I own a sp1200 and a mpc3000 (almost the same as a 60). If
I could only have one machine I'd go with the MPC without a doubt... (that doesn't mean it's right for you though) the sp is more a '
nice to have' machine.
If you are new to beatmaking
the sp1200 is not a bad place to start at all, because of it's
simplicity And It will def. school you on sampling and force you to be creative. But with that beeing said - it's very
limited compared to the 60 - and If I weren't considering the
'hard to find' factor of the SP I'd def. go with the 60 as my main piece...
look at it this way;
the 60 can do everything the sp can and more - only advantages/disadvantages is how the sp1200 color the sound...
You should also consider that the mpc60 have a much niecer sequencer - and I'm not talking about swing/tightness or anything like that, but the 60 have a much easier sequencer to use (tracks). and a whole lot of other stuff that the sp don't have...
If you are new to the beatmaking thing - It wouldn't be to bad starting on the sp and then progressing to the 60 when you feel you've done everything there is to be done on the sp.
Someone please smack me if I'm wrong.
oh and be advised that the
sp1200 only have a total
10secs of sampletime - and a max of
2.5 secs on 4 pads. The MPC60 can hold way more than that (if it's maxed). But if you do opt fo the sp1200 buy an
akai s950 when and if you need the extra features - then you basically have a mpc60.