SP-1200

SampleStack supported

Rossum Electro-Music

Dave Rossum's reissue of the 12-bit drum sampler, with an SD card in place of the floppy drive.

The SP-1200 is the 12-bit, 26.04 kHz sampler behind a great deal of late-80s and 90s hip-hop, reissued by Dave Rossum, who designed the original at E-mu, with an SD card slot, a file manager, and the same converters and filters.

Its grit comes from the format itself: samples are recorded at 26.04 kHz and reduced to 12 bits, and the memory holds only around 20 seconds in total. Preparing audio for it is as much about budgeting time as matching a format.

Format

Standalone

Sample Rate

26.04 kHz

Bit Depth

12-bit on the device (prepare at 16-bit)

Channels

Mono

File Formats

WAV, AIFF for preparation

Storage

SD memory card, holding the sampler's own sound and sequence files plus

Specifications

Memory ~20 seconds of sampling memory (the original held ~10)

Features

  • 12-bit / 26.04 kHz sampling with the original converters and SSI2144 filters
  • SD card with an on-device file manager: create, rename and delete files and folders
  • Imports vintage SP-1200 disk images in .HFE format
  • MIDI Sample Dump Standard support

Transfer Method

An .HFE disk image on the SD card, MIDI Sample Dump Standard, or sampling in over the audio input.

Notes

  • SampleStack's SP-1200 collection is a preparation folder, not a card layout. The card holds the sampler's own files and .HFE images, and its quickstart guide never mentions WAV
  • File and folder display names are 16 characters
  • Set-up Special Function 27 creates folders on the card from the front panel

Preparing samples for the SP-1200

SampleStack prepares samples rather than loading them: it converts to 26.04 kHz mono at 16-bit, keeps file names within the 16 characters the Disk module displays, and totals durations against the roughly 20 seconds of sampling memory.

The 12-bit reduction happens on the device (no WAV file can hold 12-bit audio), and the transfer itself needs a disk image, MIDI Sample Dump Standard, or sampling in over the audio input. The SP-1200 help page covers those routes.

Links

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I copy WAV files onto the SP-1200's SD card?

Not as samples. The card's Disk module works with the sampler's own sound and sequence files, exactly as the original worked with floppy disks, and it also imports vintage .HFE disk images. Getting your own audio in means an .HFE image, MIDI Sample Dump Standard, or sampling it in over the audio input.

Why does SampleStack prepare 16-bit files for a 12-bit sampler?

Because a WAV file can't hold 12-bit audio; Core Audio has no such format. SampleStack gets the sample rate, channel count and length right at 16-bit, and the SP-1200 performs its own 12-bit reduction, which is a large part of how it sounds.

How much audio fits?

About 20 seconds in total on the reissue, shared across the pads, against roughly 10 on the original. SampleStack totals the durations in a collection so you can see the budget before you transfer anything.

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