Swedish design and audio specialist Teenage Engineering has never been afraid to create unconventional products, but the new APC-2 Record Cutter may be its most ambitious project yet. Developed in collaboration with Austrian analogue media expert Supersense, the APC-2 is a professional disc-recording system designed to cut original playback records in real time, giving musicians and creators a direct route from audio source to physical copy.

Rather than relying on traditional pressing plants, the APC-2 allows recordings to be cut individually on demand. Teenage Engineering describes the project as part of a shared vision with Supersense to make physical record production more accessible to those who want to preserve their music or sound in a tangible format.

Its physical presence is just as impressive. Constructed from powder-coated aluminium and granite, the APC-2 measures 1,300 × 600 × 400 mm and weighs a substantial 140 kg. This is not the sort of equipment that disappears into the corner of a home studio.

The technical specification is every bit as serious as the machine’s appearance suggests. A direct-drive motor with variable speed control sits at its core, complemented by a stereo feedback cutting head, automated lift mechanism, integrated vacuum hold-down and swarf-removal system, plus temperature-controlled heating. The APC-2 also features a built-in power amplifier with feedback and RIAA encoding, dedicated monitoring outputs, and network connectivity via Ethernet or Wi-Fi for remote operation. Variable pitch control can even be automated directly from a digital audio workstation, allowing specialist cuts and locked grooves.

Realistically, the APC-2 is likely to find its audience among professionals in the music industry. Nevertheless, there is something undeniably appealing about the idea of creating a one-off record of your own work. Teenage Engineering has yet to disclose pricing, although the company notes that only a limited number of machines have been built so far.