Download and print off the disc with markings and place it on your platter. You can download strobe discs for free from many sites on the internet, such as from here on the Vinyl Engine Forum. So, how do you test the turntable speed? Below, we discuss the two main methods. You’ve recently bought your favourite record on vinyl and you just can’t get it out of your head that the speed doesn’t feel right. One day you might be listening to a record and feel the speed is a little off. But how do you check that the speed is correct? Read on! So, now you know all the background and basics about record player speed and how it all works. How To Test The Speed Of Your Record Player One issue with belt-drives is that, over time, the belt can stretch or slip meaning that the speed of your platter is more likely to change. However, having a belt-drive eliminates motor noise and gives you a more natural sound. The downside of this is that the vibrations from the motor, due to being directly under the platter, transfers some of its vibrations through the platter and can affect the sound you hear.īelt-drives, on the other hand, take longer to build up to their correct playing speed so you may have to wait a bit longer before dropping the needle on your favourite record. Well, wonder no more:ĭirect-drives are mainly used by DJ’s as they get up to speed pretty quickly and the platter is free from any resistance without a band – These are pretty much necessities for DJing and mixing. “But why are there two different versions, and what does this mean for the speed?” I hear you ask. A belt-drive record player has the motor offset which is connected to a spindle via a belt which then rotates the main platter – kind of like a pulley system. In very simple terms, direct-drive record players have the motor directly under the platter that rotates the platter from straight underneath. This helps determine the turntable speed. The type of drive your record player has is how the motor, which powers the movement of your record player, is connected to the system. (If you do want a bit of fun, however, some 45s can sound better slower… check out this article).ĭepending on which record player you have, you will either have a switch that you can flick to play at a speed of either 33 ⅓ or 45 RPM, or you may have to manually move the belt underneath the platter if you have a belt-drive system rather than a direct-drive system. If you play a 7 inch single at 33 ⅓ RPM, you will be transported to something in the realms of a horror movie as vocals linger and drawn out sounds feel muffled and distorted due to the slower speed. As you may know, if you put an LP (12 inch) on a record player at a 45 RPM speed, it will be going too fast and therefore all the music will sound like The Chipmunks. Got the basics? Good! But how can they both play on your record player? Well, your record player is probably quite clever, and can easily switch from one turntable speed to the other to accommodate playing either a 45 RPM record or a 33 ⅓ speed record. Because of this, 7-inch records are perfect for releasing singles which can house a couple of tracks on each side. 45 RPM (7 inch) records are smaller in size and cheaper to produce, and can house around 5 minutes per side. Due to the listening time of around 22 minutes, 33 ⅓ RPM (12 inch) records are primarily used for LPs (Long Play Records) which house full albums split over 2 sides.
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