A few years ago, Teenage Engineering partnered with designer Yuri Suzuki for a cute lo-fi vinyl cutter. Now the Swedes are going pro with the limited-edition APC-2, a full-sized record cutter for churning out high-quality playback discs.
This beast of a machine measures 51 x 23.6 x 15.7 inches (1,300 x 600 x 400 mm) and weighs in at 308 lb (140 kg), so you're not going to be lugging it from studio to rehearsal space by yourself. The APC-2 has been developed in collaboration with analog lovers SuperSense "to enable access to anyone who wants their music or sound on a physical record."
Once a blank is placed on the turntable and the super-low-flutter direct-drive motor rocking variable speed starts the spin, the stereo-feedback cutting head mounted to a custom tonearm can get to work. Input from a digital audio workstation is supported for "locked grooves and other specialty cuts" but we've no word on other input methods for your creations.
An onboard vacuum system holds the disc in place, and removes the waste material as the head does its thing. It's unclear what sort of blanks are supported here though – whether direct to vinyl or on playable master lacquer.
We do know that the lathe can be remote controlled over Ethernet or Wi-Fi, there's a built-in power amp with feedback and RIAA encoder, and a headphone/line-out amp for real-time monitoring.
While the toy-like PO80 is cheap and cheerful, the APC-2 has all the hallmarks of a very costly investment. Exactly how much has not been revealed, with Teenage Engineering inviting folks to get in touch for more info. A limited number has reportedly been built "so far" – which suggests that more may be produced if demand dictates.
Product page: APC-2
