Budding music-makers can now cut vinyl records, thanks to a new collaboration between Swedish consumer electronics company Teenage Engineering and designer/musician Yuri Suzuki.
The colourful PO-80 Record Factory is a table-top, DIY record cutter that outputs 5-inch vinyl records that can be played back in ultra-analog, lo-fi sound. Would-be producers can output custom cuts that run 3-minutes at 33rpm and 4-minutes at 45rpm per side. The device can also play standard 7-inch vinyl records.
To bust a groove, an audio device like a smartphone or MP3 player is connected to the toy’s 3.5mm audio jack and the cutting arm is lowered onto a spinning 5-inch blank disc. Teenage Engineering also provides access to an online mastering tool to assist in improving sound quality when making records.
The PO-80 Record Factory is shipped in a kit that needs to be assembled by hand.
Units are available directly from the company’s website for $149 USD. Replacement cutting heads cost $15 USD and a 10-pack of blank vinyl discs comes in at $30 USD.
