E-mu SP-1200 Versus Akai MPC3000LE (sound comparison video)

clint246clint wrote:Anybody is welcome to contribute if they have both machines.

You lucky bastards!!

ahahahahah

amen break
http://www.autistici.org/2000-maniax/sa ... 0break.rar

thx wrote:

clint246clint wrote:Anybody is welcome to contribute if they have both machines.

You lucky bastards!!

ahahahahah

amen break
http://www.autistici.org/2000-maniax/sa ... 0break.rar

capo, lo fai, ti ho visto nel forum SP!

anyway, I can't open that file with a .rar extension.

ue paisà...
http://www.autistici.org/2000-maniax/sa ... rother.wav

thx wrote:ue paisà...
http://www.autistici.org/2000-maniax/sa ... rother.wav

ok visto.

thanks for the wav.

i can also test Emax II and 950 but not sure I can be bothered.

check thread tonight.

Shostakovich wrote:
i can also test Emax II and 950 but not sure I can be bothered.

Why make more work for yourself and veer off topic?

Don't bother, honestly at least not in this thread.

clint246clint wrote:

Shostakovich wrote:
i can also test Emax II and 950 but not sure I can be bothered.

Why make more work for yourself and veer off topic?

Don't bother, honestly at least not in this thread.

Aye. Thought a MPC3000 16-Bit / Emax II - SP1200 / 950 blind would have helped dispell some of the nonsense one reads on these about "warmth". Warmth is down to filter types not bit depth.

The 16-Bit 44.1kHz vs 12-Bit 26kHz current proposal seems a little skewed, IMO. But whatever.

My suspicion is that bottom end is only more obvious with the SP because of the differing filter values between ADCs. Not the DAC reconstruction. You can't add something that isn't there.

Anyway, I'll have a go at it tonight.

Well this thread is about comparing the sound of those two classic machines.

Sadly some of us can only afford to have one, and for most it's the MPC3000.

But if you want to take it further post your findings in a new thread.

Clint you could easily afford a sp12 if he didnt hoard those mpcs

Funny you should say that actually.

So I went to buy myself a SP-1200 back in December 2010 from some dude in Peckham. I got to the dudes house and he also had a MPC3000LE he was also sittin' on. So I got him to show me the SP and play a couple of beats for me, trying not to show much excitement about the prospect of taking her home with me. He was asking £1100 for her and I had the dough in my pocket.

Cut a long, sad story short, the dude changed his mind about selling the SP-1200 as I was about to count out the cash. He obviously had a difficult decision to make as he needed some funds. So I took the MPC3000LE with Vailixi for £900 and told him to contact me if he ever changes his mind.

Don't expect to hear from dude any time soon, but the LE was an unexpected consolation prize...

That was the only time I ever saw or touched an SP-1200, but I really didn't need it.

One day though.

OK. So I mono mixed (-3dB) the PCM kindly supplied by THX. I used an Apogee DAC to sample into both the MPC and SP. The 138 bpm version is the OG. 87 bpm is the lowest the SP goes so I used that as a marker and then did the same for the MPC. I recorded both using an Apogee ADC at 24-Bit 44.1kHz. I normalised all files to -3dBFS and ran analysis tools which I then captured as images for the purposes of this comparison.

I will comment when others have made their observations.

Any questions, feel free to ask. Hopefully this will help dispel some myths about these splendid samplers.

Amen Break MPC3000 138 bpm

Amen Break MPC3000 138 bpm Spectrum



Amen Break MPC 3000 138 3D Freq Analysis




Amen Break MPC3000 87 bpm

Amen Break MPC3000 87 bpm Spectrum



Amen Break MPC3000 87 bpm 3D Freq Analysis




Amen Break SP1200 138 bpm

Amen Break SP1200 138 bpm Spectrum



Amen Break SP1200 138 bpm 3D Freq Analysis




Amen Break SP1200 87 bpm

Amen Break SP1200 87 bpm Spectrum



Amen Break SP1200 87 bpm 3D Freq Analysis

clint246clint wrote:Well this thread is about comparing the sound of those two classic machines.

Sadly some of us can only afford to have one, and for most it's the MPC3000.

But if you want to take it further post your findings in a new thread.

I don't know. My first was an SP1200 purchased in 1996 for a measly $600. I was very impressed.

However, it wasn't until I acquired an MPC3000 in 2009 that I felt that I had been missing out. That being said, if I had to choose which to keep, it would be the SP1200 simply because it is much more fun to use and that's what music should be about. I never ever sample into the MPC (Vailixi and CF reader make it redundant IMO) so it was quite a PITA to do this test.

Unlike many on here, I use my MPC strictly for MIDI sequencing. It is the best sequencer I have ever used. I can't even imagine what it must have been like before Vailixi because the first thing I did when I got it (for £250 + a Juno 106 trade) was to soup it to the max. 32MB, CF Reader, Vailixi, IB-CRT.

clint246clint wrote:Funny you should say that actually.

So I went to buy myself a SP-1200 back in December 2010 from some dude in Peckham. I got to the dudes house and he also had a MPC3000LE he was also sittin' on. So I got him to show me the SP and play a couple of beats for me, trying not to show much excitement about the prospect of taking her home with me. He was asking £1100 for her and I had the dough in my pocket.

Cut a long, sad story short, the dude changed his mind about selling the SP-1200 as I was about to count out the cash. He obviously had a difficult decision to make as he needed some funds. So I took the MPC3000LE with Vailixi for £900 and told him to contact me if he ever changes his mind.

Don't expect to hear from dude any time soon, but the LE was an unexpected consolation prize...

That was the only time I ever saw or touched an SP-1200, but I really didn't need it.

One day though.

If you are prepared to pay that price, I know a girl selling her SP. Its just been serviced by a very good friend of mine and is in top condition. I think she wants £1200. Its a re-issue. Personally, I don't think they are worth that much. I would pay £800 for one today - MAX.

or buy a sp12 turbo

gertie wrote:or buy a sp12 turbo

Indeed. Or even non-turbo and couple it with an Emax or 950. The sampling engine on the 1200 is nothing special (certainly not worth the dolo). Its the sequencing which is so much fun!

yeah I couldn't really get into the SP 1200 myself.I had already been bit by the MPC 60 bug. motu BPM has a SP 1200 mode that sounds pretty close,for a cheap way to get that "sound".