A turntable that is automatic uses a combination of automatic features and a tonearm to lift itself from its resting place and position itself above your record for playback. After the track has finished, the device will automatically lift from its resting place and go back to the original position. This is a preferred method by some users as it reduces the amount of effort required to stop and play your turntable. However, this does not mean you can't manually lift the tonearm. It's still possible.