The E-mu SP-1200 is a sampling drum machine designed by

Dave Rossum David P. Rossum (born 1948) is an American electronics engineer and inventor best known as the co-founder of synthesizer and sampler manufacturer E-mu Systems. Education and early career Rossum grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attende ...

and released in August 1987 by

E-mu Systems E-mu Systems was a software synthesizer, audio interface, MIDI interface, and MIDI keyboard manufacturer. Founded in 1971 as a synthesizer maker, E-mu was a pioneer in samplers, sample-based drum machines and low-cost digital sampling musi ...

. Like its predecessor, the

SP-12 The E-mu SP-12 is a Sampler (musical instrument), sampling drum machine. Designed in 1984, SP-12 was announced by E-mu Systems in 1985. Expanding on the features of E-mu’s affordable and commercially successful E-mu Drumulator, Drumulator, a prog ...

, it was designed as a

drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

featuring user sampling. The distinctive character of its sound, often described as "warm," "dirty," and "gritty," and attributed to SP-1200's low 26.04 kHz

sampling rate In signal processing, sampling is the reduction of a continuous-time signal to a discrete-time signal. A common example is the conversion of a sound wave to a sequence of "samples". A sample is a value of the signal at a point in time and/or s ...

, 12-bit sampling resolution, drop-sample

pitch-shifting Pitch shifting is a sound recording technique in which the original pitch of a sound is raised or lowered. Effects units that raise or lower pitch by a pre-designated musical interval ( transposition) are known as pitch shifters. Pitch and t ...

, and analog SSM2044 filter chips (ICs), has sustained demand for the SP-1200 more than thirty-five years after its debut, despite the availability of

digital audio workstation A digital audio workstation (DAW ) is an electronic device or application software used for Sound recording and reproduction, recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software pr ...

s and

samplers Sampler may refer to: * Sampler (signal), a digital signal processing device that converts a continuous signal to a discrete signal * Sampler (needlework), a handstitched piece of embroidery used to demonstrate skill in needlework * Sampler (surna ...

/ sequencers with superior technical specifications. The SP-1200 is associated with the

golden age of hip hop Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

. It enabled musicians to construct the bulk of a song within one piece of portable gear, a first for the industry, reducing production costs and increasing creative control for

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

artists. According to the ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...

'', "The machine rose to such prominence that its strengths and weaknesses sculpted an entire era of music: the crunchy digitized drums, choppy segmented samples, and murky filtered

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

s that characterize the vintage New York sound are all mechanisms of the machine."

History and development

E-mu Systems began as a manufacturer of analog

modular synthesizers Modular synthesizers are synthesizers composed of separate modules for different functions. The modules can be connected together by the user to create a patch (synthesizer), patch. The outputs from the modules may include audio signals, analo ...

1971 and pioneered applications of digital technology in

electronic musical instruments An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronics, electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is ...

including a digital sequencer and the first digital

polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ...

keyboard. E-mu supplemented income from modular synthesizers with royalties from the first ever analog chips (ICs) for analog synthesizers, created by

with Ron Dow and manufactured by Solid State Music (SSM), and by licensing and consulting for

Linn Linn may refer to: People * Linn (surname) * Linn (given name) * Carl Linnaeus, abbreviated as Linn. * Linn da Quebrada, stage name of Brazilian singer, actress, screenwriter and television personality Lina Pereira dos Santos (born 1990) Place ...

Oberheim Oberheim is an American synthesizer manufacturer founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim. Beginning in 1975, Oberheim developed some of the first commercially available polyphonic synthesizers and was a prominent synthesizer and drum machine manufacture ...

, and

Sequential In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is call ...

E-mu E-mu Systems was a software synthesizer, audio interface, MIDI interface, and MIDI keyboard manufacturer. Founded in 1971 as a synthesizer maker, E-mu was a pioneer in samplers, sample-based drum machines and low-cost digital sampling music ...

first used the

Zilog Z80 The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog that played an important role in the evolution of early personal computing. Launched in 1976, it was designed to be Backward compatibility, software-compatible with the ...

microprocessor in the 4060 Programmable Polyphonic Keyboard and Sequencer released in 1977 and continued to use Z80 processors in many of its designs through SP1200 in 1987.

