Haven’t had much time to use mine recently. Just got a chance today. Damnnnn, everything sounds so good through it. Well, to my ears. Even when I mess up, theres something in there that I like.
I don’t know. I’m on the fence here. More likely than not, this one goes back in the box.
For EU people:
Available for 498€ but you can apply the code “GOOGLE12” for a 12€ discount and if you pay via bank transfer you’ll get another 10€ discount. So 476€ in total. Not the best, but also not the worst Price…
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A store in France has some that are listed on Reverb… works out a bit expensive to get one to the UK with VAT added but might be OK for anyone in Europe: ROLAND - SP-404 MKII | Reverb
Edit: Here’s thier website: ROLAND - SP-404 MKII for sale at GLOBAL AUDIO STORE - Sampleur
IMO these boxes need some time to soak in. The workflow is very unique, but liberating. It is very much a tool that every craftsperson uses differently.
As a long time user, I always enjoyed the non synced loops. Every pad is its own tape loop, With pretty much unlimited sampling time, and quickest sampling workflow of any device I have used. There is a simplicity component that might make it seem limited, but is crazy deep once you accept the workflow.
Also make sure you update the firmware before using it. Many of the features (skip back etc.)were not present until after i updated it after i took it out of the box,
Also took a while to dial in the best pad settings. Let me know if you have any questions, ive had mine since launch.
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Oh, also there’s a tips and tricks thread: https://www.elektronauts.com/t/sp404-mk2-production-tips-tricks-problem-solving-bugs
Not nearly as active as here, but there are a few gems in there, especially when starting out and looking for direction with things like workflow.
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If it only had a better sequencer…
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Well, I use it fairly fluently already, it’s easy to learn. I’m just not sure where I’m gonna go with it. I’m pretty happy with my blackbox + outboard gear workflow and am looking at an angle where this might contribute.
I haven’t found a satisfying entry point yet, I guess.
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I should mention that I recently also got a Circuit Rhythm and that one’s just spitting out tracks.
So part of it is def me being still alien to the SP workflow.
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Think every machine has a different workflow these days. And you need a lot of time to adapt.
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Very true.
I got this at the wrong time. I’m very productive on the Circuits now and starting to record the results into the blackbox, with the usual resampling through my outboard gear. So I really don’t need more in my rig.
But rather than just returning it, I’m going to put it back in its box and wait until I got nothing else going on, and then focus only on this one, for awhile. It wasn’t that expensive, second hand market is good, so I can take the shelling out and I’m tired of that “I should’ve kept it”-circus when you get an idea three months later for which a kit would be perfect, that you just sold because you didn’t put in the time to understand it.
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I’m doing something similar, I’ll be spending two weeks in Munich for work in early August and I’ll only bring this and a small mic. Maybe the iPad for Melodics so I can keep working on my finger drumming and sample more stuff.
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I posted this over at OP-Forums… but anybody with an OP-1F and a mk2 probably wants to know this…
Top Posting on myself… since I found some interesting things while testing the 1f/mk2 setup… first how to get it to work… it’s a bit dumb but hopefully TE will fix this
- Connect your 1f and mk2 together over usb c
- Turn on your mk2
- Turn on your 1f, press mic and check that it is in headset/mic mode
3a) If it powered on in USB mode, change it to headset/mic mode, turn it off, and then back on - While in headset/mic mode, you should be able to hit pads on your mk2 and hear it play 1f instruments, showing it is functioning as a class compliant midi device. If not, go back to step 3
- On the 1f press the mic, and switch from headset/mic to USB
- Hear audio from your mk2 (and 1f if you are sending midi notes to the 1f’s midi channel)
I have tried various options for power cycling the 1f and mk2, and the above process is almost entirely the only one that works consistently. Further, it seems that if the mk2 goes into sleep/screen saver mode, something is breaking the connection. I suspect that this is a TE problem to solve, and not a Roland problem to solve… though we all know how companies like to point fingers at each other.
I just hooked it up and it works just fine… with a few notes/caveats
- SP404 mk2 prefers DC over USB over Battery… so even with batteries it’s going to drain your OP-1f battery if you’re not plugged into DC.
- The mk2 will only send midi for pads that have a sample on them… you will need to record silence if you want to send velocity sensitive midi information to your 1f and not send audio (of set back to headset/mic mode)
- The 1f is always going to receive midi from pads played on the mk2, so you may need to also create a Sampler that just plays silence so you’re not playing both instruments from one.
- The mk2 sends midi for Pad Bank A to Midi Channel 1, Pad Bank B to Midi Channel 2… all the way to Midi Channel 10… so you can work around the limitations of each by changing Pad Banks on the mk2 or changing the default midi channel of the 1f.
- The mk2 screen saver trips something up on the 1f, and causes you to have to restart the entire process above on the 1f.
- Given that this is realistically the only way to sync the 1f and mk2 is over USBC… it does make it tough to suggest hooking them up together over 1/8" TRS cables for audio… though this will obviously be the most consistent way to get them to work if you just need audio.
Guess that’s all I have for now…
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Does anyone have a link, bookmark, or recall the pad settings for more responsiveness from this thread? I remember or miss-remember it was from Reddit? My search game is weak.
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Status on thomann jumped again to “In stock within 4-5 weeks”! 
…it was “in one week” yesterday
Has anyone received their unit from thomann lately?
wtf been waiting 6 weeks for this bastard I was starting to get excited. Gonna cancel when I find one. anywhere in the UK got them right now? Or is the Japan method the way? Not sure if anyone from UK has attempted that here
Not sure about the Japan method but there are some French ones one Reverb. Slightly cheaper than from the website of the same shop.
Do we know if there will be charges for importing one? Never bought from abroad like that before