Thanks - so is the platter rotating when you do this or static?
I’ve only ever come across a blank LP side once and the vigorous inwards ‘skate’ was something I’d not want to experience again.
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Yep, and our family’s old portable HMV. I never used the autochanger, but that old box was my little bit of heaven…
Anti-skate is a function of rotational forces. Trying to make an adjustment with a motionless platter is futile.
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Makes sense, also potentially makes the process a bit scary!
I have a funny feeling the anti-skate dial may be quite ‘out’ based on these discussions.
Honestly, I wouldn’t worry a whole lot about anti-skate. I set it as I described and forget about it. I don’t try to fine tune it by ear or anything. You can never get it exact. It’s a compromise.
Cartridge alignment (which is also a compromise), tracking force (VTF), and phono-stage cartridge loading (for LOMC) have a much bigger impact, IMO. Once you get a good alignment setup, VTF and loading make the biggest difference to sound quality. I take a great care to mount and align my cartridge properly, but I can usually do that in les than 30 mins or less. It’s the VTF and loading I focus most of my attention and time on. I’m happy to say I have come to a happy setting with both for my new (as of late January) cartridge.
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The scary part is what dealers are for. If they sell you a TT and/or cartridge they should set that for you. I prefer to do my own setup, so my dealer doesn’t…but they can.
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Yes, I have that record as well somewhere. It was Monty Python’s, Matching Tie and Handkerchief album. They must have realised that many of their fans where indulging in smokables at the time.
We would get high and put the album on and laugh away, and then someone would say, hey put on the side with the such and such skit on it, and we wouldn’t be able to find it. They really had us going …
We had the album for at least a year before we found out the secret to it. Very funny.
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A quick search of my Discogs collection brings up the following 9 records with a blank side. Most, but not all, are double LPs
Thomas Köner – Novaya Zemlya
As an aside, the Köner has no speed indication. I played it several times at 33.3, and enjoyed it, before discovering that it was a 45 
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That’s a fantastic album @HungryHalibut One of the first CDs I purchased, and still played often, to this day. Joes a great, and very versatile, musician.
I’ve never really understood the logic of only cutting to three sides instead of four. Spreading an album across four sides should allow greater cutting freedom and also less inner groove distortion, meaning better sound.
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I know some like to use that method but its not real world as the energy forces exerted on a stylus cartridge when tracking a groove are very different to a blank record. When I’ve tried the blank side method for me and my set up it results in too much anti skate force when playing a record properly.
As you rightly say, the force differs a lot at different points accross a record, usually more towards the end and also influenced by VTA & VTF, 33 or 45 rpm etc with any setting usually only an average as you say accross a record.
Adjusting anti skate/bias is something of a can of worms and planty of contention and controversy about how to set it properly. Blank record, Mono record and listen for even channel balance, observing the movement of the cantilever, test records etc etc
None of the above ime are particularly accurate and I just prefer to set by ear, similarly to vtf although I use a reliable gauge to get me in the right zone as a starter.
If the blank side method works for one thats great but It wont work for everyone, too many variables and set ups, so personally I dont think its good advice but can be interesting to try.
Some TT/Tonearm manufacturers eschew anti skate altogethor
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I agree Richard, I think its sometimes done as a marketing gimmick with the blank side given an etching to make it interesting and collectible to some.
As someone else suggested earlier, would be better to cut at 45 across all 4 sides, maybe for some record companies except audiophile ones this is seen as a bit unconventional not understanding the sonic benefit
Yep. The forces in the groove are different to a blank side where the stylus isn’t tracking at all.
On Linn arms start with same as VTF and adjust by ear from there. It’s easy to do.
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Original Linn Ekos on LP12 currently with a Linn Krystal. It (the Ekos) must be getting on for 30 years old now.
I’ve always set the anti-skate to the same as the VTF which was what was originally advised.
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I bought the LP second hand without an outer cover so no track listing, and was also not aware of the double side feature. I therefore found it extremely confusing on playing it!
I think I will try and find it today and give it a play…
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Pedant here. My copy of Bring it on double vinyl had one track on side four which lasted 44 seconds. Quite amusing 
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Cheers Graham, I will fish out Bring It On & Liquid Skin and have another look/listen
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Thats usually fine for a Linn cart on Linn arm, is the deck level and have you tried balancing the arm lately? I’m assuming the cart was fitted and set up by a Linn dealer, if your Ekos is getting on a bit might be worth having your dealer check it out.
Dont get paranoid about the anti skate, if otherwise it sounds fine (no mistracking/distortion) then it probably is.
My apologies for getting you at it, my comment about anti skate in response to your initial post was meant to be tongue in cheek.