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| Type | Turntable |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Matsushita Electric |
| Inception | 1972 |
| Manufacturer | Technics (a brand of Panasonic Corporation) |
| Available | 1972–2010, 2016–present |
| Website | Technics SL1200 |
The Technics SL-1200[1] is a series of direct-drive turntables manufactured from October 1972 to 2010, with production resuming in 2016, by Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic Corporation) under the brand name of Technics. The S and L stand for "stereo" and "player" respectively. Originally released as a high fidelity consumer record player, it quickly became adopted among radio and disco club disc jockeys. The direct drive, high torque motor design made it suitable for push-button cueing for selecting tracks on radio broadcasts and in dance clubs. Additionaly, the Technics SL-1200 series also had the capability for pitch control, allowing the user to change the turning speed of the record, and thereby tempo, gradually from -8% to +8%. This feature was specifically interesting for DJs who were mixing two or more records, especially in dance clubs.
When the use of slipmats for cueing and beat-mixing (and scratching) became popular in hip hop music, the quartz-controlled high torque motor system enabled records to be mixed with consistency and accuracy. A primary design goal was for high fidelity, but having good build quality, control over wow and flutter, and minimized resonance made the equipment particularly suitable for use in nightclubs and other public-address applications. Since its release in 1979, the SL-1200MK2 and its successors were the most common turntables for DJing and scratching.[citation needed]
SL-1200s are commonly used in recording studios and for non-electronic live music performances. More than 3 million units were sold. Many 1970s units are still in heavy use.[citation needed] In the autumn of 2010, Panasonic announced that the series was to be discontinued.[2][3] The Technics brand was discontinued at the same time, but relaunched in 2014, focusing on higher end and more expensive products. The company was aware that Technics was expected to eventually make turntables again,[4] so at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, Panasonic announced that they would return in two models named "Grand Class": one a limited run of 1200 units globally (1200GAE), and the other a consumer product (1200G). A lighter and less expensive 1200GR model was announced. The more affordable and DJ-oriented SL-1200 MK7 followed in 2019.[5]
At the London Science Museum, an SL-1210MK2 is on display as one of the pieces of technology that was responsible for "making the Modern World".[6]
- ^ "SL-1200 Series Brand Site - Technics". www.technics.com. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ Dead spin: Panasonic discontinues Technics analog turntables - Oct 2010
- ^ "Technics Analogue Turntables Discontinued".
- ^ Audio Test Magazin: Interview with Tetsuya Itani, CTO & Chief Engineer - June 2019
- ^ Gizmodo: Panasonic Returns the Technics 1200 Turntable to Its DJ Roots With the new MK7 - July 2019
- ^ Pair of quartz synthesiser direct-drive turntables, 1999 - 1999