Technics SL-1200

The Technics SL-1200 is a series of direct-drive turntables introduced in October 1972 by Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic Corporation) under the brand name Technics. They are widely recognized as being major influences on the emergence of hip hop, turntablism, and electronic music culture in the 1980s.

Originally released as high fidelity consumer record players, the turntables were quickly adopted by radio and disco club disc jockeys. The track cueing and pitch control functions were specifically utilized by DJs mixing two or more records, with the latter allowing the user to change the turning speed and tempo of the record gradually, from -8% to +8%.

As the use of slipmats for cueing and beat-mixing became popular in live DJ performances, the quartz-controlled motor system enabled records to be mixed with consistency. Its 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. With more than 3 million units sold, many 1970s units are still in heavy use.

At the London Science Museum, an SL-1210MK2 is on display as one of the pieces of technology that were responsible for "making the Modern World".