E-mu SP-12
Computer/sampler
The E-mu SP-12 is a sampling drum machine. Designed in 1984, SP-12 was announced by E-mu Systems in 1985. Expanding on the features of E-mu’s affordable and commercially successful Drumulator, a programmable digital drum machine, SP-12 introduced user sampling, enabling musicians to sample their own drums and other sounds. In August 1987, E-mu replaced SP-12 with SP-1200.
01History
Developed as a successor to the Drumulator, SP-12 was initially advertised as “Drumulator II” by E-mu Systems at the NAMM Winter Music & Sound Market and Musikmesse Frankfurt in February of 1985 before being launched officially at that summer’s NAMM International Music & Sound Expo. “SP” is an initialism for “Sampling Percussion,” and 12 is a reference to its 12-bit linear data format.
E-mu made a “Turbo” upgrade available which increased the total memory for user samples to 5 seconds. SP-1200, featuring an integrated disk drive for storage and more RAM allowing for more total user sampling time in place of the preset ROM drum sounds, replaced SP-12 in E-mu’s product line in August 1987.
02Features
In contrast to other early sampling instruments integrating piano-style keyboards, such as E-mu’s Emulator series of digital sampling synthesizers, Ensoniq Mirage, or Fairlight CMI, SP-12 instead used plastic buttons to play drum sounds on its top panel. Dynamics can be performed using a piezo sensor on the circuit board listening for the button’s impact, a technology invented by E-mu co-founder Scott Wedge.
SP-12 uses a 12-bit linear data format and the same 26.04kHz sample rate E-mu previously used in Drumulator and subsequently reused in SP-1200. The sample rate was chosen early on in Drumulator’s development as a compromise between bandwidth and sampling time. A reconstruction filter was deliberately omitted, resulting in a brighter sound due to imaging (sounds above the sample rate).
SP-12 includes 24 12-bit preset ROM sounds consisting of two bass drum, two snare, two electronic snare, rimshot, cowbell, four toms, four electronic tom, three hi-hat, two clap, two ride cymbal, and crash cymbal sounds. Although the panel legend is marked with 8 positions for user samples, up to 32 user samples can be used.
The original SP-12 had a maximum sampling time of 2.2 seconds while with the Turbo upgrade it has a maximum sampling time of 5 seconds. The SP-12 has a 5000-note memory allowing it to store 100 songs and 100 patterns; with the turbo upgrade, this is increased to 400 songs and 400 patterns.
SP-12 can synchronize to and generate MIDI, SMPTE, and analog click signals; it can also send and receive MIDI note triggers.
03Notable Users
- Ced Gee from Ultramagnetic MCs.
- Matt Dike.
- Daddy O.
- Bizarre Inc
- Claude Young
- Theo Parrish
- Def IV
- Paul C
- Prince Paul
- Rick Rubin in Rhymin & Stealin on the Beastie Boys album Licensed to Ill
- DJ Lethal
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “E-mu SP-12”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- E-mu SP-12.jpg by E-mu SP-12.svg: Clusternote derivative work: Clusternote, CC BY-SA 3.0
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