THIS IS AN OFFICIAL LIMITED-EDITION, FIRST PRESSING OF
YOU H AVE CO PY
[
]
OF
150
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PURCHASE — 27SENS AND THE SP-BOOK TEAM
.. WARNING No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright holder. Applications for the copyright holder’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher
.. DISCLAIMER The tutorials, tricks and technical pieces of advice given in this book have only been written as a guide and should only be attempted by those with both technical aptitude and experience with electronic repairs. Persons who intend to follow the following tutorial instructions do so AT THEIR OWN RISK
The author, publisher and E-mu Systems do not take any responsibility whatsoever for any damage, loss, breakage or injury that may occur when performing ANY of ANY of the repairs or electronic manipulations/handwork described in this book. Also, it is highly recommended that if you have any doubt in y our ability to perform ANY ANY of of the following repairs that you send your SP-1200 SP-1200 to to an experienced technician
SI MON PBODY HYL AND
2011 © Copyright 27SENS, all rights reserved
E-MU Systems is a trademark, registered in USA and numerous countries. The E-MU logos, ads and some other official document about the samplers SP-12 and SP-1200 are the property of E-MU Systems.
www.emu.com
First publication, February 2011 Published by 27SENS, 33 le bosquet, 13150 Tarascon, FRANCE. Ref. 27SBOK001EN SP-1200: The Art and The Science
ISBN:
978-2-9535410-0-7
www.27sens.com
Autho r: P BODY Edit: Patrick Cronin, Australia Technical Editors: DFACE DXA + Henry Bernard
Design/Layout: Collin Venuto Illustration: DRUMAT!C
KicDrum Products, LLC Philadelphia, PA 215-939-6684
www.kicdrumproducts.com
The author, publisher and E-mu Systems do not take any responsibility whatsoever for any damage, loss, breakage or injury that may occur when performing any of the repairs or electronic manipulations/handwork described in this book. Also, it is highly recommended that if you have any doubt in your ability to perform ANY of the following repairs that you send your SP-1200 to an experienced technician.
Printed in France
CONTENTS THE OFFICIAL SP-1200 BOOK “It’s not what the SP’ does, but rather what it doesn’t do” — PBODY
FOREWORD DAVE ROSSUM
AUTHOR’S INTRO. SP=SIMPLE AND PLAIN
4 THE SP-1 SP -1200 200 COOKBOOK C OOKBOOK BASIC RECIPES WITH CHEF PBODY The Abridged SP-1200 Owner’s Manual
1 GOING WAY BACK
INGREDIENTS Introduction SET UP Playback (triggering sounds)
FROM THE GROUND UP The story of E-MU’s history and its founders DRUMMING THROUGH TIME A breakdown of some of the most influential drum machines and samplers of the 1980’s
2 THE ART AND THE SCIENCE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE A closer look a t the sta r of the sh ow: the SP-1200
3 12- BIT GRIT BOX OF TRICKS Sampling: The SP-1200 sound explained
CONTROLS Control surface (diagram) Control overview Modules Operations Entering Leading zeros Triggering sounds Tuning sounds/applying decay Varied levels Activating dynamic triggers Multilevel Assigning sounds to outputs Filters Metronome
PROGRAMMING Overview Setting the tempo (BPM) Playing segments Segment structure Auto correct Applying swing Segment length Programming segments in real time Erasing a segment Erasing individual sounds Erasing individual note(s) in real time Copying and appending segments
SONG MODE Overview Programming a song
SAMPLING/EDITING Overview Setting levels and the input gain Forced sampling Threshold sampling Deleting a sound Truncating (chopping) a sound
SAVING TO DISK Overview Formatting/copying software Saving sounds and segments to disk/disk operations
5 TRICKS OF THE TRADE THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX Advanced SP-1200 production tricks
7 SP-RELATED
SAMPLING Extra sample length–turntable/sampler to sampler Tracking beat sections Scratch (temporary) disk Tuning a turntable
THE ILL COMBINATION An overview of one of t he most eff ective sampler-midi combinations of the golden era: the SP-1200 and the AKAI S-950
PROGRAMMING Trademark swing Looping the end of samples (infinite sustain) Sample starts
SOUND BYTES E-mu-lation: software that attempts to emulate the SP-1200
MISCELLANEOUS Output filters (filtered/unfiltered) Y-cable monitoring Floppy disks Floppy disk conversion (DS-DD/2HD) Saving the tempo (BPM) to disk Copying sounds to disk for editing
SP-12 Removing and replacing stock sounds Cassette mode
6 SP’ USER REPAIRS DO IT YOURSELF Step by step guides for general maintenance and repair of the SP-1200
8 THE MAIN INGREDIENT “QUOTE...UNQUOTE” Production created with, and quotes inspired by the SP-1200
INTRODUCTION
DISASSEMBLING THE SP-1200
Basic Advanced
TRIGGER PADS
(BLACK) Cleaning Looping the end of samples (infinite sustain) Sample starts
COMMAND BUTTONS
Cleaning
FADERS
(WHITE/RED MOMENTARY SWITCHES)
(SLIDE POTENTIOMETERS) Intro Fader removal Fader replacement/reattachment Fader cleaning and lubrication
ROTARY/KNOBS
(ROTARY POTENTIOMETERS) Rotary knob cleaning and lubrication Rotary knob replacement
FLOPPY DRIVE Removal/replacement
RESEATING THE PCB CHIPS
MIX OUT AND WE’RE OUTTA HERE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS RESEARCH/BIBLIOGRAPHY GLOSSARY
FOR
WORD
.. It’s been nearly thirty years since the concepts that became the SP-1200 first came together at E-mu Systems. As with any collaboration between art and science, the boundaries between the two are hazy at best. In circuit design, superior specifications don’t necessarily correspond to the most pleasing sound; when architecting software, the optimum syntax may be far from the most intuitive user interface. The SP-1200 probably is one of the finest examples of the blending of the objective and the subjective. The 1980’s were E-mu’s heyday: despite our financial ups and downs, Muons loved their work and the challenges it brought. We were zany, we were irreverent, and we worked our butts off. At a recent reunion, somebody pointed out the truth—we were more a family than a company. Everybody cared, about the products, about the customers, about each other. Within this environment the SP-1200 was born. Nobody at E-mu would have bet that the musical impact of SP-1200 would be anything like what has ultimately unfolded. We poured our heart and soul into every one of our products, and often enough we were proud of the results. In 1985, we knew that the choices we’d made for the SP-12 had been good ones. When we upgraded to the SP-1200, it was to take advantage of technological advances to put in features we’d wanted from the beginning. But even so, the popularity of the SP-1200 was almost a joke for us—Marketing V.P. Marco Alpert called it “The product that refused to die!” E-mu co-founder Scott Wedge used to talk about “well-tuned” products. By this he meant that all the instruments, features and characteristic were well matched, and easily comprehended by the musician. While products like the Emulator and Proteus may have been more revolutionary, the SP-1200 was likely the best “tuned” of any of E-mu’s offerings. In the chapters to come, PBODY will guide you through the world of the SP-1200, its history, its underlying technology, and both conventional and unconventional techniques for making music with it. I am personally honored to have played a key role in creating such a time-honored instrument, and I must confess how delightful it has been to have a chance to pour over the schematics again and recall the whole design experience. I hope you’ll have as much fun reading as I and the whole E-mu gang did in producing the SP-1200. Enjoy! Dave Rossum
Santa Cruz, California February 13, 2011
SP FOR LIFE... PBODY the 10-Second Assassin
AUTHOR’S INTRO. SP=SIMPLE AND PLAIN “You lose against the SP” — A.G.
INTRO.. INTRO
.. Remember how you felt when you were just starting out at something? Whether your chosen pursuit was making beats and digging crates, writing rhymes and spitting lyrics, getting up or just riding a bike, there was no doubt a bunch of things you didn’t know…little tr icks of the trade that seemed to b e secret, known only to a few who rode supreme on the machines, mics, walls or wheels. Everybody wants to be in on a secret—to say they are amongst the few who really know the deal—but the very nature of the down low, is that’s just the way it is.
You gotta earn your rep. If you don’t know, get to know. Like a long-lost language or code to be deciphered from a hip hop lyric, the SP-1200’s secrets have been held close to the chest of many producers for decades, while aspiring greenhorns have cajoled, explored and researched to find out more. In this hyper-connected, technology-rich age, whilst most beat makers are looking for the next best sampler (with a touch sensitive screen, two weeks of sampling time and more functions than a Swiss army knife), a handful of producers remain content settling for the SP-1200’s minimal memory, outclassed resolution and a control sur face that’s as basic as a Fisher-Price toy. So with more limitations than functions, what’s all the fuss about? Someone once asked me: ‘what does the SP do that makes it so great?’ From the strange look I do that got, I think I confused them when I replied: ‘its not what the SP-1200 does does;; it’s what it doesn’t do’.’. I wish I could have handed them this book back then. do Coming from the minds that made it, the hands that played it and the pioneers who took it to places the makers had never imagined, the goal of this book is to explore the culture, inspiration and mind-state—what we know as ‘The Art’—behind the SP-1200. And like any good piece of art, it is surrounded by knowledge knowledge;; the deeper tale of its existence, operation and application. These are the key ingredients that make up the science of the SP. Even if you have no idea of what an SP-1200 is, does, or means, our aim is to share the facts, stories and secrets of this most influential box of tricks.
.. And like any good piece of art, it is surrounded by knowledge knowledge;; the deeper tale of its existence, operation and application. These are the key ingredients that make up the science of the SP.
Even if you have no idea of w hat an SP-1200 is, does, or me ans, our aim is to share the facts, stories and secrets of this most influential box of tricks. The fact that the creators of and contributors to this book have set about telling the story of the SP-1200 is testament to the unrivalled place this timeless, never-bettered piece of hip hop hardware holds in the firmament. Spawning beats which spawned rhymes, which flowed at jams and in rides, which put shape to thoughts and provided release and gave generations an assurance of their place in time, the SP-1200 helped people know they were part of a collective. It is not going too far to say that the circuits and wires and knowledge that made the machine created more than just music at the other end. It gave life to many through those who uncovered its secrets. And like Show and A.G. told ya’ on Goodfellas Goodfellas—if —if you didn’t know before, ‘guess you know now!
SP=SIMPLE AND PLAIN
SP FOR LIFE... DFACE DXA
1 GOING WAY BACK FROM THE GROUND UP “The art of an artist must be his own art. It is...always a continuous chain of little inventions, little technical discoveries…” — Emil Nolde, painter
WAY BA B A CK
.. Hip hop has always been about innovators; those on the search for the freshest new methods and the path forward. Importantly, this dynamic quest for invention—and reinvention—is best carried out by those with a sense of history, of where they came from, and with an eye to the past. Much of hip hop music —most if it’s any good—ha s reached your ears through experimentation with recycled and adapted sounds, as well as rhythm, style and technique.
And by pushing the available t ools to new, unheard lim its. When Theodore dropped the first scratch in a club or a park, he would have blown the minds of those hearing it for the first time. Before long, triplets, quads, crabs and flares became must have tools of the trade for any self-respecting DJ. Likewise for all the elements. The backspin evolves to the headspin; the graf masters trick out nozzles, design alphabets and blend paints to create new visual forms and techniques; emcees build on the creativity of their predecessors, adding their own twist… layer upon layer upon layer… (although whether autotune ever sounded fresh is highly debatable). The key is the maximisation of resources—to take what appears to look or sound like this this,, look or sound like that that.. Like a future-scientist mixing knowledge with inquiry, or a genre-defying chef adding new flavours to established recipes… or like any of countless hip hop creators, who took a little piece of sound, fed it into an SP-1200, and spat it out fatter. The past, assimilated into the now, searching for the next.
E-MU On first impressions, the innovators at E-MU appear as far removed from the originators in the boogie down as you could get. Around the time the influence of Jamaican dub and artists like The Last Poets was spawning the birth of hip hop, a biology undergraduate at the California Institute of Technology was commencing the journey that would ultimately lead to the development of the SP-1200. After graduating from Cal tech, Dave Rossum was sniffing arou nd the University of Calif ornia’s Santa Cruz computer lab for some inspiration to solve a 3-D modelling problem. He was asked if he had ever seen a Moog synthesiser. Dave’s natural affinity for solving intricate problems and unpacking complex structures saw him soon become the campus’s resident music synthesis expert.
After plugging away for a yea r or so and developing—legend has it—a couple of never-seen prototypes, D ave was
.. By 1977, Dave was building his own chips, and attention soon turned to developing the absolute Rolls Royce of
joined by a former high school friend, Scott Wedge (and Dave’ s girlfriend Paula Butler ), and the E-MU team set about
..
synthesizers, a fitting goal, as E-MUons had always said that the Rolls Royce was the E-MU of the car industry. The
developing their first saleable synthesiser. Feeding the profits back into the development of new machines soon saw the
project—which was basically ten years ahead of its time, ridiculously expensive and known as the Audity—would
partnership needing to form a company, which was registered in late 1972.
never come to fruition, although as is often the case with E-MU products, rumours abounded that a few models had been secretly made for wealthy clients such as art-house prog-rock band Tangerine Dream.
Meanwhile, a music store salesman’s desire to explore the new analog synthesiser technology would see him become an integral part of the fledgling company. The E-MU team had heard that the store Ed Rudnick was working in had
As the 1970’s drew to a close, and mind ful of the somewhat disastrou s outcome of the Audity project, Dave f orecast
obtained the first ARP2600 synth in the Bay area, and were soon down there, convincing Ed to let them take it home
that the future for E-MU lay in producing smaller, high-volume items, paving the way for what comes next: “I don’t
so they could tear it apart and see how it worked—on the proviso that it be put back together. Dave quickly figured out
think you’ll see E-MU come out with any more real expensive dream machines, that’s more for
how the schematics worked, the ARP was put back together and returned to Ed, who, like the guy in the shaving ads of
beginning companies…”. He clearly realised at this point that the future of E-MU lay in the
years gone by, was so impressed he joined the company.
opportunities afforded by emerging digital sampling technology.
Within months, E-MU had enlisted an LA-based sales rep, and was building and selling modules and complete
SP-1200
synthesisers for up to $20,000 a piece. With little advertising in the early years, E-MU would soon grow to be the
The E-MU team chose to actively pursue digital sampling after seeing the potential of this new technology
leading innovator in synthesiser technology, driven by Dave’s active mind and exacting standards. The quality
demonstrated in the Fairlight CMI and a Publison machine with digital delay that played back stored sounds via analog
of the machines built all those years ago has seen them become hard-to-get collector’s items, savoured by E-MU
keyboard command. Rather than continue to compete against masses of Japanese programmable analog synths, Dave
freaks the world over.
stepped up to the plate and set about improving what he’d seen, and by 1981 had sold the first shipment of the 128kb Attention soon turned to modul ar sequencers and the potentia l of microprocessors in the creation of synthesised music. In a classic case of using whatever resources you can get, Ed, who was wo rking at (now mega) chip-maker Intel, managed to get his hands on a defective Intel 8080, the world’s first commerciall y viable micro-processor ch ip. Although this chip was not what the E-MU E-MU team team would use for their next batch of products, it crystallised in Dave and the team’s minds the potential (and problems) lurking in this new technology.
sample memory Emulator I, to none other than Stevie Wonder. The Emulator I wasn’t hugely successful sales-wise, but at the time there had also been a rise in sales of digital drum machines, and—once again—Dave and the team spotted a niche to fill, namely that of producing digital drum machines for under $1000. Enter the Drumulator, which sold almost 10,000 units over two years, before the competitors caught up. Always seeking improvement, E-MU dropped the 1mb Emulator II in 1984 to instant acclaim, with the machine becoming the sa mpler of choice for m uch of the rest of the 1980’s. With 12-bit ROM samples from Digidesign, the new machine was a true team effort—electronics designed by Dave, the patented touch-sensitive pads from Scott, and functionality from Marco Alpert who had joined the company in 1980. The world’s first sampling drum machine stored sounds in battery-backed RAM, which could be saved to the world’s slowest disk drive—the Commodore 5.25” serial floppy drive.
The SP-12’s incredibly easy-to-use interface and cutting edge sound made it instantly popular.
..
..
Over the next few years the company alternated between big successes and near-death experiences, the latter typified
USERS / PROMOTERS
by the release of the Emulator III to market. Plagued by production problems (it worked beautifully, but then broke,
Even though it was designed in the deep, dark 1980’s, the SP-1200’s usability, portability and unique sound have seen
forcing a product recall), the Emulator III caused a major cash flow crisis, and in 1988 the company was (just) kept
it remain an object of desire for both up and coming and experienced beat-heads. No doubt, by comparison to the
afloat with a personal guarantee from Scott Wedge and tense discussions with the banks.
plethora of machinery and technology available to producers today, the SP-1200 can seem limited in its capability, but she (it’s a she, right?) gets props for equal parts history, respect and innovation.
While this was going on, the opposite of the Emulator III in terms of size and expense—and what would become the longest-lived E-MU product ever released—was unveiled: the star of the show, the SP-1200. SP-1200.
