Really smooth tovia, and the bass line purrs.
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this is sick! and the visuals are really fun, good vibes all around. the vocals are sounding super crisp too, did you record them on the 404?
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Thanks! I didnāt record anything into the box this time. Just dragged some samples off of Splice that I liked, and messed with them on the SP. For the vocals specifically, I really liked using the varispeed effect to create variations that I then doubled over the original sample
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Hi guys,
Anyone ever tried to midi out the EP-133 to the SP-404 mk2 to use the EP sequencer to control SP pads?
I looked for tutorials but couldnāt find any. Seems like the complicated part comes from the SP side.
Anyone could help?
Thanks in advance
I did a quick test, it looks like you need to use the following 404 mk2 MIDI settings:
MIDI Sync: MIDI
MIDI Mode: B
Pad MIDI Channels: 1/2 (assuming you set up the EP-133 pads to send on midi channel 1)
Note C0 on the EP-133 will trigger pad A13 on the SP, Db0 will be A14 and so on up through the pads and banks
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Thanks so much for taking the time, Iāll give it a try 
Just put out a new EP under the name of Brane_, link in the āOur Musicā section.
My new 404 MK2 is all over it in some way or another. Was an excellent pickup.
I think itās unlikely Iāll adopt the traditional 404 workflow for making beats, but as a device for processing audio and passing things back and forth, itās priceless.
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Hey SP-Headz,
i want to update to the latest firmware. Iām still on 2.01 or 2.08.
But i have 8 tracks on it (8 different projects), which i play live from time to time and i am frightened to screw them up, when i update.
Anybody experienced anything like this?
From V2 to V4 is a big stepā¦
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Alright fellas hereās how Iāve been using the SP looper in tandem with the digitakt 2.
GENERAL SETUP
- mixer goes in to 404, 404 out to DT
- 4 switch midi foot pedal triggers midi + looper start/stop, overdub and undo.
- DT sequences volca beats and 2 velocity sensitive modular voices
LOOP THEORY
- before anything, I set up a DT midi track to trigger 4 of the SP pads Iāll be recording to on the 1 of the sequence.
- with SP input volume down, record a blank 1/2/4 bars into the looper
- turn vol up then begin jamming out on instruments, punch in to record a layer, punch out.
- once loop captured, bounce to pad and āundoā on SP looper. Now the DT triggers the pad and the looper is empty again.
- repeat until 4 parts captured
- move to next 4 pads triggered by another single DT track and capture a new riff
My goal is for an hands free uninterrupted jam sesh where I can play around layering loops but still have them as individual perfect loop stems with Fx printed on the 404 at the end. I can easily find a chord progression on guitar, layer a complementary bit, tweak fx, change instruments, and record another. Or record a modular sequence with lots of trig conditions multiple times with different Plaits models or filter/delay/distortion settings.
The reason for the blank base loop is that if I punch in to get a loop itās guaranteed the start points will align when I bounce to pad, vs recording a new loop if the part I come in at isnāt on the one, my sync goes out the window.
One advantage is that I can bpm sync each new loop on the 404 and record loops at different bpms if I wanted. And all loops have the exact real life tempo attached no manual set bpm per sample which is a vibe killer.
Iāve been using this as part of a multi stage session where I have this fun flowy loop capture mode where I just jam out, then I mix and sample the sp loops into digitakt in groups with proper names and the like. The last stage is a custom timestretched remix of the loops on digitakt where (hopefully) all that material evolves into a totally new thing. So far itās working great but I do have some reservations:
- itās a bit complex and if I just had record triggers on DT or a sequencer that wasnāt absolute dogwater on the SP itās not needed
- Am I just missing something with how the looper works to be able to capture individual stems this way? I swear it always includes the entire record buffer base loop and all layers even tho itās set to EXT in etc
- Itās not fully seamless cus to set bpm sync and time stretch mode I have to do that per sample on the SP -_-
Thoughts? Anyone doing similar stuff? I know itās a lot of words but it feels like Iām on the cusp of a great workflow but canāt help the nagging feeling Iām missing some key technique on the 404. Any input appreciated.
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I upgraded a two or three versions at once at one point and didnāt have any problems, but not as many versions as you. Also, I donāt recall hearing anyone ever saying they had problems from this kind of big upgrade. Iād hate to steer you wrong, but I think you will likely be fine.
