Adjust your plate: counterweight and antiskating

• Remove the plastic tip guard from the cell.
• Set the antiskating to 0 and release the arm from its arm rest.
• Turn the counterweight until the cell floats just above the platter: it should neither touch the disc nor point upwards.
• As soon as this point of balance is reached, place the arm back on its support and lock it.
• Rotate the graduated ring single, without driving the counterweight, to bring the 0 opposite the mark.

From this moment, the arm is calibrated: what the ring displays actually corresponds to what the diamond presses.

Step 2: Display the correct downforce

Now turn the assembly – ring and counterweight together – to the desired value. This value is given by the manufacturer of the cell, never by the board. On the Concorde MKII of Ortofon, the most common for rental, it reads as follows:

Cell	Recommended support force
Concorde MKII MIX	3g
Concorde MKII DJ	4g
Concorde MKII CLUB	3g
Concorde MKII SCRATCH	4g

These are guidelines, not minimums to exceed in order to have peace of mind. Pressing harder than expected never makes up for a poorly balanced arm: it wears out the disc and the tip, and it doesn't correct anything. Conversely, going below the announced value to “protect the vinyls” is the best way to make the diamond jump on the first bass pass.

Step 3: antiskating, zero

It’s the setting that systematically surprises. For DJ use, Ortofon recommends placing the antiskating on 0, precisely because you rotate the disc backwards to stall. On 0, the diamond follows the groove correctly whatever the direction of rotation of the plate, which is not the case if a force constantly pulls it outwards.

Some DJs prefer to set the antiskating to half the downforce value. The manufacturer presents this as a personal preference, not a rule. If you're a beginner, stay on 0: it's the most forgiving setting when adjusting by hand.

The auxiliary counterweight, the invisible breakdown of Technics

Have you done everything in order and still can't get up to 4 g? Look at the counterweight. On the Technics SL-1200 and SL-1210, it carries a small cylindrical auxiliary weight. Ortofon is formal: as long as it is in place, a Concorde caps at 2 g. When removed, the same cell reaches approximately 4.75 g.

In other words, a cell that requires 4 g is mechanically impossible to adjust correctly if this weight has not been removed. Store it carefully: it will need to be reassembled when the equipment is returned. It's a tiny piece, and it looks great in a party room.

Check its setting before guests arrive

Put down a record, turn up the volume to a realistic level, and do the test that counts: walk steadily next to the table, then place your hand on the vinyl as if to hold it. If the diamond holds, the setting is good. If it only jumps when you walk, it's no longer the arm that needs to be picked up but the support: a table that vibrates or a subwoofer placed against the same piece of furniture is enough to ruin everything.

Our plates Technics SL-1210 MK2 leave adjusted and cell checked, but one transport is enough to shift a counterweight: always repeat these three steps once installed on site. For reference, the SL-1200MK7 advertises a tracking force range of 0.2 to 4 g and an adjustable arm height of 0 to 6 mm — a useful order of magnitude if you're new to vinyl.

Last useful reminder the same evening: a turntable outputs a phono level signal, not a line level. It must arrive in a PHONO input, like the two offered by the console Pioneer DJ XDJ-RX3 . Plugged in elsewhere, it will sound weak and without bass, and you will be looking for the problem on the arm side while it is in the cable.

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