And then there’s that sound. Maybe the ma in reason it achieved such ic onic status is its famed gri tty, almost dirty texture, and the ability it has to simulate the warmth of vinyl recordings. Recognisable on numerous classic joints from
Needing a quick, low-risk development that had better sample storage technology than
the oft-cited ‘golden era’ of hip hop—including Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s ‘Mecca and the Soul
the SP-12, E-MU reused the sample-replay engine and analog filters dating back to the
Brother’, Public Enemy’s ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ and Organized Konfusion’s
Drumulator, ensuring—however accidentally—that the SP-1200 had a warm, gritty
‘Extinction Agenda’, Agenda’, just to name a few—the SP-1200 has been worked over by some of hip hop’s
sound even better than the Japanese 16-bit samplers. Combined with 10 seconds of
finest producers. Due to its portability, the machine is perfect for spontaneous innovation and
sample memory and an internal 3.5 inch floppy drive that did away with the need for
collaboration, and the simplicity with which producers could basically assemble a whole track from
ROM, the little grey box so loved by hip hop producers (and listeners, even if they aren’t
inside the one box made it loved by those working with limited resources.
aware) had arrived in a big way. Launched at the Summer NAMM in 1987, the SP-1200 sold
MAGIC
well for several years, u ntil—thinking it was outdated an d
On reflection, it’s no surprise that in grainy old photos of the early days of E-MU, you can spot posters on the
unloved—E-MU discontinued its manufacture in 1990. Little
wall proclaiming: ‘Any sufficiently advanc ed technology is indistingui shable from magic’, a q uote from the famous
did they know, the sampler had achieved a dedicated and
science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.
passionate following in the expanding hip hop sphere—a following that brought it back by popular demand in 1993.
Over more than forty years, E-MU have produced thousands of products and turned over hundreds of millions of
The final batch was manufactured in 1998.
dollars, an impressive output for the creation of two high-school buddies whose main driver was in essence pure hip hop: searching for freshness. But no product made an impact like the SP-1200. While the company essentially ceased when E-MU was absorbed by Creative in 1993, at which point the ridiculously fruitful partnership between founders Scott Wedge and Dave Rossum also ended, the legacy they left is there, just like magic. In your crates. On your headphones. In the club. On that mix-tape. In your library. In your memory. Your ears, (and the bank balances of a bunch of record compa nies, artists, promoters and retailers) owe Dave Rossum and Scott Wedge a hefty amount of thanks. Game-changers, innovators and visionaries who change the
Not long after the debut of the SP-12, we had internal discussions about adding a disk drive. The SP-12 had this horrible kludge wherein we
face of this thing called hip hop don’t come around too often. Here’s to them, and here’s the story of their machine.
interfaced to a Commodore 64 disk as a peripheral; it was klunky and slow, but it was much cheaper than including our own disk. The disk interface we used in the Emulators performed extremely well, but because we bought in such low volume, we paid a lot for the drives. But by 1986, the drives were dropping in price, and we knew that we could get rid of the troublesome battery backup system, and replace all the more expensive static RAM with DRAM once we added a disk drive. When the “half-height” drives suddenly dropped in price, and we discovered that
FROM THE GROUND UP
DRUMMING THROUGH TI T IME
.. Historically, drum machines can be traced back to Leon Theremin’s RHYTHMICON, created in the 1930’s. This greatgrandfather of the drum machine family was certainly a far cry from the hardware found in production studios today, however considering that it was created about 80 years ago and used light to produce its sound, its invention is a great reminder of just how far drum machines have evolved.
Nostalgia aside , drum machines remained pretty tame for quite a while; in fact—as you’ll see in this next chapter—their evolution really only started to m ove ahead in the 1980’s. The 80’s BEAT BEAT-BREAKDOWN -BREAKDOWN Starting it all off, in 1980 Roger Linn (Linn Electronics) released the simple but impressive, LM-1 LM-1 drum drum machine. The LM-1 was the first drum machine to use ‘real’ drum samples—which could be fully tuned, sequenced (programmed) and quantised (with shuffle). Originally retailing for around $5,000USD, this calculator on steroids can be credited for its unprecedented sound, functionality and unique design. It is a classic that can be partly credited for kick-starting the whole drum machine movement of the 1980’s. Just a few months after the release of the LM-1, Japanese manufacturer Roland introduced the TR-808 TR-808 (Transistor (Transistor Rhythm). Musicians took a little while to warm to the 808 because it used ‘analog synthesis’ to produce its drum sounds, which were considered unrealistic compared to the acoustic drum samples provided on the LM-1. Still, the 808 was much more affordable than the LM-1 ($1,000USD) and by the late 80’s, the 808 had been embraced by many different music genres (especially hip hop) and it remained popular until the user-sample based drum machines started to take over.
Linn Electronics LM-1 (1980)
Roland TR-808 (1981)
E-MU Emulator (1981-83)
E-MU Drumulator (1983)
Oberheim DMX/DX (1981-83)
.. By 1981, E-MU were ready to unleash one of the very first keyboard samplers onto the market in the form of the Emulator. Weighing in at about 30 kilograms, with its 49 keys, 8-bit sampling resolution and almost 2 seconds sampling time, the Emulator Emulator was was designed to compete with the incredibly expensive Fairlight CMI. The Fairlight cost a staggering $30-35,000USD—the equivalent of a semi-professional studio today—and at a third of the price the Emulator was much more affordable, but still beyond the budget of the average musician. Only about 500 Emulators were manufactured and sold dur ing 1981-83 and although it was not a hugely successful sa mpler, its design laid the foundation for some of E-MU’s subsequent products. In 1983 E-MU released one of their most successful designs of the 80’s, the Drumulator Drumulator.. The Drumulator was a small and simple drum machine, but its competitive $995USD price tag helped it to become a breakthrough unit. Its sales were so good, it helped E-MU net enough profi t to reshape their company into a med ium-scale manufacturer, as well as finance the design and release of the Emulator II. The Drumulator’s sales declined by late 1984, shortly after Oberheim released their new DX drum drum machine onto the market.
Linn Drum (1982)
E-MU Emulator II (1984)
E-MU then went on to release the Emulator II in II in June 1984, after spending about 2 years working on its design. Essentially a beefed-up version of the Emulator, its groundbreaking memory and HD HD upgrades upgrades made it very popular with musicians, who bought a round 2000 units throughout the m id-80’s. After the release of the Emulator II , E-MU started to concentrate o n the concept of a high- end drum machine. The idea was based around an entire overhaul of the earlier Drumulator, with an emphasis on user sampling and multiple control surface upgrades. The project was developed during the end of 1984 and a prototype called the Drumulator II made its first appearance at the 1985 NAMM show. Shortly after, E-MU went on to manufacture and release the new machine, but instead of the ‘Drumulator II’, it was given the shorter name of the SP-12 SP-12 (short (short for; sampling percussion, at 12-bits).
By the late 80’s, drum machine/ samplers started to g et smaller and more powerful and began transforming into complete production workstations, each providing their own set of unique features and limitations. E-MU Emulator II HD (1984)
Linn 9000 (1984)
‘We started taking orders for the SP-12 at the 1985 Summer NAMM, the only NAMM show ever held in New Orleans, (where the crawfish story came from) and it was soon obvious that we had made the right choices. The instrument immediately gained a reputation as “sounding great.” We were very concerned about competition from the Linn 9000, but since that remained an 8-bit machine, we felt we were sitting pretty. I have
Sequential Circuits Studio 440 (1986)
E-MU SP-12 turbo (1985)
Akai MPC-60 Mk1 (1988)
Akai MPC-60 MkII (1991)
.. Sequential Circuits was one of the first companies to introduce the all-in-one style of sampling production units, with their release of the Studio 440 (1986). 440 (1986). This 12-bit sampler/drum machine was ahead of its time, with many features that predated the SP-1200 and MPC 60. Indeed, the Studio 440 could have been legendary, if its small memory and large $5,000USD price tag hadn’t handicapped its overall success. The Studio 440 was the last product that Sequential released before they were bought out by Yamaha. Another business that had to unfortunately shut its do ors in the late 80’s was Roger Linn’s compa ny, Linn Electronics. Soon after its closure, Roger started working with the AKAI Corporation (Japan). The first release from this partnership was the Akai the Akai MPC-60 (midi MPC-60 (midi production center)—which hit the shelves in 1988. Loaded with many features, the MPC-60 drew design in spiration from machines l ike the Linn 9000 and the Sequential Circuits Studio 440. The 60’s-style controls provided users with a large 8-line LCD screen and 16 pressure sensitive drum pads (now synonymous with all Akai MPC Samplers). Considering the powerful advances of computer technology over the last twenty years, many producers have stopped using drum machine/sample hardware and migrated to computer-based sampling software to execute their creations. However, the majority of revolutionary features that were developed during the 80’s still remain as hardware standards to this day. For experienced producers, both sampling alternatives have their own uses. If you are looking for clean, clinical sound reproduction, software production is the ideal platform. But if you prefer to colour your sounds, then using a vintage sampler cannot be beaten.
And if one sa mpler from the era defines coloured sound, it’s the SP-1200.
S K C O L O O D E I T R E G F O Y S E T R U O C O T O H P
MOST INFLUENTIAL DRUM MACHINES AND SAMPLERS FROM THE 1980’s
S M E T S Y S U M E
S M E T S Y S U M E
F O
F O
Y S E T R U O C
Y S E T R U O C
O T O H P
O T O H P
SP FOR LIFE... JNOTA REDEF RECORDS
2 THE ART AND THE SCIENCE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE “I don’t need the constructive criticism, Program the SP-12 and spark up the -ism” — Pete — Pete Red
THE ART... ART...
.. Shortly after a prototype made its debut appearance at the 1987 summer NAMM show, the E-MU SP-1200 was released, complete with an owners manual, 5 disk factory sound library and $2995USD price tag.
Rather than devel op an entirely new machine, E-M U built the SP- 1200 as an upgraded version of an earlier product called the SP-12. Crucially, the new design allowed users to capture their own sounds with its 10.07 second sample time at 12-bit resolution. This time E-MU had not only designed a complete production workstation, they had unknowingly dropped a game-changer.
S M E T S Y S U M E F O Y S E T R U O C O T O H P
E-MU SP-1200 (1987)
THE GENESIS ‘The project that ultimately became the SP-1200 began when we hired a new engineer, Donna Murray. Donna was a recent MIT graduate and a true genius. I gave her the project to modify the microcode of an existing Drumulator to enable it to change the pitch of the sounds. It was quite a challenge, but she eventually got it working. Since this used “drop sample” interpolation, it had a lot more distortion than the Emulator family, but the musicians around E-MU seemed to think that it was still musically useful, and an important feature. Once that technology was
E Z E E R F N O E L F O Y S E T R U O C
An alleged E-MU SP-1200 Prototype (1985-87)
O T O H P
SP-1200 Prototype Top Board - A
SP-1200 Prototype Top Board - B
SP-1200 Prototype Bottom Board - A
SP-1200 Prototype Bottom Board - B
E Z E E R F N O E L F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
..
..
E-MU’s release of the SP-1200 was also timely. The keyboard and drum machine period of hip-hop already had some
Historically, the SP-12 and 1200 is to the golden era what Marley Marl was to the chop. The machine enabled Paul C
producers fantasising about a machine which would allow them to sample their own sounds…allowing them to access,
(RIP) to flip one channel of a Dee Felice record into a classic, and helped Ced Gee craft timeless beats for BDP.
extrapolate and reinterpret beats and pieces from countless record collections. So when just such a machine became available, beat makers and nascent sampologists were quick to evolve—and in turn, so did the sound of hip-hop.
From Large Pro, Pete Rock , Buckwild and Lord Finesse, to many millions of ear drums, the little grey box has left a legacy words can barely describe, but this book attempts to do it justice.
Back then it was all about making the most with what you had and even though the SP-1200 had its limitations, it remained popular with hip hop producers, who worked within these limits to expand and define a whole new era of music. E-MU stopped manufacturing the SP-1200 after a couple of years on the assumption their product had reached its use-by date. But in the growing realm of professional and bedroom beat-making, demand for their product remained,
“C’mon the loaded SP’s the ensemble, Pete Rock together with Large—the bomb combo” — Extra P
and E-MU went on to reissue the SP-1200 a handful of times until they eventually ran out of some particular parts in the late 90’s.
While some parts remain unobtainable, enthusiasts can still track down most necessities for maintenance and upkeep through online auctions, user-groups, etc. And there are a not insignificant a mount of enthusiasts. Nowada ys, vintage SP-1200’s continue to attract healthy second hand prices (somewhere in the area of $1,500–$2,400USD). This might seem like a lot in the age of instant gratification and beats-by-numbers, but to many true heads, authenticity is more than the latest software plug-in. In a combination of respect for tradition, sentimentality and the quest for the real, wrestling with a classic piece of hardware to emulate the originals is a passion for many. A Rolex from a street vendor might look like a Rolex, but deep down you know you’re frontin’…
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
THE SCIE SCIENCE
.. Starting here in this chapter, where we put the SP-1200 under the microscope and take a closer look at its design and controls—we aim to expose a little of the mystery that lurks in—and in between—the beats and the machine that makes them.
12-BIT / 26.04 kHz SAMPLING While measly by today’s sampling ability, when E-MU dropped the SP-1200, the amount of sample time it offered opened a whole new world of options for producers. The SP-1200’s 10.07 seconds of sample time is divided across 4 RAM banks—4 chunks of 2.5 seconds provided by its 384 kb of total memory (double that of the SP-12 turbo).
TECHNICAL The SP-1200 can store up to 100 songs and 100 patterns, and has a 5000 note maximum memory for drum sequences—which for enterprising beat-makers is more than enough to build a track.
THE RATE DEBATE “I don’t know where the rumour started that there was a different sample rate between the SP-12 and the SP-1200? I haven’t been able to find a set of SP-12 schematics to absolutely confirm it, but the sample rate of the Drumulator was 26.04 kHz (5 MHz divided by 6*32), and the SP-1200 is the same (20MHz divided by 3*256), so I’m pretty sure the SP-12 was the same as well. That rate was chosen in the early Drumulator R&D
..
..
FRONT PANEL
SP-1200 OG SP-1200 OG FRONT PANEL
4 X pad banks with a total of 32 sounds 8 X faders and drum pads/triggers Drum pads/triggers can be activated to be velocity (touch) sensitive LCD screen 3.5” floppy disk drive Various external device connections interface
FLOPPY DISK One of the more necessary changes made on the SP-1200 from the SP-12 was the introduction a 3.5” floppy disk drive. The new drive allowed E-MU to move from ROM-based sounds (found on the SP-12) to a floppy disk-based library. The floppy disk drive allowed users to store their samples, sequences and songs and reload them at will, meaning a library of sounds could be developed and stored externally to the device. More importantly, it also meant that the SP-1200’s operating software could be read from the floppy disk, unlike the SP-12. All of this added up to more flexibility and peace of mind, and that a system crash would not mean the loss of valuable recordings/data.
MEMORY MATTERS ‘The SP-1200 O/S is stored in part of the 64 kilobytes of dynamic RAM (DRAM) used for the Z-80’s main memory. The way this is done might be of some interest. When the Z-80 starts up, its memory space has an 8 kb 2764 EPROM in the lower memory, and 56 kilobytes of DRAM above that. All the 2764 EPROM has in it is the bootstrap program: a few routines to make the display and such work, and the interface prog ram for the disk drive. This is far less in size than its 8 kb, but even back then, it was no cheaper to buy a smaller EPROM. The bootstrap program just
.. SP-1200 OG SP-1200 OG FRONT PANEL
..
USER CONTROLS Operating the SP-1200’s faders, buttons and rotary knobs create a hands-on approach to beat-making, allowing for a quick and efficient workflow.
Like DISTRAKT (SP ’ producer) says: “I love the faders and the pan pot styles. They make you fe el like your using a DJ mixer or a track-board mixer.” S M U R O F P S
However, many of these controls require some general maintenance and/or repair depending on
F O
the amount of use they receive. See the
SP’ USER REPAIRS
in chapter 6, for general
maintenance and repair information.
Y S E T R U O C
SP-1200 Pads, Faders, and Pot
LCD SCREEN The control surface’s LCD (16x2) screen is considerably smaller than those in the current era, but is more than adequate for executing the various operations of the SP-1200. Like a lot of older electronic music equipment fitted with an LCD screen, after prolonged usage, backlights will cease to operate and leave its screen un-Illuminated, but still readable. Besides frequent use, another cause for backlights to fail is a failing or dead tantalum capacitor and/or failing circuitry inside the transformer that is associated with the screen. Having vintage equipment regularly serviced is the best way to prevent such issues from occurring.
MEMORY MATTERS cont’d ‘Because the EPROM is read only, when the Z-80 writes to that memory, the hardware knows to write it instea d to the DRAM. Then, once this process is complete, the program sets a flag that removes the EPROM from the Z-80’s memory space. Now the Z-80 has the entire 64 kb usable
S O T O H P
SP-1200 OG SP-1200 OG REAR PANEL
..
..
REAR PANEL The SP-1200’s power switch, fuse and interface connections are all located on the rear panel, overseen by the characteristic ‘SP-1200’ logo in bold white text. The rear panel controls and interface connections include: 8 x mono outputs (UN/FILTERED) Sample input Mix out (MONO) Midi interface (IN/OUT/ THROUGH) Metronome output SMPTE IN/OUT External trigger IN/OUT ON/OFF power switch (with fuse) External power supply socket
SP-1200 REISSUE REAR PANEL
Another interesting fact about the original SP-1200 release is the warning message also situated on the rear panel— ‘CAUTION: This Area Gets Hot’ E-MU weren’t joking! Once an original unit Y D O B P
is powered up, it doesn’t take long for the back panel to get hot.
F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of t he kitchen” —Harry S. Truman
The heat that is generated is not really a major issue and is common with any audio equipment fitted with a linear power supply. Roughly explained, the heat associated with a linear power supply is a byproduct of the voltage regulator. The regulator’s job is to maintain a constant voltage, which it achieves by shedding the voltage difference by dissipating heat. The SP-1200’s voltage regulator is wired separately to a heat sink point fixed to the back of the rear panel inside (behind that caution message)—hence the heat. Voltage regulators exposed to long periods of use can overheat and stop working efficiently, introducing issues such as processing errors (glitches), etc. This is another reason why it pays to get that vintage SP-1200 serviced every so often. The original units fitted with linear power supplies also have a replaceable fuse to protect the voltage, which acts as a safegua rd for the SP-1200, as well as a voltage selector switch.