Roger Linn Roger Curtis Linn is an American designer of electronic musical instruments and equipment. He is the designer of the LM-1, the first drum machine to use samples, and the MPC sampler, which had a major influence on the development of hip hop ...

hired Dave Rossum to review the electrical design of

Linn LM-1 The Linn LM-1 Drum Computer is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics and released in 1980. It was the first drum machine to use samples of acoustic drums, and one of the first programmable drum machines. Its designer, the American en ...

, the first digital drum machine. Precipitated by

redesigning the Prophet 5 Rev 3 to use Curtis (CEM) chips (ICs) and no longer paying royalties to E-mu (for the earlier design using SSM chips), E-mu pivoted in 1980 from designing analog synthesizers to digital sampling technology and released the original

Emulator In computing, an emulator is Computer hardware, hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run sof ...

sampling synthesizer in 1981. Just as engineering a

digital sampler A sampler is an electronic musical instrument that records and plays back samples (portions of sound recordings). Samples may comprise elements such as rhythm, melody, speech, sound effects or longer portions of music. The mid-20th century saw ...

to operate using one shared memory had allowed Emulator to be made more attainable than systems including the

Fairlight CMI The Fairlight CMI (short for Computer Musical Instrument) is a digital synthesizer, music sampler, and digital audio workstation introduced in 1979 by Fairlight. — with links to some Fairlight history and photos It was based on a commerc ...

, E-mu Systems co-founders Scott Wedge and Dave Rossum realized that an affordable digital

could be invented using a shared memory, resulting in Drumulator, the first programmable digital drum machine priced under $1000, significantly below the LM-1 and

Linndrum The LinnDrum, often erroneously referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. Development The LinnDrum was designed by the American engineer Roger Linn. It was ...

. As a compromise between

bandwidth Bandwidth commonly refers to: * Bandwidth (signal processing) or ''analog bandwidth'', ''frequency bandwidth'', or ''radio bandwidth'', a measure of the width of a frequency range * Bandwidth (computing), the rate of data transfer, bit rate or thr ...

and sampling time, the low 26.04 kHz

sample rate In signal processing, sampling is the reduction of a continuous-time signal to a discrete-time signal. A common example is the conversion of a sound wave to a sequence of "samples". A sample is a value of the signal at a point in time and/or ...

was chosen early on. A major success, Drumulator sold over 10,000 units from 1983 to 1985 and saw E-mu grow to a medium-sized company. After Emulator II in 1984, E-mu decided to pursue a drum machine to follow-up Drumulator, which would eventually become SP-12 and SP-1200. Design was led by Dave Rossum's electronic engineering, with functional design contributions from Marco Alpert (who would together go on to co-found Rossum Electro-Music, also known as "Rossum.") Work began with modifications to existing Drumulator software by new engineer Donna Murray allowing pitch shifting (tuning) of sounds. Though the drop-sample interpolation introduced a lot of distortion, musicians at E-mu thought it musically useful. E-mu especially sought to apply their Emulator experience to add a

with user sampling features to the successful Drumulator product line. Scott Wedge invented a technology enabling dynamics to be performed using a piezo sensor on the

circuit board A printed circuit board (PCB), also called printed wiring board (PWB), is a laminated sandwich structure of conductive and insulating layers, each with a pattern of traces, planes and other features (similar to wires on a flat surface) ...

listening for the button's impact.

was the first sampling

released. The main changes from Drumulator to SP-12 were the introduction of integrated 12-bit linear user sampling allowing users to record their own sounds and improvements to the user interface, while the playback electronics remained mostly unchanged. The SP-12 was initially advertised as "Drumulator II" by E-mu Systems at the NAMM Winter Music & Sound Market and Musikmesse Frankfurt in February of 1985 before its official launch that summer at the NAMM International Music & Sound Expo. "SP" is an initialism for "sampling percussion", and 12 is a reference to its 12-bit linear data format. At $2,745, SP-12 remained a more attainable sampling drum machine as compared to the

Linn 9000 The Linn 9000 is an electronic musical instrument manufactured by Linn Electronics as the successor to the LinnDrum. It was introduced in 1984 at a list price of $5,000, ($7,000 fully expanded) and about 1,100 units were produced. It combined M ...

