Is my anti-skating too strong.

mijostyn,

I agree that if horizontal mass is high enough, it raises concern with very low frequency resonance.  I was just pointing out what is the theory behind the anisotropic arms.  As long as the bass frequencies are above the low frequency resonant point, those arms should work as intended, at least in theory.  The theory also only works if the bass is mastered in mono so there is no vertical modulation for those frequencies.  Some mastering engineers say they do blend bass to mono, but, others say they do not.  

What is your personal experience with either the Schroder LT or the Reed arm?  Do you know how much the LT costs?  I once inquired about the Reed, but, I lost interest when I found out it cost about $18,000 (two and a half years ago).  I am assuming the LT is not cheap; my friend's Schroder arm was quite expensive (but exquisitely constructed).

Hello UDOG.  As you may have guessed by now, there is some controversy about anti-skate force! I did not read all the responses, but they quickly deteriorated into petty squabbling and personal put downs. I am sorry for that nonsense. The term "anti-skate" gives you a clue. The arm is being pushed toward the center of the record by the spiral nature of the groove. Let's pretend the record is smooth as ice; if we push a skater, he/she continues to move even after we stop pushing. The skater coasts forward with only the friction of the skate upon the ice to slow that motion. The spiral groove pushes the mass of the arm and cartridge constantly and the arm "coasts" as well. So there is a force pushing against the inner wall of the groove - the "skating" force. The pitch of the groove varies, sad fact, so adjusting instant by instant to balance the skating force with the force of the outer groove wall against the stylus is not possible, but we can shoot for an average. Record playing is an expensive process and we want to minimize the wear and tear on the record groove and the stylus. Here's how to make the adjustment. (The blank groove record is a great idea!) Put the arm over the record about halfway across, the cueing arm holding it just above the record's surface. Notice the position of the cantilever with relation to the front of the cartridge. It should look centered. Now lower the stylus into the groove. The arm was not moving and the groove will accelerate it toward the spindle. Notice the cantilever's movement and recovery. Count to five, giving time for the acceleration to occur, and note the position of the cantilever. Is it still centered? So you can see this process in action, put the "anti-skate" setting at either extreme and watch what happens. You want to set the 'anti-skate' control so that the cantilever stays centered while the record plays. A set of close-up reading glasses from the drug store may help. Get the cheap ones with the wire frames. Keep Smiling!

The method of using an entire unmodulated side of a record is akin to aligning a vehicle using a perfectly flat road, (good luck with that).  There are dynamics involved in all 3 dimensions.
The starting point would best be the test record and then by musical records.  It will change from record to record but it would be unreasonable to "test" and catalog each one for adjustment.

Thanks to everyone that helped educate this forum on the math and physics related to anti-skate. Hopefully we can all agree anti-skate exists. Question is how is the best way to set it. Not sure there is a best way.
 I use the following methods.
1. Use a blank test album. This will get you into the ballpark. Problem with this method is you can only use the blank portion of the disc 1 maybe 2 times, do to micro grooves forming.
2. Use a test album with a modulated signal, adjust as needed.
3. Play an album and look at how your cartridge is tracking.
4. Listen to music and try to trust your ears.
If you have test equipment, oscilloscope, distortion meter and other equipment there are a few test albums out there you can use.
Again thanks to all for the education.
joe

@larryi , The LT is much less expensive, $8K to $10K depending on where you get it from and which version you get. I would get it directly from one of Frank's dealers in Europe. Yes, the Reed is very expensive and complicated. The Schroder does exactly the same thing but in a much more elegant fashion. 
There are other factors than just the quality of the bass. No record is perfectly flat or concentric. With high horizontal effective mass the cantilever reacts before the arm, remember the cantilever and stylus have to pull the arm along, then the arm gets going and continues on taking the cantilever and stylus along with it and you get this low frequency oscillation which causes a lot of distortion. I have watched several air bearing arms and Clearaudio arms and you can usually see it happening. The same problem occurs with arms that have a high polar moment of inertia. This is the rational for limiting mass at the end of the arm and is why SME changed their approach to tonearm design with the model V and all the best arms followed suite avoiding removable head shells and unnecessary mass out there. I hate to say this but removable head shells are for lazy people. Some designs like the Kuzma and the method Schroder uses are tolerable. The Kuzma looks bulky but the alloy is very light. He is trying to maintain stiffness and may be going a little overboard. The Schroder design looks sort of flimsy but it is not. The cartridge locks in solidly.  I have a new Schroder CB which is waiting for it's turntable. I think if you are a cartridge jockey multiple arms or tables is a better solution than removable head shells of the old SME type that the Japanese are so fond of. Most of us install a cartridge and leave it be for years. I have multiple cartridges but there is always one I like best and that is the one that stays in the arm. The others just sit in a draw. I sold a bunch of them. I decided I'd rather collect records.