Many audio purists prefer the original SP-1200, fitted with the linear power supply because it provides a more cons tant voltage to the SP-1200’s circuitry, which is considered to have a better bass response.
FACT:
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C
SP-1200 Voltage Selector Label
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
O T O H P
SP-1200 REISSUES (1993–1998)
.. During the later years of manufacturing reissues, E-MU gradually started to run out of particular components and
Demand for the SP-1200 went well beyond what E-MU had predicted, so they
..
replacement parts were introduced. ‘Smurf blue’ backlit screens became fluorescent green; fader knobs went from
decided to produce the first reissue to satisfy the expanding market in 1993.
‘surgical thin’ to ‘steroid fat’ and although it’s a difficult exercise to pinpoint the exact years, it appears there was a time
Fortunately the SP-1200 didn’t require a great deal of improvement, and the reissue
when the combinations of model numbers, screens and fa der knobs were totally mixed up.
remained basically the same as the original. The very last batch of SP-1200s were fitted with limited edition plaques, complete with the year and individual In fact, besides a slight change in appearance and a circuitry upgrade, the first
numbering (001/125). These were allegedly all #7031 models and were known as the SP-1200 Plus. At that stage,
reissue SP-1200’s are essentially identical to the original.
E-MU’s stash of SSM2044 filter chips had also dried up, and all the Limited Edition SP-1200s were fitted with Gary Hull’s OP AMP design. His OP AMP was the perfect solution for the unavailable filters, as it successfully replicated how
At first glance the most noticeab le change was the reissue’s physical a ppearance.
the SSM2044 was used (and sounded) in the 1200 (a simple low pass filter with fixed Q and AR envelope from the
E-MU changed the SP-1200’s casing color from gutter grey to executive black, and
main processor).
on the back that original SP-1200 print was converted to say E-mu Systems SP 1200
MODEL# 7030 / 7031
Interestingly, for most SP-1200 enthusiasts, it’s all about the grey model with the bolder SP 1200 branded onto the back, simple and plain. But in my opinion you’re better off with one of each, rather than having to choose! On the inside, to comply with the latest electronic regulations, the reissue SP-1200s were fitted with switched mode power supplies (SMPS) . The newer SMPS power supply was favorable because it put an end to the existing heat issue, by regulating power to the SP’ a lot more gently. Because the SMPS could also auto-select the voltage it was given, it didn’t require its own fuse or voltage selector switch . Last, but not least, the power (ON/OFF) switch also took on a new form, seeing the old square style ‘rocker’ switch replaced into a round push button ‘latching’ switch. However, for audio purists the new SMPS power supply has a downside, in that it can induce noise
S M U R O F P S
into the audio circuits. This is a byproduct of how the supply switches quickly (to maintain the desired
F O
voltage), unlike the linear power s upply on the
Y S E T R U O C
original models. SP-1200 Final Edition - March 1998
JURASSIC PARTS ‘I also fondly remember the SP-1200 revival in 1993. We called it “the product that wouldn’t die.” Lots of the parts had become obsolete in the decade since it was designed. I was only peripherally involved—my main focus that year was designing the G-chip II that ultimately powered E-MU synths through the millennium—but I was called upon to figure out ways to circumvent the lack of availability of certain components, or
S O T O H P
Y D O B P
Y D O B P
F O
F O
Y S E T R U O C
Y S E T R U O C
O T O H P
O T O H P
..
..
WHO IS LOUIS MCCRAWFISH?
THEN TO NOW
Written on the PCB PCB inside inside the SP-1200, hidden amongst dozens of capacitors, resistors and circuits are the words:
So that’s the background to how a star was born. From the creative minds of some dedicated and entrepreneurial technicians came forth a vessel with which techniques could be checked,
‘The Louis McCrawfish Memorial Board’
MCs would catch wreck and DJs DJs could could feed from decks. When I first saw this, I naturally assumed: ‘it’s probably the name of the guy who designed the circuit board.’ However, once I started researching, it didn’t take me long to discover that—apart from the fact that there was absolutely no
Now that the debut of the machine that would change hip hop has been
info on this guy—other people were also wondering the same thing: “who is Louis McCrawfish?” By that stage I had
discussed, and having been introduced to the nuts and bolts (and more)
begun to conjure up the idea he was some gifted electronics genius who specialised in designing printed circuit boards;
of the book’s subject, we move on to some of the more (previously)
I needed to know for sure.
undercover business.
Thankfully, I had a back up plan: ask the guys at E-MU. Surely Dave or someone will be able to fill in the blanks? When I was able to learn the
Many of these insights have been guarded more tightly
‘Louis McCrawfish… there was one NAMM show in New Or leans (1985, acc ording to Dave) where a c rawfish named Louis was used as a prop to sing “Hello Dolly”…[it was] either during a Gerry Bassermann demo or at an after show drunken dinner event.’
than da Vinci’s codes, whispered through underground networks and kept locked, but we’ve roamed far and wide to find the keys, manuscripts and legends legends so so that you can get the most out your SP.
true identity of Louis from
So get out the notepads, dust off the gems
Kevin Monahan at E-MU,
and grab some caffeine, ‘coz it’s time to
I was amused to say the least.
expand your beat-mind….
Rumour has it they also used to draw Easter eggs on random PCB’s, and that the SP-12’s PCB has ‘Paul is the walrus the walrus’’ written in mirror reverse writing—two
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
interesting examples of how the E-MU guys kept
Y D O B P
themselves amused in the
F O
workshop.
Y S E T R U O C
SP-1200 - The Louis McCrawfish Memorial Board
S O T O H P
THE SP-1600 ‘While there was no talk about an SP-2400, there was serious talk and plans for an SP-1600 (16-bit version) with more sample memory, but we
SP FOR LIFE... LLING APT
3 12-BIT GRIT BOX OF TRICKS “It’s about to get messy, dirty like an SP-1200 loop” — J. Sand s
12-- BIT GRIT 12
.. Nine times out of ten, beat-makers stick with the SP-1200 for the same reasons: dirty drums, grimy samples and murky, coloured bass.
And when it co mes to the cr unch, it’s safe to say most other samplers simply pale in comparison. So how does the SP-1200 perform its magic? Well, as you will discover in the following chapter, from its sample input to the final output, the secret behind its magic lies within the box.
SAMPLING (A QUICK EXPLANATION) Audio-digital sampling is a metho d for the digital storage an d reproduction of sound. I n the digital world, information is stored as numbers; therefore, all digital equipment needs to convert sound into numbers (or digits, bits etc.) before it can be manipulated. The measurement of sampling quality between different digital devices is a scale known as the ‘bit-rate’. The explanation for 12-bit 12-bit sampling sampling is the same for 4, 8 and 16-bit sampling: the number before the bit (called the bit-rate) is an amplitude measurement of the quality of capture, or resolution. Basically, the more bits there are the more accurate the reproduction of the analog waveforms’ amplitude. But sound is also a matter of duration, and the process of quantifying that sound during its capture is known as the sample rate (or sample frequency). The sampling rate defines the number of samples per second (or unit) taken from a continuous signal to create a discrete signal. Therefore, the higher the sampling frequency, the better the signal quality when a sound is captured.
CUSTOM CRUNCH ‘Some of the “factory” sounds for the SP-12/1200 were created with different component values on a customised SP-12/1200; others were
..
..
With this brief explanation of digital sampling in mind, let’s
INPUT FILTER (ANTI-ALIASING FILTER)
take a closer look at each step of the signal path of a sample.
The signal’s first dose of colour happens before it is sampled, when it passes through the SP-1200’s anti-aliasing filter via the sample input.
SIGNAL PATH The signal path of a sample that travels through the SP-1200 can be broken down into
The purpose of the input filter is to remove unwanted frequencies from the
a series of stages. Each stage has its own treatment that adds to the final result.
signal. Therefore, all samples are given their own unique frequency signature, right from the moment they are captured.
THE SIMPLE EXPLANATION From the sound source, a mono (line level) signal enters the SP-1200 via its sample input. The signal then passes
SAMPLING RATE / BIT DEPTH (QUANTISATION)
through an input filter (anti-aliasing), which removes frequencies that are too high to reproduce with the sampler.
Sampling rate is the amount of samples taken over a period of time—the number of times that the original sound (wave) is measured per second. This
The signal is then sampled and quantised by the A/D converter with a fixed sampling rate of
is the first stage in the process that introduces the non-linearity or distortion
26.04 kHz and 12-bit (linear) depth quantisation. Once captured, if that sample then has its
(artifacts/aliasing) to the signal. Distortion results from the sample and hold
pitch (tuning) adjusted and/or decay applied, it will be further digitally modified.
circuit that is needed to maintain the signal until the next sample is taken.
QUANTISATION
The SP-1200 captures samples using a sample rate of 26.04 kHz with a fixed 12-bit (line ar) depth.
Performed at the same time that a sample is taken, quantisation is the process of issuing each sample with a set number of bits (zeroes and ones) to describe the signal’s amplitude, which loosely translates to level/volume. SIGNAL
INPUT FILTER A BRI EF TU TORIA L In digital audio we use “anti-aliasing” filters on the input to prevent any frequency components greater than half the input sampling rate from
SAMPLING RATE / QUANTISATION (bit depth)
“aliasing” to unwanted new components at related frequencies lower than half the sampling rate. We also use “reconstruction” (also called anti-imaging) filters on the outputs to minimize the degree to which frequencies in the sample (all of which are lower than half the sampling rate) are “imaged” to related frequencies above half the sampling rate.
TUNING
NOTE: For modern digital audio, where the sample rates are well above 40kHz, the reconstruction filters don’t have any beneficial effect on the audible output (adults can’t hear anything above 20kHz, honest!), but because the “upper frequency limit” of the SP-12/1200 was around
( 12-bits = vertical / 26.04 kHz = horizontal )
D/A ZERO hold
THE FILTER ITSELF -
= ANALOG SOUND = DIGITAL SOUND
14kHz, the reconstruction filters DO affect the sound there.
FILTERED OUTPUT
The SP-1200 has an analog anti-aliasing filter on its sampling input (in fact a 6th order elliptical state variable anti-aliasing filter with a cutoff frequency of about 13.5 kHz, if you want to get technical). This filter limits the degree of input aliasing in the recordings sampled on the SP-12/1200. And in contrast to the distortions of drop sample interpolation, those of input aliasing are not very useful musically. However, we
..
..
INTERPOLATION
1 bit = 0 or 1 = 2 values 12 bit = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 4,096 Possible Values Values
There are 32 different tuning settings, and when a captured sound is pitched down, its samples are repeated or interpolated to accommodate the new sampling frequency for
NOTE: Whilst
playback. Because the number of samples being played at a particular tuning setting
the analog waveform is continuous, with infinite possible values based on the extent of the storage
medium (tape, for example is defined/limited by its maximum magnetism), digital is defined/limited by maximum
may not be evenly divisible, it results in a variety of complicated aliasing patterns that
recorded amplitude (e.g. +/- 0 dBFS ).
introduce new harmonics and overtones. NOTE: Modern
As we limit the number of bits, we i ncrease the sampling error, creating a distortion o f the original waveform (signal)
sampling technology uses over-sampling and filtering which results in
in our digital representation. Quantisation accuracy varies according to the bit depth it is using. The higher the bit
a much cleaner pitch shift, therefore reproducing samples without errors (artifacts/
depth, the more accurately the sound wave is represented and recreated.
aliasing), which are characteristic of the SP-1200.
NOTE: With
DIGITAL TO ANALOG CONVERTER (DAC)
modern sampling technology, the bit depth is commonly very accurate due to the higher bit depths used to
process and quantise sound, as opposed to the SP-1200’s lower bit depth.
D/A converter + SP digital converter = AD7541 12-bit Once sound has been digitally processed in the SP-1200, it then needs to be converted
TUNING AND DECAY
back into an analog voltage in order to be replayed.
After the signal is sampled and q uantisation occurs, your sound waveform ha s This is done using a digital to analog converter (DAC). The DAC
become a block of numbers that are now held in active memory, ready for editing.
reconstructs the waveform using a sample and hold circuit to join During the editing stage of a sample, if a sample’s tuning is altered, the SP-1200
the output samples into a continuous waveform, which is then
uses interpolation to mathematically calculate the value of new samples based on
filtered and sent out as line level voltage signal.
those of the existing samples. Interpolation introduces aliasing artifacts (distortion) to the original signal and is one of the biggest contributors of digital distortion to a sample associated with the SP-1200. Y D O B P
The simple rule is: the more a sample is tuned down, the more distortion (aliasing)
F O
is introduced—resulting in more GRIT GRIT!!
Y S E T R U O C
Through experimentation, some producers tune samples heavily in order to
S O T O H P
introduce more distortion to some sounds, whilst avoiding it with others.
The SP-12/1200 uses the Analog Devices AD7541 12-bit linear DAC as its main digital to analog converter. Additional components in the DAC subsystem include an AD7523 multiplying 8-bit DAC for level control of the output sounds (digitally driven by a log to linear decoding ROM), and an 8 channel sample/hold subsystem using an 8051 analog mux. This whole subsystem was carefully designed and has several trim resistors to ensure the best fidelity available from the components. E-MU were surprised at how well they were able to get it to work, and how
BOX OF TRICKS
good it sounded!
NOTE: That while the AD7541 is a 12-bit DAC, the inclusion of the log encoding ROM and AD7523 MDAC means that the output dynamic range is much larger than 12-bits. In other words, the full dynamic range of the SP-12/1200 output requires a modern (20+ bit) ADC to capture. The 12-bits limit the “mantissa” of the digital audio, bringing the quantisation distortion (or noise, when properly dithered) to about -72dB, but with
..
OUTPUT FILTER 48 kHz
LESS IS MORE
(FIXED SLOPE)
Finally, the sampled signal leaves the
Compared to current standards, 12-bit depth and a 26.04 kHz sampling
SP-1200 through one of the filtered or
rate does sound terribly low-res, but the logic is simple: less bits equals
unfiltered outputs. If the user chooses
more distortion; more distortion equals more added harmonics. For most
a filtered output, the sample is then
vintage equipment enthusiasts, it’s tho se very sound imperfection s that make
affected for the last time.
machines like the SP-1200 so special. So if you want to add grit to your beats, pick a sampler with a reduced sampling rate like the SP-1200.
There are 8 individual assignable
“On the SP-1200 and the 1212 you feel it, Mission to create matrimony and reveal it”
outputs from which to monitor a signal.
— Prince Po
6 of these 8 outputs provide both filtered and unfiltered versions of the sample, and the remaining 2 only support an unfiltered version. Filtered outputs remove various frequencies and artifacts created during the sampling and editing process.
Y D O B P F O
NOTE: This
filter is different from the DAC
filter as described previously.
Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
FILTERS -
FILTERS cont’d -
‘E-MU’s thinking behind the outputs was that different percussive instruments benefit from different timbral formants, and therefore should use
The SSM2044 filters were used in the original Drumulator as the best way to get the initial brightness of the toms, yet remove the quantisation
different reconstruction filters. Anyway, E-MU intended channels 7 and 8 (engineers believe in zero, so on the schematics they are numbered
noise (which was pretty bad in the Drumulator—about -30dB compared to -72dB in the SP-12/1200) from the tail. For the SP-1200, Gary Hull
channels 6 and 7) to be for cymbals and other sounds with dominant high frequencies. In this case, the more energy in the high frequency
designed a voltage-controlled filter using off-the-shelf transconductance amps, which was added on a separate PCB.
bands the better, even if it was distorted. So these two channels have no reconstruction filter; the images above 14kHz come through unattenuated, and the sounds are somewhat distorted in the highest frequencies, but very bright. Channels 6 through 3 (schematics read 5-2) have
In case you didn’t know, the SSM2044 was designed by me and Ron Dow of SSM, and is described in deta il in US patent 4,404,529.
progressively lower cutoff reconstruction filters. Dave Rossum informs us these were 4th order designs, 3dB Chebyshev, using a Sallen and
circuit has fundamentally the same distortion characteristics as the old Moog lowpass filter, hence its warm quality. I can distinctly recall the
Key topology. On the ring of the output jack, it is filtered. On the tip of the output jack is an unfiltered version of the output that is available as
moment, in the upstairs lab at our early E-MU factory address at 417 Broadway, when I realised that differential Wilson current mirrors would
well, so recording engineers can customise the reconstruction with the mixboard equaliser.
have the same impedance characteristics as the transistors in the Moog ladder, and be able to produce an efficient, integrated lowpass VCF with the same sonic properties, and asked Ron to check my analysis to see if it was correct.’
On the original Drumulator, channels 6 and 7 (clap and snare) had identical filters, but in the SP-12/1200, all four are different. Once again, I don’t have the original design equations, but they could be easily reverse-engineered. Also, these filters (unlike the input anti-aliasing filter)
(Dave Rossum, E-MU Systems)
The
SP FOR LIFE... DRUMAT!C aka DRUMZ
4 THE SP-1 SP -1200 200 COOKBOOK CONTENTS BASIC RECIPES WITH THE CHEF OFFICIAL PBODY SP-1200 BOOK “I travel the land, with the SP in my hand...” — Pete Rock
CHEF PBODY PRESENTS
THE SPSP- 1200 COOKBOOK
..
INGREDIENTS (ESSENTIALS)
Introduction
1 X SP-1200
The cookbook chapter has been written as an updated
1 X pre-formatted SP-1200 startup disk*
owners manual, for those who aren’t up on the SP-1200’s
1 X large packet of blank floppy disks: DS/DD or MF-2HD
most commonly used operations. If you’re familiar with
(double density is preferred)
making beats—but not on the SP’—then this chapter is
1 X roll of adhesive tape (if you only have MF-2HD disks)
designed to get you started.
