IKEA is going to have to amp up the production of their KALLAX shelves amid the arrival of this new invention. The Phonocut, a new machine that allows users to cut their own custom vinyl, has just been unveiled.
As Wired reports, The Phonocut is an analogue vinyl lath, and the first consumer device capable of instantly creating custom records.
The Phonocut connects to a companion app that formats the song arrangement to fit your music onto either side, otherwise, you can just plug in an audio cable and press play. The real-time machine etches the soundwave into the surface of the vinyl with a diamond stylus. You can literally record whatever you want.
It cuts 10-inch vinyl, which can hold around 10 to 15 minutes of audio on each side — so you could probably fit half a Wolfmother live guitar solo on one of the suckers.
“It has to be idiot-proof,” shared Florian Kaps, Phonocut cofounder. “Even I myself should be in a position to cut the records.”
“Digital has a big problem, you know — it’s not real,” Kaps continued. “You can very easily access it, but you only can see it, or you can hear it. You never can lick it, you cannot smell it, and you can’t touch it. We human beings do have these five senses. And at the end of the day, we need all these five senses to fall in love, to feel happy, to build trust.”
The Phonocut is available for preorder now, though the first run of units probably won’t be shipped until December 2020. As it stands, the machine will set you back around $1,600 AUD — which is pretty pricey, but the world is dying anyway so we may as well spend our money as recklessly. If you want to get your mittens on one, head here.
2019 has well and truly been a testament to the vinyl renaissance, back in September it was predicted that the format will outsell CDs for the first time since 1986.
