SP-1200

A sampling drum machine, built by E-Mu Systems from 1987 to 1998. This model derived from an earlier one, the SP-12, but while the SP-12 had drum samples in ROM, the SP-1200 added the sampling capability with all samples residing in RAM. The machine's sequencing capability allowed for up to 5000 notes, with a maximum of 100 songs.

Sampling was performed at 12-bit resolution at 26.04 kHz. The SP-1200 provided 10 seconds' worth of sample memory, divided into four banks of 8 samples each; the maximum length of a single sample was 2.5 seconds. A built-in 3-1/2" floppy drive allowed for sample data to be loaded and stored; sample data could also be transferred over the MIDI interface.

The unit was packaged in a tabletop format, with a sloped top panel in the style of earlier E-Mu drum machines such as the Drumulator. The unit was 8-voice polyphonic, and the panel provided a trigger button and function select switches for each channel, as well as a long-throw slider that could be used to adjust volume, pitch, or any of several other parameters. Six of the eight voices had an analog 4-pole low pass filter, and all had an ADSR envelope generator controlling its analog VCA.

The SP-1200 caught on with the emerging New York hip hop scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. By sampling not only drums but also bass, chord stabs, and other short sound pieces, the SP-1200 became a "studio in a box" that hip-hop producers could use to produce complete songs. The crunchy sound produced by the limited bandwidth and resolution was regarded as the sound of hip-hop in that era. To save sample memory, producers adopted the technique of sampling from vinyl records by playing the 33-1/3 RPM records at 45 RPM for sampling and then pitching the resulting sample down to return it to the original pitch. This introduced further distortions, resulting in the so-called "old vinyl" sound prized by the producers of the era.

The sequencer could sync to MIDI clock or to SMPTE. The jack-festooned rear panel (which varied somewhat between production runs) had a mono mix-out jack and individual jacks for each of the eight voices; for the six that had filters, TRS jacks allowed the user to obtain either the filtered output (from the jack ring) or unfiltered (from the tip). A sample input jack was provided. SMPTE input and output jacks were provided, as well as a metronome output, and remote control jacks for sequencer start/stop, rewind, and single step.

The SP-1200 was still selling in 1997 when available parts (particularly the SSM 2044 ICs used to implement the analog filters) started to run out. E-mu produced one final "tribute edition" before ending production in 1998. Original SP-1200s are still widely sought, so much so that Rossum Electro-Music began producing a reissue in 2021. The reissue is nearly the same, the most notable change being expanding the sample memory to 20 seconds. Rossum developed a new version of the 2044 for the reissue, which is still offered as of 2024.