L A U N A M S ’ R E N W O 0 0 2 1 P S D E G D I R B A
*E-MU SP-1200 Operating System Ver. 1.2 or Rev B
Power up that SP-1200, run through the following
SAMPLING SOURCE (SAMPLES)
recipes and you’ll soon be ready for the dishes detailed in
1 X DJ mixer (phono pre-amplification device) sample
the TRICKS OF THE TRADE chapter. TRADE chapter.
E H T
source 1 X turntable
Still craving more? Then consult the E-MU SP-1200
1 X audio cable with correct connectors for sample source
Owners Manual* for Manual* for all the accompaniments.
output to SP-1200 sample input (TS ¼” mono)
*E-MU SP-1200 Owners Manual—written by Craig Anderton
1 x crate of wax (early 70’s soul/funk/psych/OST recommended) Make sure you got drum breaks!
PLAYBACK SOURCE
(FOR THE SP-1200)
Y D O B P
SP-1200 output cable requirements vary depending on
F O
what you are using as a playbac k source, i.e.:
Y S E T R U O C
> amplifier > DJ Mixer
S O T O H P
> mixing console (minimu m 8 channel) The SP-1200 certainly doesn’t have an abundance of
CABLE FOR DJ MIXER/AMP MIXER/AMP.. MONITORING
features or functions, but for many SP’ producers these
1 x TS ¼” mono cable (from SP-1200 sample output)
limitations actually become the inspiration that fuels
to the type of connector of your playback source input
their creativity.
(RCA, ¼” TS etc.) Lastly, if you dislike reading through manuals, I
SNAKE CABLES FOR (OPTIONAL) MIXER CONSOLE MONITORING 8 X ¼” TS cables—mono to mono
recommend purchasing an SP-1200 instructional DVD.
PEEP:
The DISTRAKT E-MU SP-1200
instructional DVD /// released 2010 STARTUP DISK: A
floppy disk that has been pre-formatted
with a copy of the SP-1200’s operati ng software (O/S) is needed in order to use the SP-1200.
For more info check his website — www.distrakt.com —
..
SET UP Playback (trig gering sounds) Run through the following steps for a quick introduction on how to trigger sounds on the SP-1200. It is important to have a disk that already contains SP-1200 samples, so you can trigger them on the pads. An SP-1200 library
..
STEPS:
CONTROLS Control surface (diagram)
Y D O B P
Once your equipment is in place, ready to be powered up
F O
(power cables connected—mains on—machines off):
Y S E T R U O C
1. Insert a mono (TS) cable into the MIX OUT on the
Refer to the control surface diagram from THE SCIENCE section in CHAPTER 2 to 2 to navigate the various control
S O T O H P
back of the SP-1200, second input from the left.
locations mentioned throughout this chapter.
Control overview
Y D O B P
sound disk is recommended for the following playback steps.
Operating the SP-1200 is particularly easy thanks to its
F O
user-friendly layout. In fact, it doesn’t take long to learn
Y S E T R U O C
If you are already familiar with triggering sounds on the into the following recipes.
Modules 5. Once the disk has loaded, turn up the MIX VOLUME and METRONOME VOLUME knobs (about half way to start with). Then, once your playback source is powered up and the input on the playback source (dedicated to the SP-1200 signal) is armed, hit the TRIGGER/PADS to audition the sounds that have been loaded on the
Plug the other end of this cable into your playback source
Y D O B P
TIP: Now
Y S E T R U O C
NOTE: Set
is a good time to adjust your volume.
2. Before you turn on the SP-1200: to protect your speakers, turn down the MIX VOLUME and
S O T O H P
The SP-1200 is organised as seven modules (modes): set-up, disk, sync, sample, master control, programming and performance. To access the functions in one of these modules it must be activated, by pressing its command button. Once a module is activated, you can then access one of its functions by either keying in its number, or pressing the function’s corresponding button.
SP-1200.
(amplifier, DJ mixer or mixing console).
F O
E H T
the steps of the more common operations.
S O T O H P
SP-1200, you can skip the following steps and get stuck
L A U N A M S ’ R E N W O 0 0 2 1 P S D E G D I R B A
You got sound? Now we are ready to start cooking.
NOTE: The
set-up, disk, sync and sample modules include
a printed list of functions, next to their button on the control surface.
METRONOME VOLUME knobs, located below the up your equipment in a comfortable workspace,
preferably in front of (between) your speakers. Keep your turntable, mixer and SP-1200 near each other (ensure that cables can reach from machine to machine) for a more efficient workflow. REMEMBER: You
need a cable with the appropriate
connectors to connect the SP-1200 to your playback source (dj mixer or console).
SP-1200’s display.
TROUBLESHOOTING: No
TIP: I
! Check that the cable from the SP-1200 is correctly
recommend powering up the SP-1200 before you
sound?
power up the playback source to protect your speakers.
connected to your playback source.
3. Insert either an SP-1200 sound library floppy disk or
! Check that the playback source is correctly set to receive
a pre-formatted SP-1200 disk that contains sounds into
and playback incoming signals.
the drive. ! Ensure that the floppy disk that was loaded contains 4. Next, power up the SP-1200 using the ON/OFF (power switch) located on the back panel of the SP-1200, and wait for the disk to load the O/ S and sounds.
Y D O B P F O
pre-formatted SP-1200 sounds (samples).
Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
..
Operations
.. Y D O B P
There are two ways of operating the SP-1200’s
1. Press SET-UP (top LHS), then key in #18.
parameters. One is to alter a setting with the fader
Y S E T R U O C
(changing levels, tuning sounds, editing samples, etc.)
S O T O H P
The other is to specify a numeric value with the keypad/ number pad (setting the BPM, etc.)
Varied levels One easy way to give segments a more realistic, human
F O
2. Tap the TRIGGER/PAD of the desired sample to be
feel is to program their sounds (kick/snare drums, hi hats
adjusted.
etc.) with altering velocities.
3. The display will now indicate whether the sample is in
There are a couple of different ways to do this. You
TUNE or DECAY mode—by default.
can either program a segment with the touch sensitive trigger/pads using dynamic buttons mode, and/or
4. To swap between each mode:
program a segment when an individual sound is in
TUNING mode: key in #1.
multilevel mode and set its velocity level with the faders.
DECAY mode: key in #2.
Activating dynamic triggers Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
Entering Comma nds When specifying a setting or value it is necessary to enter
A maximum of 32 different soun ds can be stored in the SP-1200, across the 8 trigger/pads or divided over 4 different pad banks (A, B, C, D). By pressing the SELECT button (bottom LHS) you can access the 4 different pad banks. If you load a factory disk, there are normally 32 sounds showcased across the 8 drum-pads and 4 pad banks. (8X4 = 32)
(The screen will confirm which mode you have selected
all four pad-banks dynamically responsive (the harder
the top RHS of the screen)
you hit, the louder the sound ).
5. Now that the MODE has been set, press the TUNE/
HINT: Dynamic
MIX/MULTI pads until the TUNE/DECAY light is lit.
programming drums and percussion.
The screen will now illustrate what mode the fader
STEPS:
operation is now set to for each sound.
1. Activate the SET-UP mode. Its light will glow and the
that command into the SP-1200’s memory. Generally the display will ask you to confirm what you have entered by asking you to press YES or ENTER.
If the function you have selected requires a two-digit
you sample your own sounds, load an E-MU
SP-1200 factory sound disk or any pre-formatted disk controls and programming processes.
number, you must enter a leading zero (e.g. enter 06
Tuning sounds/applying decay
instead of 6).
Once you have loaded or sampled a sound into the SP-1200, either its tuning (pitch) or decay can then be
Triggering sounds
adjusted with the corresponding fader.
Below the 8 sliders on the SP-1200 are 8 corresponding black buttons (TRIGGER/PADS). Press the TRIGGER/
STEPS:
PADS in order to play sounds that have been either
Tuning or decay commands are selected by accessing
loaded into the SP-1200 from a disk (e.g. E-MU sound
SET-UP mode.
library factory disk), or pre-formatted floppy disk with user samples)
triggers can be especially useful when
screen will ask you to select a function. HINT: Before
(with SP-1200 samples) to familiarise yourself with the
Leading zeros
The dynamic button setting makes all of the triggers on
with a dialogue, either: DECAYED or TUNED— visible on
In decay mode, a small diagonal line will appear on the screen above the corresponding sample’s TRIGGER/PAD.
2. Key in function #14 (dynamic buttons). The display will ask if you want to use the
In tuning mode, the screen’s centre line indicates normal
DYNAMIC BUTTONS mode.
pitch or decay. Moving the fader above or below this line will vary the tuning (pitch) of a sound accordingly.
3. Enter YES to confirm.
Moving the fader up will increase the sample’s pitch and moving the fader down will decrease its pitch.
4. Now the dynamic buttons feature is applied to each trigger and will affect all sounds across every pad bank.
NOTE: There
are 32 steps (levels) of tuning available—16
steps up and 16 steps down. Each step is the equivalent
NOTE: To turn off the dynamic buttons repeat steps 1-3
of 1 semitone.
and press NO.
L A U N A M S ’ R E N W O 0 0 2 1 P S D E G D I R B A E H T
The explanation for assigning sounds (samples) to
..
.. recommended to use the 8 OUTPUTS for the following
other sample if it is triggered. In order for sounds to play
Multilevel lets you select an individual sample and then
either the MIX OUT and the 8 output channels is the
reasons:
simultaneously, assign them to different outputs.
spread it across the 8 triggers/pads of its corresponding
same. However, routing is governed by which of the two
pad bank. You can then alter either the pitch, decay or
options are chosen.
Multilevel
1. to monitor and EQ the individual output signals on a mixing console.
volume level of each separa te copy of that sound, bef ore
L A U N A M S ’ R E N W O 0 0 2 1 P S D E G D I R B A
Filters There are different types of filter groups associated with the 8 outputs, so it is recommended to audition samples
or whilst programming it to a segment (in RECORD
NOTE: Once
a cable is inserted into one of the 8 outputs,
MODE).
the corresponding channel’s signal is then disconnected
2. to access or bypass the 8 outputs’ different filter types
through each output to assess which group works best
from the MIX OUT.
for more flexibility when auditioning sounds.
with your sample.
For a detailed explanation of bypassing the filters, read
After a bit of experimentation , it doesn’t take long to become familiar with the different characteristics of the filters. Many experienced SP-1200 users soon develop a
STEPS: 1. Activate SET-UP mode
Mix out
and key in #12 (multilevel).
The MIX OUT provides a summed mono mix of the
the output filters (filtered/unfiltered) tutorial—in the
SP-1200’s 8 individual output channels. The MIX OUT
Tricks chapter. Tricks chapter.
2. Select the sound by pressing its TRIGGER/PAD—
volume can then be adjusted with the MIX VOLUME knob
multilevel will automatically be applied to that sound.
(located below the screen).
E H T
strong understanding of what type of signals they prefer NOTE:
The 8 outputs are almost essential for tracking your
to route through each of the different filter types.
work in a professional ca pacity. 3. To start altering either the pitch or volume level of the
The summed mix reflects the overall tone of the 8 output
sound, select TUNE or MIX with the TUNE/MIX/MULTI
filters because each sound still passes through the
switch and vary the faders to change the levels of each
internal filters’ circuitry that they have been assigned to.
NOTE:
Assigning channels (mix out/8 outputs)
NOTE: Using
the MIX OUT is the only way to monitor the
SP-1200 if you do not have a mixing console.
values that have been set. NOTE: Multilevel
Y D O B P F O
will remain active until it is turned off.
Y S E T R U O C
To turn multilevel off, simply reactivate SET-UP mode
S O T O H P
and key in #13 (EXIT MULTI MODE).
Hit the SET-UP button. Its LED light will glow and the
For more information about the different filter types read
screen will ask for a command from the list printed to the
the output filters (filtered/unfiltered) section in the
right of the SET-UP switch.
Tricks chapter. Tricks chapter.
Key in #17 (CHANNEL ASSIGN). The screen will now
The SP-1200’s metronome signal can be monitored in
sound (sample) you want to assign.
two different ways, depending on which outputs are in use. The metronome signal volume is adjusted with the
To confirm, press #9 (YES). The pad bank will then
output (1–8) with the keypad (e.g. to select channel 7,
return back to the normal settings.
enter #7 on the keypad). HINT: You
Assigning sounds to outputs
can trigger any sound to view and/ or change
There are two ways to reference and playback sounds
the channel it is assigned to on the screen whilst in
from the SP-1200. Sounds (samples) can be sent from
CHANNEL ASSIGN mode.
8 outputs If you have sufficient cables and a mixing console, it is
Metronome
ask you to select a sound—Hit the TRIGGER/PAD of the
To assign that sound to a different channel, enter the
either the MIX OUT or the 8 outputs.
through personal experimentation.
STEPS:
copy. When you have set the desired levels, press ENTER. 4. You can now record a segment with the new level
Results will vary greatly depending on each sound’s
individual characteristics. The best results are achieved
NOTE:
For samples sharing the same output, if one sample
is playing, it will be cancelled and over-ridden by the
METRONOME VOLUME knob located below the screen.
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
.. NOTE:
The metronome signal is automatically routed
through the MIX OUT, however when using the 8
3. using fader #1 to alter the tempo manually.
outputs, the metronome signal needs to be separately monitored—at the MET/CLK OUT socket. The MET/CLK OUT is a dedicated metronome signal
NOTE: The tempo can be changed or set while the SP-1200 is either running or stopped.
output. To access the metronome this way, patch a mono cable from the MET/CLK OUT socket into a separate channel strip of your mixing console.
.. Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
Playing segment s
itself to double its length. This technique is explained in
STEPS: 1. In SEGMENT mode, press the
the SP-1200, either in real time or with step time editing.
SEGMENT LENGTH command button. NOTE: You
can program up to 100 segments on the
SP-1200.
segment in real time. For an explanation of step time
STEPS: 1. With a segment on the screen (segment mode), press
2. Next, with the RIGHT and LEFT arrow buttons (or
the AUTO CORRECT command button.
number pad), key in the desired amount of bars. The
Segment structure
amount will be shown onscreen.
By altering the values of the auto correct and swing
2. Use the RIGHT and LEFT arrow buttons to change
settings on the SP-1200, you can vary the overall feel of
and select the desired timing (for these steps use an auto
sequence.
how each segment plays.
correct value of 1/8th).
Setting the tempo (BPM)
NOTE: Swing
Tempo settings are recalled while you are in SEGMENT
and auto correct settings are explained in
swing section Tricks.. more detail in the swing section of the Tricks
Applying swing STEPS:
Auto correct
different ways to set the SP-1200’s BPM (accurate to
Setting the AUTO CORRECT value of a segment is
1/10th BPM) that is displayed onscreen.
necessary in order to use the swing function accurately.
press the SWING command button.
Tempo setting methods
The auto correct value that you select is only applied
After pressing the TEMPO button below
before you program the sounds (notes) of a segment.
the screen you can adjust the BPM by either:
Therefore, changing the auto correct value after a segment has been programmed will not be applied to
TEMPO button) to increase or decrease the BPM’s value 2. using the keypad to enter the desired BPM directly (leading zeros must be entered)
4. Next, the SP-1200 will let you change the beat’s value settings (for now leave that value at 00). Then press ENTER to confirm.
that segment.
5. The dialogue on the screen will now ask you to confirm these values. Hit #9 (YES)
2. Use the RIGHT and LEFT arrow buttons (below screen) to adjust the SWING value.
1. pressing the LEFT or RIGHT arrow button (next to
3. To confirm, press ENTER.
1. With the SP-1200 stopped (RUN/STOP),
mode but need to be reset when you are in SONG mode, which is explained later in the chapter. There are a few
Alternatively, you can copy a programmed segment to
chapter.
It will play until you press it again to stop.
is the term E-MU uses to refer to a
segment is 2 bars.
the copying the copying and appending segments section segments section of this
There are two ways to program segments (sequences) on
NOTE: Segment
its bar length. The default bar length of an unrecorded
already one loaded, simply press the RUN/STOP button (bottom RH corner).
editing, consult the E-MU SP-1200 Owners Manual.
Before you program a segment, you may wish to increase
Provided you have either recorded a segment or there is
PROGRAMMING Overview
For now, we are going to explain how to program a
Segment length
Programming seg ments in real time Now that you have set the segment’s tempo and structure
3. When you have set the value, press ENTER. Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
(with the previous steps) you can now record (program) your sounds with that segment. STEPS: 1. Once a segment is set (using the previous steps), adjust the desired parameters (pitch, volume, etc.) of your sounds to prepare them for progra mming.
L A U N A M S ’ R E N W O 0 0 2 1 P S D E G D I R B A E H T
.. 2. Next, whilst holding down the
NOTE: You
..
Erasing individual sounds
can punch out of record mode by pressing the
The segment will then play.
RECORD/EDIT button (red),
RECORD/EDIT button (its light will go out) and continue
Erasing a sound will delete all the existing programming
push theRUN/STOP button
to trigger sounds whilst the segment is playing. You can
of that sound from the segment currently on screen.
2. Now, while holding down the ERASE button, press the
(both buttons light will glow).
now audition other sounds (non-destructively). Then
This function is useful when you wish to erase the entire
TRIGGER/PAD of the sound to be removed just before the
once you are ready to record again, press the RECORD/
programming of one particular sound from a segment
note or series of notes you want to erase, and release it
EDIT button to punch back into that segment.
without erasing any of the o ther programmed sounds.
just after the note(s) you are era sing end. When erasing
NOTE: The
metronome will start, provided you have its
volume turned up, and the RU N/STOP light will blink to indicate the start of the segment.
Y D O B P
For more programming suggestions, refer to the programming section programming section in the Tricks Tricks chapter. chapter.
