I Cloned the Legendary SP-1200 Sound!!

Download the free RE-12 Combinator here:
www.dropbox.com/s/ghefo4trkxx...
When it comes to legendary sampling hardware, perhaps there is none more legendary than the E-Mu SP-12 and SP-1200 hardware. Original released in 1985 and in production for nearly a decade, the 12 bit sonic character of the SP-12's have kept them highly collectible units for beatmakers and producers to this day. Well is just so happens that Ryan had an SP-12 buried deep in his storage closet!! Fortunately for all of us, he dug it out from storage and dives into showing what the SP-12 actually sounds like and then seeing how close he can get to recreating that sound inside the Reason Rack.
----- Contents of this Video ------
0:00 Intro
1:19 Searching the closet
2:29 E-Mu SP12 History
3:15 What is the SP-12 sound?
5:26 Comparing to SP-1200 Plugin
6:46 Building the Combinator Clone
7:30 Matching the tonal contour
12:00 Adding some punch
12:49 Digital downsampling
14:20 Testing out the clone!
16:06 The RE-12 Combinator
18:48 Conclusion

[@ReasonStudios]

Get the FREE Combinator patch for the RE-12 emulation here: www.dropbox.com/s/ghefo4trkxxkhza/RE-12.zip?dl=0

[@nebstaism]

dont know why but its saying bad patch format , the selected file is in the wrong format or corrupt ........and its not working :(

[@nebstaism]

does this need reason 12 to work?

[@ReasonStudios]

@@nebstaism It does.

[@nebstaism]

@@ReasonStudios ok thanx

[@boogiebrooks50]

This sound crazy but im unable to get this going im using R10

[@openmike04]

This is one of the coolest sound design videos I've ever seen. A big part of why I chose Reason as my DAW is that I really liked how you guys do your tutorial videos. Great content, great sense of humor, interesting and creative ideas. This is really so cool for hip hop producers. I'm very impressed and inspired.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

You can make any sound in Reason stock device's no plugins. The Subtractor designe copys the SP12 by the way.

[@neon-viper7434]

@@HOLLASOUNDS Show me, this is the problem with reason. Everybody who uses it is a sound engineer and it's such a steep learning curve. I pirated it for years because it was it had a nice sequencer I could understand. And I almost went for frutiloops. I have learned over the years how it works by trial and error and scattered tutorials. What I found was reason is good at in my opinion is interface and the sequencer. The biggest fault of Reason is lack of tutorials. Just simple modern stuff like synths of the 90-10. I get nostalgia but nostalgia can be a great limitation if you don't inspire your audience as a grand of many flavors.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

@@neon-viper7434I dont have a problem with Reason. As for tutorials ReasonStudios and Previously Propellerhead have a manual for every one of there devices and there are tutorial in depth tutorials for every device in made by Reason. Reason also choose affiliated KZbin channels that also do great tutorials for Reason and highlight them on there website and KZbin channel. Literally everything you could possibly want to know is offered by them or the channels they affiliate them selfs with and or promote. Any questions you have you can email ReasonStudios direct and they will respond and help you with what you want to know.

[@neon-viper7434]

@@HOLLASOUNDS Tutorial on how to use it is one thing, how to create a specific sound is another,

[@omarsigler]

Yeah, feel the same. I like how they invest in making educational content for their DAW. Such great way to advertise.

[@jayephbee]

Ryan just has a $4000+ sampler collecting dust at the bottom of his junk closet. Great vid & thanks

[@ReasonStudios]

It's terrible right!? You know what's even weirder. I was given that SP-12 for free by another musician who had it in their junk closet and I went over one day 12 years ago and they were like "oh hey, do you want this? I'm probably tossing it." And I was like "um... YEAH!" /ryan

[@Allious131]

Yea at this point it's just a money thing the people who are saying that are just seeing dollar signs but us smart ones are making the music, I usually ignore them and rock out on my tape deck mpc x and roland sp404 those people are delusional and it's mostly in their heads.