, which started at $5,000 (not including the sampling add-in-card released later), and the Studio 440 from

when it was released in 1986, also priced at $5,000. In contrast to implementing unique sound engines for each of its other

so far, beginning with Emulator and Emulator II, and growing in ambition and scope with purpose-built ICs designed by Dave Rossum, including E-chip powering Emax (1986) and F-chips used in Emulator III (1987), SP-1200's short and low-risk development updated the SP-12 sampling drum machine with more sampling time and an integrated disk drive, with E-mu reusing the sample playback engine used in SP-12 and in Drumulator since 1983. SP-1200 would become both the last E-mu sampler to not integrate custom E-mu chips (ICs) and the last to include analog SSM chips, using SSM2044 in its dynamic

filters Filtration is a physical process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture. Filter, filtering, filters or filtration may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Fil ...

until they became unavailable in 1998. E-mu Systems updated SP-12 with improvements and a "Turbo" option expanding the total available sample time to 5 seconds before it was eventually replaced in the product line when SP-1200 was released in August 1987. Combined with 10 seconds of user sampling time, SP-1200's $2995 price provided artists with a practical entrypoint to sample-based music production.

Differences from the SP-12

The SP-1200 retained the capabilities, inputs and outputs of its predecessor, the SP-12, minus the cassette output and connectivity for the

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

1541 __NOTOC__ Year 1541 ( MDXLI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 4 – Leonardo Cattaneo della Volta is elected to a two-year term as the new Doge of the Republic o ...

5.25" floppy disk drive. In their place, the SP-1200 uses an integrated disk drive for storing and loading sounds and sequences, making it particularly attractive to producers. Unlike the SP-12 and Drumulator, the SP-1200 does not use any

ROM Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

-based samples; all samples are stored in volatile

RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

and loaded from 3.5" disk. Maximum sampling time was doubled from the upgraded SP-12 Turbo, to 10 seconds, though the maximum duration of an individual sound remained limited to 2.5 seconds. SP-1200 provides additional unfiltered versions of the signals from its first six channels (not available on SP-12) using TRS connections for each individual output, providing the option to use unfiltered signals from all eight channels / voices alternatively to their analog

Features

The SP-1200 can store up to 100 patterns, 100 songs, and has a 5,000-note maximum memory for sequences. The sequencer enables musicians to create patterns using both step programming and real-time recording using the touch-sensitive front panel buttons (and via external

MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...

note input). Patterns can be organized into songs, and swing, quantization, and

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

and mix changes can be applied. SP-1200 can both generate

SMPTE The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) (, rarely ), founded by Charles Francis Jenkins in 1916 as the Society of Motion Picture Engineers or SMPE, is a global professional association of engineers, technologists, and e ...

, MIDI, and analog clock signals and synchronize its

and sequencer to them. Users can also tap the front panel Tap / Repeat button or an external footswitch to program the

.The Emulator Archive
/ref> Selecting between banks A, B, C, and D gives access to each of the 32 sounds. Eight sliders are used to set sounds' pitch and

volume Volume is a measure of regions in three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch) ...

parameters. Large buttons below each slider are used to select or play sounds with dynamics using a piezo sensor mounted on the circuit board.