F O Y S E T R U O C
The metronome beat will also be accentuated at the beginning of each measure.
Erasing a segm ent
S O T O H P
Erasing a segment deletes all existing programming of a 3. Play (trigger) your various sounds, where you want
segment and restructures it back to its default values. In
them to repeat within the segment.
other words, the segment will be erased!
repeats itself. NOTE: The
a note, you will hear the sound in its normal place as it is being removed, however the next time the segment is played, the sound(s) will have been removed.
E H T
*REAL TIME: When a segment is in PLAY and/or PLAY/RECORD mode.
Copying and appending segments This technique is useful if you want to copy a segment to itself or copy (chain) different segments together, in order to create longer or varied segments.
Y D O B P
These sounds will then be played back once the segment
L A U N A M S ’ R E N W O 0 0 2 1 P S D E G D I R B A
F O Y S E T R U O C
segment will repeat continuously. You can layer
S O T O H P
sounds (drums, etc.) to build the desired pattern.
STEPS: 1. Whilst in SEGMENT mode, press the ERASE button.
There are many various approaches to developing a segment, and the order in which you layer your sounds is
2. The screen dialogue now gives you the option of
up to you, naturally.
erasing either a segment or sound.
Here are some basic programming suggestions to get you
Y S E T R U O C
3. To erase the sound hit the TRIGGER/PAD of the sound
started when a segment is in RECORD mode:
S O T O H P
to be removed. The screen will ask for you to confirm, STEPS:
press #9 (YES).
1. change the tempo
1. In SEGMENT mode, press the ERASE button.
2. change the mix levels of your sounds to appropriate
2. The screen dialogue offers you the option of erasing
To erase a specific note from a segment in real time*, the
their volumes to taste
either a segment or sound.
SP-1200 must be running and in RECORD mode.
3. change the pitch of your sounds by selecting TUNE/
3. To erase the segment, enter the 2-digit number of
STEPS:
DECAY. Varying the tuning with fader can be quite useful
the segment to be removed. The screen will display the
1. Put the SP-1200 in PLAY/RECORD mode by holding
(i.e. with a single bass note you can create interesting
number you have entered and ask for you to confirm.
down RECORD/EDIT button and pressing the RUN/STOP
bass lines by changing its tuning and recording in real
Press #9 (YES).
button (on the segment you wish to work on).
time).
Y D O B P F O
Erasing individual note(s) in real time “Position like a Beamer, y’all need to stop froggin’, If a catch a beat it’s in the SP loggin’” — Q-tip
.. STEPS:
2. Key in the two-digit song number with the keypad,
1. In SEGMENT mode with the SP-1200 stopped, press
enter 01.
..
To increase the input gain: “...when we always wanted more tracks, From the SP-1200 with two point five seconds per sampling pad” — RZA
COPY. The screen now requires a 2-digit segment number for it to copy. Once you have keyed in the number of that
NOTE: You
can create 00-99 songs (100).
L A U N A M S ’ R E N W O 0 0 2 1 P S D E G D I R B A
STEPS: 1. Press SAMPLE (sample mode) then enter # 3.
segment, the screen will ask you to confirm this choice by 3. To start entering segment numbers, press REC/EDIT
For more in-depth explanations and tips, read the
2. Now use the RIGHT arrow (below the screen) to
(the light will glow).
sampling section sampling section in the Tricks chapter.
change the input gain to +20dB. With an input gain of
the segment for it to copy onto (append). Enter that
4. Next, enter the 2-digit number of your first segment
Remember, the following is a very brief introduction to
segment’s number. Once the display confirms the correct
(e.g. intro) then press ENTER (or RIGHT arrow). This
sampling on the SP-1200, designed to get you up and
number, press ENTER.
confirms the first segment as STEP 1 of your song, and
running.
pressing ENTER. 2. Next, the screen will ask for the 2-digit number of
+20dB, simply adjust the GAIN knob accordingly.
E H T
indicates readiness for the next segment number (step) 3. If you want to copy (append) a segment to itself,
to be entered.
simply follow the last 2 steps and enter the same
Setting levels and the input gain The SP-1200 has three different input gain settings
segment number for each step. When you append a
5. Continue keying in the various segment numbers until
(+00dB, +20dB and +40dB), that can be selected
segment to itself, the screen will then ask you confirm
you have chained all o f your segments together.
(internally), as well as an INPUT GAIN knob (located
how many times you want this segment to be copied. Key in the desired number of copies (using leading zeros).
SONG MODE Overview
to the left of the screen). When capturing sounds 6. Once you have finished entering your segments
(sampling) on the SP-1200, the INPUT GAIN and
(steps), press RUN/STOP to play your
GAIN knob levels/values will need to be attenuated
programmed song back in its entirety.
appropriately, depending on the level your sample source
For advanced song mode information please refer to the
default setting of +00dB and/or adjusting it to +20dB
make up the body of your song/beat), you can chain
E-MU SP-1200 Owner’s Manual.
and attenuating the GAIN knob should be sufficient for capturing appropriate sample levels.
For example you may have created individual segments
SAMPLING Overview
In SAMPLE mode, input signal levels are metered
consisting of an intro, chorus (1 and 2), verses etc.
Sampling into the SP is a process that will benefit from
onscreen. Use the meter level to monitor how ‘hot’ the
You can chain these together in any order an d play
as much experimentation as you are willing to put in.
incoming signal is coming into the SP-1200. Use the
them back in their entirety by using SONG mode ( e.g.:
After a reasonable amount o f practice, SP-1200 users
GAIN knob to finely attenuate the amount of that signal
INTRO>VERSE 1>CHORUS 1>VERSE 2>CHORUS
tend to develop their own methods to achieve the best
level (for sampling), as well as adjusting the signal on
2>VERSE 3>OUTRO).
results. The SP-1200 can hold a maximum of 32 user
your pre-amp or mixer. It is advised to set the signa l on
samples, provided the overall sample time doesn’t exceed
your mixer as close to uni ty as possible (0dB) to avo id
10 seconds. Also, that 10 seconds is divided over 4
clipping before the signal is captured in the SP’. The ideal
pad banks, so no single sample can be longer than 2.5
sampling level to have on the screen is as close to—but
seconds in length.
just below—clipping. If the input signal is too weak
Programming a song STEPS: 1. Press the SONG/SEGMENT button.
Y S E T R U O C
is supplying. Generally, leaving the input gain at its
Once you have programmed different segments (i.e. that them together to play in any order you like.
Y D O B P F O
you will need to either turn u p your signal on the mixer (remaining as close to 0dB as possible) and/or adjust the input gain value.
S O T O H P
TIP: Although
the SP-1200 has a higher gain level of
+40dB available, recording samples at that level is preferably avoided. With +40dB of gain, you increase the signal to noise ratio, and samples may be captured with too much unwanted noise. If you discover that your source (DJ mixer etc.) is struggling to deliver enough signal level to the SP-1200 sample input, you may benefit from experimenting with an alternative form of pre-amp device.
.. 5. At this point it is a good practice to truncate and/ or erase any unwanted samples, to minimise sampling memory usage.
..
Deleting a so und
2. Activate SET-UP mode and key in #19 (1, 9). Press the
Deleting unused sounds is the most efficient way to
TRIGGER/PAD of the sound that you want to chop, the
create more memory space.
display will confirm the chosen sound for truncation by
L A U N A M S ’ R E N W O 0 0 2 1 P S D E G D I R B A
showing its name (pad #). Press ENTER to confirm.
Threshold sampling With threshold-sensitive sampling, once sampling is armed, sampling begins whenever the signal to be Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
sampled exceeds the programmable threshold level. STEPS: 1. With the SAMPLE module active, key in #4. The screen will now display a single bar above the regular bar graph below of the incoming signal level.
Once the input level and threshold have been set, forced
2. To alter the sensitivity of the threshold-sensitive level,
sampling can now be initiated. Forced sampling is sample
adjust slider #1. Generally it is recommended to set the
capture that is initiated from the moment you press the
threshold-sensitive level just above the residual noise of
#9 button in SAMPLE mode.
the incoming signal—visible by the lower line’s signal level, if any. This will stop the noise from prematurely
1. Press the SAMPLE button at the top of the SP-1200’s
initiating sampling, but any signal that exceeds the
3. The top line of the display represents the start of a
intention of using, or have backed up to a floppy disk.
sample (which defaults at 00000) and the bottom line represents its end point.
1. Activate SET-UP mode and key in #20
4. By using faders #1 and #2, adjust the start point of
on the keypad (2, 0).
the sample (fader #1 gives coarse control and #2 gives
E H T
fine control). 2. Hit the trigger/pad of the sound you want to delete. The display will ask you to confirm your choice.
5. Next, to adjust the end point with faders #3 and #4 (#3 for coarse and #4 for fine control).
3. With the correct sound now selected, press #9 (YES) or #7 (NO). Y D O B P F O
6. When the start and end points are set at the desired length, press ENTER. The display will ask you to confirm this. Press YES #9 to discard the unused portions of the sample. The sampler will now chop the sample.
Y S E T R U O C
threshold will.
controls (red command button). The screen will display a moving VU meter level reading of the incoming signal.
sounds that you either wish to re-sample; have no
STEPS:
Forced sampling
STEPS:
NOTE: Deleting a sound is permanent, so only delete
3. Once the threshold sensitivity level has been set, press
S O T O H P
#7. The screen will confirm the SP-1200 is ready with 2. Hit #9 button to force the SP-1200 to start sampling.
the message SAMPLE ARMED.
The screen will say SAMPLING as the input signal is being captured.
4. Now when you replay the incoming signal, the SP-1200 will initiate sampling the moment the new
3. Once sampling stops, the screen will now read either
threshold-sensitive level is reached.
SAMPLE OVERLOAD, indicating the signal that was captured exceeded the SP-1200’s headroom (NOTE:
NOTE: Once
sampling has been initiated, the SP-1200
sample is still available for playback), or SAMPLE IS
will continue sampling even if the signal falls below the
GOOD, indicating that no signal overload occurred.
threshold level.
Y D O B P
Truncating (chopping/editing) a sound
F O Y S E T R U O C
Truncating (chopping/editing) sounds will discard the beginning and/or end points of a sample, after these
S O T O H P
points have been set and then truncated. Truncating the unused parts from a sample is an efficient way to free up vital memory space.
NOTE: Once
a sample has been copied, both that sample
and its copy cannot be truncated until either the copy or 4. Once captured, you can audition the sample by exiting SAMPLE MODE and hitting the TRIGGER/PAD that it was assigned to (new samples default to the next available TRIGGER/PAD).
“...stick it in the SP-1200 beat, I make a loop lovely” — CL Smooth
STEPS:
the original sample is deleted, or if you use the copying the copying
1. Set faders #1 and #2 all the way down and faders #3
sounds to disk for editing method editing method explained in the
and #4 all the way up.
Tricks chapter. Tricks chapter.
..
SAVING TO DISK Overview Because disks are responsible for storing all the data
..
Formatting/copying software
S M U R O F P S
Before a floppy disk can be used (read or written to) on the SP-1200, it needs to be formatted correctly.
F O
information (samples, segments, songs etc.) created on the SP-1200, it is important to store them safely.
Y S E T R U O C
Depending on the type of disk drive fitted on your SP-1200, you can perform all disk operations on either
The SP-1200 stores its data onto double sided double
O T O H P
DS-DD and/or 2HD floppy disks.
density disks, (DS-DD) ideally, but double sided alternatively, although this is less preferred.
Here is an overview of the most common disk operations used. These operations are available when disk mode is activated and a formatted disk is inserted in the floppy drive. For a complete explanation of all the disk operations,
Y D O B P
high density disks (2HD) can be used on most drives
Saving sounds and segments to di sk/disk operations
refer to the E-MU SP-1200 Owner’s Manual.
F O Y S E T R U O C
Further information regarding disks can be found in the
0: Load sequences and sounds: loads everything from the disk.
S O T O H P
floppy disk section of the Tricks the Tricks chapter, chapter, including an explanation on how to trick the SP-1200’s drive into
1: Save sequences: saves all songs, segments, mixes and channel assignments currently in memory.
writing data onto doub le sided high density disks.
2: Save sounds: saves all sampled sounds currently in memory. 3: Load sequences: loads all songs, segments, mixes and channel assignments from disk. STEPS: 1. Activate the DISK module.
4: Load segment: loads the selected segment from disk.
2. Key in #9 (YES) to format/copy software. The display
5: Load sounds: loads all sampled sounds from disk.
will ask you confirm this. Press #9 (YES).
6: Load sound #: loads a selected sound from disk. 3. The drive will now format the disk (takes about one
Y D O B P
minute). Once completed, the display will ask you if you wish to format another d isk. Press #7 (NO) to continue
F O Y S E T R U O C
on to copying software.
S O T O H P
4. The screen will now ask you if you want to COPY SOFTWARE. Press #9 (YES). Once the software has been
NOTE:
If all you have is 2HD floppy disks, refer to the
floppy disk conversion explanation conversion explanation in the Tricks chapter.
copied onto the disk, press enter to return to the DISK menu.
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
“I hit’cha with that sh*t to make ya neck snap, while goin’ through my SP-1200 with memory that’s stacks” — Madlib
L A U N A M S ’ R E N W O 0 0 2 1 P S D E G D I R B A E H T
SP FOR LIFE... TEACH THEM WELL
5 TRICKS OF THE TRADE THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX “...don’t even catch me when I’m blunted, rhymes start runnin’ like loops on a SP-1200” — GZA
TRICKS O F THE TRADE
.. Executing a dope beat on the SP-1200 can be
that their play back time is longer than 2.5 seconds, if
challenging. However for many, this only makes the
only by a small amount.
S E U Q I N H C E T
results more rewarding. The most common method used for capturing a sample When the guys at E-MU first developed the SP-1200,
on the SP-1200 which will subsequently playback longer
it is safe to assume they didn’t design it with hip hop
than 2.5 seconds, is to increase the pitch of a sound (for
producers in mind, let alone predict the many different
sampling) before before it it is captured on the SP-1200, so it can
and unintended ways they would put it to work.
then be tuned back down on the SP-1200 after it has
N O I T C U D O R P 0 0 2 1 P S D E C N A V D A
been captured. Initially, these ways were shared exclusively between producers, out of mutual respect. But now—well over a
Typically, producers speed their sound(s) up with a
decade later—the time has come to check the techniques,
turntable, although using a digital audio workstation
as we commit to print the most used and abused tricks of
(DAW) or another sampler can be a useful alternative for
the trade.
faster pitching results. This is explained in more detail later in this section.
Mastering the SP-1200 is an art in itself and the following techniques are proof that it can sometimes pay
Although increasing a sample’s pitch is a great remedy
to think outside outside the the box!
for squeezing more into the SP-1200, keep in mind that there are a couple of trade-offs by doing this.
SAMPLING There are many different ways to approach sampling on
Firstly, the more a captured sample is tuned (back down
the SP-1200, and a crucial piece of advice is to develop
in this case) on the SP-1200, the more gritty it will
and master your own methodology to discover what
become. Secondly, using this technique makes it difficult
works best for you, on the u nique equipment set-up
to return samples back to their original pitch (tuning).
you’re working on. It’s i mportant to note that each b eatmakers set-up is different, affecting the signal that is eventually captured.
Extra sample length—turntable / sampler to sa mpler The SP-1200 has 384kB of RAM, which roughly translates into 10 seconds of sampling time. However no single sample can be longer than 2.5 seconds, because
Y D O B P
that memory is divided over 4 separate RAM Banks.
F O
10 seconds of sampling time does disappear quickly, but there are a few useful techniques to capture samples so
Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
..
Turntable Pitching records (sounds) up with a turntable is one of the most common methods producers use to increase sample playback length on the SP-1200. Therefore, it pays to use a turntable equipped with a
.. Y D O B P
Y D O B P
F O
F O
Y S E T R U O C
Y S E T R U O C
S O T O H P
S O T O H P
For example, during each verse of your song, let’s say
S E U Q I N H C E T
that you are using a keyboard sample, which doesn’t get used in the chorus and you’d like to introduce a horn sample, but have insufficient memory to store both.
N O I T C U D O R P 0 0 2 1 P
Simply create a chorus disk and save all the other sounds of the song to disk, except for the keyboard sample. This
33.3/45 RPM speed selector and a variable pitch control,
should hopefully free up enough memory to be able to
for greater flexibility.
sample your horn sample for the chorus, which you then
S D E C N A V D A
save to a separate disk. The TECHNICS SL-1200 (Panasonic) and the VESTAX Now apply this process to any other song parts and swap
PDX 3000 are two brands of turntables that have adjustable pitch controls. NOTE: 78
RPM speed can also be useful, if your turntable
has that setting available.
total of 32 steps is split into 16 steps (pitches) of tuning Take note that when a turntable’s pitch control value is increased completely (+8% for Technics), the original tuning of the instrument(s) playing on a record will be
The technique is very simple. Change the playback speed
lost. Therefore, all samples captured cannot be detuned
of the turntable from 33.3 to 45 RPM and increase the
accurately on the SP-1200 afterwards.
pitch control to a higher value. For maximum sample
Read the tuning samples section samples section in this chapter for the
playback length, increase the pitch control to its highest
technique to overcome this problem.
a sound up and 16 steps (pitches) tuning down. NOTE: Each
step is equal to one semitone, so when you
alter the pitch of a sound by 12 steps, it has been moved by one whole octave on the SP’. This means that a sample that has been pitched up can only be tuned back down by a maximum of 16 steps.
unused samples for new ones, etc., etc. Once you have sampled, programmed and saved each of your sections to disk you will be able to load each disk individually and record (track) each section on your recording platform in their appropriate order. After you have tracked each sectio n, you can then reconstruct (edit) them together into one entire song.
value. FUN FACT: Some
beat-makers used to manually spin
their turntables platter as fast as they could in order to maximize the amount of signal they could capture when capturing samples into the SP-1200.
