SP1200 or Other Gear

jgarcia1419 wrote:The price for the unit is very high. More than i would pay for a piece of gear.

Keep in mind that when it comes down to it, the SP1200 is just a "piece of gear."

All the previous classics that were made on the SP1200 were great, but the SP1200 didn't make those albums; Pete Rock made those albums, the Beatminerz made those albums, Easy Mo' Bee made those albums, Large Pro made those albums, etc. etc.

Meh... to the comment about the SP1200 being a staple for the hip-hop beat enthusiast. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool piece of kit but the reason why so many classic albums were made with it is because it was one of the few "affordable" samplers that was available back then. If an MPC 4000 or a Motif was available back then rest assured, said piece of equipment would have been considered the staple of hip-hop beat production.

Also keep in mind one man's holy grail is another man's septic tank. Just because guys like Pete Rock like the SP so much and are able to make gold with it doesn't necessarily mean it's gonna work out the same for you. Whereas someone like Easy Mo bee might still use the SP1200 as the one and only piece of gear, guys like Diplo completely dread using the SP1200.

Get the necessities first: monitors, DAW etc. once you have that down then maybe it might be fun to look at interesting gear like the SP.

if you need to question wether or not to get it you prob dont really want it. for me it was no question and same with my homies who rock one. if you gonna drop that kind of loot you should be more than sure. my sp would be the last piece of gear i would ever sell.

its like an impala vs an accord to me. some cats just wanna get from point a to point b without puttin in teh extra loot or having to ever worry about repairs. some cats respect the craftsmanship and sound of an sp others dissmiss it as hype. i will still have my joint when you are ditchin youre machine for the next joint. to each his own and a dope machine never made a wak producer any better.

price of sp's is steady rising while every other piece of production gear is plummeting in value. look at the mpc 2000's i see em on craigslist for table scraps. i know cats who bought new 2000's for almost 1500 i also know cats who got there sp's for less than a grand during the same time period. who would you rather be today?

I have both MPC2000XL, SP303 and an SP1200 in my set-up, and the SP1200 is the favourite and would be the last to go. I could switch up the XL for a 60, 3000, 4000, or something similar, because they are all somewhat alike with a fewe differences. The SP is one of a kind, it's sound (punch!) and workflow are not like any MPC, and I love the sound and workflow of the 1200. Visual wave editing on the 1200 is not something I would use, because holding the note on (note repeat) with hi-res are a super fast method to chop up or trim samples.

It also teaches you basics, because the song can't have 13 layers of hype things on it, it's just 8 sounds/channels at once, so your basic beat has to rock. When the basic rocks, then it will rock even more with rap on it, maybe some additional percussion or instruments or whatever you'd like.

Get the 1200, you'll get the rest later (and you can get second hand active monitors really really cheap these days, the market is flooded with those) if you don't fall in love with it, sell it on and get monitors. But you might fall in love with it, and that's a good love.

DJ Supreme wrote:

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!

Nothing sounds like a sp1200
Thats why I bought one.
I use it as addition to my mpc(s).
No computer in sight. Just plain & easy hardware (Doing music with your ears instead of your eyes)

As long as it's for a decent price I say get it. I love the 12/1200 and even if you only keep it for a year you'll learn alot just by using it. Monitors, computers and other shit is available any day any where 1200's are becoming more hard to come by as time passes. I don't recommend buying tools or equipment as investments as an item but more as an investment into yourself and your craft but this is one of the rare pieces where the prices on these keep going up so if you don't like it you shouldn't take a loss.

I do not want the SP1200 because i want to sound like Pete Rock or Lord Finesse.

I am just drawn and fascinated by the machine itself. So much that i use my Mpc and Sp 303 like a SP1200.

I have based my work flow around the techniques of the SP1200. I sample 33 1/2 records at 45rmp. When i sample into the MPC i set up my sampling time to 2.5 seconds so it cuts off and leaves me with a relatively short sample. I wont exceed 8 tracks. I do not auto chop or use short cuts when it comes to chopping. I chop by ear using the SP303 and I also sample everything in lo-fi in order to try to recreate the sound of the sp1200 of course it will never come close. I do not use midi with my keyboard, i simply sample a single note or chord then just truncate the **** out of it and pitch it up or down and use 16 levels. Limiting myself makes the creative process fun for me.

jgarcia1419 wrote:I do not want the SP1200 because i want to sound like Pete Rock or Lord Finesse.

I am just drawn and fascinated by the machine itself. So much that i use my Mpc and Sp 303 like a SP1200.

I have based my work flow around the techniques of the SP1200. I sample 33 1/2 records at 45rmp. When i sample into the MPC i set up my sampling time to 2.5 seconds so it cuts off and leaves me with a relatively short sample. I wont exceed 8 tracks. I do not auto chop or use short cuts when it comes to chopping. I chop by ear using the SP303 and I also sample everything in lo-fi in order to try to recreate the sound of the sp1200 of course it will never come close. I do not use midi with my keyboard, i simply sample a single note or chord then just truncate the **** out of it and pitch it up or down and use 16 levels. Limiting myself makes the creative process fun for me.

You sound like a vintage gear stalker in this post...

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

Bong bong