Sound

The distinctive character of SP-1200's sound is often described as "warm," "dirty," and "gritty." The sound is attributed to SP-1200's low 26.04 kHz

and 12-bit linear sampling resolution. SP-1200 is known for the character of its drop-sample

. The analog SSM2044 filter chips (ICs) contribute to the timbre of E-mu's

drum machines A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

. The characteristic sound has sustained demand for the SP-1200 more than thirty-five years after its debut, despite the availability of

s and

/ sequencers with superior technical specifications. SP-1200 uses a 12-bit linear data format and the same 26.04kHz

E-mu previously used in Drumulator and SP-12. The

was chosen early on in Drumulator’s development as a compromise between

and sampling time. A

reconstruction filter In a mixed-signal system ( analog and digital), a reconstruction filter, sometimes called an anti-imaging filter, is used to construct a smooth analog signal from a digital input, as in the case of a digital to analog converter ( DAC) or other sam ...

was deliberately omitted, resulting in a brighter sound due to imaging (sounds above the

Nyquist frequency In signal processing, the Nyquist frequency (or folding frequency), named after Harry Nyquist, is a characteristic of a Sampling (signal processing), sampler, which converts a continuous function or signal into a discrete sequence. For a given S ...

). SP-12, and SP-1200 instead feature three pairs of analog lowpass

at successively higher frequencies, including two dynamic SSM2044 filters on channels 1 and 2, while channels 7 and 8 are unfiltered entirely. SP-1200 uses drop-sample

(simply dropping or replaying sample data in order to pitch/speed the playback up or down), producing significant additional (unfiltered) audible artifacts and distortion which proved to be musical useful. More advanced pitch-shifting algorithms like linear and higher-order interpolation reproduce high frequency data more accurately, but consequently may not sound as "warm" in comparison to simpler techniques.

Technique

Upon its release, hip-hop producers embraced sampling loops and musical phrases such as

breaks Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning rest ...

in addition to individual drum sounds with SP-1200. Early adopters soon innovated with techniques beyond looping by combining SP-1200's truncation and

sequencing In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (sometimes incorrectly called the primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. Sequencing results in a symbolic linear depiction known as a sequence which succ ...

features to slice (or "chop") samples of drums and other instruments into shorter pieces and re-compose them to create original productions. Music producers discovered and shared techniques using SP-1200's tuning (pitch) features to enable samples longer than 2.5 seconds, and more than 10 seconds total sampling time, to be used. Using a

tape machine An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present ...

, another sampler, or, most famously, a vinyl turntable with multiple and/or variable playback speeds, sounds can be pitched up (sped up), allowing them to be sampled with SP-1200 using less sampling time (RAM). SP-1200 can shift the pitch of the sounds down to the original pitch (and beyond) when they are played back. The prevalent technique compresses samples of longer durations into the available

memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembe ...

, while reducing their fidelity and introducing notably more audible artifacts.

Longevity and reissue

SP-1200 enabled musicians to construct the bulk of a song within one piece of portable gear, a first for the industry. This reduced production costs while increasing creative control for

artists. The SP-1200 became associated with the

. According to the ''

'', "The machine rose to such prominence that its strengths and weaknesses sculpted an entire era of music: the crunchy digitized drums, choppy segmented samples, and murky filtered basslines that characterize the vintage New York sound are all mechanisms of the machine." E-mu Systems's sampling drum machines had earned a strong following, especially from

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

producers Producer(s), The Producer(s), or co-producer(s) may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *Producer, a stakeholder of economic production * Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes t ...

seeking out its characteristic sound, by the time of SP-1200's initial discontinuation in 1990. Owing to unending demand, SP-1200 was reissued by E-mu in 1993 with a cooler-running power supply and black chassis that complied with contemporaneous electrical regulations, and became E-mu's longest-lived product in 1996. E-mu continued to build SP-1200 units until the unavailability of aging parts including the analog SSM2044 filter chips (ICs), forced the instrument's second discontinuation, marked by a "Final Edition" of SP-1200 units, in 1998. In 2015, E-mu Systems co-founder and original SP-12 and SP-1200 designer Dave Rossum returned to designing

synthesizers A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

, co-founding a new company, Rossum Electro-Music ("Rossum") that soon began receiving requests for SP-1200. Sound Semiconductor's announcement of SSI2144, an analog filter chip (IC) using a modern manufacturing process with the same internal circuit and sonic character as the SSM2044 (also designed by Dave Rossum), and Rossum's announcement of Assimil8or, a new hardware sampler in eurorack format in 2017, further fueled speculation of a new SP-1200 product. Rossum announced an extremely limited 35th Anniversary edition of rebuilt SP-1200 units in 2020. In November 2021, Rossum announced a reissue of the SP-1200. The Rossum SP-1200 provides 20 seconds total sampling time, equal to twice the original SP-1200's 10 seconds. A new