[@kb420ps]

The emulation that you created does sound close to being identical, but the SP 12/1200 sound that people are searching for isn't that simple. There is a reason that most plugin emulations of the SP 12/1200 sound so exaggerated. When those machines were new, people would sample from wax in to them, but as you mentioned in the video, they both had limited sample time. In order to compensate for the lack of sample time, the users would speed the record up while sampling. In other words, they would take a 33 1/3 rpm record and speed it up to 45. Then once inside the SP 12/1200, they would pitch the sample back down to it's original pitch/sound. This essentially did two things. For one, it took in to account the SP 12/1200's pitch algorithm. It also actually decreased the sample rate. That process added artifacts and aliasing to the sound. This is what you hear in plugins that seem to be overexaggerated in comparison to your example here. Now, if you want to prove how accurate your emulation truly is, you would need to sample a drum break from a 33 1/3 rpm record that is being played at 45 rpm's in to your SP 12. Then, pitch the sample down to it's original sound/pitch. Then take an observation of the artifacts and aliasing that you hear imbedded in the sound. I don't have an SP 12/1200. If I did, I would make a video comparing your emulation to the real thing. I would, however, be really interested in seeing someone else do that. Just my $.02.

[@ReasonStudios]

Those are all great points! And you're correct that the sample rate scaling, when pitching down, has its own sound contribution. That was why I gave people fader access on the Combinator to pull the sample rate down further if they want to but I didn't get into the pitched element of the Sp-12 sound in the video because it's no longer an audio effect you could apply to any signal. To get the pitched sound you need to also... well, pitch the sound. :) So the kick drums get deeper, the snare get beefier and looser sounding. That all happens from pitch transposing in a way no audio effect (aside from something like Polar's pitch shift) could replicate. But you've got me curious now how this Combinator would sound if you did pitch a sample going into it and then scale down the sample rate a bit. Maybe I'll try that out. /ryan

[@soviut303]

@@ReasonStudios What if you recorded an impulse, then pitched it down on the sampler, then used that in a convolution reverb? Could that capture some of the character and reproduce it?

[@ReasonStudios]

@@soviut303 It's a great suggestion and I'll give you the as-yet unannounced news that I plan to make a follow up to this video where I tackle the pitched sound of the SP-1200 /ryan

[@l.ahlgren7752]

Also, to add on to the pt. kb420 said above, it’s not just the drums. What people are actually really looking for in the SP is what SP-heads call ‘the Ring’. It’s most distinctly heard on instruments like a Rhodes. I best described as like a warm attendant buzzy overtone, like when a piece of plastic is broken on an old radio or car stereo. It’s fuzzy & dusty. I think it results from having the resonance torqued all the way up on a filter or something. Watch videos by ‘Khaderbai’, or ‘Chief Rugged’ for beats, or ‘Low Hiss’ who created a software emulator (eSPi) to recreate it. It’s that buzzy mellow overtone that does it for us (+ the phenomenal beat-crunch which you just adeptly recreated 🙏) but if I had to choose just 1, old heads like myself just go nuts for the buzz - ‘the Ring’.

[@sjb3240]

Right the pitching down sound is what matters

[@DynastyUK]

Hey Ryan, "THAT SOUND" we often talk about is actually when your sample is recorded at 75rps instead of 33 or 45, then in the sp12 you slow it down back to normal speed and it has a cool punchy lofi sound. Also what would be REALLY cool is if we as a Reason community could all upload white/pink noise samples of our particular samplers. I'm dying for an ASR-10! :O I've been match Eqing guitar for years and this is a similar thing. for lofi i often lean towards Decimort 2 or Tal Dac. Great video btw :)

[@mennovanderlaan6695]

Yep thats where the real magic happens. In the emu emulator-x soundcard that has the same chip you could do the same. And the arturia emu vst has a knob for this to get that same effect

[@DynastyUK]

@@mennovanderlaan6695 nice i haven't checked out the Arturia one, can you import your own samples?

[@mennovanderlaan6695]

@@DynastyUK yes even assign to obe and multiple key and pads

[@peterpiper0815]

@@mennovanderlaan6695 Same chip? I'm sure it doesn't. Neither A/D D/A converter nor processor are the same.

