Do you use variable speed on your turntable?

Hmmm . . . does no one here remember back in the 70's when cassettes were the reigning personal music format (Nakamichi-to-Alpine-to-Walkman) and everyone made their own personal mix tapes? My friends and I considered TT's with variable speed control extra-special because they enabled us to fit a selection, or group of songs, onto one side of a 30 or 60 min. cassette -- plus no 'dead air' when you were driving along, and the auto-reverse kicked in!

Doesn't anyone remember those times? I'm getting sooo depressed ;~(
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I installed a 5 speed gearbox on my Technics SP-25.

Next are positraction and wide ovals.

I'll make that vinyl smoke.

I have a Technics SL1210M5G and I *do* use the speed control once in awhile. I have the rare, out-of-print and normally expensive 2-LP Classic Records release of "Kind of Blue." It has the original incorrect speed version of side one and the speed corrected version on the other side of the first LP. I got it for $5 at a record swap meet because the corrected version of side 1 is crackly and noisy. The uncorrected side is quiet and perfect. So I play that side and use the speed control to correct it.

I also practice bass by playing along with records. Many records are not recorded at A440 pitch. In some cases the musician may alter the tuning or it may be that the mixdown or mastering speed was altered. Anyway, I don't want to retune my bass every time a song is off-pitch, so I correct it with the speed control instead.

Audiofiel...thanks for the chuckles..very good.

Also, a lot of DJs at radio stations play the music a lot faster that normal. This way, they could fit more ads in during the day. This has been done for years, and probably at the request of the owners and managers.