Yes
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Yeah, i figured a mixer is the way to go, been eyeing the bastl bestie for a lil bit, might be time to hit buy
I’m also in the market for a mixer. Eyeing Tascam M12 for the extra recording/midi features but would prefer something smaller—if, such a comparable mixer/digital recorder exists that can also keep everything in sync like m12 can.
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Same with the SiX. Spent a ton of time figuring it all out, just to find myself on the couch resampling!
Is there some way to lazy chop as you’re recording? Like start recording on a pad then just hitting the other pads as something is playing to seperate the slices across however many pads straight away.
Don’t know if I’ve missed something like that somewhere but it would be a really good feature to have for live use.
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Yeah that’s the only way I’ve used the chop feature
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I’ve been thinking about getting a 404 as a portable jam device, but I’m concerned about the workflow. In particular, I’m wondering about the mixing stage. Maybe everyone but me has god tier mixing abilities, I’m usually tinkering with the levels right up until I record with Elektron devices. Seems like if you start resampling to audio, it’s all getting baked in, no going back.
Is the pattern based sequencing (rather than resample method) more forgiving? Is that a workflow more compatible with an Elektron-minded person? Or do you all just say, “Screw it, it’s lo-fi” and move on?
im in the screw it its lofi camp.
pretty much all i do is set an initial volume with my first loop, more or less match the volumes of other samples to that first one, and then use the EQ to take out the low end of things that seem like they will muddy up the low end. then sometimes i use the compressor to bring up the level of samples that arent around my starting level. but for the most part im just barely adjusting volumes.
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The pattern sequencer is certainly very useful (and the primary way I interact with my SP), but editing the individual steps isn’t the smoothest. You do get more control of your mix tho. I keep all of my samples as separate parts the whole time, so I can pan and change the levels whenever I want. I don’t tend to use one shots for anything but percussion since I find it easier to simply use skip back to capture an 8 bar live improvisation that I can chop or loop over my beats.
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If you worry so much about levels then the Sp is not for you, it really works better when you just let it go…
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Alternatively, if you feel you’re too reliant on seeing the numbers, then the SP is a great way to practice just using your ears!
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Yeah, I had an OP1 ages ago, and I think back on the tape workflow fondly. I’ve dug into Elektron sequencers pretty deep, so I’m looking for something a little different. A little less “mad scientist programmer” and a little more go with the flow. I’m thinking the 404 might scratch that itch.
If you could get along with the OP-1 and it’s idiosyncratic ways… the SP404 mk2 is likely going to be a much easier instrument to get along with.
To me, both function quite well as a Swiss army knife in the studio. Neither are particularly well equipped to be a master at anything, but both the OP-1 and the SP404 mk2 are able to step in and fill gaps in your studio. What I like about both devices is that they can also sit nicely in the center of a small studio, pair quite well with other portable devices (or phones/tablets), and they don’t need to be the center of attention if something cooler or more feature rich comes along. Also, they both tend to have destructive workflows, so while there are ways to “undo” it usually means making a copy before you move ahead, making them both feel like they have a forward moving workflow, where sometimes you just choose to accept a mistake because it’s not as bad as having to go back and re-record everything.
I feel that the OP-1 tends to be largely the more portable device as it is smaller. It’s just so much easier to toss in the backpack and do something, but the limited storage was always my biggest gripe. The sampling was quite nice on it, though six seconds is quite limited, and the fx were interesting but just passable for the most part. For me, I tend to like a bit more expression, and not having velocity sensitivity was something that was a bummer for me. Sure there are ways to work around it, but… yeah. Also, I do dig the microphone and radio tuner, you can just get into strange and inspiring stuff really quickly with the OP-1. Lastly, if you play piano, having a properly arranged key bed can be nice.
For me, the mk2 is a bit more immediate, and having the five FX buses will feel like you’ve got so much more you can do. The pattern sequencer is less… creative than the OP-1… but infinitely more usable to get instant results, and making changes is much easier. The mk2 also can sample up to 16 minutes of stereo audio per pad, so you can go on some crazy rides with each pad. The skip back buffer sounds like a interesting, but dumb idea, but in practice the 40 seconds of sample time can really open up new workflows, recover an otherwise lost “that was so cool, what did I do” moments, and is a breath of fresh air. Velocity sensitivity in my mind cannot be over stated… it’s a great addition to the SP line, and really helps get to work quickly.
What else? Hmm…
- There are no VU meters… I’d like to see something added to the display at some point, but I’m happy to use my ears personally so not a huge loss for me.
- The electron sequencer is pretty deep, and the sequencer on the mk2 is probably more in line of “passable”. It’s not so much that it is bad, but it is not feature rich. 10-15 years ago it would’ve been a huge upgrade, today I’d say it’s slightly above the bare minimum of what you’d expect.
- The opportunities to go mad scientist on the mk2 are there, but I’d say the device is more willing to meet you halfway. You still need to learn how to use it, but frequently there are things it just does right, and the stuff that is missing you can usually take a coffee break and figure out how to do just on the device and some elbow grease.
Anyways hope that helps… and good luck with your decision.
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Considering all the heavy lifting it’s doing, I made this MäDWāV Hulk Skin edition. Green for the Money, Gold for the Honey. I love this thing so much that it’s getting concerning.
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That’s something 
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That view!!
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cross posting this here too
just copped a roland sc-55mkII (s/o bad gear for the recommendation) and loving it already. sequenced a lil beat with the m8, all sounds are from the sound canvas ran through a compressor and cassette on the sp. looking forward to doing some fun sampling.
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I’d been on the market for a dedicated sampler for some time, and was sort of struggling between getting the Blackbox or the SP-404. I ultimately chose the SP-404, even though I’m very familiar with the 1010music-workflow and UI.
Coming from regular synths and a M8 I am kind of stunned by the sort of random UI on the SP-404 (I was flying around within 2 hours on the M8 for reference). Not much seems intuitive, and I think it’s one of the first devices I have had to pull out the manual at first encounter with the device. If I’m being honest, it kind of want me to return the device (I’ve got 30 days return) right away, but I want to give it a fair chance as I still see a lot of wonderful potential right beneath the surface.
I see that there are many tutorials on YT, but I’m looking for an overall tutorial with a structured way to teaching it (these seem almost abundant with devices such as Digitakt or Syntakt)… Can anyone point me in a good direction?
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I’m in the same situation and asked here.
Someone mentioned the shortcut guide
It seems very good but I haven‘t looked into it up until now.
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Thank you, this is exactly what I am looking for. I can see it’s @NearTao that has made it. I actually looked up his videos, but holy moly, where to start? 
There are soooo many haha. Talk about being prolific.