Where did tracking error go?

The phenomenon still exists, if that's what your asking. Depending of what level of playback you want to address it is more or less of an issue.

Many of the mid to high end arms and cartridges these days provide for very good control and adjustment to relegate mis-tracking to not much more than an after thought. However, there are those dynamic recordings that can present a challenge.

The term "tracking error" relates to the change of azimuth angle which occurs as a pivoting arm goes from the outside grooves to the inner ones because the record was cut with a linear tracking arm. I believe that azimuth error has more to do with distortion than mistracking, where "mistracking" is taken to mean that the stylus loses contact with the groove.

Azimuth error is only one of many considerations in the setup of LP playback equipment, and is not realy correctable by careful adjustments in context of a pivoting arm, so people tend to focus on the things they can usefully adjust.

I use a linear tracking arm, and find it to be effective and trouble-free.

I guess we understand it better now... it has been researched so much that it isnt an issue anymore...

DV

Tracking error is still an issue -- it will always be an issue with a pivoted arm. Analog playback is fraught will imprecision and error... and yet it works.

Eldartford, excellent answer. Linear tracking may not be perfect but superior in every way to cutting across a circle with a circle (round LP with pivoting arm).