Any Roland SP-404 fans here?

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:34 pm

Just wondering.

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:47 pm

On a scale of 1 to 10, how bored are you? Don't you have anything else to do?

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:30 pm

Stab Frenzy wrote:On a scale of 1 to 10, how bored are you? Don't you have anything else to do?

I'm at work...

I guess I could ask the same question to you as well huh?

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:48 pm

Doesn't count when you're drunk eh? Also I ain't starting lame topics.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 4:39 pm

Stab Frenzy wrote:Doesn't count when you're drunk eh? Also I ain't starting lame topics.

Sorry occifer...I won't do it again. It's only lame if you don't like the machine. Hopefully someone does and I can learn some tricks. Oh yeah, bite it.

ascdi · Post by **ascdi** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:55 pm

i was always curious about this:

- it looked like you can't necessarily set the tempo to any integer value from whatever to whatever. like higher up the resolution wasn't so good and it would jump 2 or 3 bpm at a time. 'sat true?

- i read that the sequencer clock wasn't locked to the sampler clock ... meaning that if you trigger a long sample that you KNOW for a fact is 2 bars long at a certain tempo (ie. the exact right number of samples long) and had the 404 at the same tempo numerically, it still might not look perfectly. is THAT true? other than that i've been thinking i want one of these.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 6:24 pm

ascdi wrote:i was always curious about this:

- it looked like you can't necessarily set the tempo to any integer value from whatever to whatever. like higher up the resolution wasn't so good and it would jump 2 or 3 bpm at a time. 'sat true?

- i read that the sequencer clock wasn't locked to the sampler clock ... meaning that if you trigger a long sample that you KNOW for a fact is 2 bars long at a certain tempo (ie. the exact right number of samples long) and had the 404 at the same tempo numerically, it still might not look perfectly. is THAT true? other than that i've been thinking i want one of these.

It's been fine in both regards in my experience. My beats generally fall between 79-119 bpms though. Also, I use alot of loops on it and they lock to the sequencer fine. I have no idea why someone would tell you that....it would make it pretty useless...unless they are complaining the BPM are only in full points... 78, 79, 80... and you cannot dial inbetween say, 88.5bpms...which is true. It's possible that higher BPMs aren't as accurate, but I don't make fast music. I've synced it to my Korg EA-1 and use its clock and everything within the SP-404 stays in sync that way as well.

Post by **gmeredith** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:10 am

I'm very interested in a SP404 as a portable replacement for my MS-1. They seem to hold their value on ebay surprisingly well, though, prices 2nd hand without a warranty are not a great deal less than brand new.

Is it possible to take a single sample and assign it to a keyboard range set of notes eg. from C3 to C4, so as to use it as a bass or synth module etc. without having to sample each note? Asking a lot, but just in case it does

Cheers, Graham

BadTeeth · Post by **BadTeeth** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:15 pm

I MIDI trigger an Sp-404 live using a roland trigger to midi converter TMC-6 (offa three triggers on accoustic drums). Don't really know any tricks.. but i think it is a perfect little machine for this purpose anyway. Don't really use the onboard effects.. just edit my sample wavs on a computer then load them through compact flash.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:02 pm

gmeredith wrote:I'm very interested in a SP404 as a portable replacement for my MS-1. They seem to hold their value on ebay surprisingly well, though, prices 2nd hand without a warranty are not a great deal less than brand new.

Is it possible to take a single sample and assign it to a keyboard range set of notes eg. from C3 to C4, so as to use it as a bass or synth module etc. without having to sample each note? Asking a lot, but just in case it does

Cheers, Graham

Hmmm...I do not use mine for those purposes, but I do not think it'll play a sample chromatically across a keyboard. I'd have to look at the manual. I use mine like an MPC...basically a sampling drum machine for hip-hop influenced stuff. I got two from Nova Musik for $329 each.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:08 pm

I have to add that the effects in this thing are actually useful... the reverb is nice in a "huge" type of way. The compressor is useful in a lo-fi, crunchy sort of way. This machine kills Boss DR and Alesis SR c**p machines. It's even useful if you already have an MPC since the MPCs effects are lame.

modulator_esp · Post by **modulator_esp** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 2:12 am

gmeredith wrote:I'm very interested in a SP404 as a portable replacement for my MS-1. They seem to hold their value on ebay surprisingly well, though, prices 2nd hand without a warranty are not a great deal less than brand new.

Is it possible to take a single sample and assign it to a keyboard range set of notes eg. from C3 to C4, so as to use it as a bass or synth module etc. without having to sample each note? Asking a lot, but just in case it does

Cheers, Graham

No, unfortunately not

modulator_esp · Post by **modulator_esp** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 2:15 am

I really like my SP-404, I use it for sampled synth fx, drones and sequences, mostly triggered by hand. must look into sequencing it from my XL-7 at some point

HrBak · Post by **HrBak** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:04 am

JSRockit wrote:
Stab Frenzy wrote:Doesn't count when you're drunk eh? Also I ain't starting lame topics.
Sorry occifer...I won't do it again. It's only lame if you don't like the machine. Hopefully someone does and I can learn some tricks. Oh yeah, bite it.

if it's a lame topic then why bother reading it...???

I think it's a good thread. I have been looking at the mpc 500 or the sp-404
because I do a lot of traveling when I have to go to work. I would like to spend the time making some beats.

These kind of threads is a good way to get some knowledge about a machine and how people use them.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 1:20 am

HrBak... the SP-404 is very limited, but easy to use. I think it is a better scratchpad then the MPC500...the MPC500 requires too much menu diving IMHO... I've owned both.