SP-202 and 303

[crystalmsc]

The SP-202 is a worthless piece of garbage...

sounds fun

if like this, may be it's worth for less than $49, but for more I'll opt for the 303 or Yamaha SU200. I'd even take the older Roland MS-1 over that.

[roxstar]

with the 404 you have the best of both worlds (202 and the 303). Extra pads, more effects, and more storage make it a clear winner. I did lots of outside recording with it on my cd. With a 1 gig memory card, storage has never been a problem.

[divineaudio]

But if it doesn't so any sort of sequencing.. I might have to find something else or spend more money.

don't you have an sq80? use that to sequence it.

if all you want to do is play 1 or 2 loops at a time or fire off one shots, the 202 will work just fine. it is 4 voice max polyphony, from the internal memory, without certain effects. timestretch and delay both use up one voice, and you can only play one sample from the memory card banks at a time. it does have a lot of limitations, but it's great for grungifying samples. if you decide to buy one, make sure you get one with a memory card, those old 5 volt smart media cards are getting pretty hard to find.

[digitaljosh]

Anbody got an opinion on the SP-808. If you don't mind it's massive size, using zip disks, and small pads you might find one of them cheap. You might be able to win one at $150 - $200. I just recently got a Korg ESX for $359 and it was very hard to decide between it and the 404. If I do get another sampler it will be a sp-404. I love the size, the big memory cards, and all the effects. A 404 is well worth saving up for!

[ronmcdonald]

I had an sp 202, but sold it, because in the end the thing that annoyed me the most about it was that there was no way to alter the volume of individual samples. Other than that, i really quite liked it. Very light, and a felt nice. The pads on it feel much nicer than sp 303, which i also used to have. The effects are super cool on sp 202, the delay goes crazy if you twiddle the parameter knob while it's playing. Also, it has a maximum 8 voice polyphony. This is halved if you use stereo samples, and each effect takes up a voice. Also it has 4 memory banks, 2 internal, and 2 on the memory card. I really quite miss mine, except for the bloody lack of individual volume adjustment. Though, thinking about this now, it may be possible to use velocity from a sequencer to be able to have control over this. Ahh s**t, i really want one again! I had two memory cards for it as well. I guess it was more important that i could pay my rent.

I think the sp 404 looks like a big remote control for some kind of hellish widescreen LCD television. New rubbish. None of them have the character of the 202.

[JSRockit]

I think the sp 404 looks like a big remote control for some kind of hellish widescreen LCD television. New rubbish. None of them have the character of the 202.

Looks are one thing, but the 404 is the best overall version of the SP series. Tons of sampling time, more polyphony, still runs on batteries, and acts like a dumbed down MPC.

[Tyler2000]

The SP-202 is a worthless piece of garbage...

hey know thats a little harsh, have you tried it on stage? it feeds back pretty wonderful w/ internal mic when you wave it in front of a cabinet.
I do admit its not worth trying to use it as a drum machine but its great for the sound effect intro, voice sample, or sample bank of short lo-fi blasts of noise!

Are you in VCR by chance?


Tofuik, try the Yak Bak. Best portable lo-fi sampler ever. I found essentially a "deluxe" version called a Desktop Memo Recorder.

[supermel74]

I would also say save for the 404. Battery powered + Sequencer + Better Effects + Built in mic + Large memory capacity on inexpensive compact flash cards + easy sample exchange with PC + really cool looking BPM sync'd pulsating light 8) ......and they're really not that much more than a 303 if you buy used.

[Headphones.40]

There's still some love out there for the 202, because it's so easy to use, not as many features, and lo-fi. The 303 might have more effects, but it might be a less is more approach to the 202. However, the problem is the SM 5v cards are very hard to find, and jacked up if you do. If you find a 202, try to make sure you get at least a card thrown in, or you're going to have to decide if you're getting a good deal on the unit + the card you're going to need to order. If you can't justify the costs, then get a 303 instead.

What's cool about the 303, is the 505 can read it's card, and probably vice versa. But the 505 does reach the 128mb mark, and the 303 only hits up to 64mb. Their effects are practicly the same if you didn't already know.

[somebedroomdj]

I just picked up an SP-202 for $50, but only because it came with a 4mb 5volt Smartmedia card. That alone is almost worth the price.

The 202 is crippled, imo, because the only way to set your start and end points is by ear. There are certainly plenty of other reasons as well, but that, to me, is the biggest. But I have found a use for it. My MC-909 can't do much in the way of dirtying up drum samples the way I'd like but it does have two sets of extra outputs. I'm going to run one set into the 202 and one into my ST-224, sample some of my drum kits from the 909 and just devote one sequencer track to each for a couple of lo-fi sound modules.

But for an only sampler, I can't imagine anyone choosing the SP-202 in this day and age. Even the ST-224 is miles ahead of it. A novelty at best.

[Headphones.40]

Like I said, it's got a cult following, but you might be right. Sooner or later it's going to fall into the obscure toy novelty area, if the SM cards are too high, and people just decide the newer models are where it's at. To each their own, but if you pair a sp202 with a dr202, the 202 can trigget the sp's pads through midi. If I found a good deal on both, I'd think about it.

Love your idea of dirtying up the MC909, just send it to the old school samplers, and then you've got new sounds out of what the 909 is already capable of. That's just got to be wicked. Post a soundcloud if you get to that!!

[ellaguru]

My MC-909 can't do much in the way of dirtying up drum samples the way I'd like but it does have two sets of extra outputs. I'm going to run one set into the 202 and one into my ST-224, sample some of my drum kits from the 909 and just devote one sequencer track to each for a couple of lo-fi sound modules.

But for an only sampler, I can't imagine anyone choosing the SP-202 in this day and age. Even the ST-224 is miles ahead of it. A novelty at best.

i,ve had the 202 too, but i sold it because you cannot copy pads between them, except with a (very rare) smartmedia. i love it sounds. i have an su10 wihc is in the same league (same for the ms-1). i got an st224 too, very great sampler, is in the same league of the sp303 and the su200 (i got all of them), with the last one in the last position.
one way to dirt up samples on the mc909 (i got this too) is to use the lofi compressor effect (tweaking lofi grade)and fine tuning samples and then resampling the Whole, this gives you a sort of "degrading" samples...