Remember What DJ's Used Before The 1200s ......
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Artist:
In an announcement on Nov 27th Panasonic said they were going to stop production on their beloved Technics 1200 series turntables. A solid piece of machinery, the 1200 series has been the de facto choice of DJ's and turntablists since it appeared on the market in 1972 (many from that era are still operational). Unfortunately, owing to low sales in the analog turntable market, Panasonic decided to quit production in February of 2010. A fact the DMC New Zealand is having trouble admitting as a final verdict. They feel the jury is out.
Originally marketed for consumer use, the SL-1200 quickly gained popularity in 1978 (release of the SL-1200MKII) amongst those spinning records at broadcast stations and famous discos like Studio 54 and Paradise Garage.
The DJ's I've talked to including myself felt the move was sad but inevitable. We all had our moments of nostalgia.
"The Tech 12 always pushed the limits of manually exemplifying the work of the artist. If you could mix on a Tech 12, you could mix on anything. To hear the discontinuation of the tech 12 will always take me back to my days of back breaking gigs knowing the party was about to begin. This will surely speed up the process of obtaining a deck and flush mounting it into a coffee table with an overlay of Plexiglas. In today's world of digital simulation, you simply cannot beat the feeling of beat matching vinyl on an analog, torque driven platter. Please excuse me as I need to hook up an RCA Victrola to Serato." DJ Drew aka APM (Philadelphia)
"Having Technics 1200's felt like having the power of music in your hand, from pulling of a simple yet effective mix to breaking down beats to their very components, it was all possible. A tactile, even sensual experience. Even the spacing of the grooves began to provide visual clues to the music pressed upon the vinyl.
I got my first taste of digital mixing in 2002 with Final Scratch made by Native Instruments and Stanton (now solely produced by Stanton, NI developed Traktor Scratch.) It is noteworthy that this product predated the now much more popular Serato by Rane. Being able to control a library of digital music via turntables definitely opened up a vast world of music at your fingertips, but at the time that is where is ended more or less. It felt like the perfect marriage of technology and tradition, all the music in your laptop accessible through turntables. I continue to use Final Scratch to this day, although I will note that the computer for me is merely a tool for music storage, not as some soft of mixing aid (outside of the key correct function...genius!!!!)" JC5 aka John C. (Allentown)
"The sound of vinyl is insurmountable compared to any MP3 digital representation. But with any situation where in which technology holds no boundaries, the death of the turntable and its records have slowly come to fruition even to such a staple as the Technics MK-1200. I have seen the 1200 take hold of countless studio sessions for every recording imaginable, to being the foundation to any club DJ's set. The versatility of such new products such as Serato's Scratch have put the quality of sound in the 1200 to the background, and the accessibility of the "new guy" to the forefront. A shame indeed, but no matter the situation, my Technic will always be ready to go in any studio session." Padlock aka Padraic Kerin
(Los Angles)
The SL-1200 MKII has everything going for it in terms of features:
Variable pitch control - Essential for beatmatching. +/- 8 degrees handled the BPM with ease.
Toughness - Ability to take a 2 story dive and still be ready for work. Cashing in at 25 pounds they could double as anchors. Solid reliability.
Torque like a tractor - It took the SL-1200 less than a second to get up to 33 rpm, 0.7 seconds to be exact. In the grand scheme of things that is as close to instantaneous as you can get.
The Tonearm - cruved into an S shape it allowed for better tracking than the straight tonearms. Perfect for scratching because you don't pick up the flutter of heavy scratching. The coolest thing about the SL-1200 is it's direct drive platter. Direct drive gave the player the torque at start up and the ability to stop on a dime. I'm not lying when I say, "Nothing cues like a 1200." It feels like total control.
The rules for the 1st DMC DJ Championships stipulated that each contestant will be provided 2 SL-1200 MKIIs for the competition. That rule held until 2006 when the DMC allowed CD mixers into the contest. There was vigorous debate in the DMC forums for days after they asked the membership the question of allowing CD rigs to be used.
Check out DJ Kentaro a 2009 DMC World Champ. I'm telling you, it's all about the feel. At about 1:46 you can tell he trusts (aka loves) these players.
Grand Master Flash. Flexing his mixing muscles.
DJ Qbert. Always a favorite. Qbert has panache, hutzpah, and a great ability to pull things off when he needs to.
DJ Tutor. Found this cat lurking in the stack of videos.
Sure it's a bummer to get the news. Nothing in this world stays the same. Faster, better, and stronger.
My feelings are this. Having the production of the SL -1200 halted makes me feel like a bigger dinosaur than I was 6 days ago. What can I say? It was the player that delivered what I needed.
Towa Tei - Congratulations!
Locating MOG account...
Comments (10)
That Kentaro clip was the shit! thanks for that.
sweet-ass post Barney! It's epitaphs like this that bring back the dead...
I got my first pair around 1985..it was really a big moment in my life. But more than the aspirations acheived...1200's work!
When every other piece of equipment breaks down the 1200 does not.
The functionality (except for the cueing light which is kind of a mole that gives character to a face) is so good it tops turntables that cost a lot more than it does..
I am scared to see how much they will be selling on ebay for when stores run out.
With all the computer innovations in the music world in the last 30 years it's weird to think that an turntable might have influenced music more than all the circuits.
Nick, Kentaro ropes a dope. Freakin skill x 2.
Scotty, Many thanks for the props. Lets hope that's the case.
Cody, my first exposure was at WMUH. We had 1200's in the production studios and both live sound booths. It's not weird at all. The 1200 shaped much of what we listen to today. Is there a stronger word than influenced.
Nice post Chris..it really is pretty sad..I thought vinyl was making a comeback?
Thanks mang.
That's what they all say. Even CD's are getting hammered by the digital juggernaut.
Makes you wonder what the next step will be. Digital 'wetware' implants in the braincase?
Did we have this conversation before?
This is still just hearsay and enormous ripples of hype - to date there has been no official word from Sony Japan on this. While I don't believe the rumors are true - at least for everyone not in New Zealand/Australia - even if the line does get discontinued, the brand will most definitely be picked up and continued by another company.
When one considers the fact that MKIIs only recently shot up to $600, this "announcement" beings to make less and less sense.
My first turntable was a black SL 1200 I bought new in 1978. It was a lesser model for it didn't have a pitch slider but thumb knobs. It now sits in the basement at my fathers place in the original packing and plastic wrap sitting in the original box it came in and in pristine condition never seeing the light of day in under 30 years. When my album collection grew and became more refined, and pricy, I knew it was time to get serious. It was replaced with the Beogram -as well as all the other stereo equipment that I had.
The Tech IS NOT DEAD! According to CNET Australia this was one big rumor. Check the link.
http://www.cnet.com.au/analog-in-decline-but-technics-not-dead-339299759.htm
LONG LIVE THE TECH!!!!
Just bought two of these babies used - I don't have the money for new ones. Sad if this story should be true.
I saw Kentaro live a few months ago together with DJ Krush and other support DJs. He's a hell of a beat juggler. Even my musically rather conservative American housemate went crazy on Kentaros set.
Following the crowd he might have even outperformed Krush. But to Krush's defense one has to say that Kentaro choose comparatively easy to like pieces for his show.