With vinyl demand on the rise, Pro-Ject has debuted a new machine that it says repairs warped records.
Its Flatten it “vinyl record flattening machine” uses low heat and pressure to “gently and safely flatten your vinyl,” improving playback quality by eliminating skips, pops, and distortion.
Using “premium heated aluminium plates for even heat distribution,” the Flatten it uses precise temperature control to maintain a temperature of between 56 and 58°C.
To use machine, first clean your record and put it in the machine, running it through the two-hour heating cycle. Allow it to then cool before removing it.
While the machine is compatible with most sizes and thickness of vinyl, the user guide cautions that “ultra-thin “Dynaflex” records will require a different flattening time” and it says that the machine should not be used with shellac records.
The machine is priced at A$1,599 in Australia.
Data released by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) recently showed that when it came to physical sales of recorded music in 2024, vinyl albums came out on top, growing 5.6% in revenue despite a small decline in the quantity of sales of 0.5%. Vinyl represented 72.8% of total physical sales in 2024 by dollar value and 45.7% of physical sales by volume.
Australia’s demand for vinyls reflects that of much bigger markets, such as the US. The Recording Industry of America said in an annual report that sales of vinyl records rose for the 18th straight year in that market last year to $2.2 billion — the highest revenue for that format since 1984, around the time that CDs began to emerge.
The Australian recorded music industry posted its sixth consecutive year of growth in 2024, with wholesale sales rising 6.1% to $717 million.
