With the advent of the Tone Arm Counter new problems arise in Auditing and Auditing supervision.

Without an adequate written record of time and “TA” (by which is meant the total number of divisions down a tone arm has moved accurately in a unit of time such as 20 minutes or a 2½ hr session) one does not know whether or not a process was flattened. A process is considered “flat” when it produces no more than. 25 div of TA in 20 minutes. The auditor can’t recheck the last 20 minutes because he has no time noted and no Tone Arm notations. Therefore he or she audits by guess and leaves process cycles of action on the case either unflat or overflattened. This alone is enough to upset pcs.

Further, when two processes have been run in a session and only a counter was used, an auditing supervisor has no idea at all of whether one was flattened before the other was begun.

Also “TA” for a session can be a gross error by reason of poor handling of the Tone Arm. If an auditor fails to set the Tone Arm accurately each time the needle moves from “set” on the dial, less TA is shown for the session.

If the auditor habitually overworks the Tone Arm, setting it further than it should have gone to bring the needle to “set”, either up or down, then the TA Counter will show far more TA for the session than really happened.

The way to handle this dilemma is to use the TA Counter only for a rough estimate of TA for a session (or process) and to continue to record Tone Arm action at Levels III and IV. (One is too busy at Levels V and VI and by that time should be able to rely on the counter as TA in such sessions is very large.)

The Tone Arm is never touched during sneezing, body motion, etc, and no recording is made. But if the TA blew down because of it, the fact is noted in the worksheet column and the new reading entered.

All meter auditing below Level V should be recorded by Time and Tone Arm position.

To so record TA it is not necessary to use several pounds of Auditor’s Report forms. One uses one Auditor’s Report form to report on the session and similar sized rough work sheets to record Time, TA position and what is going on. These rough work sheets are divided into two or three vertical columns with a ball-point pen and each one of these is split in half vertically. In the first column enter time, in the second enter TA notes of where the Tone Arm is at that time. Take Tone Arm readings only with the needle at “set”. If something noteworthy occurs write it across these two columns, using the spaces of Time and TA position for a brief note and below it going on with the Time and TA position notes.

One writes down the TA position with the time it happened only when the Tone Arm needs to be moved to bring the needle back to “set”. A needle that moves but comes back at once (within 1 or 2 seconds) to “set” is not recorded. Point One (. 1) division changes are not recorded as too minute.

One fills up these three double columns, turns over the sheet and does the same on the back.

Printed Auditor’s Reports are never used as work sheets. They give the details of the beginning of the session, condition of pc, what’s intended, the wording of the process, etc. Then one goes to work sheets and only returns to the Auditor’s Report, which is half empty, to complete the session and end it off with pc goals and gains and all that. The TA Counter is then read and written on the report.

This is all so written that one can see the whole session at a glance, including TA total, just by looking at the one side of the Auditor’s Report form. On that one side the session begins, ends, and by seeing how the pc was at start and is at the end, and the TA Counter read, what was done and the success or failure of the session is grasped at a glance.

In trying to analyze the session and help the pc more, one inspects the work sheets.

When the session is completed, the work sheets are put in proper sequence (sequence quite visible because of the time notations), the Auditor’s Report is put face up on top and the lot are all stapled together by the left-hand corner. If an ordinary stapler won’t do it easily for a 2 1/2 hr session, far too many notations are being made, for no III or IV pc is that active.

Faults of Tone Arm handling (over or under setting of it by the auditor) show up, process flattening can be traced, changes of process can be seen and the auditor or the auditing supervisor can find out what really happened.

I myself wouldn’t know how to guide the next session at Levels III and IV if I didn’t have a record of TA of the last session to inspect, whether the session were mine or another’s. Such delicate judgements as “was the TA just working into the process” or “was the processing dying down” or “was it being overflattened” just can’t be answered by the auditor himself, much less an auditing supervisor if no Time-TA record exists.

Also, don’t take a Tone Arm reading “every 2 minutes” or “every minute”. That’s poor because such timed readings tell nothing. When the TA has to be moved more than. 1 divisions to keep the needle at set, one notes Time and the new Tone Arm reading. That’s the only answer to how often one reads and notes TA action.

Changes of process are noted across both Time and Tone Arm columns but also at session ending noted on the Auditor’s Report. One doesn’t often change processes and only when the old one has (1) had time to get the TA worked into it (2) had the TA worked out of it and (3) the old one produces only. 25 divisions of TA action in a consecutive 20 minutes of auditing.

The Tone Arm Counter is a must or one spends ages adding up his session TA when he needs lunch or a break. But it jolly well never can supplant a work sheet. Automation can only go so far. Tone Arm Counters can’t think. The Auditors I train can.