[@mennovanderlaan6695]

@@peterpiper0815 ah yeah your right. Got confused about that you need the edsp chip on the emu soundcard to use the sp12 effect in emulator x. Been a while since i used it

[@Kahann0]

what a nice gift, thank you so much! its always fascinating how close you can emulate gear just by adjusting the tonal balance. SM57 vs SM7B is a good example too

[@deeplinkmusic]

Love these more technical and subtle videos. Blind A/B testing for the win. Great job Ryan and RS team

[@steknika]

this is was one of most jaw dropping videos you made period!!!

[@jameslamontgood7763]

I love your videos. I've used Reason for over 20 years, and I use it daily, but I would never think to use some of the methods you describe. Very useful. Thanks.

[@kingpinronin4301]

It might be a crime in some places to store a SP-12/1200 like that! 🤣

[@yitao_]

SP-12 screaming in Birdman voice: "put some respek on my name!"

[@KBlakK]

@@yitao_ lmao!!!

[@markusglammer2941]

Staged as hell 😉

[@sgraceproductionz]

hshaha 😂

[@_20nine_]

Ryan you are a true master at these types of videos, always love the history lessons and production value. Keep at it

[@andrewbeal9725]

Yess!! Been trying to get this sound for ages. Ryan, you little beauty 🙏

[@chrisevans5082]

This is great Ryan. Definitely nailed the vibe. Some Mimic updates would be lovely now - combined with this (pun intended) would be amazing. I'd particularly like some new grid slicing modes to really emulate that old skool sample chopping workflow!

[@rackadactal4466]

In the 90s a friend of mine ASH had a sp1200 at a time where DAW and MPCs were dominant this guy was so dope with it, he was considered the emperor of E-MU seemless timeless samples, he booked gigs just for people to see his prolific production style unfortunately, he died in a car accident . But he was unforgivable and I miss him , really at this time back in Jersey WU-tang RZA style chopping or DJ primo every joe was trying to do something like that. before MADDLIBZ or flying lotus there was ASH a unknown producer but I say if he was still here Ash would have been the king of the sampling because he worked hard at not using samples for the sake of sampling . He made it sound effortlessly using obscure soundscapes over a sort of breakbeat live mixtape style that I incorporated into my own music . And reason makes all that so easy because of it’s endless combinations that you don’t have to do as much to create that experimentation from hours of crate diving Dr Rex ,combo ,chords ,lead sample maybe a additional layer. Found out through the years of making beats that there’s a Beauty in just 4 track production that really captures the Rawness that is second to none and when you go up Ash would get irritated and I found myself doing that now but I didn’t understand this concept back then because of the overproduction on the charts was what everyone wanted at this time it was ridiculous to Ash because it wasn’t needed because people were recording in these industry 96 track studios of Manhattan which was good for finals but would really choke out the creative process Ash would come in with the 1200 and put these big wig productions to shame. He is sorely missed.

[@scotdotwtf]

thats really beautiful. i’m sorry for your loss. do you think there are uploads or archives of his music? it sounds like it’s some of the best stuff ever.

[@null_state]

This is absolutely wonderful. I was trying to do this a few months ago, and didnt think to use the Scream for downsampling. Thanks!

[@foljs5858]

The first good video from the Props I see in the Reason Studios era - in fact one of the best videos I've seen on sound design in general... and with a useful handout

[@siryle]

This is very cool, many thanks Ryan. I'm loving the bad cable feature on this.

[@hmhmusic4529]

Wow, you get the SP-1200 sound but actually cleaner without the airiness in the background. This is actually a big come up. Thank you Sir.

[@magnanimo82]

I hope Propellerheads pays this guy well! Excellent tutorials...dude be droppin dat science lol!

[@cassieg4486]

Really awesome stuff Ryan. Combinators like these could benefit from being added to the instrument/fx browser under combi's with screenshot abiility, they are that useful.

[@ReasonStudios]

That's a cool idea! /ryan

[@KeithKazamaFlick]

THIS!!!

