Questions about turntables

[ImNotDedYet]

You'll definitely find different records behave differently.

[3heads]

I tried a different record on that one turntable and it worked just fine. It's tough working with gear you know nothing about. Tempted to take them in to my service guy just to see what's up.

So my guess was most likely accurate. No need to take the tables anywhere

[Deejaesnafu]

Does not necessarily have to be the turntable. Maybe the record is warped and/or the center hole is a bit too big, could contribute to something like this, as well

yah forgot about this... ive had 2 copies of same record torque up differently based on the center hole width, or slight warpage.

its going to take some gettin used to, but at least you have the benefit of already knowing what to listen for in the mix.

[Schalenberg]

The only thing irking me at this point, and after getting a new needle I still notice both turntables do this, is when I find a "cue point" on the record and wiggle it back and forth to drop it in, the needle jumps to another point. Or if I catch the first beat on the record and wiggle it back and forth, I get taken to a point way before the beat where there's maybe 5 seconds of dead air.

[Hippie]

That's still not quite right then
You may be being a bit heavy handed as you're still getting used to them.
Are your slip mats doing their thing for you? I like a sheet of something papery under mine. When you stop the vinyl with your hand, watch the dots on the platter. You want to be able to stop the vinyl and let go again without it effecting the platter.
Does it get any better if you up the counter weight? I find 3.5 is a bit heavy for general use so mine are usually set to 2.2ish but when I play a track I know has a warp I increased it to 3.5 to hold it down on the outer edge.
Other stuff to check : are the decks level? Is the tonearm level?

[P4ULSON]

The only thing irking me at this point, and after getting a new needle I still notice both turntables do this, is when I find a "cue point" on the record and wiggle it back and forth to drop it in, the needle jumps to another point. Or if I catch the first beat on the record and wiggle it back and forth, I get taken to a point way before the beat where there's maybe 5 seconds of dead air.

These days i'm running 3.5G on counterweight or if the table is messed up i turn the weight backwards and screw it in all the way. it will make your records wear out faster but help with skipping. Get some Good slipmats. No 1200's are perfect when you play out there will always be something wrong. bent tonearm, bad headshell contact, slow platter, broken pitch faders. Find the down beat and don't "wiggle" the record. Drop Cue with quarter notes instead of eighth notes your not ready for double time scratches yet i think. Once you can drop cue in time with half or quarter notes you can speed it up. All scratching is in time and most music is in 4/4 time. Gentle touch on the record. Good Slipmats will help. pm me a vid maybe i can help.

[ImNotDedYet]

Some records just do that. I've noticed, that especially older, really thin records have a tendency to do this whereas the thicker, 140 and 180g don't. When I notice that, you just have to be very light-handed with the record.

Do all of your records do this or just a couple?

[Schalenberg]

The weight on the cartridges is 1.3-1.5 but it feels a bit too light. I haven't made it heavier bc I'm afraid to damage my records. But if I can, I think it would feel a bit better. As far as I can tell, everything is level on turntables. Btw, how would I know if I need new slipmats?

As for cue points, I'm so used to phrasing that I'm always trying to catch the drop or first beat. Definitely going to have to alter my technique.

[031999]

try different records, this usually happens with a slightly warped record. everytime you touch it you are bouncing the needle.

[P4ULSON]

The weight on the cartridges is 1.3-1.5 but it feels a bit too light. I haven't made it heavier bc I'm afraid to damage my records. But if I can, I think it would feel a bit better. As far as I can tell, everything is level on turntables. Btw, how would I know if I need new slipmats?

As for cue points, I'm so used to phrasing that I'm always trying to catch the drop or first beat. Definitely going to have to alter my technique.

yea thats low try 2.5-3.5. What brand slipmats do you have? If your not using butter rugs or something similar yea get some. all honesty i think your just heavy handed. Thin slipmats will help so the record doesn't bounce when placing your hand on the record.