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
Sampler to sampler (hardware/ software)
NOTE: In
order to detune and play sound(s) back at the
original speed on the SP-1200, it is useful to calculate what the absolute +16 (step) equival ent value is on your sampler (pitching device).
PEEP: JNOTA’s
(ReDef Recs) interview with Jamey Staub
and his mention of using this technique when working with Pete Rock’s recordings, located in the Exclusive Interviews supplement. Interviews supplement.
Tracking beat sections The following technique can certainly be time
Using hardware and/or software samplers (DAW etc.)
consuming, but by tracking a beat in sections you can
can also be useful for preparing sound(s) for capture
create larger, fuller arrangements on the SP-1200.
in the SP-1200. Such devices are capable of pitching sounds much faster than a turntable set at 45 RPM (fully
The concept is simple. By saving each section of a single
pitched). But although playing sound(s) faster does mean
beat (intro, verse, chorus, etc) onto separate disks, you
Next, sample (capture) the selected sound(s) on the
that you can capture longer signals inside the SP-1200,
can prioritise which sounds are used and when. Simply
SP-1200, playing back with the new, increased pitch
there is still a limit to how much a sound can be pitched,
remove the sounds that are not used during one part to
setting. Once captured, use the SP-1200’s TUNING
which is governed by the SP-1200’s tu ning capabilities (a
free up some memory in order to add alternative sounds.
controls to return the sample back to a suitable pitch.
maximum of 32 steps). The SP’s tuning (fader pitching)
B U A T S Y E M A J F O Y S E T R U O C O T O H P
..
..
Scratch (temporary) disk
Tuning a turntable
1. Play the middle C tone from the signal test record (or
PROGRAMMING
Ever wondered why you can’t sample 1.6 seconds, even
When sampling vinyl (as previously mentioned), if
SERATO version). Instead of using 33.3 RPM, play it at
The following section covers a portion of the most tried
when the SP-1200 is telling you that there is 1.6 seco nds
the pitch of a record (designed to play at 33.3 RPM
45 RPM.
and true SP-1200 programming techniques, still practiced
of sampling time available?
is increased on a turntable (to 45 RPM etc.) and then
by many experienced SP-1200 users to this day.
sampled, it becomes very difficult to return that sample
2. Next, adjust the turntable’s pitch control until you
The reason is because the SP-1200’s memory is divided
back to its original pitch on the SP-1200 accurately
locate the point at which the instrument tuner’s meter
across 4 RAM chips (that are not contiguous). Therefore,
unless you tune your turntable.
Trademark swing
reads (lands) on a solid semitone
When it comes to programming a sequence, there are
(e.g. the tuner settles on semitone X, X#, etc.).
many different approaches, and there are no rules for
the SP-1200 cannot combine its sample time from one chip to another.
This method is really only of concern to beat-makers who
achieving a great result. From sequencing drums with
want to sample records when they are pitched up, bu t
NOTE: It should not be teetering between two half steps.
heavy swing measures to programming patterns without
For example, when the available memory shown says 1.5
still be able to play those samples back at their original
(e.g.: moving between F and F#)
quantisation, it normally boils down to personal taste.
sec (seconds) but you can only sample for 1.0 sec, in this
pitch—basically to protect the original tuning of the
case 1.0 is available on one chip and the remaining 0.5 is
instrument(s) playing on the record.
3. Once the meter reads with a solid semitone your
However, there is one particular technique that many
turntable is now tuned. Leave the pitch control in place
beat-makers use to get that trademark 1990’s hip hop
and start sampling.
swing working on the SP-1200 which we felt needed to
stored on another. NOTE:
This is necessary if you want to keep your beat
The total sampling time is in fact 1.5 seconds, its just not
in key so you can then add other instrumentation or
available as one sample. Fortunately there is a technique
samples that are also in key.
that will consolidate most (if not all) of that leftover sample memory into one contiguous amount.
be included. This technique’s as old as the book, but you NOTE: This
method will only be accurate if the
instrument(s) that were recorded on the vinyl were tuned For many SP-1200 users this isn’t an issue, but if correctly
Swing (shuffle %)
correctly.
tuned samples are a concern to you, then the following STEPS:
wont find it in the SP-1200 Owner’s Manual.
technique will be of interest.
Truncate all the samples to be used.
For a Technics Technics SL-1200 turnta ble
The SP-1200 has 6 possible swing percentages (values) available (50% - 54% - 58% - 63% - 67% 67% - 71%).
The highest speed that still falls onto a solid semitone To tune your turntable you will need:
1. Name the samples (recommended but not essential).
is 45 RPM with the pitch control adjusted to +4.5%
NOTE: Without
(approximately).
at the default value of 50% swing, which tends to sound
1 X instrument tuner (guitar tuner or VST plug-in tuner)
any swing applied, the SP-1200 will remain
stiff and robotic.
2. Save all samples onto a pre-formatted floppy disk
1 X signal test record that has a middle C * sine (wave)
This translates to F# (when 33.3 RPM at 0% was middle
(temporary disk). Be sure to label this disk for future use.
track recorded to play at 33.3 RPM.
C). F# is 6 semitones up from C.
When swing is applied, it shifts the even numbered
3. Wipe all internal sounds from the SPECIAL menu.
NOTE:
Therefore, a sample captured at 45 RPM at +4.5%
At 67% the notes are at a full triplet. For every 1/ 4 note
SOUNDFORGE to create a middle C tone WAV, and then
(approx) and then pitched (detuned) back down 6
you have four 16ths. Notes 2 an d 4 get shifted when
load that into SERATO for playback.
semitones (-6) on the SP-1200 will be back in tune with
using swing.
programmed notes later in time, to create a triplet feel.
4. Reload each of the sounds onto new pads over the 4
If you have SERATO, use a program like
pad banks (longest sample first and the shortest last).
the original record. Again, this is assuming that the STEPS:
Results can be varied and you may have to experiment,
(Whilst using an instrument tuner [VST plug-in or guitar
but the available sample memory time should now be
tuner]):
instruments were tuned correctly on the vinyl recording. *MIDDLE C: When
calculated in equal temperament with a
combined onto one bank, allowing you to use up the
reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz (concert pitch),
remaining sample time as one entire sample.
the frequency of the middle C note is approximately
“Drag queen on front street, program all your SP-12 beats” — Kool Keith
S E U Q I N H C E T N O I T C U D O R P 0 0 2 1 P S D E C N A V D A
..
Doubling the B PM When a segment is programmed with normal* normal* tempo
*CHOPPED DRUMS: isolated
.. NOTE:
(truncated) drum hits such as a
snare, kick drum and hi hats.
(BPM) value, the SP-1200’s swing only shifts the 8th
Truncating silence from sample starts can be an
Set larger loop values (L=) for a slower infinite sustain
effective way to tighten up a segment, especially on
effect. By increasing the amount of information being
drum patterns. However, leaving an amount of silence
notes of that segment. Therefore, even when a swing
Chopped drums are also an efficient way to conserve the
looped, the loop takes more time to play through, so the
before a sample start can also help to loosen the ‘feel’ of
measure (percentage) is applied, that trademark swing
SP-1200’s small sampling memory.
repetition will sound slower.
a segment up.
S E U Q I N H C E T N O I T C U D O R P 0 0 2 1 P
cannot be achieved.
Looping the end of samples
(infinite sustain)
Once infinite sustain has been set to a sound, apply some
Infinite sustain is an effect that can be set at the same
decay to shorten the length of the infinite sustain looping
doubled. (Or said differently, a 90 BPM beat set at 90
time as truncation, or to a previously truncated sample,
effect.
BPM, not 180 BPM).
and marks off a section (the loop) of a sound. The
*NORMAL: A
BPM true to the tempo of a beat—not
However, when you program a segment (sequence) with
display indicates the loop length (L=), whose end point
Enter the TUNE/DECAY mode (SETUP 18) and adjust
is the end of the sample.
DECAY in the 16-20 (HIGHER FADER) measures.
S D E C N A V D A
a tempo (BPM) value that has been doubled (meaning PEEP: Pete
Rock’s use of infinite sustain on many of his
a 90 BPM beat is programmed at 180 BPM), the timing
With infinite sustain applied (looping), the sample plays
resolution will also be doubled, and a segment’s 8th
through normally until it reaches the end of the loop.
notes will now become 16ths. Now, when a swing
It then goes back to the loop start point and replays
measure (percentage) is changed, the groove of the
through the loop, repeating upon itself as it slowly
Sample starts
swing values will become more evident, and patterns can
decreases in amplitude.
To accurately truncate (edit) silence from the start of a
SP-1200 productions from 1992–1998.
sample (drums, hi hats etc.), try the following method.
be programmed with tighter ghost notes, etc. Infinite sustain can be a useful way to rhythmically blend STEPS:
the transition between samples from one into the other
STEPS:
1. For an 80 BPM beat, double the SP-1200’s tempo value
(that share the same output) and/or as an interesting
1. Set the AUTO CORRECT value to HI RES.
160 BPM
effect when applied to individual sounds.
2. Next, set the AUTO CORRECT value to 1/8 th
Applying infinite sustain to an edited (truncated) sample:
2. Enter SET UP mode and key in 19 (LOOP/TRUNCATE) to begin editing the desired sample.
STEPS: 3. Program a segment with a drum pattern.
1. Press SET-UP 19 and press the TRIGGER/PAD of the
3. Hold the TAP/REPEAT button down and press the
sound you want to use, then hit ENTER.
TRIGGER/PAD of the sample. This will cause the starting point of the sample to repeat very quickly and let you
4. Now apply a SWING measure of 67% to that segment. 2. Next, move faders 5 and 6 upwards to adjust the loop Play a segment back with different swing measures to compare the subtle difference of each value. NOTE: Swing
fader 5 for coarse value adjustments and fader 6 for finer
4. Repeat step 3, whilst simultaneously varying the FINE
value adjustments.
TUNE fader (fader 2). The sample’s start point can now be adjusted whilst it is being repeated, allowing for
is more noticeable with chopped * drum hits
rather than drum loops.
gauge if it is truncated accurately.
length (L). The loop length value is visible onscreen. Use
3. Press ENTER when you are satisfied with the effect. TIP: Alter
the end (truncation) point of the sample in
order to adjust the loop end point.
audible truncation.
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C O T O H P
..
MISCELLANEOUS Output filters (filtered/unfiltered)
An interesting technique for quic k-auditioning both the
Selecting between the output filter types on the SP-1200
filtered and unfiltered signals provided by the SP-1200’s
is very easy to understand and execute, but if you’re not
8 outputs, can be achieved by using Y cables.
Y cable monitoring
up on this already then you need to read on. To use this technique you will need a mixing console Outputs 1-6 of the 8 outputs provide filtered and
(with enough channel inputs) as well as 6 individual
unfiltered signals. But in order to hear the difference
Y cables. The Y cables need to be configured as 1 X
between each, it depends on how a cable is inserted into
balanced (TRS) to 2 X mono (TS) (see picture).
.. STEPS: 1. Insert the one mono (TS) end of the Y cable into a CHANNEL OUTPUT. 5. Make it a habit to label your disks, and record the BPM 2. Next, plug the remaining two mono connectors into
tempo of each beat on your floppy disk’s label. Nothing is
separate channels of a mixing console.
more frustrating than having to locate a specific beat disk
N O I T C U D O R P 0 0 2 1 P
amongst a shoebox full of unlabelled disks. 3. Use the mixing console channel faders to audition each split (u n/filtered) signal individually.
S D E C N A V D A
The more information you can record, the better. In fact I like to include the date; name of the beat; list of the
an output socket.
samples un/used (present on the disk), and the song/
The first 6 of the 8 outputs supply (simultaneously) a NOTE: Use a cable with a mono TS ¼” connector (jack).
S E U Q I N H C E T
4. Keep disks stored vertically when not in use.
TIP = Unfiltered
filtered and unfiltered version of each output signal. But
RING = Filtered
segment tempo.
because a regular mono (TS) cable can only support Do not use a TRS balanced cable, it is unsuitable for
one of the two signals (filter types) at a time, the only
auditioning both filter signal types.
way to audition each signa l (individually) is to insert the cable connector into the output by either inserting it
The process is simple:
completely (for filtered signal), or halfway (for unfiltered
To hear the unfiltered signal from an output (1-6 only),
signal). However, manually changing each channel’s
insert the cable’s connector in the output socket halfway
cable connection to audition signal types is a time
(first click).
consuming process, which can also add wear to those vintage output sockets.
So ‘Y’ bother? An inserted Y cable can receive an d transmit both signal types of an output and then split each signal type onto its own individual cable. Each split can then be inserted To hear the filtered signal from an output (1-6 only),
into its own separate channel of a mixing console for
insert the cable’s connector all the way into the output.
permanent auditioning.
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C
Plus, using Y cables to monitor your signals not only minimises wear, they also help to create a less interrupted workflow.
information provided in the SP-1200 SP-1200 chapter chapter and the 12-bit digital sampling chapter notes.
Every SP-1200 owner knows that it pays to keep a stash of floppy disks. They are responsible for storing the sum of all your hard work on the SP-1200, so it’s importan t to look after them. Here are some well-known, but sometimes overlooked suggestions. 1. Save your beats onto numerous disks! Making a few copies of a session can save you from losing that favorite beat, especially if the only copy of it dies. 2. Keep your disks stored in a clean environment (shoebox, drawer, etc.) Beware! Smoke and dust are the enemies of disks, as well as the SP-1200. 3. Keep your disks away from magnetic fields and
S O T O H P
To learn more about the filtered outputs, read
Floppy Disks
surfaces to protect their data. That means don’t just “Lets be on SP yall S.B. and ours” — Roc Marciano
throw them on top of a speaker or your Technics turntable platter—be warned!
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C O T O H P
..
Floppy disk conver sion
..
Disk facts
(tricking the drive)
a. Original SP-1200 drives will generally write and save a. Original
Go into SONG mode and press RECORD/EDIT button
data to most double sided 2HD floppy disks.
(bottom RHS).
disks is becoming increasingly difficult. Therefore, many
b. 2HD b. 2HD disks tend to have a greatly reduced data storage
Enter your segment (sequence) number and set the value
SP-1200 users just settle for using 1.44 mb double sided
shelf life than DS, DD disks.
to the desired BPM.
When saving data with an original SP-1200 floppy disk drive, it is preferable to use double sided double density floppy disks (DS, DD), but nowadays, finding these
high density disks (2HD), simply because they are more commonly available than the DS, DD disks.
c. The c. The magnetic coating of a 2HD disk is different to a DS, DD disk and this contributes to the 2HD disk’s
But in order to write data to a 2HD disk with an original
reduced life.
NOTE:
Don’t forget to save your sequences to disk!
Copying sounds to disk for editing Problem:
SP-1200 floppy disk drive, you must trick the drive into thinking that the disk is a DS, DD disk and not a 2HD.
d. 2HD d. 2HD floppy disks and DS, DD floppy disks appear
Once a sample has been copied (duplicated) within
Fortunately, all you need to do this is some adhesive tape
almost identical and the easiest way to tell them apart
the SP-1200 to another pad (and/or pad bank), both
(cellotape).
is to look at how many square (write/protect) holes are
the original and copy of the sample cannot be edited
present.
(truncated) further.
1. Take a 2HD floppy disk and face in the same direction
2HD disks have 2 holes, DS, DD disks have only one e. 2HD e.
Reason:
illustrated in diagram 1.
hole.
This is because the copied sound uses the same sample
2. Note the two small square (write/protect) holes at
NOTE: Some
the bottom of the floppy disk. Take a small amount of
replaced and may already be compatible with both floppy
Solution:
adhesive tape and cover the hole on the bottom right
disk types. Try both types of disks to identify what your
Either re-sample that particular sound again, or use the
hand side of the floppy disk (be sure to cover both sides
drive is compatible with.
following method:
To replace an SP-1200 floppy disk drive, see the drive
1. Name and truncate the sample/s, then save it to a
replacement tutorial replacement tutorial in the Repairs Repairs chapter. chapter.
blank (preformatted) floppy disk.
Saving tempo (BPM) to disk
2. Next, copy that sample to another pad and delete the
STEPS:
data as the original sample. second-hand SP-1200’s have had disk drives
of the hole on the disk). 3. That’s it! Your SP-1200 floppy disk drive will now write data to that disk as if i t were a regular DS, DD disk. The only way to save SP-1200 tempo (BPM) values to
original (not the copy).
disk is by programming the segment/s into a song, using “They say BMW’s a Black Man’s Wish, I wish for an SP-1200 and some disks” — Showbiz
SONG MODE.
3. Now reload the original back onto the pad it was
Without a song program, the BPM values you have used
will now have two individual copies of the same sample,
will not be saved to disk, and therefore not be recalled
which can now be edited separa tely.
deleted from (from the disk it has been copied onto). You Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
when they are loaded in the SP-1200 later, unless you write the BPM on the disk.
Repeat these steps for any samples you want to make further copies of for editing.
S E U Q I N H C E T N O I T C U D O R P 0 0 2 1 P S D E C N A V D A
.. NOTE: Whilst
SP-12 THE FOLLOWING TECHNIQUES APPLY TO THE SP-12 ONLY!
Removing and replacing stock sounds Although the front panel of th e SP-12 suggests that it
these are being saved, remember to label
.. NOTE:
Each replacement sample has to be the same time
At this stage you can test-play the file. You should now
and watch the checksums, in order to verify that the files
length of the original SP-12 sound that it is going to
hear the stock sounds from the SP-12. If the sounds do
were correctly read.
replace. Use truncation, pitch adjustment and possibly
not play, check that the file was opened correctly.
time stretching to change the replacement sample’s The results should read as follows:
length in order to match the original sample’s length.
