As a newbie making coarse VTA adjustments, how do I know if I'm adjusting for differences in the record thickness.. or merely adjusting for variations in sound engineering and mastering?
Some of my records have a heavy, dark sound with lots of bass and some sound thin and bright. If it's a cd or other source, I can be assured that these differences are in the actual recording or mastering and not a VTA/vinyl thickness issue.
But with records, I suspect that I'm often using VTA as an "eq" for variations in mastering rather then as an adjustment for physical variations in the vinyl itself.
What should I be hearing to know the difference?
Even more disconcerting:
On a TT only system, how do I know I'm not using TT setup as a system eq? What if my preamp/amp/speaker combo is overly bright (or bass heavy) and I've inadvertantly compensated for it by playing with VTA and cartridge loading? What are the repurcussions, if any?
Some of my records have a heavy, dark sound with lots of bass and some sound thin and bright. If it's a cd or other source, I can be assured that these differences are in the actual recording or mastering and not a VTA/vinyl thickness issue.
But with records, I suspect that I'm often using VTA as an "eq" for variations in mastering rather then as an adjustment for physical variations in the vinyl itself.
What should I be hearing to know the difference?
Even more disconcerting:
On a TT only system, how do I know I'm not using TT setup as a system eq? What if my preamp/amp/speaker combo is overly bright (or bass heavy) and I've inadvertantly compensated for it by playing with VTA and cartridge loading? What are the repurcussions, if any?