A three mode motor speed control for a device such as a magnetic disk drive requiring a closely regulated running speed provides for acceleration, deceleration, obtaining close speed regulation and maintaining speed regulation of a rotating device during operation. The first mode of control provides acceleration or deceleration while checking velocity each eighth revolution and the second mode of control uses single revolutions to measure speed over an accurate rotational distance to obtain close speed regulation. Both mode one and mode two are controlled by the device controller. During run conditions with no error signal, a third mode of control of the closely regulated velocity is maintained by separate hardware circuits which frees the processor for other uses. An error condition forces control to mode one for re-establishment of the regulated running speed and a command to stop the drive forces control to level one for deceleration and stop procedures.