Roland SP404A

The Lounge Other Gear
#21

you realise the SX and A are no different with the exception of a paintjob and some bundled sounds?

In fact when I switch my 404A on the loading text says “SP404SX” scrolling cross the screen.

I can attest to the other comments about the units usability, this machine is a joy to use. i pair mine with a digitakt and volca FM. I use the Digitakt for the beats and the SP handles the stereo sampling, the FM is for my bass lines.

Strange thing is I can actually edit a sample way quicker on the 404 as opposed to the Digitakt and it dosen’t even have a screen to see the wave form.

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#22

I also found editing on the SP more fluid than the DT. Sampling by ear has always been more accurate for me than relying on waveforms.

3 Likes
#23

:thinking:
I got a SP404A at the end of last year, ordered a new SX but they were out of stock so they asked if I was ok with the new paint job. I paid 360EUR new! Second hand prices for the SX were around 400EUR …

We all pay our gear waaayyy too much I reckon!

Anyway, I love this sampler!

#24

That is the deal of the century. For sheer sampling power the digitakt can’t hold a candle to the sp404a

#25

I THINK he knows they’re the same, he’s talking about a firmware upgrade for both. Did you know they were the same prior to buying the 404a?
If so, why did you decide on the 404a? Just curious :slightly_smiling_face:
If you got it for a lower price (not $500) that makes sense. I actually like the color & the pads. I would be surprised if the black on the pads doesn’t rub off tho; the numbers on the pads of my sx started rubbing off not long after getting it (which is ok, it just means I entered sp ninja status :o)

#26

I knew they were the same. I actually went with the A over the SX because I was planning to get tr8 before I had gotten the digitakt.

I also do actually prefer the look of the A. That font on the pads of the sx and the previous models always came across as janky to me lol

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#27

This comment surprises me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my sx, like I stated above it’s my fav, but IMO it has absolutely no sampling power (all tho it has a lot of sample memory). Personally I think the Digitakt blows the 404 out of the water when it comes to sampling power. Would love to hear your theory on this :slightly_smiling_face:
Chopping by ear, I’m used to it, but you can chop by ear on the Digitakt & have a waveform view as well. Also the 404 doesn’t chop tight. I’m obsessive compulsive about my chops & can’t zoom in to chop really tight (I’ve done several experiments to confirm this). Normally I just don’t quantize to get around it.
Timestretch isn’t clean, it’s more of an effect (ie: If you timestretch a hi-hat down, resample & do it again, it turns into triplets…keep timestretching down & resampling for additional hits).
No chromatic mode (it has a pitch effect, but it’s an effect, not a natural pitch change & no tune).
I won’t go into the limited sequencer as that doesn’t have to do with sampling.

What the 404 has going for it?
Effects
Sample memory
FUN
Oh & portable!

#28

It is very much the rough & ready approach that I like about the SP404
in particular I wanted something similar to the OP-1 tape mentality - each 404 track is a tape.
Record audio freely to tape one; maybe 4 bars, maybe 8, record some hits to other tapes. Play about with some finger tapping. Decide I like it and then commit the whole thing to pad (track) 12 as ‘take one’ and then keep on messing about.
I’ve grown to appreciate having the courage not to quantize everything. As a guitarist at heart my electronic ventures generally get poisoned by locking everything into beat ticks.
Maybe it won’t work this way for me, but it does seem like the SP404 is actually a manual multi track recorder of sorts, that can be simply sequenced on the 404 itself, but taken to a whole new level by sequencing it from the DT/OT.

Basically, like the OP-1 it is a portable tape machine (without the graphical UI) and a lot cheaper but with a solid feel and it is all committed as WAVs to then take elsewhere into ‘red means recording’ type polishing.

5 Likes
#29

Yea it could def work like that (would just be a matter of you liking the process, but I think you will).

& that’s also 1 of the big things I love about it (ruff & ready approach). I’ve always been fond of “limited” gear. I love a challenge & it’s rewarding when you make something you really like on it. Plus chopping is meditative for me in a way. Too be honest most beats I make on it, I spend a couple hours just chopping.

#30

Coming from an mpc 1k I can understand what you mean.

I make lo fi sample based hip hop and the 404 suits me down to the ground for what I use it for. It handles my samples only which then apply it’s effects to. The stereo sampling and memory gives the user more flexibility in my opinion. I really enjoy the immediacy and as you say the fun when sampling on the 404. I’m like you I do not touch the pattern sequencer though.

Majority of my work for drums loops with trigs is all on on the digitakt. They make a superb combo.

