Turntablism
Counterweight
The counterweight is the adjustable mass at the back of the tonearm. Sliding it changes how much of the arm’s weight rests on the stylus, which is how tracking force is set.
In practice
Float the arm level first, then zero the dial without moving the weight. The numbers mean nothing before that.
Anti-skate to zero, stylus guard off, and slide the counterweight until the arm floats parallel with the platter and stays there. Then hold the weight still and turn only the numbered ring to zero. From that point the dial is honest, and winding it to the figure the cartridge asks for gives you the force it was designed for. Two minutes, once, and it settles tracking on both decks permanently.
Float
Before the dial means anything
Ring only
What you turn to zero it
2 min
To do it properly
Where these come from: The standard tonearm balancing procedure — established practice, not catalog figures. For what we can measure, see the number to dial in.
Why it matters
It is the setting everyone guesses and almost nobody zeroes properly. The dial is only meaningful after the arm has been balanced to float level, because the numbers describe force relative to that balance point rather than an absolute weight.
Skipping the zeroing step is why two decks with the same dial reading track completely differently, and why a DJ ends up winding force on until the skipping stops — at a setting heavy enough to wear both stylus and record faster than they need to.
Frequently asked
How do I zero a turntable counterweight?+
Anti-skate off, guard off, slide the weight until the arm floats level, then turn only the numbered ring to zero while holding the weight still. The dial is meaningless until you have.
Why do two decks track differently at the same setting?+
Because one of them was never zeroed. The dial reads force relative to the balance point, so an unbalanced arm gives a confident and wrong number.
Is more tracking force better for scratching?+
More than for listening, yes, but only up to what the cartridge specifies. Winding it up until skipping stops means wearing records to cover a setup problem elsewhere.
Related terms
Tracking force
Tracking force is how hard the stylus presses into the groove, measured in grams and set by the counterweight. Too little and the stylus leaves the groove; too much and it wears both the tip and the record.
Anti-skate
Anti-skate applies a small outward force to the tonearm to oppose the inward pull a rotating record exerts on it. Without it, the stylus presses harder on the inner groove wall than the outer one.
Tonearm
The tonearm carries the cartridge across the record, holding the stylus in the groove at a controlled angle and force. Its counterweight sets that force and its anti-skate opposes the pull toward the centre.
Turntable
A turntable spins a record at a constant speed while a stylus tracks its groove. A DJ turntable adds a pitch fader, high torque so it reaches speed instantly, and a platter you can hold and release.
Explore: Beginner mixing guide · Tonearm · Anti-skate · All DJ terms