settings (33.3RPM, 45RPM etc.), but most if not all players also have a little adjustment knob to tweak those settings more precisely. Good players will have it on the front, and will have a strobe to help you adjust that (the little dots you see on the outside of the platter on fancy players). However, cheaper players may not have an easy way to adjust, and some (like mine) hide the knob under so it's a pain to adjust. Cheaper players are more likely to come misconfigured from the factory. I asked a lot of friends (who are amateurs, not audiophiles) to test this app out and every single one had a turntable that required adjustment. Mine's running at 34.6 RPM which is just 3% off, but when listening to my favorite albums I can definitely tell that it's too fast and too high pitched. The speed will also sometimes drift slowly over time, which is why it took me a while to notice my table was off. If you have a turntable, you can try listening to the same song from a record and from a digital release, and see if you can hear a difference. If you do, I know just the app for you!
vel0city 2y ago
Even a cheaper record player will often have some kind of adjustment on the motor itself. There is sometimes a small screw on the motor that can do some fine adjustments of the speed. Belts age. Friction within the motor and the table's bearing will change over time. It is not necessarily a frequent thing that needs to be done, but usually the speed will change slightly over the life of the table.

CaptainOfCoit 2y ago

> I'm not an expert on vinyl. The only record players I've interacted with have only had two speeds. Do most of them do variable spin rates? Lots of turntables have variable speed, DJs can tell you more about it :) > How frequently do the rates get out of sync? What causes it? Do they vary on an album by album basis? When you're DJing, one of the main things you'd deal with, is making things be in sync, one way or another. I'm not sure how much value you'd get from an app like this that seems to be more "fire and forget" and not for on-the-fly matching. I'm guessing this app is for people who do their own maintenance, repairs and such of turntables, so they can easily verify their work.

hnlmorg 2y ago
I don’t think this would be aimed at DJ turntables. It doesn’t matter if those things drift because you’re never playing anything locked in at a specific RPM. Plus DJ turntables tend to be direct drive, which should be pretty consistent. Where as consumer record players tend to be more belt drives. And I’m assuming those belts can stretch with time?
- CaptainOfCoit 2y ago
  > I don’t think this would be aimed at DJ turntables I agree :) > Plus DJ turntables tend to be direct drive, which should be pretty consistent Indeed, but once you start doing repairs and/or modifications, things can get fuzzy. Maybe the app would help those people?
  - LM358 2y ago
    People who are serious about turntable repair have calibration records with sine waves for that purpose.

beAbU 2y ago

Fancy record players have a trim setting where you can fine adjust the speed up or down a semitone. But all of them have a built in stroboscope/calibrator to help get the speed right. I think the drag of the needle impacts the speed, hence the desire to tune it per record. Audioplebs need not apply.

yial 2y ago

So really short description, you have 33, 45, and 78 rpm. Most record players are belt drive. Anything that is belt drive usually has some slip / variation (if more familiar to you, imagine the belt drive on a lawn tractor). Many have a finer adjustment to tune the spin rate. +- off of the selected rate. (Perhaps you selected 33 rpm but it’s really spinning at 32) I’m sure someone who knows much more then I do, could give a much better explanation along with other types of tuning. (Arm weights, needles, etc etc)

echoangle 2y ago
Is the problem really the slip in the belt drive? I thought its just the motor driving it at a slightly wrong speed.
- yial 2y ago
  That may be the case, my experience is with a limited number of record players. I only commonly use a dual 1219, dual 1229, (both purchased for under $30), and a victor victrola from 1908 so my knowledge is severely limited despite having played with others it’s focused on those units.

datpiff 2y ago

Models targeted at DJs will have variable speed adjustment on the front panel to allow beat-matching. Some turntables for home listening will have 2 or 3 speeds with a fine adjustment for calibration. Rates will be off due to manufacturing tolerance or mechanical wear (i.e. a loose belt slipping on a motor). Most people don't worry about it. It doesn't really vary album-to-album, unless you have some ridiculously heavy records that slow the motor.

tpurves 2y ago

Yes, it turns out that it is rare for mass-produced mechanical devices like record players to spin at exactly the rate they are supposed to (eg 33.3 or 45). Or they can drift put of calibration over time. Often they will be a few % off or worse for really cheap players. Usually there is a way to adjust calibration by turning a small screw someplace on the machine.

rufus_foreman 2y ago

DJ turn tables have a pitch fader and lights for calibration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbdK94vl_Bs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbdK94vl_Bs.

empath75 2y ago
I used to DJ with vinyl at clubs and I don't think I ever knew a DJ that looked at those lights even once.
- recursive 2y ago
  A DJ has no use for knowing if the turntable is calibrated correctly in an absolute sense. Only whether this song is calibrated with that song. And for that, good old fashion human ears will suffice.

okatbest 2y ago

So you have multiple speed settings (33.3RPM, 45RPM etc.), but most if not all players also have a little adjustment knob to tweak those settings more precisely. Good players will have it on the front, and will have a strobe to help you adjust that (the little dots you see on the outside of the platter on fancy players). However, cheaper players may not have an easy way to adjust, and some (like mine) hide the knob under so it's a pain to adjust. Cheaper players are more likely to come misconfigured from the factory. I asked a lot of friends (who are amateurs, not audiophiles) to test this app out and every single one had a turntable that required adjustment. Mine's running at 34.6 RPM which is just 3% off, but when listening to my favorite albums I can definitely tell that it's too fast and too high pitched. The speed will also sometimes drift slowly over time, which is why it took me a while to notice my table was off. If you have a turntable, you can try listening to the same song from a record and from a digital release, and see if you can hear a difference. If you do, I know just the app for you!

vel0city 2y ago

Even a cheaper record player will often have some kind of adjustment on the motor itself. There is sometimes a small screw on the motor that can do some fine adjustments of the speed. Belts age. Friction within the motor and the table's bearing will change over time. It is not necessarily a frequent thing that needs to be done, but usually the speed will change slightly over the life of the table.