I’ve been waiting for an SP like this for years. But it isn’t clicking. I used to produce loads of tracks in Logic. I’ve tried loads of hardware and software. I haven’t made anything worth listening to for years. If I can’t make the music on all of the hardware I’ve tried, then I think maybe I’ve just lost the music bug. Time to call it a day. I guess can still make stuff on my iPad/Logic if I want. Might try a BlackBox as one final try. Otherwise I guess it’s just something I’ve grown out of, with kids and life taking over instead.
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finishing songs is overrated, like the world needs more songs lol
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@enryo No need to give up music. Just do what you feel. The YouTube algorithm just served this up. Good reminder to just make music, and not worry about other people.
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Would anyone object if I made an SP404 mk2 production tips/tricks/problem solving thread? This one is massive and mostly filled with people waiting for it to drop. It was suggested a while back, and might be good to have that all in one place.
No need for mods to move anything if people still post that stuff in this one unless you really want to. I definitely don’t want to create work for anyone.
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Done
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Why show a HUGE bpm number as default, can we get the actual sample filename or something.
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Thanks, I already did that but I found it hard to mix nicely the volumes between the sample playback from SP and the incoming audio from iPad. Finnicky.
My guess is that stems from the legacy use of DJs wanting to trigger something in time with a record. I suppose it also tells you if one loop is likely to match with another one. But, yeah I don’t like it. Hit remain and something else and it will stay on another screen, for instance the wave form or effects page.
(Added to the tip thread, as the quick disappearing effects page also bothered me)
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Are the pads you’re trying to play running through those effects?
Excellent point.
OK, I just got it again. It happens when using the external in with the guitar amp sim, and then switching over to add bus effects. Not sure if its only certain effects combinations or what, but just now I was using my bass with the JC amp sim and hit the Bus Effects, and tried to switch Bus Effect 1 to a delay by hitting the delay button. I was also using the remain function. I’m not sure what exact combination of button pushes causes it, but it seizes up the unit and you have to pull out the batteries. In all cases, one pad on the unit is red.
Even if you turn the power button off, the unit stays on and there is no sound.
Should we add these kind of bugs to the tip thread as well to keep them separate from this thread in case someone from Roland finds this little corner of the internet? (I went ahead and linked to this in the other thread so we can keep track)
ironically I always think of it as insider music cause it’s music mainly made for yourself
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Good point. Ultimately that probably separates what makes art great. When you are making stuff to fit other people or a mold instead of yourself, it loses something. Like losing fidelity with copies of copies.
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I’ve had the mk2 about a month and it’s worth all the hype. Just have to invest time into formulating a workflow that suits you.
I see a lot of complaints about the pattern sequencer but it can be useful. I’ve been using the resample method and once I find a groove that I like I chop it and then sequence with pattern mode.
You can get some nice variations with the patterns. It’s also easier to drop in a loop and sync it. And when that’s all said and done you can resample he entire pattern.
This machine forces you to be creative and make the most of its limitations.
I have an OT, DT and an MPC Live and if I had to keep one I would stick with the SP
Just my 2 cents …
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Your workflow sounds a lot like what I’ve been envisioning myself. A combination of resample and pattern mode. Thanks for the info!
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IIRC, one little-known hack to get perfectly synced loops on the SX and A was like this:
Say you have two samples, both are labelled as eg. 120bpm, but they obviously aren’t both exactly 120, b/c they go out of sync. Well, press TIME/BPM button (I think on the MK2 this has become PITCH/SPEED, in combination with the correct setting to only affect tempo, ie not vinyl mode) and use the appropriate knob to change the bpm value, but then change it back to 120. You have to change it back to 120 manually with the knob to the correct position, not by removing the bpm edit (which would be done by either turning the knob all the way to the left, or I think pressing TIME/BPM again so it’s unlit—either of these undoes the edit and reverts to the inexact “120bpm” again). This has the effect of editing it to exactly 120bpm. Then repeat this process for any other sample you want at that exact TIME/BPM value…
Okay, having written all that, I have no idea if you can implement this hack in the MK2 since clearly the whole data structure is different/more complex, but there it is. I might be misremembering this hack; hopefully not.
BTW I know I’ve gotten loops to be in sync enough (like, for minutes straight, certainly 10s of reps) on the SX even without this hack, just with some trial and error fine adjustment of START/END.
Edited for clarity.
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dunno if you guys had an 404og, but to me it seems like the workflow is a bit different from before. still in the same kind of mindset, but a bit more tedious.
i mean i’m still learning my new mkii. this past few vacation days had some actual time to play around.
impressions: love the new fx, and the extra controls, the envelopes, quick chopping, the memory recording thingy and ofc the pitch.
but still i find that the fx affecting all the samples in default is confusing me sometimes. and that exit button that is used to go out of every mode, is tiresome to think about. just changing modes with pushing a button like before is not yet possible right?
the recordig starts as you select a pad, making me record silences, but i’ll get used to it.
and there is so many menus now! wow its making my simpleminded head hurt. lol
anyone else being annoyed by stuff like this?
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still waiting for mine, ordered on launch day and getting green with envy at everyone playing theirs 
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Ja, takes a moment to get used to it/work it out (and I’m not an OG 404 user). Have you worked out yet that you can direct pads to one of the busses or choose to have them unaffected. I think the combo is hit BUS then press Remain + pad to cycle through the Bus the pad should be affected by. Orange is Bus 1, blue is Bus 2 (I think), and white is no Bus/FX. You can do the same with a whole bank if I’m not mistaken. That gives you a bit of control over what gets affected by what and when.
Changing modes by pressing buttons is possible (eg from FX to pitch/speed to envelope), just exiting a mode to the BPM count isn’t.
You can change that behaviour in settings! Not sure what the menu option is called exactly (I’m away from my studio for a few days) but it’s something along the lines of “wait for signal”. You set it to that, then when you record/resample, you pick the pad and you’ll see “WAIT” on the screen - it now waits for a signal before it triggers recording (this also works for Ext Source sampling).
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