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How to tell when...?

I have a few general questions about maintenance for TTs.
Can anyone tell me how to tell when your slipmats are getting worn. When should I buy new ones?
Are velvet ones any better?


Also when I start cueing the next track, and I roll it on the dime beat, a couple times the needle will skip, the record is brand new no scatches no visible wear. Is it not setup right? I have a Cartrige type needle with a headshell, is there a certain way to mount it (ie way to screw the screws in)?

about the slipmats....I umm never heard of slipmats wearing out, they can lose there slippyness over time, but not by much, unless your a hardcore scratcher and you had them for years, I don't think you got anything to worry about, unless there really cheap crap ones, dunno what type is the best though.

As for your record problem, well it could be your needle isn't set right, but alot of records have this problem at the beginning, normally the first beat hasn't been pressed 100% correctly so the needle can't stay in properly, also it could be if its a new record, if you scratch over the beat for awhile and make the groove better by wearing it in, then you can get better traction in there.

quote:

Originally posted by DannyO about the slipmats....I umm never heard of slipmats wearing out, they can lose there slippyness over time, but not by much, unless your a hardcore scratcher and you had them for years, I don't think you got anything to worry about, unless there really cheap crap ones, dunno what type is the best though. As for your record problem, well it could be your needle isn't set right, but alot of records have this problem at the beginning, normally the first beat hasn't been pressed 100% correctly so the needle can't stay in properly, also it could be if its a new record, if you scratch over the beat for awhile and make the groove better by wearing it in, then you can get better traction in there.

you will be more likely to find that its the deck or cart, not the record. since i got my vestax decks it hasn't happened once

but yeah, its possibly to do with the cart mounting. did you set the styli at the correct distance from the tonearm? if you have it too far back it could be causing the problem. if you bought a technics deck brand new you will have got a strange peice of white plastic with it. this is for setting your cart & styli correctly on the headshel, just line up the tip of the styli with the end of the plastic after you have inserted the headshell in the hole at the end.

if you've lost this bit of plastic, get your ruler out and measure 52mm betweenthe tip of the styli and the end of the headshell (not including the socket bit).

other than that check weights and anti-skate settings. anti-skate should be at 0, the weight depends on the cart, but is usually somewhere around 2-5g for dj carts. just knock up the weight halfg a gram or something, but try the rest first.

as far as slipmats are concerned, just buy yourself a pair of sicmats, they are fantastic and last forever.

hope this helps

as an afterthought, some records come with the hole in the middle slightly too big. i use thin strips of paper poked through the hole and taped down on either side of the label.

quote:

Originally posted by tu_face as an afterthought, some records come with the hole in the middle slightly too big. i use thin strips of paper poked through the hole and taped down on either side of the label.

Or too little.

I have several records with small spindle holes. I almost lifted my platter removing one like that.

Sorry for the off-topic, move on.

quote:

Originally posted by tu_face if you've lost this bit of plastic, get your ruler out and measure 52mm betweenthe tip of the styli and the end of the headshell (not including the socket bit).

Ok well, I wish I could be so lucky to own a pair of tech's, but no. I happened to have been handed my 2 TT's for 100% free. Someone just gave me 2 Gemini XL-500II's. Dont start telling me they suck cause im very well aware of that fact, except that I paid $0 for them. So anyway, when I was given the tables, one came with a cartridge, the other cart was missing, so I bought the same cart that the other came with, one of those gemini carts with headshells (cause i didnt know anything about anything when i did, im slowly learning now).
Anyway, when the cart came in the mail, I just installed it, didnt do anything to calibrate it or didnt take measurements, to see where it goes.

So measureing 52mm is not easy at all. After some google searches, I came across this: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/protract.htm

Its a link to a protractor, to setup your cartriges, would this work, or are you telling me to do something different? I really dont want to break out a ruler and measure 52mm, unless I have to.

quote:

Originally posted by tu_face as far as slipmats are concerned, just buy yourself a pair of sicmats, they are fantastic and last forever.

Any good place in the US to order from online? My small ass town seems to hate DJs and doesnt have a local record store, or music store for that matter.

quote:

Originally posted by 3xx3r7 Or too little. I have several records with small spindle holes. I almost lifted my platter removing one like that. Sorry for the off-topic, move on.

That's easy, take a knife, stick her in there and chisel it around a bit till it's a perfect fit.

quote:

Originally posted by toolman667 Dont start telling me they suck cause im very well aware of that fact, except that I paid $0 for them.

if you read anything i post in here, you should know i am not one of those people. the only reason i mentioned technics was because of the white plastic thing, its very handy.

quote:

So anyway, when I was given the tables, one came with a cartridge, the other cart was missing, so I bought the same cart that the other came with, one of those gemini carts with headshells (cause i didnt know anything about anything when i did, im slowly learning now). Anyway, when the cart came in the mail, I just installed it, didnt do anything to calibrate it or didnt take measurements, to see where it goes. So measureing 52mm is not easy at all. After some google searches, I came across this: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/protract.htm Its a link to a protractor, to setup your cartriges, would this work, or are you telling me to do something different? I really dont want to break out a ruler and measure 52mm, unless I have to. Any good place in the US to order from online? My small ass town seems to hate DJs and doesnt have a local record store, or music store for that matter.

that protractor is a waste of time, trust me it will be easier with a ruler than it will be with a bit of paper. the only thing that can be a pain in the arse is getting the screws tight enough to hold the cart, but loose enough to be able to move it lol.. plus that thing you posted is in imperial measurements, i cant be arsed to work out if the settings are correct for dj use.

its really not hard to do. 52mm is the golden number.

with regards to sicmats, googe is such a great thing http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=e...le+Search&meta=

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