Teenage Engineering’s latest audio device invites you to turn its knobs

Teenage Engineering, the corporate behind ultra-stylish synthesizers, audio system, and PC instances, has launched a brand new audio gadget: it’s known as the TX-6, and it’s a tiny (in measurement, not worth) discipline mixer completely festooned with knobs. Along with letting you combine collectively sound from six stereo inputs and output them to a pc, speaker, or each, in true Teenage Engineering trend, the TX-6 may also act as a primary synthesizer, drum sequencer, and USB-C audio interface.

We gotta speak about these knobs first although. By default they act as controls for a three-band equalizer, letting you tweak the highs, mids, and lows for every enter. However a peek at Teenage Engineering’s information reveals the tons of different issues you are able to do with them, from controlling compressor settings to adjusting pan or notice size. No matter you employ them for, you’ll be doing it in fashion; the knobs are colourful and knurled on the prime, which ought to enable you to grip one thing that’s in any other case roughly the dimensions of a big Q-Tip.

For those who can tear your eyes away from the knobs, the remainder of the controls are additionally completely mint. You’ve obtained fader sliders (that are arguably extra vital than the knobs as a result of they really allow you to combine), a bevy of buttons, in addition to a combo button / knob for navigating menus — be nonetheless my coronary heart. There are additionally LED quantity meters, with controllable brightness.

Picture: Teenage Engineering

By way of I/O, the TX-6 has these six audio jacks for enter (Apple might by no means), and three output jacks; two are 3.5 mm for aux and cue out, and the primary output is 6.35 mm, or a quarter-inch. It’s additionally obtained a built-in battery, which Teenage Engineering says is nice for round eight hours of use, and fees by way of the USB-C port that additionally handles connecting the TX-6 to your machine. That may be a pc or an iPhone / iPad, for those who’ve obtained an acceptable cable or adapter. Once more, all of this, plus these scrumptious knobs, are packed into one thing that has a fully tiny package deal.

Picture: Teenage Engineering

By the way in which, sure I can hear the whole lot of the UK snickering that I’m as soon as once more speaking about my love of knobs. You don’t must remark about it, my sides nonetheless damage from studying all of the jokes on the final article. However come on, simply take a look at them.

In fact, I don’t wish to sleep on the opposite elements of this design — it’s obtained a CNC aluminum body, an lovely little display to indicate you menus, and synthetic leather-based backing. To me, it seems to be a bit like an old-school Sony machine, however taken up a notch.

Hey, truly, Teenage Engineering says the knobs are customizable. I’m certain there’s some parameter you possibly can management with them that goes to 11…

Picture: Teenage Engineering

Talking of going previous the higher restrict, let’s discuss concerning the worth. The TX-6 prices — deep breath now — $1,199. That’s for the precise unit itself, together with a 3.5 mm adapter for the primary output, and a USB-C cable. Additional cables, like a 3.5 mm to RCA or dual-TS adapter, will value an inexpensive $10 or $15.

Whereas that worth is nearly unbelievable, I struggled to consider another gadgets just like the TX-6. The $150 Yamaha MG06X is compact, nevertheless it’d be onerous to name it small, and it definitely doesn’t look as cool, for my part. The $350 Zoom H6 might be configured to have the identical variety of inputs, nevertheless it’s considerably bulkier and is nowhere close to as feature-rich because the TX-6. Plus, whilst you might use it as a mixer, it’s positively extra of a discipline recorder. The Mackie MCaster Dwell is even cheaper at $230 and appears to be an identical measurement, nevertheless it doesn’t have a battery and solely has 4 inputs (although considered one of them is XLR, which might turn out to be useful if you wish to plug in a microphone).

Whereas it being in a league of its personal could or could not justify its worth, the TX-6’s worth might be going to show away a number of DJ wannabes or music making casuals like me — although it does rely a “DJ mode” amongst its many additional options. But when I’m completely trustworthy with myself, I’d most likely spend an embarrassing amount of cash to play with one for a day, simply so I might really feel these candy, candy knobs (once more, I actually shouldn’t be posting this simply because the UK is waking up).

The TX-6 is offered on Teenage Engineering’s web site.