I just want to say this here.
I really feel that the SP404mk2 is going to turn into one of those transformative samplers which will help usher in a new movement in mobile music making. It’s going to be an instrument that Legends will talk about in the near future much in the same manner as past Legends talked about the MPC.
This SP model has so much ‘right’ going for it and i really feel that Roland gets this.
™:two_hearts:
actually it’s already that legendary
Yeah, I’m not thinking of “instrument” or “programming” as insults or compliments, although I know they are thrown around that way at times. Coming from the MPC1000 to the Digitakt, I was just initially thrown a loop by the programming nature of the Digitakt, but eventually grew to like the Digitakt a lot. It was just a totally different way of working than I was used to, and the SP is definitely it’s own thing as well, especially with the destructive nature of the resampling method.
The SP feels like the sampler equivalent of a Choose Your Own Adventure book. You are constantly presented with choices that, while you can undo them early on, are eventually set in stone the longer you go on, and you face the danger of painting yourself in a corner, which can be nerve-racking if you are working on an important project. A lot of what I’ve made on the SP is stuff that I couldn’t remake even if I even wanted to, which is one of its most unique features in my mind.
Also, the way I work is to perform and record my final track after I have the various elements done, so that’s also a one-off performance element to the SP. On the Digitakt I would often have the effects p-locked and set in stone, like I would with a DAW. This means I could pull up my old Digitakt projects and they would be basically as I recorded them. Not the case on my SP.
I’m still not sure how the step sequencer/ pattern mode combo will change my approach to working with the SP, but it doesn’t feel like it will change the SP workflow into something that resembles any of the other machines I’ve worked with. I think it will still be its own thing.
Yeah for sure. I’m just saying that the narrative is evolving and expanding while retaining the same flavor as its past.
The SP 404mk2 is a symbol of true pedigree…it is carrying the Torch with integrity and purpose.
I’m living with the MPC, M+, SP, Polyend Tracker, OT and i just find so much joy playing the SP like never before. It just fits and ‘flow’ manifests within seconds.
Anyhoo. Just loving this instrument to pieces.
Maybe it’s the bourbon talking on this 4th of July…but the SP has shown me liberation in my Sampling workflow 
it hasn’t reached sp-303 mythology yet but i agree it’s on it’s way…
I’ve always used my mpcs like an SP though so they really seam in alot of ways seamless to me, any sampler with a resampler feature is game for that workflow , one of the reason I’ll never understand why they didn’t put that capability in the polyend tracker, but i digress
I love the commitment that you get with the resampling workflow
303 mystique stemmed from amazing records from dilla, madlib and many others.
The modern changes allow for more polished music to be made, not sure if anything on a 404 mk2 will ever be as good as Donuts or The Unseen, though.
Hopefully though…
Never say never😉
I feel like an idiot. I’m still not clicking with this.
I want to, tho 
so I’m still keeping it
Not really hard to make it sound good but it’s a sampler so shit in = shit out.
For me it feels more like an instrument (compared to the Mpc) as it kinda leads me down different ways of making things, committing to sounds without tweaking for ever, resampling and moving on. And sometimes the idea is gone, the sample you started from has been deleted and you just have to move on.
Oddly enough, I could do the same with the Mpc Live, sample/chop/add effects or edit/ flatten pad, but that workflow never crosses my mind on the Mpc, I’m set to work in different ways…
Edit: This is a user issue, not the tool.
