Everything you always wanted to know about PHONOCUT

The APC-2 is a professional record cutter. It cuts music directly into a blank disc, one record at a time. It is made for people who want to take record production into their own hands, with attention to sound, artwork and packaging.

Our friends at teenage engineering designed, developed and produced the machine. At its heart are our own PHONOCUT cutting head and cutting amplifier.

Yes. You can work from an existing recording or cut a record while a performance takes place. Our first live edition began with SHIMMER performing at our atelier in Vienna. Our first studio edition was made with NENA and her team.

At normal cutting speed, seventeen minutes of music means seventeen minutes of cutting. Preparing the audio and disc, checking the result and finishing the packaging take additional time. Every copy needs its own cut. Craft takes time.

Yes. You can make a single record or a limited edition. Each copy is cut individually, so you can begin with one. The number you make is separate from the minimum quantity when ordering blank discs.

You do not need to arrive as an experienced cutting engineer. We teach buyers and atelier partners how to work with the APC-2. It is a hands-on process, and you should be ready to learn, practise and develop your own approach to making records.

The machine costs €64,000 excluding VAT. Delivery, installation and training are charged separately. We agree those additional costs with you before you sign the purchase agreement.

The APC-2 comes with its standard components, starter materials, manuals and safety documentation. Your purchase agreement lists the complete delivery contents, including the starter materials supplied with your machine.

The purchase price is paid in two parts. The first €15,000 is due within five days after both parties have signed the agreement and you have received the invoice. The remaining €49,000, together with the agreed delivery, installation and training costs, is due within five days after acceptance of the installed machine and receipt of the invoice. All amounts exclude VAT.

These come on top of the machine price. Transport is charged at actual cost, installation and training at €100 per hour, and engineer travel is agreed per visit. We agree a maximum for each of these with you before you sign, and we cannot exceed it without your written approval. Prices exclude VAT.

Sending your details starts a conversation about your order. It is not a binding purchase. We confirm availability, the delivery schedule and the additional costs, then complete the purchase agreement with you. The first payment follows signature by both parties and an invoice.

You can read a sample purchase agreement (PDF) before you decide. It sets out the machine and its delivery contents, the price and payment schedule, delivery and acceptance, warranty, support and materials, and the general terms. An annex lists the technical specifications, workplace requirements and agreed costs. The final agreement is drawn up with your details, delivery address and dates. The APC-2 is currently sold to legal entities (companies and organisations) only.

The first five APC-2 machines have been built. Another 45 will be built during 2027, with a limited number available for direct purchase and the remaining machines reserved for the PHONOCUT ATELIER network. Your delivery and installation date will be set out in your purchase agreement.

Tell us where the APC-2 would be installed. We will confirm the delivery and installation arrangements for your location, including the applicable local requirements and costs, before completing your purchase agreement.

Yes. You can purchase an APC-2 directly for your own productions without joining the PHONOCUT ATELIER network or paying its monthly network fee. Materials, maintenance and any additional services are separate from the machine purchase.

PHONOCUT arranges delivery, installation, calibration and training at your location. For a direct machine purchase, these costs are agreed in advance and charged separately. After installation, we test the machine with you as part of the handover.

The machine measures 1300 × 600 × 400 mm and weighs 140 kg. Plan for a working area of approximately 2 × 2 metres, with additional space for safe access and operation. The machine needs a level, stable surface that can support its weight. We confirm the power and environmental requirements before delivery.

You will need suitable blank discs and cutting supplies, plus materials to finish your records. The setup also uses an external computer and audio interface. Your purchase agreement specifies the required setup and which items are supplied by PHONOCUT.

The machine has a 12-month warranty from acceptance, covering materials, workmanship and operation to the agreed specification. Covered repairs include parts, labour, travel and transport. Normal wear and damage caused by misuse or unsuitable materials are excluded. The full terms are set out in the purchase agreement.

Contact PHONOCUT so we can assess the problem. We start with remote diagnosis and arrange on-site or return repair where needed. Work outside the warranty is quoted for your approval before it is carried out.

Routine care includes cleaning the compartment that collects material removed during cutting and replacing the cutting stylus as it wears. The operating and maintenance manual sets out the required care. The stylus and other wear items form part of your ongoing production costs.

A diamond stylus costs €200 and lasts roughly 1,000 to 1,500 cutting minutes. A replacement cutting head costs €7,500. Service and repair outside the warranty are charged at €100 per hour, preventive maintenance at €500 per visit, both plus travel costs. Prices exclude VAT. Repairs covered by the warranty are free of charge, including parts, labour and travel.

For a directly purchased APC-2, our purchase agreement provides for support, compatible parts and blank discs to remain available for at least five years from acceptance. We will let you know about expected supply interruptions and the plan to resolve them.

