Nod to The Legend · The gear · 1987
The E-mu SP-1200
Sampling drum machine
It sampled at 12 bits and 26.04 kHz with about 10 seconds of total time. Producers sped samples up to fit them in, then slowed them down, and that grit became the golden-era sound.
Still heard: Bitcrushers and SP-1200 emulations are all over lo-fi and boom bap.
Related legends
- The Roland TR-808: Drum machine, a commercial flop that took over
- Roger Linn: Drum machine and MPC designer
- Marley Marl's Snare: Producer, Juice Crew
- DJ Premier: Producer, Gang Starr
- DJ Screw: Houston, chopped and screwed
- Harold Rhodes: Inventor of the Rhodes electric piano