[@makinworks]

yes I was trying to figure out where to place this .cmb file @@ReasonStudios

[@realmchat6665]

Amazing. I just upgraded from 10, and I'm psyched to check this out - thank you, and thanks for showing us how you did it.

[@grymmjack]

Good job! The combinator looks rad too.

[@dannyanalog4423]

The sample from the SP12 has a lot of mor dynamic

[@Mayagroup1]

Awesome. That was inspiring. Thank you for sharing the white noise method with us. It's pleasing seeing this type of content.

[@vitalwave]

This is really awesome Ryan, thank you

[@galantreentrant]

Make an emulation combi for the ensoniq ASR-10 next!!

[@sgraceproductionz]

again, YES!

[@tonylancer7367]

This SP-12 (and not SP-1200, because that is a different beast in itself!) makes me realize how much hardware gear is important to "bringing life" to samples and sounds. Enjoyed this!

[@dereknorris3811]

Love this. Shows how powerful Reason is! Maybe this could become a series. Maybe emulating a Lexicon or Bricasti reverb next ;)

[@omarsigler]

Amazing method, you blew me away with the white noise thing 👌

[@alainterieur794]

Amazing work! 💯

[@getlostlser]

You can hear the difference in the low end of the kick. The Sp hits harder

[@bangfruit]

This is what we need! More of this!

[@breadman7733]

Love your work !! Amazing !!

[@Astroducc]

What if you created an impulse response and loaded it in RV7000? Technically, wouldn't it be a 1:1 frequency response?

[@Unconsciouzone]

The impulse response is how sound reacts to the space a sound lives in. Not the sound itself. By altering the sampling rate you are altering the source,

[@ChewoBeats]

This was the greatest watch in a long time. I really like the whole approach and of course the result. Also this makes me miss my SP 12 and 1200

[@JasonValenti]

This is the exactly reason KZbin was made. Such a great, in-depth overview - great job! The White Noise approach is a fantastic approach!

[@ansmfella]

Love your work good sir!! Much Gratitude

[@crystalcvt]

loved this video! would love to see more of these videos that show the magic of reason without focusing solely on promoting the newest rack extension

[@UNDERMIND_AUDIO]

So cool! Thanks for this! I'm going to get reason now just for this! (I was already leaning towards it anyway! )

[@beatsbyclaessic]

Fantastic video Ryan!

[@NateHendrix]

This is cool, great video!

[@shapeshifter404]

Downloaded reason just to try this and it's unbelievably good 👊 great work. Would love to see some other vintage gear get this treatment. Mpc 60, ASR 10, mpc 3000 ect

[@ReasonStudios]

That's awesome! You know, a lot of people have been recommending the ASR-10 and one of the MPC. I might look into if I can do one of those (or both!) but I don't have the hardware so I'd have to see if someone I know does maybe. But I love that people want a follow up to this. Thanks for watching and trying it out! /ryan

[@larrymyers5989]

@@ReasonStudios Ryan this is very needed now! Especially since the release of the MPC SE ands it’s lack of comparison to classic MPCs.

[@sgraceproductionz]

the ASR-10 would be a DOPE rack extension, between the RX1200 and that all my original idol producers (ALC, RZA, etc) hardware would be in east coast boom bap producer’s rack

[@MAmos-dw1rs]

. My first time watching and I'm officially hooked👍🏿 Thank you, now I just have to figure out how to get back into my Reason account and try this out. Possible game changer!!!!

[@ReasonStudios]

let us know if you need help!

[@cogbeatz]

Ryan, you're THA MAN. Thank you for this wonderful gift.

[@AdrianGeorges]

Amazing video, amazing result.

[@trevor_mounts_music]

The sound those plugs are trying to emulate is sampling into the SP1200 at 45 RPM or something, then pitching the sample back down. That's where all that grainyness people like comes into play. Any hip hop till about 93' has that sound. Just sampling a loop into the SP without changing the pitch is kind of missing the point...