SD card Secure Digital (SD) is a proprietary, non-volatile, flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA). Owing to their compact size, SD cards have been widely adopted in a variety of portable consumer electronics, including dig ...

interface replaces the 3.5" disk drive. The chassis is made entirely from metal to comply with modern emissions standards. The unavailable SSM2044 filters are replaced with functionally identical SSM2144 filter chips (ICs).

Notable works

1988

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

- ''

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back ''It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back'' is the second studio album by American Hip hop music, hip hop group Public Enemy, released on June 28, 1988, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. It was recorded from 1987 to 1988 in sessio ...

'' (

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

, June 28, 1988) * Produced by

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D is also a me ...

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...

, and

Hank Shocklee The Bomb Squad was an American hip hop production team known for their work with hip hop group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad are noted for their dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. ...

Charnas, Dan. "Respect : Making Noise". '' Scratch'' (July/August 2005): pg. 120.

Ultramagnetic MCs The Ultramagnetic MCs is an American hip hop group based in the Bronx, New York City. Founded by Kool Keith, the group also includes Ced Gee, TR Love, and Moe Love. Tim Dog became an unofficial member in 1989. In 1990, DJ Jaycee was added as ...

- '' Critical Beatdown'' (

Next Plateau NeXT, Inc. (later NeXT Computer, Inc. and NeXT Software, Inc.) was an American technology company headquartered in Redwood City, California that specialized in computer workstations for higher education and business markets, and later develope ...

, October 4, 1988) * Produced by

Andre Harrell Andre O’Neal Harrell (September 26, 1960 – May 7, 2020) was an American record executive, media proprietor, and former rapper. He formed the short-lived East Coast hip hop duo Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde with Alonzo Brown in 1980; they sig ...

( exec.),

Paul C Paul C. McKasty (September 20, 1964July 17, 1989), better known as Paul C, was an American East Coast hip hop pioneer, producer, engineer, and mixer in the 1980s.Pritt Kalsi McKasty gained recognition for his work with notable artists such as De ...

, Ced-Gee

1989

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...

. - ''

Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority Records, Priority and Ruthless Records. It was Record producer, produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, a ...

'' ( Ruthless, January 25, 1989) * Produced by

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. Eazy-E is often re ...

( exec.),

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

DJ Yella Antoine Carraby (born December 11, 1961), better known by his stage name DJ Yella, is an American DJ, record producer, and film director from Compton, California. DJ Yella began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru along wit ...

Arabian Prince Kim Renard Nazel (born June 17, 1965), better known by his stage names Arabian Prince or Professor X, is an American rapper and record producer. He was a founding member of N.W.A and contributed to a few tracks from '' N.W.A. and the Posse'' (19 ...

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American Rapping, rapper, producer and actor who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influe ...

- ''

It's a Big Daddy Thing ''It's a Big Daddy Thing'' is the second full-length album by American rapper Big Daddy Kane. It was released on September 19, 1989, by Cold Chillin' Records and Warner Bros. Records. Background Unlike his debut album, which was solely produ ...

'' (

Cold Chillin' ''Cold Chillin is the third EP from British hardcore punk band Your Demise Your Demise is a British hardcore punk band from St Albans, England, formed in 2004. They shared stages and toured worldwide with the likes of Comeback Kid, Basem ...

, September 19, 1989) * "Another Victory" and "Calling Mr. Welfare" (featuring

DJ Red Alert Frederick Crute (born November 27, 1956), known professionally as Kool DJ Red Alert, is an Antiguan-American disc jockey who rose to fame on WRKS 98.7 Kiss FM in New York City and is recognized as one of the founding fathers of hip hop music ...

