Setting up your turntable: tracking force, anti-skating and VTA explained simply

A new cartridge comes out of its box, is fitted in ten minutes, and the turntable plays. It plays, but rarely as well as it could: a few tenths of a gram too much or too little, a slightly tilted tonearm, and vocals become harsh, sibilants spit, and the stylus wears faster than expected. Setting up your turntable involves three main adjustments: tracking force, anti-skating and VTA (vertical tracking angle). They require few tools and a little method, provided you make them in the right order.

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Make the adjustments in the following order:

1. Level the turntable, using a spirit level placed on the platter.
2. Align the cartridge on the headshell using a protractor, if it has just been fitted.
3. Set the tracking force to the value specified by the cartridge manufacturer, preferably in the upper half of its range.
4. Set anti-skating to the same value as the tracking force as a starting point.
5. Check that the tonearm is parallel to the record when the stylus is resting on it, which sets the VTA.

Before you begin: levelling and alignment

A turntable that tilts throws off all subsequent adjustments. If the platter is not horizontal, the tonearm drifts sideways towards the lower side, adding to or counteracting anti-skating, and the measured tracking force no longer matches the force exerted in the groove. A spirit level placed at the centre of the platter and checked in both directions is enough to check this. Most turntables have adjustable feet; on others, the support furniture or thin shims are used to correct the level.

Alignment concerns the position of the cartridge on the headshell. A pivoting tonearm traces an arc, whereas the groove was cut by a cutting stylus moving in a straight line: the cartridge is therefore perfectly tangential to the groove at only two points on the record. The adjustment involves positioning these two points where they minimise distortion, by adjusting how far forward the cartridge sits (the overhang) and its angle. A printed protractor, often supplied with the turntable, shows where to place the stylus and how to orient the cartridge. On a turntable supplied with a pre-mounted cartridge, this alignment is done at the factory and only needs to be repeated after changing the cartridge.

Tracking force: how many grams on the stylus

Tracking force is the weight the stylus exerts on the groove. It is measured in grams, generally between 1.5 and 2.5 g for hi-fi cartridges, and each manufacturer specifies a range (for example, 1.8 to 2.2 g) with a recommended value. If it is too low, the stylus loses contact with the groove walls during demanding passages: it bounces against the walls, distortion appears on vocals and brass, and the record is damaged. If it is too high, it compresses the cartridge suspension, dulls the sound and accelerates wear on both the stylus and records.

Contrary to popular belief, the most harmful mistake is setting the force too low. A bouncing stylus hammers the groove walls, whereas a moderate excess merely causes slightly faster wear. Aiming for the middle or upper half of the specified range is the safest choice.

On most tonearms, adjustment is made using the counterweight at the rear. With anti-skating set to zero, release the tonearm while holding it, keeping the stylus clear of the platter, and turn the counterweight until the tonearm floats horizontally in balance. Then return the graduated ring to zero without turning the counterweight, before screwing the whole assembly forwards until the desired value appears on the ring. This scale remains approximate, accurate to within one or two tenths of a gram. A stylus force gauge, placed on the platter, measures the actual force to a hundredth of a gram, provided its weighing platform is at the same height as the record surface.

Anti-skating: compensating for the force pulling the tonearm towards the centre

During playback, friction between the stylus and the groove, combined with the angle of the cartridge relative to the tonearm, creates a force that pulls the tonearm towards the centre of the record. This is called skating force. It presses the stylus against the inner groove wall, which carries the left channel, and reduces pressure on the outer wall, which carries the right channel. Without compensation, distortion appears first on the right channel, and the stylus wears unevenly.

Anti-skating applies an opposing force, using a spring, a magnet or a small weight suspended on a thread, depending on the tonearm. Its scale is almost always expressed in the same unit as tracking force: first set anti-skating to the same value, 2 g for a tracking force of 2 g, then fine-tune by ear. Distortion mainly affecting the right channel indicates insufficient anti-skating; distortion on the left indicates a setting that is too high.

The blank record test, using a record without grooves, is often recommended and rarely reliable: on a smooth surface, friction is nothing like that in a modulated groove, and the tonearm drifts far more than during playback. A test record with tracks of increasing modulation, or a familiar vocal passage rich in sibilants, provides a more accurate indication.

VTA: tonearm height and tracking angle

VTA (vertical tracking angle) is the angle at which the stylus meets the groove, viewed from the side. It depends on the height of the tonearm pivot: raising the rear of the tonearm tilts the tip forwards, and vice versa. The aim is to match the record’s cutting angle, and fine stylus profiles (elliptical, micro-ridge) are more sensitive to this than conical tips because their contact area follows the groove more closely.

The starting point is simple: with the stylus resting on a record, the tonearm should be parallel to the vinyl surface. Then adjust in small steps, no more than a millimetre at a time, while listening. Raising the rear of the tonearm makes the treble more prominent and brings the soundstage forwards, with a risk of harshness; lowering the rear makes the sound warmer and the bass more prominent, while the treble recedes. After each height adjustment, tracking force changes slightly and should be checked again.

Many entry-level turntables have no tonearm height adjustment. VTA then depends on the height of the cartridge and the thickness of whatever sits beneath the record: a platter mat thicker than the original felt mat raises the record, effectively lowering the rear of the tonearm in relation to it.

When to readjust

Changing the cartridge means starting again with every setting, from alignment to anti-skating. Transporting the turntable or moving house warrants at least a check of the level and tracking force, as the counterweight may have turned. Otherwise, checking tracking force with a gauge every few months is enough. To gather setup tools without searching for them individually, setup kits include some of them, depending on the model, often along with cleaning accessories.