Teenage Engineering TP-7

I'm not out to justify controversial pieces of hardware like the Rabbit R1, where the argument that that functionality could in principle "just" be a smartphone app seems particularly relevant. But at the same time, there must be a reason why consumers are still digging out old iPods or listening to vinyl, even in an era where convenient streaming is easier and cheaper. No, in the midst of all this convenience, the pendulum swings the other way, and leaning towards technology that is more customised, more intentionally designed, seems not just nostalgic, but... more exciting.

Everything that Teenage Engineering's TP-7 does, you can do with Google's Voice Recorder app on the Pixel (which, incidentally, is also on Samsung to a greater or lesser extent). These apps can even summarise the recording and place labels on who is speaking for easier transcription. Still, everything in me wants to recommend TP-7 to anyone who even remotely finds it useful in their professional or personal life, because it brings the act of recording the environment to life. It makes the act fun, personalised, tactile and alive, just like pulling out an iPod to listen to music does.

And when you think about it, it's one of the most compelling things I've ever done, and that doesn't exactly hurt. By the way, I'm including my own two children here, just for context.

The TP-7 from the legendary Teenage Engineering is a field recorder, and the functionality is simple to explain. It records. Yes, there is a dedicated app developed by Teenage Engineering that lets you quickly export audio files to your smartphone along with an automatic transcription, but the whole idea is the dedicated device that performs the simplest task in the wildest and most extravagant way. It measures 96x68x16 millimetres and weighs 170 grams. The entire surface appears to be a single piece of aluminium with a long row of tactile buttons. In the centre is the rotating "disc" that emulates old recorders that recorded on tape and therefore rotated to record either sound or image, and at the back Teenage Engineering has wrapped the TP-7 in orange leather, which only adds to the generational clash. You also get a small 64x32 monochrome display for basic menu navigation and a battery that lasts for a good seven hours of recording.

There are three jack inputs/outputs and a stereo jack for 3.5-6.35 millimetres, so you can use it by plugging an instrument directly into it, but there's also a range of microphones that record everything around you. There's 128GB of space, which is plenty for lots of recording, and this is done via a 24-bit/96kHz USB interface.

That's a lot of specs, and I'm not saying these aren't important. The TP-7 nails, thankfully, the very basic characteristics of a field recorder, recording both crisp audio and the tactile controls make it easy to engage with these recordings, but more on those in a moment. The point is that part of the TP-7's appeal is esoteric, something that exists beyond its actual functionality. What makes you shell out for such a little guy when an app on a smartphone could do much of the same thing for free? Well, because it's cool, folks. Because it's f*cking awesome.

First of all, there are the little buttons down the front of the device, but as you prime a recording, the central disc starts spinning. It looks so cool, like you're an investigative journalist in the field in the 60s. If you place your finger on the spinning disc, it won't record what's being said until you remove your finger, and you can, of course, rotate it quickly to scrub through a recording, turntable style. There's also the characteristic "rocker" on the side that lets you fast forward, and of course the disc spins really fast and you get that characteristic sound, just like a tape recorder from the old days. Is this necessary? No, not even close. It's the definition of unnecessary. But if you'll allow me to go back to the basics - it's also f*cking great. It's so thrilling that my brain has been actively making excuses to use it for the past few weeks.

I also happen to be a journalist, and there are quite a few situations where a field recorder is pretty handy to have. But I could also just use a smartphone - but I don't want to do that. I want to use the TP-7, and I want to look after it and use it to remind me how nice it is to tactilely engage with something, instead of always aiming for the most convenient solution.

That said, Teenage Engineering is the closest thing this industry has to haute couture, and it's expensive - really expensive. And the battery life is just low enough, if you ask me. But until they recall this device, I'll take it with me wherever I go, and I'll love every single occasion I have the opportunity to use it. I don't feel that way about many other gadgets.