SP1200 or Other Gear

I have recently come across a sweet custom SP1200. The price for the unit is very high. More than i would pay for a piece of gear. The problem is that i could use the money that i would pay for the SP to buy other gear like a laptop or computer to record and monitors. I know that i am going to own a SP1200 eventually after all it is a must have for any true hip hop beatmaker enthusiast.

Do you guys think i am making a mistake by spending a lot of bread on an sp1200 instead of buying other studio gear?

700s all day.

just got a 9 something too. i hurt that ****

edit: shit i was playing the spank game and meant to respond there
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=112473

can't deleted this.. damnit

i think you are wasting money...

sp1200 isn't a "must have" for any hip-hop beat maker. i make hip-hop... and i don't need it... but if YOU must have it, i say go for it.

otherwise i'd get some good cables, monitors and a sweet audio interface for that bread.

yeah man, sp's purely a luxury. i had an sp12 and i do miss it like a hot ex girlfriend. but i sold it and bought a macbook. and that things been the center of everything ive done for the past year and a bit

Buy everything you need that is a neccessity and the Sp1200 is not a neccessity. I'd rather have a Laptop or PC and some monitors.

7 1 4 Beats wrote:Buy everything you need that is a neccessity and the Sp1200 is not a neccessity. I'd rather have a Laptop or PC and some monitors.

+1 Dont get me wrong the sp1200 is a nice piece of vintage gear. If you have the bread to throw away then by all means get it! You have a good nucleus now with the MPC. Build around it to enhance your workflow/sound. I see you have the 303 sampler now, and that you r selling your s3000. Try and focus on learning and getting comfortable with your setup. Im not knocking anything you are doing but im speaking from experience. I spent almost three years of rotating new gear in and out of my studio. WHen this happens you are not learning anything, and not improving in your productions. Its not wise to buy gear cuz "its the stable of all hiphop" or "pete rock used it". You should want a certain piece of equipment cuz it will enhance your workflow or because there are features you need that are detrimental to your way of production. The final decision of course is yours, but i would spend my money on whatever enhances creativity and functionality. (Nice fast laptop with a DAW like Logic, FX plugins and virtual instruments, studio monitors, etc) Like i said stick with what you have, and learn that sh*t inside out. Doing this will enable you to realize what else you do need if you need it. Remember, its not the tools in one's possession, but how one uses those tools to carve out what's deep in their soul. (not my quote but saw it on this forum)

Take care of the essentials first.

A question to ask yourself is... Do I really need this???? Or do I just want this????
I ask myself that everytime i'm drooling over some piece of vintage hardware on eBay.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I am comfortable with my set up it is just that adding a SP1200 would give me a different work flow, bounce, and style.

7 1 4 Beats wrote:Buy everything you need that is a neccessity and the Sp1200 is not a neccessity. I'd rather have a Laptop or PC and some monitors.

I'd rather get the sp! First piece of gear I ever owned before I had monitors and all that other good stuff I needed. Still my favorite and most used piece in my setup. Better grab one while you got the money son!

I just sold my limited edition SP1200 and although it was a huge regret it was not a necessity in my project studio. Stick to bare essentials. If you are creative enough you can get fat sounds out of your MPC. Only beat-heads really will ever care what you used on a track. When was the last time you heard the "average" person say,..."I really like this song, I just wish he would've used an SP1200 instead of an MPC or Reason. The song is either good or not. Simple.

I saw on your avatar that you are a mpc2kxl user. And So am I.
evendough I'm a also sp1200 die hard fan I know its not the "tool" for a hiphop beatmaker..
Hell, not even a mpc is the "tool" for hiphop if the outcome dosent sound good.
A crappy record still aint nothing but crappy just because someone made it on a mpc or sp1200.
A good record made on a mpc or sp is inspiring but I wont let what machine decide what record sound or not good because of the brand.

What I love about it is that it makes you use your creativity more. The limitations has its positive sides with the machine beacuse you are forced to go around the obious paths like wave editing, memory like gigabites,
16 bit or higher..

what you have is 10 secs of memory,storage on double density floppy disc cabable of storing 750kb of data, but what the machine is most loved for is the crunchy sound.

A good thing to do if you want to get a clearer idea of what the sp1200 is,
listening to albums crafted with it. Albums like:

Pete Rock & Cl Smooth - the main ingredient
-II- - mecka and the soulbrother
Beatminers - enter the stage
organized konfusion - stress the extention agenda

if u already had all your recording gear n what not and had the xtra g id say go for it..but for that money u can get a decent basic set up for sure..u wont be able to do much with just the sp alone.

jgarcia1419 wrote: I know that i am going to own a SP1200 eventually after all it is a must have for any true hip hop beatmaker enthusiast.

that's where your wrong...

work with what gets the job done, not with what is a "MUST".

you have a XL and 303... thats all i would need...

spend the money on some monitors, interface and a PC or DAW if you need it... you can make music without the SP1200.

think about it $1000+ for 10secs of sample time when you can spend around $100 on a DAW that can convert Bit and still have your 32mb ram of sample time.

i had money to buy a Sp1200 but i got a macbook for regular use and for music and some monitors for that money... now i just need a Main piece (mpc) and interface/mixer.

LOL at the sp being a 'must have for any true hip hop beatmaker enthusiast'. my ass it is a must have..... i cannot find one good reason why it would be a MUST have. my behringer 502 mixer is more must have than a sp1200.