Posts Tagged ‘technics equipment’

Forty years have passed since the revolutionary Technics line was created by Panasonic. Since then, Technics has released tens of turntables and numerous accessories, all of which have combined to form the backbone of modern dance music and the foundation of hip hop.

Beginnings

It all started in 1969, when Panasonic created the Technics brand and released the very first pro turntable utilizing the direct drive technology. Back in the day, belt drive motors were all the rage – mostly because the belt drive was much more affordable to produce. The SL-1100 was the turntable that caught the public’s eye thanks to Matsushita’s marketing and it’s appeal to typical consumers. The unique functionality of the SL-1100 brought about the crazy moves DJ’s pull out on a daily basis in today’s world, such as scratching records.

As effective as this early model was, Technics’ true innovation was right around the corner.

Creativity and Functionality: The Peak

Technics’ main claim to fame revolves around the SL-1200, a turntable so amazingly popular it has ascended into turntable legend. Originating in 1972, the Tec 12 became the most popular and best selling turntable of all time, moving over three million units in over thirty years of release – that’s right, it’s still available after all this time. The SL-1200MK2 turntable became the machine by which all other systems were judged thanks in part to its innovative pitch control features.

The Tec 12 was a hard act to follow, though. Technics produced many other electric appliances, but ultimately Panasonic shelved everything else and limited Technics to turntables and accessories only. They tried their hand at new lines beyond the SL-1200MK2, but none picked up like the Tec 12.

Today

Technics hasn’t released a genuine new turntable in many years, completely satisfied to continue improving on the basic foundation of that SL-1200MK2 model. Even without much in the way of technical advancements, the new releases continue to sell and perform well for professional DJ’s around the world.

Most recently, Technics has incorporated the digital music revolution into its stellar SL-1200 series turntables. Utilizing MP3 technology, DJ’s can now store hundreds of high quality recordings on tiny SD cards. Enthusiasts aren’t thrilled with this development – Technics’ own website admits that using encoded music results in a loss of sound quality. Even so, Technics is revered the world over as the creator of the most enduring quality turntables, and likely will continue to be for many years to come.