RX1200 12-bit Sampler Instrument
The sound of a true legend
Meet the RX1200, our 12-bit sampler instrument based on the E-mu SP-1200, a landmark sampler designed by Dave Rossum and released by E-mu Systems in 1987.
With its gritty digital sound for sequencing fat beats, the ability to build musical phrases with 32 sample slots, and its warm filters for efficiently capturing bass lines from vinyl, the SP-1200 is a monument to beatmaking that gave music producers huge new possibilities.
We are honored to show you our take on a groundbreaking machine that no less helped the emergence of new styles of modern music, bringing the classic approach to beatmaking into your DAW.
The RX1200 is a beatmaker's sandbox tool. It's a one-of-a-kind sampler ready to inspire your productions with experimentation, happy accidents, and that lovely distinctive lofi sound.
Our RX1200 has been nominated in the Plugin Boutique Awards 2023 for the best Sampler / Drum Machine category!
Nailing that sound
At the heart of the RX1200 is our commitment to faithfully reproducing the signature sound of the SP-1200. Besides the obvious 12-bit resolution, the 26.041 kHz sample rate, and the SSM2044 low-pass filter emulation, the RX1200 perfectly matches the aliased down-pitch tuning that delivers the SP-1200. With its distinctive grit, crunch, and warmth, the RX1200 puts the inimitable 12-bit sound into your music.
Next Episode
Havin Illusions
Killa Bees
Father Break
It's a Trap
Deep Step
The 1200 Sound
Indian Tronik
Plenty of Perks
Saint-Denis
Alive and Kickin
Crime Mystery
The 1200 sound
We made no compromise with the sound to deliver the digital tone, the filter and the gain that made the SP-1200 a timeless classic.
A unique workflow
Based on gigantic faders for adjusting tune, volume, and decay, the RX1200 puts you into a focused mindset for making beats.
Profusion of samples
With 32 slots across 4 banks of 8 pads, you're good to build complex structures and arrangements on a single RX1200 instrument.
A streamlined interface
Rather than making a 1:1 copy of the SP-1200, we’ve designed the RX1200 as a more straightforward instrument with an easy learning curve.
By removing the onboard sequencer, we’ve built our vision of an audio plug-in that integrates flawlessly with any DAW and puts sample performance at the forefront of your creative process.
A flexible sample editor
It would be a shame not to take advantage of your computer mouse. The sample editor makes it easy to browse, truncate, normalize, reverse, loop and assign your sounds across the 4 banks of 8 pads. It's an efficient and intuitive way to craft your own presets for building your grooves.
Ready to play
Packed with a Factory Collection of 900+ samples built into 50 presets, the RX1200 is ready to perform out of the box.
The Factory Collection contains 122 kicks, 139 snares, 169 hi-hats, 47 toms, 32 cymbals, 120 percs, 50 FX, 32 bass, 41 keys, 151 slices, and 33 others.
In the next few months, a series of new free collections, sorted by theme, will be added regularly to expand your RX1200 experience.
Subscribe to our newsletter and get notified about the new free collections.
The unique 1200 lofi sound
To save sampling memory, SP-1200 owners often sampled 33 RPM records at 45 RPM, and then tuned down the sample on the SP-1200 to restore the original speed. This technique doubled the sampling time but lowered the sound quality. Surprisingly, this altered sound became popular among hip hop producers and many best-selling records of the 90s used the SP-1200.
The RX1200's Speed feature changes your samples' playing speed to enjoy the distinguished sound obtained by lowering the tune fader.
True to the original features
- 12-bit / 26.041 kHz sound processing
- 32 sample slots
- Tune/decay/mix settings
- 8 assignable outputs
- Switchable 4-pole resonant SSM2044 low-pass filter
- Input amp stage modeling
Extended features
- Unrestricted sample length
- Output channel setting for note groups and polyphony
- Stereo and mono sample playback
- Panning knobs in Mix mode
- Non-destructive visual sample editor
- Chromatic play mode
- Fade in/out markers
- Copy/duplicate pad settings and/or samples
- Built-in Collections download service
The legend's origin story
The very first digital samplers like the NEDco Synclavier II and the Fairlight CMI, invented in the late 70s, opened the gate to a new world of sound manipulation. But unfortunately, these machines were so expensive that they could only be sold to big professional studios and were reserved to the biggest artists.
In that context, a company named E-mu released the Emulator, a promising challenger with a lower price point. Then, with the impulse of the most innovative engineers of Silicon Valley gathered by lead engineer Dave Rossum and lead designer Scott Wedge, E-mu produced the Drumulator (drum machine), the Emulator II, then in 1985, a new sampler/drum machine priced below the $3000 bar, called the SP-12.
Standing for Sampling Percussion at 12 bits, the SP-12 had 48kb of memory and could record up to 1.2 seconds of audio. In addition, a 192kb expansion module called Turbo was sold and expanded the sampling time to 5 seconds. In 1987, E-mu improved the concept and released the SP-1200, with new additional features and twice the memory.
E-mu, SP-1200, NEDco, and Fairlight brand names are trademarks of their respective owners. This product is in no way affiliated with these companies.
Availability
64-bit VST2, VST3, 64-bit AAX plug-in for Windows (10 and higher)
64-bit VST2, VST3, AU, AAX plug-in for macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon M1/M2, 10.11 and higher)
64-bit VST2, VST3 for Linux
Rack Extension for Reason (10.1 and higher for Windows and macOS)
Disk space required: approx. 300 Mb.
Save with the RX Bundle!
RX1200 12-bit Sampler Instrument + RX950 Classic AD/DA Converter
Get the sound of the best 12-bit combo of the 90s at a cool price!
Learn more
RX1200 versions history
1.1.0Current version
- Added: Fade in/out markers in sample editor
- Added: Visual play heads in sample editor
- Added: Current sample slot display in Sample Edit view
- Added: Current sample filename display in Sample Edit view
- Added: Color menu items have a hover state
- Added: Right-click context menu on pads to copy and duplicate pad settings and/or samples
- Added: Option to select pad by MIDI when sequencer is stopped
- Added: Improved handling of missing samples
- Added: Built-in additional collections download service
- Added: New collection: Ambient
- Changed: Marker values are now expressed in native sample frames
- Fixed: Folders with no sub-folders do not have a fold/unfold arrow anymore
- Fixed: Presets list wasn't always updated after saving a preset
- Fixed: Non-destructive truncated sample range computation after successive truncations was erroneous which could make slots unable to play after recall
- Fixed: Possible glitch when loading a sample in Sample Edit view into an empty slot
- Fixed: Sample recalling would fail if truncate was applied after reverse
- Fixed: Sample operations could be triggered by keyboard shortcuts regardless of the corresponding setting's value
- Fixed: Places were not populated on Linux
- Fixed: UI was misbehaving in Studio One 6 on Intel Macs
- Fixed: Sample preview now stops upon closing the Sample Edit view
1.0.2
- Added: New option in settings to enable/disable keyboard shortcuts globally (they could interfere with some DAWs that do not handle keypresses correctly)
- Fixed: Preset name now shows as "Empty" in initialised state
- Fixed: Audio could jitter with large buffer setting
- Fixed: Sample editor could appear shrunken in some cases
1.0.1
- First public release.