Like they say, turntables have a rep for being vintage design pieces. While vintage record players can be used for playing old and new music alike, turntables are also essential modern audio devices for DJs and producers.
Today, some turntables have taken on a more raw, industrial look to meet their contemporary use.
Rod Romantsov, a 3D artist and visual designer based in San Francisco, USA recently visualised his own turntable called Supersonic that fits right into today’s industrial style and one that’s sleek as steel.
Supersonic is a fully exposed record player with a flat width and rounded side edges that give it a pronounced modern look. Supersonic also comes with an integrated rubber platter to spin the record and keep it spinning even as DJs manipulate the records on top of slipmats.
Coated in stainless steel, the record player’s control panel features all that one would expect with a traditional turntable, including an anti-skating dial, speed switch, and power knob.
With a stainless steel coating, Romantsov’s Supersonic turntable is corrosion-resistant, maintaining a slick finish even after continued use.
Mostly every detail of Supersonic’s frame and accessories is constructed from stainless steel, including the stylus, cartridge, and fuller body, making it not only industrial in style but in strength and durability too.
DJs can use turntables to manipulate the music playing from records, controlling the turntable’s stylus to jump to specific points throughout a record.
While casual listeners can operate turntables with little to no tear and wear, DJs and producers need a turntable that can take a lot of action and finger work.
Industrial turntables like Rod Romantsov’s Supersonic turntable fit the bill for the contemporary audiophile and music makers alike, offering a refreshing air of durability in the turntable’s age of aesthetic design.
Apart from Supersonic, there is something about vinyl that never really goes out of style, and everyone loves a quintessential vinyl turntable.
They are classic collectibles that have reached iconic status. Any vinyl record owner or audiophile loves to showcase their beloved turntable. After all, they seem to wash everyone over with a wave of nostalgia.
But, as much as vinyl turntables are loved, they’re also feared! I mean place a turntable in front of me, and I might be afraid to even touch it, given how delicate it seems to look! And this is the case with most millennials.
Hence, designer, Juwon Kim, wanted to create a turntable that abolishes the fear of analog within us! A turntable that is not only modern but approachable! And honestly, I would feel comfortable operating Flip O Flip.
It aims to provide the same comfort and familiarity you feel while listening to digital media. Oh, and did I mention, this is a turntable that literally turns! Yes, you heard that right, named Flip O Flip, Kim’s quirky turntable actually turns! Instead of a typical platter, Kim’s turntable features an almost pin-shaped axis to slide the vinyl record into.
This intriguing axis actually turns! It rotates the record and switches from its A side to B side. There is an ‘auto flip button’ that lets you switch the sides whenever you feel like it! A controller helps you control the speed of rotation and a dial lets you place or remove the tonearm from the record.
Kim also paid a lot of attention to the ‘visual element’ of Flip O Flip. He cast aside classical aesthetics and focused on adding intriguing splashes of color to his design.
Though the main body of the vinyl is a simple white, the pin-shaped axis and the tonearm are a bright orange! By doing this, Kim wanted to “focus on the visual satisfaction of the user”.
Not only is Kim’s Flip O Flip visually satisfying, but it is also a design that breaks the typical conventions of a turntable. It’s a turntable that moves more towards the digital rather than the analog! This is a turntable I could see being widely used by all age groups – from the millennials to the baby boomers!
