51 thoughts on “Teenage Engineering PO-80 Record Factory Lets You Make Your Own Lo-Fi Vinyl”

1. That’s more like it. Something we can afford in these times! I like the idea of that.

2. This is a rebadged version of the Gakken Otona no Kagaku record maker. You can get the original Japanese version on eBay for under $100 with free shipping. Blank discs will cost about $10 for a pack of 5.

   1. Checked it out, tons of bad reviews (maybe fake) but the consensus is that its low quality. And…Ebay. I was a hardcore buyer and seller for years then it became a cesspool. Maybe it always was but it finally found me. Only returned today to look up what you mentioned so thanks for the shout out.

   2. Hi there – do you know if you can play the records on other turntables? Where do you get the blank discs from? I am in New Zealand (in case that matters).

   3. so it’s a cheap clone / knock-off of a Gakken product wow this company revealing itself as being totally for Pro’s again.
      Something tells me the extra discs will not going to cost 10 $ for 5.

   4. You can get them direct from Japan for $55. Been out for a few years now. https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEOBK-2453544

3. Original (2020): https://newatlas.com/music/yuri-suzuki-gakken-mini-record-cutter/

4. It’s too bad. Who would want this other than a child under the age of 12?

   1. A 40 year old adult who loves life and all its wonders. I know, crazy concept. Fun and enjoyment. I’m gonna go smile for no reason.

      1. This seems totally at odds with your usual schtick Handsome Randy

         1. Remember when guys would think every woman they spoke with in a chat room was a tubby man disguised as a sexy female. Its kinda like that. Nothing on the internet is as it appears. I’m usually bubbly but who can be on Synthtopia. Its a Gladiators pit of commentary and I never take my helmet off.

      2. and not becoming grumpy old man 🙂

      3. I remember the glee I experienced when I received my first “tape recorder” for my birthday when I was nine. It was a 1/4″ mono affair that had (I think) 2.5″ reels and was battery powered. I think it cost my parents $39 at the time. I loved that thing. I recorded all kinds of sounds with it, including my dog barking, some birds in a nest just below my bedroom window, etc. It was, by far the best toy I had ever gotten up until that time. So, Randy, from the prospect of a device in a child’s eyes, I agree with you. I’m sure many nine year olds today would enjoy cutting a “record”, just as I enjoyed my little tape recorder when I was that age. However, except for any nostalgia I might experience by somehow acquiring a Teenage Engineering clone of my little recorder, it would be useless for anything I might want to do today for music reproduction. The same would apply to this recording machine. Preteenage Engineering, indeed!

   2. Probably True Cuckoo. It would go with his piano.

5. i have the Gakken version and though it’s fun, the resulting audio is pretty much unusable. it’s only suitable for recording a voice or something simple. when you try to record songs, musical sounds or drum groove material it distorts and not in a usable way. it’s also quite complicated to put together but maybe TE designed a more intuitive manual.

   1. sounds good to me

6. #notatoy

7. Saw an interesting video of people using old CDs and DVDs to etch on instead of the blank wax discs.

   1. I saw that too, thought that was really cool

8. finally I can record my tribute to fred flintstones ‘listen to the rockin bird’ in glorious mono!

9. They’re like $80 on ebay. You can just slap a TE sticker on it.

   https://www.ebay.com/p/3037675411

10. Teenage engineering must understand that the simplest way to be “green” is to avoid to put useless garbage in production (especially if made of plastic). Less Greta, more intelligence in product scope and design.

    1. The article doesn’t mention anything about being “green” or Greta Thunberg, but go ahead, get triggered by those things anyway.

11. Surely, if this is intended for up to 12 year old, it’s Pre-teenage Engineering?

    1. tweenage engineering

12. I’m surprised it doesn’t cost like $500

    1. Don’t worry it will. First they’ll create an artificial shortage and then they’ll adjust the price to the price from scalpers.

       1. you give them way too much credit.

13. I might consider it if it is free.

14. Yeah more useless (because mono + ultra lo-fi) plastic in the world ! “Teenage Engineering: we make musical memorabilia for the 1% ! Get our stuff before hiding in your Hi-Tech bunker or flying to Mars”.

15. Release date of original: March 2020. ‘Designed *in conjunction with*…’ is nonsense since the design predates Teenage Engineering involvement. It is a toy kit rebranded by TE and being sold for a higher price. Different colour plastic and a TE label is what you pay for. More evidence that TE is nothing more than the manufacturer of hipster toys.

    Source:
    1 – Description of toy – https://www.japantrendshop.com/gakken-otona-no-kagaku-toy-record-maker-p-5211.html
    2 – Buy it for 55USD here – https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEOBK-2453544

    1. The question that I have asked since I saw their first piece was, “Is anything that Teenage Engineering produces not a toy (glorified toy in some instances, but toy nonetheless)?”

       1. I would say that op-z is serious product. It has one of the best sequencers I’ve ever touched. Its code seems to be rock solid and I dont have any issues with timing or bugs that would make it unusable in live scenario.

          1. Yes, it fits into my category of “glorified toy”. In this case the $600 price tag is what makes it glorified. If it cost $59 it would simply be a toy.

