Tag Archives: teenage engineering
IKEA + Teenage Engineering designed these downloadable 3D printing files to amp up your home sound systems!
Raise your hand if you were looking forward to a concert or two in 2020. Yeah, me too. Missing out on actual concerts was one of the harder pills to swallow during this shamble of year, so the world of audio design got creative. IKEA, after teaming up with Teenage Engineering, released FREKVENS, a limited home collection of audio and light systems that enlists one main objective: get the party started. FREKVENS is a limited collection made up of several pieces of equipment, comprising sound systems and light shows, and Team Engineering leaked all the hacks for stylish accessories to match.
STL files, the most common 3D file format, can be downloaded to any 3D software, that allows design development and 3D graphics production, and then printed, which can take as little as 30 minutes to longer than eight hours depending on your model. Teenage Engineering used a Prusa i3 MK3 3D-printer to print their accessories that work as counterparts for specific items from the FREKVENS collection and uploaded images of those accessories along with their accompanying STL files for download. Once the STL files are uploaded, colors can be chosen for different accessories, which offers the chance for customers to customize their own accessories for their home sound systems. Teenage Engineering ultimately chose a Mondrian, primary color scheme for their 3D prints, which compliments the 60s cubism aesthetic that FREKVENS offers through their designs’ structure and materials used to build them. Each download linked to Teenage Engineering’s website comes with assembly instructions that detail not only how to build the individuals parts, but also how to attach the accessories to FREKVENS products. Some additionals screws and non-fussy tools might be required for assembly, but the overall assembly for each accessory is generally quite easy and no glue is needed.
IKEA’s FREKVENS audio system is designed for the home and Teenage Engineering’s 3D accessories offer that touch of customization to transport listeners anywhere. Whether it be to that EDM light show you had plans for before 2020 or the front row of a small-town, acoustic concert, this collaboration brings back a taste of what life was like pre-quarantine. Teenage Engineering’s 3D accessories for IKEA’s FREKVENS collection could bring a lot of excitement to the humdrum of quarantine life. Showing up on the video screen with a full audio system set up behind you not only gets the conversation going, but the party started. Scroll through the 3D prints below.
Designer: IKEA x Teenage Engineering
These are the audio gadgets to gift this season
Teenage Engineering is making Capcom-themed pocket synths
This $600 minimal rewindable radio is a throwback to the boombox-loving nostalgic days!
Teenage Engineering is renowned for its sublime design cues when it comes to audio equipment. The Swedish synth pros know their audio and they’ve gone beyond the realms to create an out-of-the-box Bluetooth boombox – radio combo which is unlike any other. Fusing elements of classic radios of the 1980s with that of a boombox and next-gen speaker, the “magic radio” OB-4 loudspeaker is an audiophile’s dream come true. OB-4 is designed with a minimal theme that looks clean and impactful for an audio lovers’ delight. Although don’t let that minimalism fool you into thinking that it is just another radio player with the customary Bluetooth music streaming abilities.
It can record 2 hours of the radio playback and when you come across a peppy track you want to replay, it can be done right away. For the immersive user experience, you can rewind, add loops or time stretch the track being played (just like on a turntable) with the motorized control dial or do it with the companion app on your phone. The cool bit is, the dial moves remotely with the intended input on the app! Teenage Engineering said. “Rewind, time-stretch and loop at the flick of your fingertips on purpose or by accident. Instant rewind on the radio is just one of the OB-4’s magic tricks.” The magic doesn’t end there, the loudspeaker has experimental features which include karma – for listening to mantras and quotes with a psychedelic twist, Ambient mode – to immerse in the soundscapes, and the Metronome mode – that plays grandfather clock sound at the desired tempo.
And if we just forgot to mention the audio quality, be rest assured with Teenage Engineering’s wizardry. The OB-4 has two 4-inch bass drivers and a pair of neodymium tweeters which generate a thumping 38-Watts power for each channel, chunking out 100 decibels of loud stereo sound. There’s a 5,000mAh battery on-board that delivers an average 40 hours of playback on a single full charge. The loudspeaker has a carrying handle that doubles as a stand for a relaxed listening position and you can also choose to drape it in the leather bag which gives it an upbeat urban appeal.
Teenage Engineering OB-4 comes in two color variants – matte black and gloss red – priced at $599 and $649 respectively. The loudspeaker isn’t cheap by no means, and the exclusiveness of design and functionality comes at a premium. So, it completely up to the users to gauge OB-4’s worth!
Designer: Teenage Engineering
Teenage Engineering’s OB-4 speaker lets you remix the radio
Teenage Engineering’s next product is probably a Bluetooth speaker
This Teenage Engineering-inspired smartphone fits an entire synthesizer into its body!
Billie Eilish and her multiple Grammy wins last year is proof of one undeniable fact. You can, most certainly, make great music using just one laptop and a crummy set of speakers in a bedroom. Eilish’s tracks were produced entirely using consumer tech, with hardly any professional instruments, backup band, recording equipment, and production setups. Now just imagine a future where the bar for entry into the music industry was even lower. The OP-S is a conceptual smartphone designed by GRIS Design with an actual synth built right into it.
Modeled on the OP-1, an iconic portable synth and sequencer from Teenage Engineering, the OPS compresses all that technology into a tiny handheld frame. The smartphone comes with a sliding screen to reveal 24 keys and a sequencer. Pair this with the touchscreen interface and you’ve literally got yourself a complete Digital Audio Workstation that you can use to compose, sample, loop, and produce audio. The OP-S packs not one, but TWO audio jacks too… one for monitoring on your headphones, and another that lets you send sound out to a speaker setup or a laptop running your music software of choice. Designed to also be a pretty capable smartphone, the OP-S comes with a three-camera setup and a camera bump that actually does something pretty smart by propping up the phone in a stable way to enable you to use the keyboard without your phone rocking back and forth. Pretty neat, eh? Sadly though the OP-S is just a fan-made concept… but I wouldn’t put it past the guys at Teenage Engineering, who could probably build a prototype of this if they wanted.
Designer: GRIS Design
Teenage Engineering wants you to ‘hack’ its IKEA line with 3D printing
Teenage Engineering's IKEA collection, the FREKVENS line, arrives in stores this month, and Teenage Engineering is already helping customers hack the products. The company has released free, downloadable CAD files for a handful of DIY accessories tha...
Teenage Engineering’s IKEA collection lands in stores next month
If IKEA's Sonos speakers are a little bland for your taste, you might be happy to know that the FREKVENS line, a collaboration between IKEA and Teenage Engineering, arrives in February. The collection is meant to get funky house parties started, and...