Technics SL-1200 MKII Pitch Fader Erratic - Calibration the Solution
Hi all,
Just a simple question; one of my technics has an issue in that my pitch fader does not transition smoothly from the zero point. Should I decrease pitch about .5%, I get a small increase in speed; increase the speed about .5%, I get about a 1.3% increase. After moving past these points though, the deck seems to act normally. Even so, its a pain in the ass to beatmatch with similar BPM and I, of course, wish to fix this.
I found this vid from a previous thread that seems like it may solve my issue:
Can anybody confirm that this would be able to solve my issue or is this more of a motor issue, meaning I would need another method? Would like to know before I go mucking around with my decks. Thanks!
Well damn, I should’ve inspected the calibration strobe a little more to see that it does have a second zero point, which it does. Seems like this method should be a perfect fix then. Sorry for posting such a little, simplistic thing on the thread; I’m brand new to vinyl, so I’m stumbling through the dark often and try to protect these things like lost Pomeranian puppies.
All due respect for being helpful, but this is bad advice.
The sl1200’s Zero point around the quartz lock detent has a well-known dead zone in which the pitch is erratic. Modern decks like the mk3 and mk5 have alleviated this issue to a certain extent, but it is completely normal.
Please don’t replace your fader; it’s expensive, futile, and it takes OEM parts off the market for those who really have worn out or broken faders. These parts are becoming increasingly rare and inflating in price as a result. I want you to have working decks, but I also want everyone else in the world to have working equipment as well!
There is a simple mod that can correct the dead zone. It involves removing the detent and installing a resistor to bypass the quartz lock. You can pay a small fee to get someone to do it for you, but if you have minimal soldering skills and are not impatient it can be done yourself for less than an hour of your time and a couple dollars in parts.
Just google using “technics pitch fader mods” and you should find the resources to learn more than I can tell you here.
Alternatively, if you’re like me and want to keep your turntables in original, classic working order, you can learn to use the “dead zone” with minimal inconvenience. It really isn’t that bad if you get used to it.
Good to know but the previous owner removed the detent and quartz lock so it has a beautifully smooth movement and is very consistent. Either way, its great that this issue of mine can be fixed with simple calibration; buying the multimeter and performing technics surgery tonight.
So I calibrated the deck and set the pitch range back to normal such that the zero point and +6% points on the strobe calibration are perfectly still. Connected the deck to TSP and used my timecode and found that it was still a little off! Mind you, it was maybe like 0.1-.3% but it still annoys me that its not perfectly aligned. In addition, it seemed the lower pitch range (-6%) was not perfectly calibrated as well (it was around 6.5% at the 6% mark). Is this even possible or is it something anybody with 1200’s have to deal with?
It’s pretty much known that the percentages on the 1200s are not perfect by any means. It will never be a perfect number due to the needles used/record/hell slipmats even. Just beatmatch by ear as you normally would and forget about the values on the pitch fader.
Yep apparently it’s near impossible to get the perfect trinity on the pitch (-3.3 ; +3.3 ; 6). But in a way that’s what makes it so “organic” to begin with.
If i were you i wouldn’t chase this too much, just get the 0 and the +6 on both your turntables and enjoy !
So long as you’ve only got a single zero point now, I wouldn’t bother too much about the numbers on the fader.
The numbers are just a guide really, I can’t say I look as them very often myself.
If I had mkIIs I think I’d probably set the range to +/- 10 or 12 anyway.
Do not a DVS readout to judge if your pitch fader is properly calibrated. Use the strobe dots and a meter. If it checks out ok on the strobe dots and meter you are money. Traktor is notorious for small dependencies in what it displays as the pitch and what it really is.
Alrighty sounds good! Sorry, I’m a perfectionist and this was really irking me. At least I know my gear works properly. Now I just got to get used to the irregularity lol
one of my 1200’s does this… not really much of a problem as you just mix slightly faster or slower. If you are on traktor then you can bypass it by smashing that tempo sync button.
!