How To Check Turntable Or Record Player Speed

Are you looking for a super easy method to check turntable or record player speed? Well, we got you covered. In this article, we have shared two simple methods (traditional and modern) through which you can measure your unit’s speed very easily.

Well, the speed of the turntable or record player plays a very critical role in achieving perfect sound quality.

Even a small variation in the speed, also known as wow and flutter, can mess up the pitch of the music. If you are playing your records at a faster speed than they are supposed to be played at, then the pitch will get higher and the music will get a lot faster. For example, you are playing your 33⅓RPM record at 45RPM.

On the other hand, if you play a record at a slower speed than it’s supposed to be played, then you will get a lower pitch and the music will get a lot slower. For example, you are playing your 45 RPM record at 33 RPM.

The simplest explanation will be watching a YouTube video at 0.5x, 0.75x, 1.2x, 1.5x, or 2x instead of 1x on which it is recorded.

Note: It’s crucial to understand that the speed variation also indicates that something is wrong with your setup. You have a loose or worn-out belt, wrong belt placement, or motor issues, or your setup needs maintenance and oiling.

Now, let’s proceed further and discuss the speed measurement methods.

How To Check Turntable or Record Player Speed:

Well, there are two methods to measure the speed:

• Using mobile app
• Using a strobe disk or turntable’s built-in strobe

Method 1: Mobile App (Easy & Recommended)

1) Install any RPM speed measurement app or you can directly download RPM Speed & Wow (PlayStore) or RPM – Turntable Speed Accuracy (App Store) on your mobile.

2) Remove the record from the platter

3) Open the app on your phone, place it over your platter, and spin the turntable. For example: we are measuring the 33⅓ speed.

4) The mobile app has a timer, so you should let your phone keep spinning on the turntable until the speed test result is displayed on the screen.

That’s it. You have successfully measured the speed of your turntable.

Method 2: Strobe Disk or Turntable With Built-In Strobe

Firstly, let’s understand the basic concept of a strobe and how it works.

In the above image, we have placed a strobe disk on the turntable. The disk has many black markings in different rings, which is enough to confuse or scare newbies.

But don’t worry, I have explained this complex topic in the simplest way possible. So now, let’s understand the rings and dots concept.

Rings on Strobe Disk Meaning:

There are 2 sets of rings:

• Inner sets of rings – 60Hz
• Outer sets of rings – 50Hz

The rings you need to notice depend on the electricity Hertz in your country.

For example: In the United States, we get 60Hz of electricity, so we will focus on the inner rings but if you live in a country where you get 50Hz of electricity, you need to focus on the outer rings.

You can check your country’s electricity hertz from here.

Dots on Strobe Disk Meaning:

The dots or black markings on the strobe disk represent the speed. For better understanding, look at the strobe disk once. You will see that 33⅓, 45, and 78 are written on the disk which represents the speed.

• For the 33⅓ speed test, you should focus on the first ring (which applies to both inner and outer sets of rings).
• For the 45 speed test, you should focus on the center ring (which applies to inner and outer sets of rings).
• For the 78 speed test, you should focus on the last ring (which applies to inner and outer sets of rings).

So, this is all about strobe disks and now, let’s discuss the turntables with in-built strobe.

Turntable With Built-In Strobe Explained:

In the image above, you will see that this turntable has a built-in strobe, and a red light pointing towards the strobe is called a strobe light.

The concept of this in-built strobe is similar to a strobe disk i.e. the upper 2 rings are for countries with 50Hz electricity while the bottom 2 rings are for countries with 60Hz electricity.

Now, I am going to explain a question that a lot of people ask me i.e. why are there only 4 rings while a strobe disk has 6 rings?

So, let me clear up the confusion once and for all that each ring whether it is in a strobe disk or an in-built strobe represents a certain speed.

And, this turntable supports only 2-speeds only i.e. 33⅓RPM and 45RPM. It doesn’t support 78RPM which is for Shellac records.

That’s the reason, the built-in strobe of this turntable only has 4 rings.

And, there is one more thing that you must know, not all turntables come with a built-in strobe so if your turntable has one then you are good to go otherwise you need to buy a strobe disk or you can always use the mobile app method which is the best, easiest and recommended way.

So, these are the basic concepts of the strobe that are important to understand to measure the speed of your turntable perfectly.

Now, let’s discuss how to measure the speed.

Speed Measurement of Turntable With Strobe Disk (Without Built-In Strobe):

For this method, you need 2 things:

• Strobe Disk
• A lamp with an incandescent bulb

Steps:

Note: We are measuring 45 RPM so we will focus on the middle rings of the 60Hz ring i.e. inner ring.

1) Remove the record and mat from the platter

2) Place the strobe disk over the platter

3) Now, turn on the turntable and let your platter spin at the 45 RPM speed.

3) Once the strobe disk starts spinning, notice the dots. If the moving dots seem to be moving right, then the speed is slow, or if the moving dots seem to be moving left, then the speed is fast.

Our aim: We need to make the moving dots seem still.

In the gif above, you will see the middle ring in the inner set of rings seems very still which means the speed is perfect.

That’s it.

Speed Measurement of Turntable With Built-In Strobe:

You might also have a strobe light attached to the turntable side but if you don’t have any strobe light then you need to get yourself a lamp with an incandescent bulb. The process is similar to a strobe disk method i.e. we aim to make the dots still.

Steps:

1) Turn on the strobe light or put the incandescent bulb lamp at the side of the platter.

2) Now, turn on the turntable and let your platter spin at the speed you want to measure. For example: let’s measure 45 RPM speed.

3) Once, the platter starts spinning, notice the dots on the side of the turntable platter. If the moving dots seem to be moving right side then the speed is slow or if the moving dots seem to be moving left side then the speed is fast.

That’s it. You have successfully measured the speed of your turntable.

Note: If the dots are still then you don’t need to do anything but if it’s not then I recommend you to check out this guide to adjust turntable or record player speed.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q1: What happens if you play a 45 RPM record at 33⅓ RPM?

Well, the overall structure of the music will be affected. The pitch and music will get a lot slower than its original recording. In simple words, it’s just like watching a YouTube video at 0.75x or 0.5x.

Q2: What is the best app to check turntable speed?

According to my experience, the best apps to check turntable speed are “RPM Speed & Wow” for Android devices and “RPM – Turntable Speed Accuracy” for Apple/iOS devices.

Q3: What speed should I play my vinyl at?

To identify the speed at which you should play your vinyl records depends on your record type:

1. 12-inch LPs are meant to be played at 33⅓ RPM.
2. 7-inch singles are meant to be played at 45 RPM.
3. Older 10-inch shellac records are meant to be played at 78 RPM, but modern 10-inch vinyl records can be played at 33⅓ RPM too.

Most of the records have their RPM mentioned on their label. So, the first and recommended step is to check the record label to find the correct speed.

Q4: Does playing record at the wrong speed damage?

No, the wrong speed won’t damage the record or stylus.

Q5: Why does my record player sound like chipmunks?

If your record player sounds like chipmunks, then you are playing your record faster than it is supposed to be played. For example, you are playing a 33⅓ LP record at 45RPM or 78 RPM and, in simple words, watching a YouTube video at 1.25x, 1.5x, or 2x.

We have shared both methods to check the turntable speed or record player speed. If you still face any problem then you can comment below. We will get back to you as soon as possible.