Its very funny we are reaching 2k talking about serato lol
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This is now the Serato thread.
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Thatās interesting to know that there isnāt much of a sale culture there. Most music stores here in the US have 10-15% off regularly, and sometimes 20%, or higher if you got a guy.
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I just bought a 404 MK2. Really enjoying sampling on it. I donāt plan to really sequence with itā¦ But sampling is fun. Itās really simple. Donāt plan to use it to itās full capacity tho. Might try using its looper alongside the OT. Love that itās always sampling 40 seconds? Great as a sort of tape recorder and sample editor.
I donāt use serato. I think Iāll wait for a more interesting fw upgrade.
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SP404mk2 has core functionality which is very fast (re)sampling and shiny fx. No sequencing, no synths. These features are the very heart of SP line.
Itās still here, and it done right, as you said.
All new features are mostly hidden behind tricky hotkeys and donāt affect the classic workflow. For me itās still one trick pony, but others like these new features and use them. Itās up to you how youāre goin to use SP404.
Thatās why I can skip 5.x update. Honestly, I barely touched 4.x features and could stay with 3.x or even 2.x firmware.
About bugs, Iād say these fixes in 5.0 are very specific for some on-core workflows. If you donāt use dj mode, or never met ācertain conditionsā with the looper, it can be considered as an optional update.
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Glad I kept an open mind. Iām now a fan of this update.
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I am a little curious about testing out Serato studio with the SP. it seems like it is a pretty nice way to get samples back and forth with the computer , in a playful manner.
I guess the sequencer is better in Serato studio without even trying it 
I have a lot of samples on my computer , and been playing with the Atlas software to get samples to the SP, and that is way nicer than to go into the sd card.
Also handling of volumes seem easier for me when I record samples vs importing.
When previewing samples from the sd card, I tend to destroy my eardrums every time because there is no way adjusting the preview volume.
But I totally get that this is a disappointing upgrade, and people want to get away from the computer
Swayed by what?
This. The 404 is one of the rare bits of gear that really nails Progressive Disclosure of Complexity. Its core, simple functions are easy to use without having to understand or even know anbout its more expansive, complex features. And the slope moving from simple to complex is actually pretty gradual and smooth.
I do wish the manual were written to highlight this, though. It just kind of dumps everything on you which doesnāt do newcomers any favors.
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Idk, if you like to jam samples in playthrough mode getting skipback in DJ mode is a hell of a timesaver as against copying and manually adjusting the start point, worth the update for that alone imho. Although not having a playthrough mode was the first thing that really threw me when I got the 404, so maybe not as big a deal for everyone.
Also agree that really the learning curve isnāt that bad, you can happily use the core functionality without ever developing the case of Roland Brain necessary to get into the more niche stuff.
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Initially just going back thru Serato Studio, Sample and DJ realizing how fun and useful they are to performance and production workflows. Nothing is better at finding unique samples than sample, finding shots to match samples is a breeze in Studio, and SDJ analyzes and organizes every record I will end up sampling by key, chord, bpm. Now with a small dedicated controller itās all even better for deep diving into sample based workflows.
Now, its even easier to mix in my creations with the records everyone wants to hear. In particular, I make my wife mixes of her favorite Soul and Afro Cuban records. Now I can add all kinds groovey fx, vocal drops and personalize em for her more.
Other annoying fixes to DJ mode got patched so I can now record patterns flawlessly which sucked before. Finally, I can now control the Looper with my Launchpad/Launchkey which is HUGE. I see where theyāre going with it. Not perfect as there are limitations but clearly the looper is going to continue to get love which is huge for folks like myself who play live instruments into SP. Resampling menu has been improved as well.
I guess Iām just not as emotionally connected to whatever expectations I had. Iām fine with Roland following their vision for SP. It has gotten us 20 years of greatness with no sign of letting up. IMO, they donāt have to prove if they listen to the community. They cleared that some time ago in my book so Iām fine with being patient knowing that itāll all get sorted eventually. In this product or the next version.
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Iām glad folks are digging the update! I donāt use a computer much so not much for me on integration side. Might hold off updating due to the ads on boot up page. Thatās lame but guessing it was worked in the collab so good on them.
All that said Iām still fucking bewildered in the thoughts of dropping it yesterday! Huge opportunity on the 20 years of the 404! Iām sure it makes sense somehow, all ears on that thought process!
What was added for this functionality? Looper was already midi capable.
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This is good to read.
My (and I guess many otherās) first reaction is; I already got so much software, not a new one again. But on the other hand: Iām always curious about workflow, so I might try the Serato Studio demo one day. For now Iāll wait with updating. Not even at 4.07.
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FYI: I had to update to 4.0.7 from 4.0.5 the other day due to my 404 not exporting projects 10 & 11. I didnāt see it as a known bug fix but the update did solve the issue.
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I definitely understand folks who skip it however I will say SP has never felt quicker and snappier so the performance and bug fixes are noticeable if youāre a daily user of all of the things. Casual users could have stayed at 4 and probably not noticed any impact to whatever core things they do. Thatās the beauty of our little Swiss army box. Means the world to each user for different reasons.
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i was noticing this too. there were definitely some weird hangups introduced in 4.04-4.07 that seem to be ironed out now
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O.K. you three amigoās. I checked and am on 4.05. No issues but thanks for your input. Will update in a couple of days. The 4.00 update brought some issues and therefore I am cautious (and also lazy?) Good info. 
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Yeah, my SP feels oddly sluggish at timesā¦ Glad to read itās snappier now (shame for the advertising bootscreen, thoā¦)
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To me, the best thing about serato studio aside from the sampler is how well they laid out keyboard shortcuts to make it feel like hardware almost; 16 pads at all times (1234 for the top row, QWER for the 2nd row, etc). It works so well Iām baffled why other daws donāt have this option natively. The limited feature set compared to other daws adds to the hardware-like feel. I worry that adding a 404 in the mix would somehow dilute that achievement of making a daw feel so direct, but i get it if pads are a must for you. If youāre cool with the ko2 / keyboard feel, studio on its own is definitely worth a try.
I still have a lot of love for the 404 tho and this update doesnāt take anything away. Glad for those enjoying the new features
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happy 404 day fam!
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