Rossum Electro-Music Announces the 35th Anniversary SP-1200 Renovation

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the introduction of E-mu System’s iconic “SP” sampling percussion system, instruments that have become emblematic of the golden age of hip hop creativity. To mark this milestone, Dave Rossum (the co-founder of E-mu Systems) and the team at Rossum Electro-Music are creating an extremely limited number of “renovated” SP-1200s.

Beginning with an original SP-1200, Dave and the team strip it down and rebuild it into a “better-than-new” example of the classic sampling percussion system. It is then tested and calibrated to guarantee that it provides the exact sonic character that has made the SP drum machines musical legends for 35 years (and counting).

Rossum Electro-Music 35th Anniversary SP-1200 renovations include:

A new 3.5″ disk drive and SD card floppy emulator integrated into the original SP-1200 software by Dave Rossum
Manual filter cutoff frequency control sliders for the SSM 2044 analog filters for channels 1 and 2 added to the rear panel
A new metal chassis
A new panel overlay
The top shell restored and painted “SP Grey.”
A new power supply with locking connector (and cool operation)
A new LCD display with adjustable brightness and a selectable red, blue, or green color LED backlight
All new play buttons
All new programming buttons
All new 1/4” and MIDI jacks
All electrolytic and tantalum capacitors replaced with high-reliability ceramic or aluminum-poly caps
All rotary potentiometers replaced with million cycle lifetime pots and installed with new knurled black metal knobs
All slide potentiometers replaced with 200,000 cycle lifetime sliders and installed with new slider knobs
All original trimmers replaced with 20-turn versions and precisely calibrated
New rubber feet
An individualized Dave Rossum signature plaque
A dust-proof, crush-proof, lockable Pelican™ brand case with press-and pull latches, wheels, and an extendable handle.
Full testing and calibration by Rossum Electro-Music