How to Use a Record Player to Play Vinyl Records: 101 Guide

Ed Lansink
Last updated on: February 15, 2023

Playing a record is a really fun way of listening to your favorite music, but first, learning how to use a record player (also referred to as a turntable) is important.

Vinyl records are made of plastic but are pretty delicate. Record player needles are also very sensitive and need proper handling to make sure that you keep both your record player and collection of records in good condition.

I’ll be showing you how to play vinyl records, explaining the whys and hows, as well as several tips. You’ll be an expert by the end of this article! 😉

How to use a record player: The basics

So what does it take to spin records? These are the basic steps that apply to all-in-one manual record players and most turntables. We’ll go into more detail on each of these further down below.

Prepare your record player: Check that the device, as well as your receiver and speakers (if you have those), are plugged in and dust-free, and lift the cover. Remove the plastic protector if your player has one.
Prepare your record: Carefully remove your vinyl record from its protective sleeve and check that the right side is up. That’d be side A (or 1) on the label if you want to start an album from the first track.
Place your record on the turntable gently
Quick clean: Power on the platter motor so that it starts spinning, and use a brush to quickly clean your record before playing.
Check the cue lever:
Position the needle: Make sure the tonearm is in the up position and the tonearm secured while not in use if it has a clip. Unclip the tonearm and move the needle up above the level of your record. Then position it to hover over the record’s outer edge: the run-in groove (which is the start of the record)
Lower it into the groove: Gently lower the tonearm (by lowering the cue lever) all the way down so that the needle slots into the groove and your player starts playing.
Resetting: Once the side of the record is finished, just lift the tonearm again, stop the platter and record spinning, return it to the tonearm rest on the side, then lower the cueing lever again.

With a basic manual record player, that’s all you need to do. Pretty much all modern record players work in the same way, although automatic turntables make the same process even easier.

Sound complicated and daunting? It really isn’t! Even if it’s your first record player, you’ll be up and running in no time.

Want to know more? Let’s dive into the detail.

How to play records (while looking after them)

Now that you know the basic steps, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to play records properly to make sure they sound great.

1. Preparing to use your record player

Depending on your record player and its functions, there are a few things to do and check on your record player first.

After you lift the player’s dust cover, follow these checks:

Is your record player plugged into a power outlet?
Have you adjusted the volume so that it’s at a reasonable level?
Do you want to play a single or an LP (album)? Singles are small-sized records that contain two songs (one on each side) and often have a large center hole. Record players usually come with an adapter which you’ll need to place on the metal pin (aka center spindle) in the middle of the turntable platter.
Is the correct playback speed set? Most record players have a button or switch with which you can adjust the speed at which the disc will spin. The speed is measured in rpm (revolutions per minute). If you don’t select the correct speed, your music will sound… weird (and you’ll know right away). It’s usually 33⅓ RPM for 12″ (regular) LPs and 45 RPM for singles and EPs (smaller-sized records). (Read more here → Types of vinyl records and sizes)
If your player has one, have you removed the plastic protector from the needle? Be careful; you don’t want the plastic cover to scratch your record by accidentally leaving it attached!
Is your needle (aka stylus) clean? (Read more here → How to clean your record needle)
Is the platter dust-free? You want to keep both your records and your record player as clean as possible. Dust can get into your record’s grooves (which causes pops and crackle sounds) and can also collect on your needle. In extreme cases also permanently damage your records. If you allow dust to get onto your records, you’ll need to clean them more often too.

2. Preparing your vinyl record

There are a few things you should check and do before you drop the needle onto your record:

Carefully take your record out of its sleeve, making sure not to touch the actual grooves with your fingertips. If you touch the grooves, it’ll be easy for dust and debris to collect, and that can reduce the sound quality and durability of your records. There’s an easy technique you can use whereby you only touch the label and the outer age. Read more here → How to properly handle vinyl records.
Check the record’s label to determine which side you want to play. If it’s an album that you want to spin from A to Z, you’ll want to place the record on your player with “Side 1” or “Side A” facing upwards.

3. Place the record on the turntable

Align the center hole of your record with the center spindle in the middle of your turntable, and just (gently!) place the record onto the platter.

4. Give your record a quick clean

Switch on your player to get the platter (and the record on top) to start spinning. If you care for your records, I recommend using a record brush to quickly clean dust, hair, and other debris off your record before playback.

Take the brush and place it on the record softly, starting from the outer grooves and slowly moving it to the center of the record and onto the label, then lifting it off.

If you see anything’s been collected on your brush, wipe it on a clean surface so that it’s ready for your next use.

Using a specialized record brush can also help reduce static electricity. Vinyl records can easily build up static because of friction, humidity, and other factors, and that can worsen the pop and crackling sound coming out of your speakers.

Vinyl collectors sometimes take an extra step by using the brush before they store storing the record. If you’ve played your records with the dust cover lowered, you probably don’t really need to take this step (unless you really want to, of course).

Read more → How to clean vinyl records.

5. Position the needle

The needle is located at the end of the tonearm, and you’ll have to move the tonearm into place over the record next.

Unclip the tonearm from its resting point. That clip prevents you from accidentally moving it out of place and potentially damaging the needle.
Next, move the cue lever on the side of your record player upwards. This will raise the tonearm so that the needle is higher than the level of the record’s playing surface.
Now you can gently move the tonearm to wherever you want to start playing a record from. Either start from the run-in groove (at the edge of the record) or in the wider grooves between tracks if you want to play a particular song. You can move the arm itself, but the end to which the needle part is attached sometimes has a little handle that you can put your finger underneath to lift it as well. That tends to be the easier method to place the needle in the right position and is more steady than your hand.