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Tried to make something a bit different. Everything was mixed and arranged entirely on the SP
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So after I wrote all that out I was like hmm why not just use the 404 TR rec sequencer and save myself some digitakt tracks and setup hassle and boy was I forgetting how much the SP sequencer sucksā¦ not to just gripe but dude the interface is so obtuse. After recording a pattern and going to edit the pattern to add trigs you have to click shift record which isnāt even blinking, not the PATTERN EDIT BUTTON. Not to mention that the process of using the looper and the sequencer is at the very least annoying. I just want to bounce a looper track to a pad, set it to trig on the one, clear the looper, then repeat for another pad. Technically possible but so irritating Iāll be forgetting the SP sequencer exists again unless anyone has suggestions. lol rant over
I think to summarize the thing that frustrates me the most about the SP is that it has so many different modes but they all operating seemingly independently or one has reduced functionality while using the other. And the interface changes almost completely for each separate mode with many hidden button click combos for essential functions.
Ultimately this is nothing new I just use it for its strengths which are many but man I wish I could change some stuff on this heap o shit lol
this is sick, love hearing some funky tunes like this coming out of a 404.
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I have a question for the DJs here: do you think it could be possible to pull off a convincing dj set using 2 SP-404 mk2?
I donāt know much about djing, just curious if the 404 could replace a cdj/turntable
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Iām in a downsizing process after replacement of my DN OG by a brand new DNII.
My first Idea was to sell my MPC One (without any regret) to fund a 2nd hand DT OG. I also have also the option to sell both MPC One and SP404 MKII to fund a DTII.
But I donāt know, itās strange. Even if my SP is taking dust on a shelf I have difficulties to accept the idea of letting the SP go. There is something magic in the SP, something organic. Itās hard to explain and clearly not rational. Not sure to find the same emotions with a DTII.
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Yes, but also no. I can definitely play on it and I like the style it pushes me towards, more in the line of hip-hop cut-ups and on the fly re-edits than the vinyl blends I usually do. Also it sounds incredible with a bit of light bass boost plus bus processing from vinyl sim, I was playing a bit at a friendās house last weekend and they were shocked by how good the quality was.
But, itās also a bit fiddly. I havenāt tried running a midi controller in as yet which would help, but even with that standard stuff like using an isolator on one track for mixing/blending requires selecting a specific bus for the channel. And without an external controller you canāt then control both the volume/cross fader and isolator at the same time.
I could get over the fiddlyness and tbh Iām enjoying adjusting my style to make it work, but my biggest problem is that it doesnāt seem to save cue points etc when you save the audio file to the SD card - I got really into it and filled up a project with full tracks and set up a few of them with markers, then saved to the card so I could clear space to work on music, then when I recalled all the markers and BPM data was gone - I think the latter might have been a bug, but in general it seriously limits the potential to use it āseriouslyā as a DJ tool.
You could definitely put together a convincing set with a bit of prep, but if you want to save and recall it for another time youāre back to square one, also loading from SD is too slow and unreliable, probably Iād prefer to have more flexibility than just filling up a project and picking from that. Plus navigation of the tracks isnāt great, I havenāt been able to figure out a way of colour coding, etc. If I was going to get more into it Iād probably come up with a system of filing particular types/bpm/etc per bank, but like I say Iām probably not gonna bother because I canāt save/recall effectively if I do go to all that effort.
But still great fun and like I say sounds amazing.
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My SP occasionally doesnāt get used for a while, but sometimes, I need a recorder, looper, or effect box. I think it is a good box to have around since it can do a lot of different things. Lately been using it to chop up samples before going into the DT since there are no good way ( for me ) of chopping in that thing.
Just to collect samples, melodies from synths etc, and using it as a recorder is excellent I think. No naming samples or anything which makes it very fast.
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I opted to pick up a 404 MK2 to use alongside my DT1 rather than sell the DT and get a DT2. To me the 404 is a better sampler when it comes to long samples and stereo files in many ways compared to the DT2, and the DT2 doesnāt offer enough for my core drum machine and sequencing duties over a DT1 to make the upgrade worth while. When any weakness of either machine is showing, I can just sample back and forth to cover any needs.
Obviously this will be different for different people, and what they need out of their setup, but that was what I concluded.
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The same for me. When I load daw stems unto the SP I get a better view if they work. And even with simple kick, snare, hats that I add in the SP there seems to be more life to it, that stays intact after exporting or recording back into the daw.
And itās not that I find everything about the SPās sound better. It just is a missing link in setting up the base of a track for me. Maybe the way it mixes the sound works for me. Organic: yes.
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Yes a kind of analogic warm.