Teenage Engineering’s magical new TP–7 field recorder automatically transcribes audio to text

Update 6/22: As promised below, the Teenage Engineering TP–7 field recorder is now available for purchase in limited quantities. 

Update: Our 2023 edition of the best MIDI keyboards for Mac and iPad ahead of the launch of Apple’s new Logic Pro for iPad is now live.

Teenage Engineering has now unveiled its latest musical gadget known as the TP–7 field recorder. Just as the name implies, you’re looking at a miniature, standalone recording device with the usual Teenage Engineering design flare. After introducing the TX-6 mixer (check out our full review here) before the Field Desk and the new CM–15 Field Microphone were introduced, it seemed it was only a matter of time before TE delivered some way of actually making recordings on-the-go and it has now arrived in the form of the new TP–7 field recorder. Head below for a closer look. 

Teenage Engineering’s magical new TP–7 field recorder

The TP–7 field recorder is designed to do just what it sounds like: ”record sound, music, interviews and important ideas with zero friction in the highest possible quality.” The palm-sized recorder sounds as though it designed to be used with one hand as well:

…lets your fingers naturally adopt the controls. the index finger triggers fast forward and the middle finger rewinds. your thumb records a memo, the pinky selects the mode…it’s a genuinely rewarding man-machine experience.

At the heart of the operation is a visible motorized tape reel that actually spins on the outside the machine – because this is Teenage Engineering and of course it does. It is described as a “delicately engineered brushed motor with ball bearings, and a highly sensitive hall sensor” that allows users to virtually “grab” their recording: “scrubbing, to pause, menu navigation and as gentle visual feedback during playback and recording.” 

That’s cool enough as it is, but here’s the really interesting part; a key feature of the machine is its “ability to streamline the process of turning audio into text.” Users “simply connect your phone to TP–7 via ble or usb, open the TP–7 app and press transcribe. job done!”

…picture yourself in an interview situation. the reel on the TP–7 is spinning slowly, the bright red record lamp is lit. both the reel and the lamp indicates that a recording is taking place. the interview is going quite well. the situation gets heated, you’re suddenly asked some personal questions.in that moment, you gently place a finger on the reel and pause the recording, allowing you to continue the interview ‘off the record’.

And here’s how it connects with the rest of the lineup:

TP–7 features three stereo two-way jacks to be used as either inputs or outputs, for connecting external mics, headphones, studio monitors, or any other audio equipment like OP–1 field or TX–6, recording with all 6 stereo channels. use usb-c for multi-channel audio interface, midi, data transfer and charging, and ble and MFi for wireless connectivity. TP–7 also includes our 6.35 mm to 3.5 mm jack adapter. add to that 128 GB of internal storage and you can preserve 5 minutes of ideas a day for 20 years.

The new Teenage Engineering TP–7 field recorder is set to launch this summer at $1,499. 

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