MS 1 - Checksum E918
has 24 internal drum sounds, in reality these sounds are
MS 2 - Checksum E4F6
variations of only 11 internal drum samples. Together, these 11 sounds add up to about 5 seconds of sample time. With the correct tools these sounds can be replaced
highlight the first sound you want to replace. SUGGESTION:
When creating replacement kits (sounds), it is
MS 3 - Checksum 91FD
recommended that you replace the original (kit) sounds
MS 4 - Checksum 0850
with the same types of instruments.
WARNING: In
order for the sound to playback correctly, be
careful not to edit it too early or too late, and to avoid
E.G.: The BD (bass drum) with a kick drum, snare drum
with the samples of your cho ice.
Once you have replayed the stock sounds, you can
the peaks at the end of files MS2, MS3 and MS4.
with a new snare etc. WARNING: you
Zoom in all the way and note the sample length in ms
will need to have a con siderable amount of Below is a list of the sample EPROMs which details
technical ability to perform the following procedure. Read through the following steps before performing this
what each contains and the individual (origina l SP-12)
operation to assess whether it is within your capabilities.
sample’s approximate length.
(milliseconds). 7. REPLACING: Open your CUSTOM SOUND file, then COPY and OVERWRITE the stock sound you want to
You do not want to injure yourself or damage yo ur SP-12. TOOLS: 1 x EPROM programmer (an inexpensive, basic programmer is sufficient) 1 x IC puller (or similar tool)
replace (in the MS file).
MS 1 @ 8-bit / 27500 KHZ
(seconds)
INSTRUMENT NAME EL SNARE RIM COWBELL TOM
DURATION .390 .120 .120 .550
MS 2 @ 8-bit / 27500 KHZ
(seconds)
Your sound should be the exact same length in ms as the
INSTRUMENT NAME BD EL TOM HI HAT CLAP
DURATION .140 .380 .490 .140
highlighted area in the ROM (MS) file.
MS 3 @ 8-bit / 27500 KHZ
(seconds)
INSTRUMENT NAME RIDE SNARE
DURATION .900 .250
MS 4 @ 8-bit /27500 KHZ
(seconds)
INSTRUMENT NAME CRASH
DURATION 1.170
WARNING: Make
sure that you do no exceed sample length
and that you are replacing the correct sound! (Do not delete any data before or after the sample).
1- 4 x 27256 or 27C256 EPROM chips (4 to replace the entire kit) STEPS: 1. First you will need to disassemble the SP-12 (follow the SP-1200 disassembly instructions in the Repairs chapter.
4. After the EPROMs have been successfully read and saved (stored), in order to continue you will need to know which of the sounds you want to replace, and have the desired sounds prepared to take their place.
2. Once disassembled, face the machine towards yourself and remove the EPROM chip/s you intend on replacing (4 in total), located in the lower right hand corner of the SP-12 base—labeled MS1, MS2, MS3 and MS4 (see SP-12 diagram). 3. Once you have familiarised yourself with your EPROM programmer software, initiate your programmer to read the 27256 EPROM/S and save them to that software on
5. With your new sounds now ready, they will need to be sampled and/or re-sampled at 27,500 Hz, then converted to 8-bits (in that order). 6. Next, using a standard audio suite/editor (e.g. Audacity, Sound Forge), open or import the appropriate MS file as: RAW, UNSIGNED, MONO, 8-bit PCM (27,500 kHz).
Now all you have to do is repeat this process to each of the sounds that you want to replace. Once you have finished replacing the sounds in the MS file, save the file and change its extension to .bin in order for your EPROM programmer to read it as a binary file. Now you can continue to use your EPROM programmer to create new EPROM’s and install them in your SP-12.
Enjoy your new custom sound bank!
S E U Q I N H C E T N O I T C U D O R P 0 0 2 1 P S D E C N A V D A
..
..
Cassette mode
S E U Q I N H C E T
An alternative to using the COMMODORE 1541 disk drive with the SP-12 is to use the SP-12’s CASSETTE OUT
N O I T C U D O R P 0 0 2 1 P
to save sounds and sequences to your computer. It’s a great way to keep your data safe, and is the only way to send your SP-12 beat disks around, using the internet. STEPS:
S D E C N A V D A
1. Firstly, turn your speaker volume right down. Otherwise, what you will hear is a loud and evil shrieking sound that is similar to a fax/modem. 2. Insert a regular 1/4” audio cable from your CASS/ SMPTE output jack (on the back of the SP-12) into a 1/4” INPUT on your sound card or DAW. 3. Go to the CASSETTE/DISK menu on the SP-12 and select 1, 1. (CASSETTE/DISK menu). The SP-12 screen dialogue will display START CASSETTE AND HIT ENTER. 4. Start the recording and press ENTER on the SP-12. This will save your segments (sequences) and will take about 15-20 seconds to write the data. 5. Once you are confident the segments have been
A X D E C A F D
written, stop the recording. Then con nect the audio cable to the CASS/SMPTE input.
F O Y S E T R U O C
6. Use the VERIFY function to make sure your data was
O T O H P
saved correctly. (Disk menu 1,7) NOTE: This
method will work for saving and loading
(sounds, sequences, segment #’s and sound #’s) on the SP-12 as well as loading on the SP-1200.
“I got a SP-12 from the brother Show” — Walli World
pre-formatted floppy disk ready.
F O Y S E T R U O C
To load an SP-12 beat in an SP-1200, power up your 1200 while holding down the DISK button and have a
S M U R O F P S
See the cassette/midi the cassette/midi disk operation section of the SP-1200 Owner’s Manual for Manual for more information.
O T O H P
SP FOR LIFE... PBODY the 10-Second Assassin
6 SP’ USER REPAIRS CONTENTS DO IT THE YOURSELF OFFICIAL SP-1200 BOOK “Well I’m the mellow braniac... buildin’ molecules, On my SP-12 my percussion will enthus-” — Kool Keith
SP ’ USER REPAIRS
..
Do It Yourself
E D I U G R I A P E R D N A E C N A N E T N I A M 0 0 2 1 P S L A R E N E G
Like most vintage equipment, when the SP-1200 is subjected to frequent use, various parts can require extra attention to stay operational. Knowing how to service, replace and repair some of the SP-1200’s parts can help save valuable time and money, not to mention get you back to making beats quicker than having to wait for a technician. The following chapter is aimed at providing repair information for the most common problems associated with regular use. By carefully fo llowing these steps, many of the issues described can be overcome, provided that
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C O T O H P
you have prior experience with electronic repairs. The author, publisher and E-MU Systems highly recommend that owners take their faulty or damaged SP-1200 to an experienced technician. Remember, the
WARNING: To avoid electrical shock, disconnect the SP-1200 from its power supply before proceeding.
price of an electronic technician will be much cheaper than having to replace parts (or equipment) damaged from inexperienced repairs—or an emergency room visit.
A list of the tools required to per form these repairs is located at the start of each tutorial.
NOTE: In
what follows, it is assumed that the person doing
the repair has a basic understanding of electronics and safe electrical practices. The example shown is typical, but may not be representative of every appliance. Always ensure that the device is unplugged before
NOTE:
Many of the following tutorials involve
opening the case. The case. The procedures discussed here will
disassembling the SP-1200 and are written to continue
almost certainly void the product warranty; may not be
on from the disassembling the SP-1200 (basic and/or
effective, and can result in property damage, and if done
advanced) tutorial.
improperly, even injury or death. This information is offered as is, without any warranty. User assumes all risk.
We have published tutorials to connect like this in order to save rewriting the disassembling steps more than once. Follow the steps of each tutorial as well as the steps they may direct you to.
“Like an SP-1200, You can’t replace me ev en if you play saf ety” — Defari
..
Disassembling t he SP-1200 (basic)
STEP 1-A
The basic disassembly steps explain how to open and
.. Y D O B P F O
remove the top control panel casing from the base of the
Y S E T R U O C
SP-1200.
S O T O H P
These steps are only required for the following
NOTE:
Whilst you undo the screws, hold the base and
5. Next, disconnect the ribbon cable from the top PCB.
top section of the SP-1200 together to avoid them from coming apart. Y D O B P
STEP 3
F O Y S E T R U O C
repairs:
S O T O H P
1. Floppy disk drive replacement
Y D O B P
2. Reseating PCB chips
F O Y S E T R U O C
3. Rotary knob (variable resistor/potentiometer) lubrication.
S O T O H P
STEP 5
TOOLS:
STEPS:
1x Philips head screwdriver (medium sized head)
1. Insert a floppy disk into the drive (to protect the drive
NOTE:
Tray/container (for screws and parts removed)
heads) and position the SP-1200 on your workspace
partially release the ribbon cable. Open both clips and
WARNING: To avoid electrical shock, disconnect the SP-1200 from its power supply before proceeding.
so you can access its rear panel. Remove the 3 screws
3. Place the SP-1200 back down on its base (facing you)
located across the top of the rear panel with the medium
and carefully raise the top section (control panel) from
sized Philips head screwdriver. Store the screws in a
the base as pictured.
It has 2 clips either side of its connector that will
carefully disconnect the ribbon cable. 6. Now that both cables have been disconnected, the top
container, so they do not get lost.
control panel section can be completely removed from NOTE:
It is important to keep the front of the top control
the base section, allowing you to begin work on either.
panel section very close to the front section of the base whilst they are being separated (pictured), to prevent damaging the short ribbon cable that connects the top section’s PCB and the base section’s PCB.
WARNING:
Do not rest the top section on its control face.
Place it on its side or with the control face up.
Y D O B P
“They’ll bury me with my SP-1200” — Pharoahe Monch
F O Y S E T R U O C
Y D O B P
STEP 2
F O
STEP 4
Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
S O T O H P
2. Raise the SP-1200 vertically, and remove the 5 STEP 1
remaining screws from the base (located around the
4. Whilst in the raised position, carefully disconnect the
This concludes the basic disassembly steps. To complete the
edges).
end of the long cable from the top PCB (pictured) by the
advanced disassembly tutorial, read on.
connector (don’t pull the cable).
E D I U G R I A P E R D N A E C N A N E T N I A M 0 0 2 1 P S L A R E N E G
..
Disassembling t he SP-1200 (advance d)
STEP 7
Continuing where the basic disassembly leaves off,
.. Y D O B P F O
advanced steps provide general explanation for the
Y S E T R U O C
removal of the control panel PCB from the top control
IMPORTANT: Whilst
removing the screws, be sure to hold
that needs to be removed. Carefully begin lifting the
control panel section until the next step. Don’t forget to
protective sheet away from the PCB, starting at the sides.
remove the screw located in the center of the PCB.
Progressively work your way around, lifting the sheet
Y D O B P
These steps are only required for the following:
NOTE: Patience
Y S E T R U O C
cleaning.*
NOTE: The
tearing is almost unavoidable, but is a small price to pay considering the rewards of repair.
S O T O H P
2. Knob (rotary potentiometer) replacement.*
is the key here. The sheet is very delicate
and some small amount of tearing may occur. The
F O
1. Fader (slide potentiometer) replacement and/or
E D I U G R I A P E R D N A E C N A N E T N I A M 0 0 2 1 P S L A R E N E G
away from each of the buttons holding it in place.
S O T O H P
panel section of the SP-1200 casing.
10. On top of the control PCB there is a protective sheet
the PCB to keep it in place or falling away from the top
Once the protective sheet is removed from the PCB, p lace it safel y aside.
advanced disassembly steps continue on from 7. Remove the 8 fader caps and the 3 rotary knob caps
the basic basic tutorial tutorial steps.
located on the face of the control surface.
11. With the protective sheet removed, take the
TOOLS:
STEP 9
1x Philips head screwdriver (medium-sized head)
NOTE:
The caps can often be removed with your fingers.
top of the PCB with a soft toothbrush or q-tip.
Tray/container (for screws and parts removed)
If they do not come off by hand, the best alternative is
9. Whilst supporting the PCB, very carefully lower the
Soft toothbrush (for cleaning)
to use a small flathead screwdriver. Use the head of the
top section onto its face. The PCB will partially separate
Q-tips (optional)
screwdriver as a small fulcrum to gently remove the cap
from the control section as this is done. Use both hands
off, taking care not to damage the SP-1200 faceplate
to remove the PCB from the top section by gently lifting
beneath (pictured). Place the caps in the container/tray,
it up and away, supporting its weight as it is raised. Place
once they are removed.
the PCB down on your workspace control side up (face
STEP 6
opportunity to clean any dust and residue present on the
STEP 11
up). Put the top section to one side and out of the way. 8. Raise the top control panel section vertically onto its The PCB is very delicate. Be careful not to let
side to access the top PCB (pictured). Using the medium-
NOTE:
sized Philips head screwdriver, remove the screws that
anything thing fall on it.
are holding the top PCB in place (located around the Y D O B P
Y D O B P
edges and in the center of the PCB).
F O Y S E T R U O C
F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
STEPS: 6. Position the top control panel section of the SP-1200 on your workspace to prepare it for disassembly.
STEP 8
Y D O B P
Y D O B P
F O
F O
Y S E T R U O C
Y S E T R U O C
S O T O H P
S O T O H P
S O T O H P
This concludes the advanced disassembly steps. You can STEP 10
now continue on with y our repair.
..
..
BLACK TRIGGER PADS Cleaning
STEPS:
2. Once the trigger cap has been removed, use either a
4. Using the small flathead screwdriver, carefully scrape
1. Start by removing the black cap of the trigger/pad
can of compressed air and/or a q-tip to remove any dust
(rub firmly) both of the 2 contact points, working on
When SP-1200 trigger/pads either miss-trigger, trigger
(switch) you wish to clean. Take the flathead screwdriver
that may be present in the switch’s base.
the areas that physically touch and make contact (see
repeatedly or fail to work, quite often the cause is either
and knife and insert the end of each down into opposite
a build-up of oxidation on the switches’ contacts and/or
sides of the cap (about 1.5mm). Carefully move the end
a byproduct of continued use. The problem of oxidation
of both the screwdriver and knife outwards, in order to
can often be resolved by cleaning the trigger’s contact
ease the cap up and out. Once the cap appears dislodged
points (explained in the following tutorial).
from the base, it can then be removed completely by
picture). The surface of the contact point should slowly
Y D O B P
regain sheen as the oxidation is removed and the contact point is taken back to the metal.
F O Y S E T R U O C
CONTACT PT B
S O T O H P
hand. Set it aside on a white cloth or paper towel. NOTE:
E D I U G R I A P E R D N A E C N A N E T N I A M 0 0 2 1 P S L A R E N E G
If a trigger is exhausted from frequent use then
sometimes a complete trigger replacement may be required: contact Bruce Forat
required: contact < [email protected]> TOOLS: If using a q-tip, be sure to remove any q-tip fibres
1x flathead screwdriver (small and thin)
NOTE:
1x pen knife/scalpel blade (preferably blunt)
left behind.
CONTACT PT A
WARNING: Apply
Q-tips
a minimal amount of pressure when
Can of compressed air (optional)
3. There are 2 contact points located inside the switch’s
removing the oxidation, especially when cleaning the
Deoxidising solution (optional)
base (see picture). One contact point is located
underside of the very delicate contact arm (figure B).
underneath of the contact arm (see diagram), and
WARNING: To avoid electrical shock, disconnect the SP-1200 from its power supply before proceeding.
another contact point is located below the arm, inside
NOTE: Applying
the switch’s base (see diagram).
to the contact points with a q-tip will make removal of
a small amount of deoxidising solution
oxidation easier, but it is not essential. CONTACT PT B
5. Once the contact points have been cleaned, simply fit the trigger cap back onto the switch’s base. Line up both of the trigger cap legs (male) with the two corresponding holes (female) of the switch base and carefully press it back into position. Load up the SP-1200 and test the
Y D O B P
newly cleaned trigger out with a sound.
F O Y S E T R U O C
Y D O B P
S O T O H P
F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
NOTE:
To avoid damaging the control surface’s edges
CONTACT PT A
NOTE:
Y D O B P
Both of these points are responsible for the switch’s
F O
operation and once these points have either collected
Y S E T R U O C
dust or become oxidised, the switch’s ability to work can
surrounding the trigger, do not apply too much pressure
become compromised. However, cleaning these points
with the screwdriver and knife. Patience is the key to
with the following method will n ormally bring most
removing the cap.
switches back to life.
S O T O H P
NOTE:
If the problem persists, you may need to replace
..
COMMAND BUTTONS (WHITE / RED) Cleaning
..
Next, carefully remove the cap by levering both the
With repeated use, the SP-1200’s many command buttons
up and out. Once the cap appears dislodged from the
can begin to mis-trigger and/or fail to work altogether.
base, it can then be removed completely by hand.
F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
Quite often this issue is caused by a build up of dust or oxidation of their contact points, and can normally
NOTE:
To avoid damaging the control surface’s edges
be resolved by cleaning these contact points inside the
surrounding the trigger, do not apply too much pressure
button.
with the screwdriver and knife. Patience is the key to
7. Next, carefully push the button cap back in place.
Y D O B P
screwdriver and knife outwards in order to ease the cap
removing the cap. TOOLS: 1x flathead screwdriver (small) 1x pen knife or scalpel (preferably blunt) 1x pointy-nosed tweezers. 1x pencil eraser (on the end of a pencil) Can of compressed air (optional) Deoxidising solution (optional) Q-tips 2. Once the cap is removed, a bronze colored contact
To avoid electrical shock, disconnect the SP-1200 from its power supply before proceeding. WARNING:
membrane will be visible on the button base. Use the
4. Clean out any dust using the can of compressed air or
tweezers to remove the contact membrane.
a clean q-tip. 5. Now clean the 2 contact points located inside the button base. Y D O B P
STEPS:
F O Y S E T R U O C
1. Start by removing the cap of button you wish to clean. Use the flathead screwdriver and pen knife (or scalpel,
S O T O H P
pictured) and slip the end of each down into opposite sides of the cap (about 1mm).