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#31

It suits me as well :o)

& yea, I forgot about mono vs stereo, Digitakt being mono is def a sample limitation…plus you can turn stereo samples into mono on the 404, which is cool as well. You’re right about the immediacy too!

I promise I wasn’t calling you out, you peaked my interest was all :o) Great reply!

#32

I started a thread not long ago asking about a hardware sampler to compliment the DT, and im really glad i went with the 404. I got the OG one for the vinyl sim and i happen to like the beat up shiny chrome look

They really fill in each others weaknesses as samplers. I use the DT to record the samples, from there i can use its pitch, envelopes and lfo to edit the sound. Bounce it to the sp404 for chopping or just leave it be and free up a slot for the dt.

I dont understand how you could say the 404 is a more powerful sampler though. It cant pitch, no envelopes or lfos. It really cant do anything that the dt cant do other than its effects and stereo sampling of course. But i just like the workflow and the effects are killer

4 Likes
#33

This damn description! That is almost exactly what I’m looking to get. I keep feeling that it would be a fun device to play with along the Digitakt.

#34

In my quest for the simplest set up, I finally got a SP… don’t know why but I was really craving for one for a loooong time.

For now, loving it! Loving the lack of a real screen, the absence of menu diving, the roughness of it, the “almost no feat” approach… even loving the shit sequencer.

I was looking for something that feels like an instrument, that you can carry with you here and there, that you must learn to play… and it feels like it.

I might sound like a fool, but I’ll give myself some months to learn it inside out and if the magic continues, I might sell the Digitakt to downsize even more. I would be down to a Circuit + an SP.

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#35

Ho, and chopping with the mark system and the start / end knob is surprisingly satisfying and quick.

2 Likes
#36

I’d hold on to the DT there, buddy. I was rocking a DT, Circuit,and SP and now that my DT is gone the set up is wayyy more limited. Like not even always fun limited. It gets stale real fast. With the DT you can at least get trig conditions, microtiming, unquantized live recording, and choosing your specific midi channels from the hardware.

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#37

I get what you’re saying, but everyone is different. I’ve had the 404sx for 3 years & it is my favorite. I’ve used it daily for the 3 years I’ve had it & don’t see me ever getting bored with it. I make full tracks on it using nothing else (except sound source’s). Of course I couldn’t use the sx & NOTHING else for the 3 years I’ve had it, I need variety, I like to bounce around & use different set ups, but I’m not looking for the “simplest set up” & Kuro is. A Circuit & sp is pretty simple.

I DO suggest however that you should try using nothing but the 404 & Circuit for a bit prior to selling the Digitakt just to see if you would be happy without it. But at the same time if you sell it & miss it? Just buy it again :sunglasses: & I’m sure you have already used ONLY the 404 without other gear while learning it.

I do feel however that the Digitakt & 404 would make such a great combo, I wouldn’t sell it unless I needed money. It might not be the “simplest set up”, but a 404, Digitakt & Circuit is still a simple set up. Plus it’s a simple set up that can do a lot.

By the way you can live record unquantized on the 404 too.

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#38

Yes but the sequencer on the 404 is a pain to edit. Having the ability to step edit with the DT is much easier than removing notes on the SP sequencer. My biggest griped with using the Circuit to sequence the SP is scarificing a midi channel for it, and the fact that the SP’s note layout starts on B-2 instead of C3 so using chromatic mode on Circuit is slightly weird for sequencing SP samples. That and the fact that Circuit’s midi channels can’t be changed at al.

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#39

That makes sense. Kind of sounds like the 404 might not be for you (I’m making an assumption, I could be wrong). Personally I don’t find the sp sequencer hard to edit (there are a few tricks tho) & I’m not big on step sequencing, I like to play things myself. Plus I’m not looking for “an easy way” I just want to enjoy the process. I actually didn’t use the sequencer of the 404 for the first year I had it tho, I made all my songs in resample mode. I DO feel the 404 is more limiting than the Digitakt. But I’m cool with limitations. The process/workflow is most important to me. I have 3 MPC’s & a Maschine Mk3, yet I use the 404 more (still love my MPC’s & Mk3 tho).

Really it’s just a matter of what you want in a piece of gear…what you’re looking for… there are plenty of people out there that just don’t get a long with sp’s…or just don’t get along with MPC’s…or the Digitakt…

It’s good that you’re bringing up this info tho, it might help someone who is considering the 404, ect.

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#40

I love my SP personally, I was just trying to point out some potential issues of ditching the DT and only keeping Circuit in the set up.