6. Lower the needle and start the playback

This is where the magic happens: Slowly lower the cue lever, so the needle connects and slots into the groove.

When the first song starts, you should hear the music starting to play through your speakers. Adjust the volume as needed.

Next, lower the cover again to help prevent dust from settling on the record.

7. Resetting

Once one side of the record has finished, use the cue lever to take the needle off the record’s surface and move the tonearm back to its original position. If you have an automatic turntable, this process happens automatically once the record reaches the end.

Then, lower the lever, and don’t forget to secure the tonearm with its clip. That way, you can avoid any accidental damage to the needle.

If you don’t want to play more records, you can also re-attach the protective cap to the needle head when record players are not used.

3 Tips for how to use a record player

1) Be gentle with your record player

It’s a simple but sensitive device, and a vinyl record isn’t as solid as you think it is: Records can get damaged quite easily if you don’t handle them well.

For example, when you play a record and drop a needle on too quickly (or do so without using the lever mechanism), you can easily damage both the disc as well as the needle itself. It can even damage speakers if they are powered up at high volume.

Manually placing the needle on the grooves can bend it and cause poor sound quality, while quick drops can cause small indentations that make “surface noise” (pops and crackle sound) worse.

2) Look after your records to be able to enjoy them for longer

Place your record inside its sleeve if you’re not using it, and store your vinyl records properly. You want to try and keep the quality of your record collection at the same level as when you first opened it.

3) Don’t place or take a record off your player while the platter is spinning

If you do so, you risk scratching the record surface against the turntable mat, damaging your vinyl records, and reducing the sound quality. Make sure the turntable has stopped and is steady before removing it.

FAQs

How does a record player work?

A record player works by spinning a vinyl record at a consistent speed and reproducing sound by letting a fine needle pick up vibrations from the record’s grooves. The needle generates an electric signal which is amplified to become an audible sound coming from speakers (or headphones).

How do they get music on a vinyl record?

They get music on a vinyl record through a complex engineering process that involves several stages. First, a master (metal) disc is created on which the recording is “cut”.

From that master disc, two stampers are made. These stampers can be seen as negative templates, one for each side of the master disc.

The stampers are mounted on a machine that presses the actual records from the stampers. Vinyl enters the machine as a hot “puck,” and the machine compresses that puck (together with a label on each side) between the stampers under high pressure.

What comes out is the record you play.

More info here → How are Vinyl Records made?

How do you play a record from the beginning?

You play a record from the beginning by lowering your record player’s needle on the outer-most groove (aka “run-in groove”. As the record plays, the needle moves closer to the center spindle and will keep playing the blank “run out groove” until you lift off the needle again (if you have a completely manual turntable).

Where do I start playing a record?

You start playing a record from the outer edge of the record.

Can you skip songs on vinyl?

Yes, you can skip tracks on vinyl, but it’s a pretty finicky and manual thing to do and takes practice and skill to get right.

Looking at the surface of a record, individual songs or tracks are separated by wider grooves. You can often see a distinct line between two tracks, where there is a silent section.

You’ll have to carefully move the needle in position to the point before your chosen song starts on the record if you want to start skipping tracks.

Is it bad to leave a record player on all night?

Leaving a record player on all night, and playing in the run-out groove is bad for the needle. That will wear it out quickly, and you’ll need to replace it sooner than you might’ve liked to. Unlike a CD player, the more you play vinyl records, the quicker they degrade.

Can you touch the needle on a record player?

You should avoid touching your record player’s needle because it’s very delicate and easy to damage. That results in poor sound quality and can potentially damage your records too!

Why is the volume so low on my record player?

The volume on your record player can be low for a few reasons:

Silly but not uncommon: Have you checked that the volume isn’t set all the way to 0?
The speakers on your record player may not be very powerful
Your turntable may have a built-in preamp, which increases the electrical signal from the cartridge. It may be that its setting is incorrectly set to ‘line’ instead of ‘phono’. The latter setting means that the phono preamp is switched on.
Your turntable does not have a built-in preamp and is connected to A) a receiver that doesn’t have a dedicated ‘phono’ connection (which is the same ‘preamp’ principle) or B) the wrong input. If your receiver has a ‘phono’ input at the back, your turntable’s RCA wires (common white/red plug type) should be hooked up to that input. Also, double-check the volume setting of any external speakers you use. If you’re using an external phono preamp, check and adjust the settings there too.
Some all-in-one players and turntables feature built-in Bluetooth connectivity. This is useful, but sometimes it can be a source of interference. Check using wired speakers rather than wireless ones to test if this is the source of an issue.

Why do my vinyl records skip?

Vinyl records skip for a few reasons:

Damaged records because of scratches or because the disc is warped (due to heat and/or incorrect storage usually)
Damaged needle, which can be worn out or bent, for example and won’t be able to sit in the groove properly
The needle on your record player isn’t calibrated properly and needs its “tracking weight” (the force with which the needle is applied to the record) to be adjusted. This is normally not applicable to all-in-one record players, most of which don’t have what’s called a counterweight at the end of the tonearm. That means you can’t calibrate your system (and it’s less likely this is an issue that happens on its own).

More on this topic here → Vinyl Records Skipping: Why It Happens and How to Fix It.

Have any questions or feedback?

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Ed Lansink

I'm a passionate vinyl collector, analog fan, and lifetime enthusiast of most things audio.

On VinyliQ I help fellow vinyl collectors enjoy their hobby to the max, sharing my knowledge about and passion for vinyl.

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