Aug 10, 2026

How to Set Tracking Force and Anti-Skate the Right Way

Tracking force and anti-skate are two of the most consequential turntable settings — and two of the most commonly skipped or guessed at. Both are set with reference to your cartridge's actual specifications, not by ear or by feel, and getting either wrong causes real, audible problems.

What Tracking Force Actually Does

Tracking force is how firmly the stylus presses into the groove, set by adjusting counterweight on the back of the tonearm. Every cartridge has a manufacturer-specified tracking force range, typically given in grams (for example, 1.5-2.0g).

Too light: the stylus skips, skates across the groove, or mistracks on loud passages, and wears the stylus tip unevenly.

Too heavy: increased groove and stylus wear over time, and in some cases dulled high-frequency detail.

How to Set Tracking Force

Check your cartridge's spec sheet for its recommended tracking force range, and aim for the middle of that range as a starting point.

Zero out the tonearm first — with no counterweight tension applied and the anti-skate at zero, the tonearm should float level. Most tonearms have a locking ring for this.

Rotate the counterweight to set the numeric tracking force on the tonearm's built-in scale, or use a separate digital stylus force scale placed under the stylus for a more precise reading.

Recheck periodically — tracking force can drift slightly over time and is worth reconfirming every few months or after moving the turntable.

A dedicated stylus force scale is meaningfully more accurate than a tonearm's built-in scale alone, especially on older or budget tonearms. The Hudson Hi-Fi 3-Piece Alignment Kit includes one alongside the tools needed for cartridge alignment.

What Anti-Skate Actually Does

As a record spins, the groove's inward spiral naturally pulls the tonearm toward the center of the record — a force called skating. Anti-skate applies a small counteracting outward force to keep the stylus centered evenly in the groove instead of biased toward one wall.

Too little anti-skate: uneven channel balance, with the inner groove wall wearing faster and one channel sounding slightly quieter or more distorted than the other.

Too much anti-skate: the opposite imbalance, biasing wear and distortion toward the outer groove wall instead.

How to Set Anti-Skate

Most tonearms have a simple anti-skate dial, typically calibrated to roughly match the tracking force setting — many manufacturers recommend setting anti-skate to the same numeric value as tracking force as a starting point.

For a more precise setting, a blank (unmodulated) test record lets you listen for the point where the stylus stays centered under playback rather than drifting or distorting toward one channel — adjust anti-skate until the sound is balanced between channels.

Checking Your Work

Once both are set, a simple listening check helps confirm you're in the right range: even, balanced sound between channels on a range of records, no skipping on loud or heavily modulated passages, and no unusual channel-specific harshness. If something still sounds off, revisit cartridge alignment next — tracking force and anti-skate assume the cartridge itself is properly aligned to begin with.

The Bottom Line

Set tracking force from your cartridge's spec sheet, set anti-skate to roughly match it as a starting point, then fine-tune with a test record if you want to go further. Skipping either setting — or guessing instead of checking the spec sheet — is one of the most common, and most avoidable, sources of turntable wear and distortion.

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