A blank is the disc before music has been cut into it. The APC-2 cuts the groove directly into its surface. The disc you put into the machine becomes the record you take out.

The machine accommodates compatible blank discs from approximately 4 to 12 inches. Our materials include formats for one-sided and two-sided cutting. P_BLANK_1 is our transparent, one-sided 10-inch format. The available blank types and their specifications are confirmed with your materials order.

P_BLANK_1 has room for approximately seventeen minutes of music on one side. Other formats have their own playing times and cutting requirements. The seventeen-minute figure applies to P_BLANK_1, rather than to every disc the APC-2 can cut.

P_BLANK_1 was developed with Parley Future Materials. It is made from 95% recycled Ocean Plastic collected by Parley for the Oceans, with a thin cutting layer of virgin PET making up the remaining 5%. The disc is transparent, with one side for music and the other available for screenprinting.

Yes. Sound, artwork and packaging are part of the same release. PHONOCUT SLIDE is our modular packaging, made from recycled paper supplied by Gmund Papier. Its nine elements allow different colours and combinations, with designs that can be customised using a standard A4 or A3 printer.

The standard blanks cost €5 each, in 12, 10 and 5 inch. A packaging and protective sleeve set costs €5. These prices exclude VAT and shipping. Your production costs also include cutting time, preparation, finishing and wear items such as the stylus. The purchase agreement lists all material prices.

For direct machine buyers, the standard minimum is 100 blanks per type per order. There is no periodic minimum purchase obligation. You can still make an edition of one record. The minimum applies to ordering materials, not to the size of an edition.

Use PHONOCUT materials or materials we have approved in writing for the APC-2. The cutting setup and the disc need to work together. Please check with us before using another material.

For direct machine buyers, the listed blank prices include PHONOCUT technology royalties. There is no separate PHONOCUT sales royalty under the purchase agreement. Music, recording and artwork rights are separate and need to be arranged for each project.

A small, bespoke place where records are made with an APC-2. Somewhere artists and visitors can hear a first cut, meet the people behind an edition and watch a record take shape. Each atelier is run by a local partner and has its own character, projects and clientele.

No. The proposed network arrangement gives you access to an APC-2 for your atelier without buying the machine outright. This is a separate route from purchasing an APC-2 for your own productions.

The proposed arrangement starts with an initial investment of €15,000, including installation, followed by a monthly network fee of €1,000 with the machine included. Both amounts exclude VAT. We are still shaping the full terms and will talk them through with you before you decide to join.

We supply and install the APC-2, teach you to cut records and connect you with other ateliers and projects. We also supply the materials and services used to make the records. The full terms will explain what is included in the network fees and what is charged separately.

You may already have a shop, studio or a place where people come together. You may be planning your first. What matters is a love of records and a willingness to learn, put in the work and turn your idea into a working atelier. You are welcome to get in touch while you are still looking for the right space.

Yes. You run your own business and bring your own ideas, projects and customers. You can also contribute to editions from PHONOCUT and other ateliers. The network is being built around people who want to make records in their own way and learn from one another.

A partner might be working with an artist on an edition of 250 records across several cities. Other ateliers can be invited to produce part of it locally. The partners agree on the cut and packaging before production begins. Each participating atelier makes part of the edition.

That is what we want to build with our partners. We are working through what each record costs to make, what it can sell for and what remains after running the atelier. Your location, customers and way of working matter. We would like to explore those with you as part of developing your atelier.

We are building the network during 2027 and have found our first atelier partners in Milan, Vienna and Amsterdam. We are looking for more people and places around the world to become part of it.

Yes. You can work with an atelier on a release from your recordings or talk to us about a live session. You take part in shaping the sound, artwork and packaging. Tell us about your music and the record you would like it to become.

A link to your music and a short description of the record you have in mind are a good start. Tell us whether you are thinking of a single record, a limited edition or a live session. If you have a quantity or release date in mind, include those too.

We are looking for artists and labels whose recordings could become editions in different places. Share a link to your catalogue and tell us which music you have in mind. Together, we can discuss the repertoire, presentation and terms on which it could be produced.

The person or business producing an edition is responsible for checking and arranging the rights to the music, recordings and artwork used. Buying an APC-2 or PHONOCUT materials does not include permission to use someone else’s music or artwork.

Yes. Our Editions section introduces the first releases, including SHIMMER and NENA, with links to their shop pages. Please check those pages for current availability.

Of course. Choose Keep me informed to receive updates about the APC-2, new editions and the PHONOCUT ATELIER network. You can follow what we are building while you work out where you would like to be part of it.

Use Contact and choose the subject that fits your question. You can tell us about a machine, an atelier, your music, a catalogue or something we have not thought of yet. For investment and other support, you can also contact our founder, Florian “Doc” Kaps, at doc@phonocut.com.