[@nemoitrex9643]

Ryan, I just fell in RE-Love with Reason.. Wow!! We've been together since 1.0. She gets better with age! Thanks for this RE-12 Template! Great vid!! 🙌🏽😏

[@designatedpiledriver8216]

Great video! HOWEVER, There’s a huge thing you are missing here. For a lot of us sp12 and sp1200 users, the sound we love is the sound of the machine aliasing. We would sample stuff in at 45 so we could sample more and then once it’s in the machine we slow it down to its original pitch. This is when the aliasing takes effect and we have that classic SP grain.

[@Vendoman500]

Absolutely phenomenal video

[@DynastyUK]

OH Another tip! You could have made an Impulse Response of the white noise and put it in the RV7000 to get the EXACT eq curve :)

[@audiomon]

First of all I would like to say thank you for the great video and combinator preset (the artwork is also tawesome). It sounds almost the same frequency-wise but it is just part of the magic of the SP. The other important aspect is the lofi crunch that the machine adds when repitching the samples. The part that makes it so difficult to emulate is that the crunch is variable - it changes with the repitch percentage. Also It is worth mentioning the not so perfect internal clock of the machines that adds to the vibe of their swing. The only comparison that gave a hint of the difference in the crunch is the one with the bass sample. On a pair of good headphones it is easy to be heard and it is even without repitching. Nevertheless the combinator is top-notch! Thank you :)

[@frankensteinhiphop]

any chance of getting this as a plugin to use for other DAWs. I'm on Logic would love to use this.

[@slackdave]

This was really fun!

[@anzatzi]

Great lesson!

[@Morrison.mp3]

Really well done!!!!

[@sflo3398]

Super clever and a great result:)

[@John-lv6uj]

Raleigh Simmons. You are a great engineer and I have learned soooo much from you quickly. Thank you.

[@DjSabzi]

This is great, you really nailed the sp12 sound for a 1 to 1 comparison it sounds alike. Would you make a sample using the technique that we used on the sp1200 and sp12 to get that 90s lofi hiphop sound? Sample sound in at a fast rate then tune it down in the machine back to its original sound at normal playback. That is when the actual lofi magic (lol) happens with these samplers. Anti aliasing, ring, lofi sound etcetera. Great video! 👏👏

[@lambda-fluxenterprises897]

Insanely Awesome! Will use in my Conga grooves!

[@jadedsoul1]

Its a VERY very close combination. I just hear a little more hiss living in the whole spectrum. i could not hear it with the first drums only when you went to the bass and synth tones. its a great thing. how about adding a small window giving us an ableton like 8 but just give us say 5 bands to use or 3.. so we can add just a little meat in those kicks or snap on those snares... love the gui btw. is there any tutorials on making combinator gui's u know of.. as you seem to have it perfect.. thanks for sharing to the world. and love the channel. now you need to do a mpc ver :)

[@eyecandy-gaming]

can you show how to add the combinator to the rack? it gives me an error saying bad patch format. I am using reason 11.

[@jordimoraguesmassanet1179]

The bass sample showed the most noticeable difference between SP-12 and emulation. The SP-12 had top end noise and aliasing artefacts that the emulation didn't. Nevertheless, the method is excellent.

[@THE_YVRISTIS]

Ryan is a great guy and that's a good idea, for me basically, being a hip hop producer I like that I now have the Re-12 flavor in my beats

[@sidekickbeats_the_official]

Dope !! Thank you !!

[@craste2000]

Great video!

[@karimsousse5500]

Excellent ... Super Sound ... thanks Ryan !!!

[@absolutcomposer820]

Hi... I am using reason 10.. I was wondering if i could get the GP 12 white noise to emulate the sound ?

[@producedbynoone4958]

How to I use this as an insert effect so that I can apply to any track in the mixer. I flipped some things around and plugged some things around and no results. Help please.

[@808_rafa]

This is amazing!

[@NYCBoomBap4Life]

@Reason Studios Hey would it be possible to get the samples you recorded from your SP 12 to copy the sound? I use FL Studio and I want to emulate the sound but I don't own a SP 12 or know anyone who has one.