    2. if it’s an oem product order by te and manufactured by “whatever” it is “in conjunction with” and spacial order like this for a small brand like te can be very costly.
       it looks much better than the “original” so many will don’t care to pay more for the work of a designer, i know i did many times.
       you use the word “toy” like its a derogatory, do you prefer your real man tools? is that how you make your true music?
       i would rather buy te “toys” instead of whatever you try to sell to yourself, what are you selling anyway? does diminishing others creation makes you feel better being non productive?

       1. As a serious musician, it is always more important to look at the bling quality of a product than what it actually does or what you might accomplish using it. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines ‘toy’ as “an object that is used by an adult for pleasure rather than for serious use”. If this isn’t what this device is, then what is it? I’m not diminishing anybody’s creation. I believe that toys have their purposes and I’m all for people developing new toys. Sometimes, musical toys can actually be “serious” musical instruments or music creation devices. For example, I don’t think I’ve actually owned a toy piano since I was older than about four. However, I must have at least ten sample libraries of toy piano sounds. Another good example was the Casio VL-1. I used the sounds from one in a music production some time back. Nobody argues that it wasn’t a ‘toy’. If nothing else its $59 price tag automatically put it in that category. Here we have an example of an outrageously priced toy (especially when you factor in the expendables), that at best, might be useful in some ridiculous lo-fi way. For 99.999% of people that interact with it, it will remain a ‘toy’. It might bring them joy, but nothing more. Whether it it “worth it” to them, I guess would depend on just how much joy they got out of it.

          1. my reply was to “TE_Sucks”, not interested

16. >it looks much better than the “original” so many will don’t care to pay more for the work of a designer, i know i did many times.

    …this is what you call the alternative color and the TE brand pasted on right? for double price… okay sure, great argument!

    My fun will really begin when TE announces their price for additional cutting discs, as well as for your arguments for that 😀

    1. Admin: Personal attack deleted.

       Keep comments on topic and constructive.

       1. because i offered to buy him one? 🙂

          1. …nice of you offering buying me one! I would insist on the Gakken version though. i like decadent useless polluting toys as much as anyone, but you know, there are these brands that you just don‘t want to be associated with. It would just give me a lot of consumer shame.
             TE totally unveiled it‘s true identity here, Some here allready knew, the others are very very silent now…

             1. alternatively i can just give you money to shut up.

                1. …say what you want but fans of Teenage Engineering are always easy with spending money 😀

                   1. i guess like you can’t make people with agendas against brands to shot up…

                      i do find their successes interesting from a business point of view but unlike you i don’t have emotions towered brands and whoever buy their product.
                      i don’t own te products or even like their products technically or design. i did liked the small mixer but i don’t need one.
                      paying 80$ more for a design i like is peanuts, i spent more on spacial colour shoes that lasted less then a season or on beer in one weekend, not even my beer.

                      1. what are exactly the design improvements gadi?
                         other then the cardboard box.

                         1. crosstalk between channels and dynamic range is 1.4db db higher, power supply is made in small factory in kasugai an its “gan” based and all contacts are silver with beryllium platting, maybe more but ask te directly

                            1. non of this weird information is on the TE website so: Source?

                               …must admit the little factory in kasagui is totally convincing! this must be authentic handwork all done by ‘designers’ .
                               ‘Gan’ based offcourse how did i not recognice??

                               No blocking function here right? i don’t think i ever used something like that before but i am tired of being trolled by someone that is not even a freakin troll!
                               so I will ignore you manually from now please do the same…

                               .

                      2. …ow and it ‘s you with the ‘agenda’ as you personally and often toxicly attack everyone here that has something critical to say about the perceived and: or compared value of a new product.
                         Somebody says something expensive for what it is? 3, 2, 1, there’s gadi the angry upmarket judge with an aggressive personal attack..
                         This is because you know, right, because you are in the business yourself… You must be head of Yamaha or something according to the authority you give yourself.
                         But I should not waste my time clogging these blogs up arguing your post-truth style arguments (this time: ‘ the non existing ‘new design’) though, ciao

                         back on topic:
                         Is the price of the additional disks out already?
                         I foresee something sensational there 😉

                         1. first, you reply to me, i was replying to someone else, but anyway, my point is very simple, paying less than 70$ for a special design like different branding and colours is peanuts.
                            i’m not toxic (you welcome to prove me wrong) but i do think you write with way too emotion about brands and i told you just that. “brands” are just people, who make things, luxury things…
                            read again our conversation, it’s like you can’t differential what i’m saying from who you think i am. i told you i’m not interested in this product or any other te products but i do find it interesting from a business perspective but your hate seems to blind you.

                            as for your “trolling” allegation, different design can be about just colour and labelling, maybe it was a miscommunication but it seems to me you choose to focus on this word “design” trying to prove me wrong somehow… so you know… “ask a stupid question and you’ll get a stupid answer” i’m sorry you got offended.
                            if you want to ignore me you can just do that, but if you need to write it down i guess you enjoy it somehow, maybe you enjoy to hate, i do too sometimes, but try to keep that hate to the brands or products?

17. >try to keep that hate to the brands or products?

    is that what pointing out overpriced nonsense is to you?

    good to hear you will stick to the products and brands from now then.
    ps i own a PO microtonic calculator thingy and i like it. and i have another one too. i returned it’s little rubber protective sleeve though. it made using the little toy impossible for 45 euro as you can’t see the original print anymore… design decisions…

    1. i used to use the vst allot and the fact you can import preset make it really nice.