) produced by

Easy Mo Bee Osten S. Harvey Jr. (born December 8, 1965), better known by his stage name Easy Mo Bee, is an American hip hop and R&B record producer and DJ, known for his production work for artists such as Big Daddy Kane and Miles Davis, as well as his a ...

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

- ''

Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 ''Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814'' (also simply known as ''Rhythm Nation 1814 or Rhythm Nation'') is the fourth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson, first released on September 13, 1989 in Europe and six days later in the United Sta ...

'' ( A&M, September 19, 1989) * Produced by

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...

, Jackson,

Jellybean Johnson Garry George "Jellybean" Johnson (born November 19, 1956) is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, record producer and musician based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Early life, family and education As a youth, Johnson relocated from Chi ...

1990

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

- ''

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm ''People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on April 10, 1990, by Jive Records. After forming the Native Tongues collective and collaborating on s ...

'' ( Jive, April 10, 1990)

- ''

Fear of a Black Planet ''Fear of a Black Planet'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. It was released on April 10, 1990, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records, and produced by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who expanded ...

'' (

, April 10, 1990) * Produced by

The Bomb Squad The Bomb Squad was an American hip hop production team known for their work with hip hop group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad are noted for their dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. ...

1991

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

- ''

The Low End Theory ''The Low End Theory'' is the second studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album were held mostly at Battery Studios in New York City, from 1990 to ...

'' ( Jive, September 24, 1991)

1992

Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston-based rapper Guru (rapper), Guru. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2003, and is considered a widely influential MC-and-pr ...

- "Take it Personal" (

Chrysalis A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages the ...

, March 30, 1992) * Produced by

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He has been frequently lauded as one of hip hop's greatest producers by publications such as '' ...

* Single from the album

Daily Operation ''Daily Operation'' is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr. It was released by Chrysalis Records on May 5, 1992. It peaked at number 65 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Critical reception Stanton Swihart of AllMusic wrot ...

Pete Rock & CL Smooth Pete Rock & CL Smooth were an American hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, '' All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP ''Mecca and the Soul Brother''. Career 1991–1994: The Golden Ag ...

- " They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" ( Elektra, April 2, 1992) * Produced by

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned along ...

* Single from the album

Mecca and the Soul Brother ''Mecca and the Soul Brother'' is the 1992 debut album from hip-hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album contains their best known song, " They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)". ''Mecca and the Soul Brother'' has been widely acclaimed as one of ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

- ''

Doo-Bop ''Doo-Bop'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. It was recorded with hip hop producer Easy Mo Bee and released posthumously on June 30, 1992, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was received unfavorably by most critics, al ...

'' (

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

, Jun 30, 1992) * Produced by

1993

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

- ''

Midnight Marauders ''Midnight Marauders'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on November 9, 1993, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album occurred at Battery Studios, Platinum Island Studios and Scorcerer Sou ...

'' ( Jive, November 9, 1993)

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

- ''

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'' is the debut studio album by the American hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 9, 1993, by Loud Records and RCA Records. The recording sessions took place during late 1992 to early 1993 at Fire ...

'' (Loud, November 9, 1993) * Produced by

RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name RZA ( ) or the RZA, is an American rapper, record producer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. He is the '' de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having pro ...

1994

Craig Mack Craig Jamieson Mack (May 10, 1970 – March 12, 2018) was an American rapper and record producer. He is best known for his tenure with Bad Boy Records, during which he released his 1994 single " Flava in Ya Ear" (1994), which peaked within the ' ...

- "

Flava in Ya Ear "Flava in Ya Ear" is a song by American rapper Craig Mack. It was released on July 2, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records as the lead single from his debut studio album, '' Project: Funk da World'' (1994). The song was remixed with the ad ...

" ( Bad Boy, July 26, 1994) * Produced by

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...

- ''

Ready to Die ''Ready to Die'' is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and distributed by Arista Records. The album features productions by Bad Boy founder Sean Combs, Sean "Puffy ...

'' ( Bad Boy, September 13, 1994) * "Gimme the Loot", "Machine Gun Funk", "Warning", "Ready to Die", "The What" (featuring

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...

