Teenage Engineering TP-7 Field Recorder Review

Reader Jay Gilligan shared this in-depth review of the new Teenage Engineering TP-7 Field Recorder.

The TP–7 field recorder is a dedicated recording device, with a 7-hr rechargeable battery and 128 GB of internal storage.

TE says that it is “built to record sound, music, interviews and important ideas with zero friction, in the highest possible quality.”

Is the TP-7 all that? Check out the review and share your thoughts on the TP-7 in the comments!

Topics covered:

00:00 packaging and cases
06:25 build quality
14:52 interlude
15:35 factory reset
17:51 speaker comparison
23:34 recording mode and button clicks
30:07 connectivity
34:45 overdubbing
38:38 internal mic edit mode
40:20 stem mode with tx-6
45:23 routing options
49:27 handling and button placement
52:04 multitrack replacements
53:37 OP-1 Field usb connection
55:02 power options
58:37 beat sync
59:39 track routing
01:03:00 microphone comparison
01:07:44 memo workflow
01:09:32 transcription workflow
01:11:58 transcription reflections
01:17:10 files
01:21:10 misc questions
01:23:29 warble and more
01:31:42 2 more answers
01:32:57 DJ mode!

33 thoughts on “Teenage Engineering TP-7 Field Recorder Review

    1. Lame recycled joke.

      The reality is that this is a very cool piece of industrial design. Because it’s extremely expensive and manufactured by a controversial company, it has been posted here as a comment honey trap.

      1. So they pay heaps of money to bedroom producers and synthfluencers to get their products on their pages, but we should only review it by it’s design accolades? Well, sad to say, it fails on that front, both in software and physical design.

      2. ” it has been posted here as a comment honey trap.”

        Or maybe a Teenage Engineering – like Behringer – makes a lot of electronic music gear that synthesists are interested in. Which is the entire focus for sites like Synthtopia and Sonic State, isn’t it?

  1. Ha, waiting for the people kicking in that old open door about overpriced gear, while they themselves got overpriced gear laying around for which they had to defend themselves. No argument was ever lost, or won. I guess it helps as an excuse to oneself to talk about tools, when it doesn’t see good use? Do people who frequent places like this actually even make music?

    It’s like all those “woodworkers” whose single show-off project is their self-build workbench, instead of building something to order.

    Or “writers” who think lengthy social media or blog posts counts as actual writing, instead of getting published in one way or another.

    1. The reviewer, who invested many hours in testing the unit thoroughly, concludes that he loves it. Is your verdict based on real-life experience with the product, or is it just your “opinion”?

      1. the review showed that the software was buggy and pieces were falling off of it for 1200 usd . did you watch the video or are you just commenting on a thread?

        1. im giving my opinion for free. I should charge. seems like talking shit is how everyone is making money online these days. honestly I watch the entire video because I like the idea of the little mixer and the recorder looks awesome and the design is spot on . but im not lying that the guy himself said the middle piece fell off and the software was buggy. watch the video. I want to love teenage engineering but if you’re going to price high you better deliver. I don’t think that’s unfair.

        2. If posting objective comments about audio gear on niche music tech blogs in a friendly tone was actually a business model, I would quit my job instantly.

          1. Sonic – it’s a personal attack when you suggest, without any supporting basis, that someone’s comments are paid marketing.

            We encourage readers to criticize any products or comments on the site – but we trust that readers are smart enough to do this without attacking people or their motivations.

          2. Just drop it mate, you gotta be a little careful on this site because of its high censorship, as for person your talking about get on reddit r/Ableton read Daxon246 post about him there.

          3. I am not sure what exactly you are aiming at, but as a full-time video producer for hire, I am fully transparent about which music tech brands I work with. You can find all my commissioned video projects on my website. TE is not one of my clients, and I do not have personal ties with them. On the contrary, I work for some of their competitors, which makes your accusation of me being paid by them to post positive comments even more surreal. I get that you have some issues with “influencers” and how you imagine music tech brands work with them, but I find it strange that this leads you to personal attacks on me and my business since I am neither one. Working in the music industry should not prohibit me from having and occasionally sharing my personal opinion. When I do, I separate professional and personal content to avoid conflict of interest as best as possible. If you think I could do better and want to share your thoughts, please contact me, and we will discuss it.

      2. It glitches out and falls apart in the first 10 minutes of the video. He has clearly drunk the Kool Aid if he just spent $2400 on two units and one arrived with so many issues. TE is called overpriced garbage because they push expensive gear that falls apart or fails within the first 5 years (ahem, screens). Even when compared to other “expensive” bedroom studio gear, like Elektron devices, it is clearly no contest for form, function, and value.

  2. I generally don’t care for TE’s products, but I’ll admit this one does look nice. Would be cool if you could scratch on it… If I was wealthy and money was no issue, I would probably get it. But that’s not going to happen.

  3. I have a certain bias against gear so miniaturized that I have to operate it with a stylus. The pluses lose steam fast when the UI is ultra-fiddly. OTOH, if you are a Japanese schoolgirl with teeny fingers like Q-Tips, this could be the recorder for you.

    I find it amusing that you can now buy mini-gear that looks like vending machine toys, but sounds like a giant 70s prog stack. Its magically pernicious, er, delicious.

    1. I agree. Sure, the TP-7 has some very cool features, and a sweet design, but the price to performance ratio doesn’t convince me. I bought a red H4N for around $175, and while not a beauty in the deisgn department, it’s a great, low priced, high-perfoming recorder. At a fraction of the price I can live with whatever indecipherable quality advantage the TP-7 probably doesn’t have.

      1. Atomic Shadow & dtp – you’re both missing the point entirely.

        It doesn’t matter that the Zoom is a better deal for you. You’re presuming that your comments are relevant, but the TP-7 isn’t designed for you.

        There are lots of musicians that can buy whatever gear that they want to buy. This isn’t because they are ‘collectors’ or ‘trust fund babies’, it’s because they have good jobs that pay well and they like great gear.

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