[@FreonTheFrozen]

I still hear a tiny more pump on the low end and a little bit of mid-highs, but it's crazy close. Great video Ryan 👍

[@Tinyten]

I see what you did there with the colors of the two channels. ♥️

[@ianlefeuvre5041]

Hi awesome video and sounds convincing too! I just can't seem to open it in Reason - keeps saying selected file is wrong format or corrupt. Running Reason 11. Any ideas? thx

[@Eclectic_MusicProductions]

Thanks so much, I can't wait to play with it

[@tonescapes9673]

Just to say thanks for all your tutorials.they have help with the giant leap I've made going from reason 4 to reason 12!originally I made tunage on an amiga 1200 comp using octamed!a whole 1.44mb floppy disks!had rebirth rb-338,although the disk broke-gutted!love to get it for doing quick sample bits.anyway,cheers squire Tonescapes

[@ChewoBeats]

THIS IS SO GREAT!

[@KennyLauderdale]

How do I configure my Reason rack to record my pc audio?

[@truechristianity74]

So people you see what he just did right you can make your own effects unit with the combinator

[@tonoormusic]

That White Noise gag is gold 😆

[@PhatMc]

Is there any way to make this compatable with mpc software ?

[@earDrops72]

Thanks, I think I will be downloading that free RE-12 today

[@gomezs1982]

Can anyone please explain how to route this so I can use it on my FX routing on the mixer? In other words, I want to be able to apply it to various channels. Is it possible?

[@drjohnwillis]

Hey, ingenious break down and clever approach. I loved every minute. If it be possible, will you please make available both the original white noise and the SP 12 processed white noise so we can dail in the eq curve with third party eqs. Thank you so much for this video.

[@AMtrakz_music]

Great video! The technique will help me during EQing.

[@Natzure]

Good job!

[@maxdonosos]

Super educational!

[@michaelgreene9837]

This is dope !

[@princeamu]

Wow! Ive watched this video three times. Shit's like magic. So genius

[@jasoncole8937]

Ableton user, will probably never switch. How comes this is still one of the most valuable content for music production on yt?😂 Love your chanel, great stuff!

[@alonsocortes1676]

I've been looking for a tool that can give this crispy-awesome sp-1200 sound, Men you crush it, thanks!!!

[@Elliott.Revell]

One of the best results I've seen. Sadly nothing can replicate if you hear it in person

[@foljs5858]

Did you try A/B blind test? The rest is probably just the person listening prejudicing himself because they see a hardware unit playing (the "nostalgia"/"hardware" factor)...

[@corbindallas831]

this is awesome thanks!

[@digitaldamagemedia]

im getting a "Bad patch format" error i don't know what I'm doing wrong...anyone else having this issue...any help would be appreciated! thanks!

[@ReasonStudios]

The #1 reason you'd see that is if you're running a version of Reason earlier than v12. The custom Combinator in Reason 12 makes .cmb patches not backwards compatible to Reason 11 or earlier. /ryan

[@digitaldamagemedia]

Ok 🤣…you guys are forcing me to upgrade…I’m using reason 11. Thanks Ryan!

[@vladimirbaudetski111]

man, i almost died from laughing at that white noise joke.

[@1STSUN5THCHILD]

Thanks I'm about to download now. My question is this, do I need to use a different combinator for each sound I'm using(drums, bass, keys, ect) ?

[@ReasonStudios]

I probably would but I suppose you could put it across all the sounds. The difference would be sorta like sampling one sound on the SP-12 vs. sampling a whole record on the SP-12. Try it and see which sound you like best! :) /ryan

[@knockemdead34]

Very enjoyable video! And doable

[@KennyLauderdale]

What’s the best sampler for chopping samples

[@croggen]

Spot on! I love these videos, Ryan. Reason is the obvious choice.

[@karinho_]

sounds great!! is it posibble to get a version for ableton or is it strickly for reason user... peace!

[@Dubstar86]

I love the “owe, god damnit!” as he’s digging the sp12 out of the closet. Not the point of the video but I feel like we all say that exact phrase as we are digging through a closet. 🤣