This Mini Record Player Lets You Make Your Own Custom Lo-Fi Records

All a wannabe record magnate needs to do is plug ‘n record, and voilà … you have your very own analog, monophonic vinyl record (complete with a sleeve). But keep it short. At 33RPM, you only have about four minutes of audio per side, while bumping it up to 45RPM shortens it to three minutes per side.

The Record Factory has a line-out jack so you can listen with headphones or an external speaker and another plug to power it from a USB source. The kit (the PO-80 does require some assembly) also includes a spare cutting needle, six black 5-inch blank records, a USB power cable, a 3.5 mm audio plug, an adaptor to play 7-inch records, and a copy of a Gakken magazine (via Teenage Engineering).

Why the magazine? Well, if this thing looks vaguely familiar, it’s because this isn’t its first go around. A few years back, Japanese designer Yuri Suzuki teamed up with Japanese magazine publisher Gakken to make “Toy Record Maker” — a near identical product that cost about $80. Suzuki is a friend of Teenage Engineering and wanted to develop a new version with TE’s “Pocket Operator mentality” (via The Verge), which costs $149. The magazine is an homage.

Unfortunately, there’s one small problem. According to the company’s website, the Record Factory is sold out and “no longer available.” So, if you’re really jonesing for one, you’ll have to go to the secondary market to get your groove on.