), and "Friend of Mine" produced by

* "Suicidal Thoughts" produced by

Lord Finesse Robert A. Hall Jr. (born February 19, 1970), known by his stage name Lord Finesse, is an American rapper and hip-hop producer from The Bronx, New York, best known as the leader of the D.I.T.C. crew. About.com ranked him number 29 on its list of ...

1995

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

- ''

Me Against the World ''Me Against the World'' is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope Records and Out da Gutta Records and distributed by Atlantic Records. 2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impend ...

'' (

Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

, March 14, 1995) * "If I Die 2Nite" and "

Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

" produced by

The Pharcyde The Pharcyde is an American hip hop group, formed in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles in 1989. The original four members of the group are Imani (rapper), Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown (Romye Robinson ...

- ''

Labcabincalifornia ''Labcabincalifornia'' is the second album by The Pharcyde, released in 1995, three years after their debut '' Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde''. The album's production was handled by The Pharcyde themselves and Jay Dee, with additional help from ...

'' (

Delicious Vinyl Delicious Vinyl is an American independent record label founded by Matt Dike and Michael Ross in 1987 and based in Los Angeles, California. History Michael Ross was a student at the University of California, Los Angeles when he met Matt Dike, ...

, November 14, 1995) * "Drop" and "Runnin" produced by

Jay Dee James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

1996

- ''The Awakening'' (

Penalty Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to: Sports * Foul (sports) ** Penalty (golf) ** Penalty (gridiron football) ** Penalty (ice hockey) ** Penalty (rugby) ** Penalty (rugby union) ** Penalty kick (assoc ...

, February 20, 1996)

1997

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...

- ''Homework'' (Virgin, January 20, 1997)

1998

Juvenile - "Ha" ( Cash Money, October 17, 1998) * Produced by

Mannie Fresh Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for his production work for Cash Money Records releases, as well b ...

* from the album 400 Degreez

2001

- ''Discovery'' (

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

, March 12 2001)

2002

Jel - ''10 Seconds'' (

Mush In multiplayer online games, a MUSH (a backronymed variation on Multi-user dungeon, MUD most often expanded as Multi-User Shared Hallucination, though Multi-User Shared Hack, Habitat, and Holodeck are also observed) is a text-based online social m ...

, October 22, 2002)

2003

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

- "

The Diary of Alicia Keys ''The Diary of Alicia Keys'' is the second studio album by American singer Alicia Keys. It was released on December 2, 2003, by J Records. The album was recorded at several recording studios, and production was handled primarily by Keys with cont ...

" ( J, December 2, 2003) *" If I Was Your Woman"/"

Walk on By "Walk On By" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for singer Dionne Warwick in 1963. Warwick's recording of the song peaked at number 6 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 1 on the Cash Box Rhythm and Blues Chart In June 19 ...

" produced by

, D'Wayne Wiggins

2012

Kid Koala Eric Yick Keung San (born December 5, 1974), better known by his stage name Kid Koala, is a Canadian scratch DJ, music producer, theatre producer, film composer, multimedia-performer and visual artist. His career began as a scratch DJ in 1994. K ...

- ''

12 Bit Blues ''12 Bit Blues'' is a studio album by Canadian DJ Kid Koala. It was released on the Ninja Tune label on September 17, 2012. It peaked at number 21 on ''Billboard''s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, as well as number 6 on the Blues Albums chart ...

'' (

Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an independent record label based in London, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1990 by musicians Matt Black and Jonathan More, known collectively as Coldcut. The label was established as an outlet for Col ...

, September 17, 2012)

2014

- ''The SP1200 Project: A Re-Awakening'' (Slice of Spice, July 28, 2014)

2019

- '' Return of the SP1200'' (Tru Soul, April 13, 2019)

2022

- ''Return of the SP1200 V.2'' (Tru Soul, Apr 23, 2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:E-Mu Sp-1200 Samplers (musical instrument) Hip-hop production

History and development

Differences from the SP-12

Features

Sound

Technique

Longevity and reissue

Notable works

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

2001

2002

2003

2012

2014

2019

2022

See also

References