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
NOTE:
When the button is pressed, this membrane acts like
Use the small flathead screwdriver to carefully scrape (rub) away any oxidation present on these two contact points, taking it back to the metal. NOTE: Applying
a small amount of deoxidising solution
to the contact points with a q-tip will make removal of
a contact spring.
oxidation easier, but it is not essential.
3. Next, use either a q-tip covered with a drop of
6. Once the contact membrane and base contacts have
deoxidising solution and/or the pencil eraser to clean
been cleaned, to reassemble the button, use the tweezers
and remove the underside (concave side) surface of the
to sit the contact spring back in place (convex side
membrane.
upwards).
Now you are ready to load up the SP-1200 and test the newly cleaned button out with a command.
NOTE:
If the problem persists, you may need to replace
your entire button or send you r SP-1200 to a technician.
E D I U G R I A P E R D N A E C N A N E T N I A M 0 0 2 1 P S L A R E N E G
..
FLOPPY DRIVE
(REMOVAL / REPLACEMENT)
Y D O B P
With frequent use, the floppy drive inside the SP-1200
F O
can begin to fail reading and writing floppy disk data
Y S E T R U O C
and/or or stop working altogether. NOTE:
S O T O H P
When a drive is unable to read or write floppy
.. Remove the 4 small screws located beneath the drive (underneath the base) using the small Philips head screwdriver (pictured). Place the screws in the container. IMPORTANT: Hold
the drive in place so it does not separate
from the SP-1200 as its screws are removed (pictured). Y D O B P
disk data, the SP-1200 won’t be able to load its O/S, which is stored on floppy disk, rendering the SP-1200
F O Y S E T R U O C
un-operational. Fear not! Compatible replacement drives can be purchased online and sometimes found on old
S O T O H P
analog equipment, but it pays to have a spare drive ready, before the existing one fails.
5. With the new drive now fitted, reassemble the SP—reverse steps 1-5 from the disassembling the SP-1200 (basic) tutorial (basic) tutorial in the beginning of the chapter.
Reinstalling a new drive on the SP-1200 is also relatively easy. In fact, the hardest part in replacing an SP-1200’s 3. Place the SP-1200 back down flat on the workspace.
drive is usually locating a compatible replacement drive.
Remove the old drive completely and sit the new drive in
To avoid electrical shock, disconnect the SP-1200 from its power supply before proceeding.
1. Working on the base section of the SP-1200, disconnect the 2 cables (ribbon cable, power cable)
TROUBLESHOOTING
located at the back of the drive by pulling them straight
Possible reasons for common screen messages you may
off (pictured). These should be easily removed.
encounter after re-installation of disk drive:
NOTE:
If the ribbon cable has a twist, ensure that it is
DI SK READ ER ERRO ROR . . .
connected properly to the new drive after it has been re TOOLS:
power up the SP-1200 and test the new drive.
its place.
STEPS: WARNING:
With an SP-1200 pre-formatted (OS) disk loaded,
Incorrect or faulty drive; drive incorrectly connected;
moved.
faulty or un-formatted disk.
1X replacement drive 2. To remove the old drive, raise the base of SP-1200 up
4. To secure the new drive, raise the SP-1200 base back
1X small-sized hexagonal head screwdriver
from the front (leave the back of the base remain on the
up (as in step 2) whilst holding the new drive securely in
Plastic container (for screws and parts)
workspace).
place. Realign the screw holes of the new drive with the
1X medium-sized hexagonal head screwdriver
holes on the base.
1 x SP-1200 start-up (OS) floppy disk This tutorial is written to continue on from the disassembling the SP-1200 (basic) steps: Make sure there is a functional SP-1200 startup disk inside your new drive before proceeding with the following steps.
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
I NSE SER RT DI SK . . . Drive not compatible; faulty or incorrectly connected; faulty or un-formatted disk.
Use the small Philips head screwdriver to refit each of the 4 screws (that were removed) to secure the new drive to the base. Place the SP-1200 back down and reconnect the 2 cables to the back of the new floppy drive.
“All I see is blinkin’ lights... track boards and fat mics, 950’s, SP-12’s, MP60’s” — A.G.
E D I U G R I A P E R D N A E C N A N E T N I A M 0 0 2 1 P S L A R E N E G
..
RESEATING THE PCB CHIP The motherboard (PCB) (PCB) located located inside the base section of the SP-1200 has dozens of microchips (mounted on IC holders) to support its operation. When or if any of these chips become unseated (from the IC holder), the SP-1200 can experience errors or glitches, or fail to function
E D I U G R I A P E R D N A E C N A N E T N I A M 0 0 2 1 P S L A R E N E G
Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
altogether. These chips can sometimes become unseated for different reasons. Two common causes are changes in temperature and movement (lifting/tilting) of the SP-1200.
Reseating chips is e asy and can al so help prevent issues that SP-1200 owners may mistake for a serious circuitry malfunction. WARNING: To avoid electrical shock, disconnect the SP-1200 from its power supply before proceeding.
The majority of the microchips will already be already seated correctly, but any chips that make a cracking This tutorial is written to continue on from the Y D O B P F O Y S E T R U O C S O T O H P
disassembling the SP-1200 (basic) steps. 1. With the SP-1200 disassembled (so you can access the motherboard), use your fingers to carefully press an even
sound are more than likely being reseated. Once you have finished reseating the PCB chips, reassemble the SP reverse the SP-1200 (basic) disassembly tutorial steps earlier in the chapter.
amount of pressure (firm but not forceful) on the back of each chip (all sizes). NOTE:
Now you are ready to load up the SP-1200 and test the reseated PCB chip.
Do not apply too much pressure. The motherboard
is delicate. NOTE:
If the problem persists, you may need to replace
..
FORAT Since 1982, Bruce and Ben Forat have provided the entertainment community with first-class music electronics while working at Linn. Then in 1986 Forat Electronics Corporation was born after purchasing Linn’s remaining assets and have since been providing sounds, service, parts, and modifications for all Linn Electronics products, Akai products, and of course E-mu System’s legacy SP-1200 sampling percussion.
SP-1200 options SP-1200 replacement Floppy drive which works with DS-DD as well as HD disks New bright Blue display modification (with LED backlight, so it won’t get dim) for the SP-12 and 1200’s Sample input modification to allow monitoring of the input signal during sample mode Output Boost Modification on the Stereo and all 8 direct outs
SP-1200 paint jobs Pick a color for the chassis and same or another color for the volume, gain and click knobs and the 8 slider knobs and also a color for all the writing that goes back o n the unit Have your personalized logo or name printed in any color Multi logos or multi color logos extra!
SP-12 options Turbo Kit — This kit quadruples the sequencing memory as well as expands sampling time from 1.2 to 5 seconds For more info on SP-12 / SP-1200 custom modifications and repairs: www.forat.com
[email protected]
E D I U G R I A P E R D N A E C N A N E T N I A M 0 0 2 1 P S L A R E N E G
SP FOR LIFE... ICEROCK S DXA
7 SP-RELATED CONTENTS THE OFFICIAL THESP-1200 ILL COMBINATION BOOK “Put it through the S-950 and stretch it” — Large Profe ssor
SP-- RELATED SP
..
THE ILL COMBINATION Best of both worlds One of the most tried and true hardware partnerships of the 90’s hip hop era was the SP-1200 and the AKAI S-950.. The amazing compatibility of these two samplers remains unrivalled to this day—just slave the AKAI to S-950 the E-MU and this dangerous duo comes to life. But don’t take my word for it. Numerous producers have been up on this for a minute. From Buckwild Buckwild to to Ski Beatz, Beatz, Pete Rock to Large Pro to Spinna Spinna,, the list goes deeper than Jay Z’s dead president-filled pockets. Another bonus is you don’t have to be rich to get a ‘fifty’ these days—I guess with everyone buying MPD’s and idrum apps the ‘S-nine’ has fallen under the radar. One MIDI cable is all that you need to get the dream team ready to bang. Program the key-groups with the SP’s pads and then it’s just a matter of choosing that dirty bass line sample you couldn’t quite fit into the SP-1200 last time you had that record on the Technics Technics turntable. turntable. Speaking of key-groups, if there’s one tip worth sharing that’s guaranteed to save you time whenever you boot up the two, it’d be that once you have set up those groups save them to a disk. That way, anytime you get a spontaneous urge to bang out a beat your workflow doesn’t get interrupted b y having to reprogram them all over again. For further discussions on this topic (including an explanation of how to sync the SP-1200 with the S-950), join the discussion at the SP-1200 forums here:
http://sp1200.dxarmy.com
SP-1200 and S-950
..
SOUNDBYTES E-mu-lation For better or worse, there’s no escaping the fact that we live in an age where computer software and
.. Crucially, owning a vintage piece of gear like the SP-1200 or Roland TR-808 doesn’t necessarily result in a good beat;
applications are replacing many of the physical devices which have been lost in time, like discontinued products no
it takes a good idea executed by a good ear, regardless of what is used • However, the idea of emulating something
longer supported and manufactured, or machines made obsolete and outdated by new, improved designs • While these
completely is constrained within its own boundaries. As powerful as a digital replication may have become, it cannot
developments are driven by a combination of corporate triple-bottom lines and the admirable goal of making musical
recreate the satisfaction that goes along with physically and mentally tackling an object • Instant gratication can
creation accessible to more people, the unfortunate side-effect of greater ease could be summed up by the maxim:
result in laziness and boredom, and a hyperactive, temporarily focused dome is often the result. Attention to detail,
‘haste makes waste’ • Like a self-fullling prophecy, it appears that computer software and applications are as useful
a requirement to invent shortcuts, the need to think outside the parameters to create a result—all these nuances are
as they are destructive, being created as quickly as they can be ripped, downloaded and burnt to disc (another object
lost if everything is done for you while you kick back and think about how many diamante fronts you’re gonna get
destined for extinction) • Soon, people may not even know that music was once stored on vinyl (not the stuff you
when you drop on youtube the b eat that is writing, programming, a ttenuating, dirtying and co mpressing itself for you.
walk on) and CD. There’s jus t no escaping the forward-ma rching digital army of zeros a nd ones, which have changed
While there are undoubtedly a number of benefits from emulation technology—and we don’t want to come across as
the face of the music industry forever—in good and bad ways • Music Music—once —once created on hardware by musicians who and bad
luddites just blanket-banning the whole sphere—this book is, after all, about the SP-1200 and the riddles it poses and
had to hustle for a record deal, whose tracks were mixed in a studio by a sound engineer then bounced to 2 inch tape,
challenges you to solve • Granted, you may be able to emulate the SP sound to some degree, but heads forget the
pressed up and sold on vinyl—is now made to order for reality TV show ‘winners’ who are deigned as such by teenage
sequence of events that take place to capture and replay the bite-size nuggets. The variables are just too great to say
majority, recorded on protools and then sold/stole on MP3 • But, whilst a roll of 35mm camera film was replaced
that any one emulation captures the essence that is SP—not to mention the other factors that affect the sample as well,
by the memory card; the video game arcade by the PS3; CD’s by MP3’s; and conversation by Facebook, a handful
like preamps, cables, turntables, styli, the vinyl that is used and what channel is taken (L or R).
of objects remain un-replaced by the digital world of E-MU-lations and digital smokescreens • Don’t get me wrong, products like the SD2100 VST and VST and the Maschine versions of the SP-1200 help to inspire many who cannot locate or afford originals, or have the space to collect all the hardware equipment they desire. Anything that opens the mind to
And who could f orget the hiss—the characteristic noi se of the unit (be it very faint) that changes from SP to SP?
new or unknown things has a value in itself. I mean, even some small town, street-corner wannabe g-bangers must have been turned onto Pete Rock via Lil’ Wayne, right?
In the end—and aside from the small, subtle differences between different SP’s—even if you could emulate all those elements you would really have to E-MU-late how the SP makes you create beats based on its limitations. This can’t be done by offering endless opportunity, and in the case of the SP-1200, the greatest rewards come from good-old fashioned hard work!
“I originate, they duplicate” — Greg Nice
SP-RELATED
SP FOR LIFE... PBODY the 10-Second Assassin
8 THE MAIN INGREDIENT CONTENTS “QUOTE...UNQUOTE” THE OFFICIAL SP-1200 BOOK “My SP has the dirtiest kicks—but they not sneakers” — Thirstin Howl III
SP FOR LIFE... CALVIN WHITE
MIX OUT AND WE’RE OUTTA HERE “SP-1200 hundred techniques to make’ya not wake up tomorra’, MPC you later, sai-yo-nora” — Danja Mowf
27SENS et l’équipe qui a participé à la réalisation de ce livre tient à remercier toutes les personnes qui les ont soutenu - qu’ils soient musiciens, techniciens ou fans -. Nous avons un remerciement particulier particulier pour Simon Hyland, Collin Venuto Henry Bernard et Bruce McHyntire, grâce à qui ce projet a vu le jour. • The AUTHOR would l ike to thank th e following p eople and so urces for their a ssistanc e with this boo k: Dave ROSSUM ( E-MU Systems co-fo under) and t he whole team from E-mu Systems, Inc. for their invaluable support and help during the realisation of this book, Henry BERNARD (27SENS, France), Patrick CRONIN (Australia), Collin VENUTO (KicDrum Products, Philly USA), John NOTARFRANCESCO of REDEF Records (USA), and Kevin BEACHAM from FifthElement Records (USA), Rob @ Emulator Archive, E-MU Systems website, E-MU SP-1200 Owners Manual (Craig ANDERTON), Medhi EL AQUIL, Chris LAMBERT (Chris Bass), DFACE DXA, Michael PRIOLO aka Rhythm Monster, JAEONE, DISTRAKT, Leon FREEZE, SP-1200 users forum & all SP-1200 users worldwide. • The PUBLISHER would like to thank the following people and sources for their assistance with this book: Dave ROSSUM (E-MU Systems co-founder) and the whole team from E-mu Systems Inc. for their invaluable support and help during the realisation of this book, Patrick CRONIN (Australia), Collin VENUTO and KicDrum Products, LLC (Philly, USA),
Agence R égionale du Liv re PACA (Fra nce), Ré gion PACA (France), Imprimerie ICONE (Ar les, Fran ce), Aure lio from StarWax M ag (Fran ce), John NOTARFRAN CESCO of REDEF Records, and Kevin BEACHAM from FifthElement Records (USA), Jel from Anticon Records, Christian Artin from CyberNostra (Arles, France), Pascal PEREZ aka Imhotep from IAM (Marseille, France), Needle Drifterz (Paris, France), Rob @ Emulator Archive, Audiofanzine.fr., Audiofanzine.fr., Jeffrey L. aka JEL (USA), Pascal P. aka IMHOTEP (Marseilles, France), Needle Drifterz (Paris, France) • The DESIGNER would like to thank the following people for their assistance with this book: Dave ROSSUM (E-MU Systems co-founder) and the whole team from E-mu Systems Inc. for their invaluable support and help during the realisation of this book and for ingeniously creating the SP-12 and SP-1200 hardware, Henry BERNARD (27Sens), John NOTARFRANCESCO (ReDef), Travis GLAVE (WYDU), DFACE DXA, ICEROCKS DXA, CALVIN WHITE, the SP-Forums, Gensu DEAN, Llingo APT, Mrs. VENUTO (the wife), KicDrum Products (KDP), PBODY for accepting the huge task of authoring this book... and the “other authors” for not... • We would like to thank all the supporters of the Official SP-1200 Book Project: Kontrapunkt, Dj Razak, Stephan Hofacker, Shar (ADK Crew), Yann Serres, David Rouby, Adam Wilkins, Dj Krack-and-beats, Jakub Bujko, Miguel Lopez Vico, DJ Drinks, Gildas
Lambert, Julien Huertas aka Juliano, Pablo Bouvier d’Yvoire, Paul Turner, David Chauvet, Darren Horgan, DJH, Alex Hoebel, Zumi TnkZ, Joel Aubry, Abdelrazak SP-1200
Tennah, Christian Schmitt, Christian Lutz-Weicken, Ayman, Christophe Bouyges, Hizerock (20 Fingaz Inc), Delmas Virgile, Kejlabal/Cospishow, Arvind Beeharry,
www.E-MU.com
Jay Ezzell, Jason Downey, Gregoire Brisé, Alex Clever, Chris Bradach, Raymond Burris, James Ulibarri, Wayne Rollins, Kevin Park, Justin Carducci, Calvin White,
www.Emulatorarchive.com
Christopher Heselton, Paul Maute, John Keeler, Brian Witzig, Stan Shkolnik, Richard Hogan, Dex Vallon, Premium Productions Amsterdam, Lars Herrmann, Jean
THE ART and
Sébastien Cornet, Punnawut Khowkittipaiboon, Ricardo Alvarez, Rodolphe Delaine, Herim, Don Fargo, Blunted Astronaut Records (Poland), Iggy Biets. • Photos
sp1200.dxarmy.com
supplied by: Leon Freeze, Garrett Doherty (Amsterdam/Cologne) and SP-Forum members. members. • We would finally like to thank all of the SP-fans, SP-beatmakers,
www.gearslutz.com
SP-photographers, o graphers, SP-writers, SP-writers, interviewers and SP-interviewees who contributed to this body of work, and supported us along with this book’s realisation...this
THE SCIENCE
is our accomplishment of over 1.5 years of research, development, production and thousands of hours of sleepless nights! • The Author and publishers have
www.forat.com
endeavoured to acknowledge everyone associated with the production of this work. Any omissions will be included in subsequent editions • SP-1200 for Life!