For me, the 404 feels more like an instrument as well (and 303, 202, and other SP ghosts that I have owned). There is something about it that just feels like I am focused on certain aspects more than some other samplers. The UI and workflow probably has a lot to do with it. On the other hand, playing the MPC Live felt to me like ordering from Grubhub on an Android tablet. The great part is that we all have so many options, and one is not better than the other, it is just up to you to find what works best for you. There really is something out there for everyone, and it is up to you to make what you want to make.
do try not to mystify the box too much. when you see everyone talk about how amazing it is and 404 magic it’s easy to set expectations high. For some people some things just click and for those people it is magic. Rather than looking for the same thing you should go at it with zero expectations, but be willing to work the 404 way. If you go at it expecting too much from it or trying to force it to be another sampler then you’ll miss out on the best part
for me the mpc workflow is perfect because you can go at it in so many different ways like what I do first is treat it like an porta studio, record straight tracks drums bass guitar keys synths whatever, and then just go to town resampling like I’m sampling records, and then continue to resample until I’m dizzy, employ the looper ando the same thing , loop into oblivion and resample rinse repeat … every other beatmachine only lets you do one workflow
The instrument angle is hard to pin down, but I think it’s valid. The key for me is the immediacy of the SP, and the way it invites you to play with it (in both senses of the word). You turn it on and your ten banks are all there straight away. Dedicated access to effects and effect banks, the ext source button - the device does its best to stay out of your way.
On paper the MPC effortlessly bats it aside - a single pad has more FX power & potential than the SP in total - but those FX and bus buttons are there for a good reason. You can set up the q-links and XY screen on the MPC to fill that gap, but as with a lot of features on the MPC, you have to set it up.
I still think the MPC is a fantastic device, and the One is the bargain of the decade and a killer first / only device, but it does sometimes feel as though Akai have decided a sampler on its own isn’t enough, which is the opposite of the SP’s message - sample and be proud.
And that’s just comparing the SP and MPC - a more interesting comaprison might be the SP and the MC-707, where sampling almost seems designed to be a hassle.
At any rate, with the recent updates on both the SP and MPC, it’s arguably a golden age of sampling whichever route you take, and it’s weird to think that not too long ago, hardware sampling seemed dead in the water.
Indeed. More samplers for the people!
One thing I’m a bit confused about the TR rec bit. Say you record a sequence using the TR-rec mode. Switch off, do something else, then listen again and would like to get back in TR mode to do adjustments… how do you do that?
Looked in the manual and couldn’t find anything and the demos I found do show how it works but now how to get back in TR rec mode and do adjustments.
Or am I just missing something very obvious?
Mind you it was quite late last night when I started experimenting so that could also be why.
Cheers!
You can get back to TR-REC any time after a pattern is created, but it is a bit unintuitive.
Hit Pattern Select, and then Rec. You’ll be asked to select a pad to record to, and at this point usually you’d select a lit-up pad (indicating an empty pattern slot). But you can also select an unlit pad with an existing pattern. Once the pad / pattern is selected, make sure you’re in TR-REC mode (by hitting Remain if necessary, the screen will show the mode in the lower left) and then hit Rec to start the pattern playing. Then it’s just a case of selecting a sample using Sub and the appropriate pad, and editing the pattern as usual.
The editing is kind of half-assed - you can hold down an existing event and alter the velocity / pitch value, but I find it inconsistent and you don’t see the value of the selected event when you hold it down. So it’s a kind of rudimentary p-lock approach, which is preferable to having to delete and re-enter notes, though you still have to do this to alter the retrig settings. I guess maybe it’s all tied up with the motion recording, but it’d be nice to see the options expanded a little in future updates.
Amazing! Thanks for this! Will try that out tonight
I did notice the editing while in tr-rec mode to be a bit strange as it doesn’t show the actual value. Could it be because of the knob setting showing you where the knob is placed?
Thanks again!
Yeah, that’s probably a good reason for it, in case you’re adding new hits. I guess it could change when you hold a pad and then snap back to the previous value after, but it would then be out of sync with the knob itself. Once again we’re spoiled by the Elektron model. Endless encoders with a few LEDs around the edge would help a lot with the FX system too, but I think with the SP there are some advantages to having regular pots with start and end positions. All part of the charm, which should really be the SP motto.
If you play a pattern and press shift +rec it should jump straight into the tr rec mode