Turntable Pitch Control: A Beginner’s Guide to Adjust It!
Sometimes, when you listen to a record and it plays faster or slower than its set speed, it means it is not playing at the correct speed, we call this an off-pitch record. Also, have you ever wondered how DJs make a record sound louder or slower?
So, there is definitely a way to control the rotation speed of a record with something called a “pitch control” feature.
It is usually found on direct-drive turntables (and some vintage belt drives), and pitch control is like a secret weapon for music lovers. It is not just for pro DJs, anyone can use it to add a personal touch to their listening experience.
What is Turntable Pitch Control?
The pitch of an audio refers to the frequency of a sound wave perceived by our ears. The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch of the audio.
In turntables, the pitch is the speed at which the platter rotates the vinyl record. It is common to find that the sound of the record is slightly off-pitched, meaning that it is spinning faster or slower than the required speed.
Let us do a fun experiment to understand a pitch better,
- First, play a 45 rpm record at the right speed and it will probably sound good.
- Now crank up the speed at 78 RPM, and you will observe, it will start to sound like a screaming chipmunk.
- Again, slow down the speed to 33 RPM, and you will experience that the record is on vacation and relaxing, the audio will be slow and deep, sounds like a rumbling base.
Now you have clearly understood the meaning of pitch. There are many reasons for a record to be out of pitch but on modern direct-drive turntables you can easily correct the rotation speed which is discussed later in the article.
Why do we need a turntable pitch control?
You may be wondering why there is a need for pitch control if you can select the speed of rotation as per the size of a record before playing it. I also used to think like this but from my experience, I have seen that many things can affect the pitch. Some of these factors are explained in detail:
1. Turntable is not calibrated perfectly
It means that the turntable motor is not adjusted and standardized to play at their accurate speeds but is rarely found in good-quality brand-new turntables. Pitch control allows for the compensation of any speed inconsistencies of the turntable motor.
2. Record is pressed at inaccurate speed
If any record is cut at inaccurate speed, then the playback speed of the record cannot be accurate, so by adjusting the pitch we can increase or decrease the speed of rotation to get the desired playback speed.
3. Turntable belt and motor wear
Belt wear only occurs on belt-driven turntables. The platter belt degrades over time, slowing down the platter speed. It is always recommended to change the belt, but small speed changes can be made using the pitch control function to resolve the issue.
The motor also wears out on poorly maintained turntables or after prolonged use, so small changes in pitch can cover the inaccuracy in speed.
4. Environmental factors
In colder temperatures, the belt might get hard, causing variation in pitch, but we can correct it with pitch control.
5. DJing is possible with pitch-control turntables
The pitch control function is the most used by DJs. By changing the pitch, they smoothly switch between songs and perform transitions like beatmatching, where two songs are synced at the same tempo.
For example, increasing the pitch makes a song play faster and increases its beats per minute (BPM), which helps set the right mood on the dance floor.
How to adjust the pitch in turntables in simple steps?
The adjustment in pitch means spinning the record at correct speed, using the following process, you can adjust the pitch of the turntable.
Parts of a turntable to know before adjusting the pitch
Here some parts of the turntable is discussed that will be used to adjust the right pitch.
1. Strobes & Strobe Light
These are a series of dots, a little raised from the surface, engraved in rows on the platter, and are used to check the speed of the rotation of the platter.
The strobe light is the red light that flashes on the platter with the focus on strobes when you power on the turntable.
The strobes and strobe light work in tandem to check the pitch of the record playback. Now the question is, how can we check the rotation speed?
Before checking we need to figure out which row of strobes we need to focus on.
- First, it depends upon AC mains frequencies, since they are different for US (60 Hz) and EU (50 Hz) electrical systems.
- Look for information near the red light to see which row of strobes to watch.
- Mostly smaller dots are for 33 ⅓ rpm records and bigger dots are for 45 rpm records, but it can be different for different turntables.
Now, it is simple to check the spinning speed:
- First, play the record, and look at the dots under the red light. Focus on just one row of dots. (Which row depends on your record size and where you live.)
- If strobes stay still and does not move left or right, the rotation speed is accurate.
- If dots move counterclockwise, the vinyl plays slowly; if it is clockwise, it plays quickly.
2. Quartz Lock Button
This button locks the vinyl rotation speed in zero (default) position, you cannot change the pitch if the quartz lock button is on.
3. Pitch Control Slider
It is a knob using which we can increase or decrease the pitch of the record.
Preparation Step
You need to place it on a stable platform, level it from all sides, set the appropriate tracking force, adjust the anti-skate, and align the cartridge correctly. For more details check the guide of setting up a turntable.
Final Steps To Adjust Record Player Pitch Control
1. Turn on the turntable:
After you power on the turntable, you will see the red light flashing on the platter, this light will be used to set the correct pitch.
2. Play the record:
Now, play the record that you observed is not at the required speed.
3. Checking the speed of rotation of the record:
Suppose you are living in US and playing a 45 RPM record, then focus on the row of strobes on the outer edge of the platter where the strobe light is flashing.
Check if the dots move to the left or right, it means a pitch adjustment is needed. Our aim is to make them appear stationary.
4. Turn the quartz lock button off:
Before adjusting the pitch, this is the crucial step, if you keep the quartz lock on, then the pitch is set at zero, you cannot alter the pitch with the knob means it locks the pitch to default.
5. Adjusting the pitch using pitch control slider:
If the record is spinning fast, we lower the pitch using the pitch adjustment knob and check the movement of the strobes. If they seem to be still, the pitch is set correctly. Similarly, if the record is spinning slower, we can raise the pitch slightly.
Final Thoughts
The pitch control is an useful feature of any turntable which can fix many record flaws and provides extra customization option. DJ’s use pitch control to perform different musical transitions. By following the steps explained above, you can fix your off-pitched record.