SP-404SX; good choice? Or something else?

The Lounge Other Gear
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Hey all, I’m looking for advice on a new sampler. Also, before you say anything, no, I don’t want to use a DAW. :joy: (Even though it admittedly is the most powerful).

Long story short, my eyes have been drifting over to the SP-404SX. Lately I’ve been making beats with my little PO-133 (the Streetfighter version of the PO-33) and I’ve been having a ton of fun learning how to sample from vinyls to get those super inspiring chops. But, the PO-133 is admittedly a rather limited sampler, so I’m looking for something bigger and better. Also, my music is all over the place as far as genres go and I’m looking to tighten that up and focus a lot more on whatever I can do with samples. Thus, the 404SX seems to me like a logical next step.

Reasons I’m interested in the 404SX:
The effects are really, really good, on just about anything you want.
The sample time is huge, and the idea of putting an entire song on a single pad is mildly mindblowing to me over here with 40 sec of sample time. (Yes, compared to some of the old classics 40 sec is huge but bear with me).
I’ve been interested in live performance for a long while, and the 404SX lends itself to that quite well. I also currently don’t have a super great device to perform on, (except for my Model:Cycles, a whole other beat entirely).
Portability is a huge plus, so are the large pads.
Plus, it just looks fun to use. :laughing:

I’ve also been quite interested in the Polyend Tracker, (maybe I could fulfill my dream of making Jungle/DnB, my fav electronic genres, without sucking completely :joy:). But I’m cautious about the tracker, half due to my worry that I won’t gel with the workflow, and half due to the odd manufacturing variations they’ve been having as of late.

My question is, now that I know I enjoy the sampling workflow enough to dive deeper, what other options should I consider besides the 404SX? I’m always nervous about gear purchases, and I like to do as much research as I can before biting the bullet. Thus, I am turning to you all, 90% of whom are much more experienced than I am. (I’ve only been making hardware music for 9 months, give or take. :sweat_smile:) Any thoughts, observations, experiences with the 404SX, other samplers, or general nuggets of wisdom are welcome. I’m hoping to not spend much more than $600 max, but I’m open to devices beyond that price range. (Just means I’d have to save for a few more months).

If this is too vague for you to give any sort of answer, my apologies. I am happy to clarify if need be.

Cheers, Pineapple Dave :pineapple:

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404 is popular but apparently a bit of a headache to use. Have you not considered a used mpc one?

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Depending on what you do with your samples an Sp404 maybe a bit basic. I love the effects, sample length and speed, but it has gaps with envelopes, pitch controls and general sample processing. A used mpc one is a pretty big jump in features, with a slower workflow.

I use mine as a stereo recorder (sample whole songs into it) and a quick effects box next to an Octatrack and Deluge. Basically sample a short snippet and resample with effects until I really like the sound, then bump over to the other devices for beat making, then record directly out back into the sp404. Pull the card and drop into a computer.

It’s not a super deep device, but depending on your sampling needs it may scratch the itch. If I had to make a choice today I’d personally just save a little more and buy a used mpc one though.

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A “bit” basic is an understatement. :laughing:

But, one person’s limited is another’s focused.

The strengths of the SP404 lie in its simplicity: Record directly into the 404. Apply effects. Pound out a beat.

You can take a walk with it while field recording and come up with ideas for a simple track.

But it also integrates well with other pieces of equipment for other uses. I’ve allied it with an E-Mu MP-7 or a Machinedrum and sequenced their internal sounds with drum sounds and found sounds/word bites.

I’ve recorded shows for others simply by setting it by the stage and recording.

I’ve used it with a MIDI keyboard and made a faux piano or a mishmosh of sounds.

Don’t go into it expecting a mini-MPC or junior Octatrack and you won’t be disappointed.

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I love the 404 and it has a special place in my heart. It was my first electronic instrument that I played on stage and it made me fall in love with sampling and Sonic experimentation. Sometimes when people ask me what instrument I play for the band I would proudly tell them I played a sampler. You are correct that all of the effects are amazing and very easily tweakable and fun.

Sorry for the kind of shoddy video quality, but here is an example of how I use it in my band. I would sample our synthesizers onto the pads and then play them back live so that we didn’t need to haul a bunch of Gear to gigs. I even did this with piano sounds and other samples and loops. The way I affected the sounds with the 404 was so integral to the sound and songs that when we finally laid down the tracks for a record I actually ended up using the 404 to play them back instead of using the original audio sources.

Having said all this, I never once used its sequencer and it seemed really awkward and bad. So it all depends what you want to do. Also, I have since sold my 404 only because it was laying unused in my closet for a couple of years and I have an octatrack.

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If you want to make Jungle/DnB, then you should try to acquire and master the tools of Jungle & DnB production. An easy way to approach this is with Renoise. I understand that you’d prefer not to use a DAW, but $75 will give you some confidence before you jump on the Tracker.

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I sometimes want to sell my SP404 but I just can’t, I mostly use it when I make music with our 5 year old, sampling instruments or music he likes and then make some loops and he even started spitting some vocals a few times without me saying anything. Very easy to get creative juices flowing with this sampler!

I might sell it this year because I personally use the OT for sampling and for the looping fun with (or without) the toddler I think I will get the new Boss RC505mk2 in a few months.

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the sp is cool for sure, but if you can live without direct sampling, and instead load samples from your puter, i’d give the model samples a try, and even if you get an sp I’d give the model samples a try…
-sp-303 owner

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I think the 404 is pretty great even if I didn’t get along with it last time I had one. For me, the lack of proper pitch control made it unusable as a stand alone piece, which was how I wanted to use it. But I think it would be great as a part of a larger set up since it has great fx and basically infinite sample time. A lot of folks swear by it though and make great beats on it. Also, you’ve got a Model: Cycles, so you can get around its clunky sequencer. I’m also pretty sure it will respond to velocity even though the pads aren’t velocity sensitive.

Personally, I’m enjoying the Novation Circuit Rhythm. It kind of works like the PO33 actually. It handles samples in chromatic or slice modes and the parameter locking works the same way. However like the PO33 you can only have mono samples and you can only have 220 seconds of samples in each pack. You also can’t edit the fx on the unit. You either need to use a software editor or MIDI controller, which just kind of sucks. And the fx themselves are fine, but not as good as the 404s, which are great. Also it took a minute for me to get used to not having the resolution that the Elektron sequencer has, but I like it a lot now. It’s also $400 brand new.

Behold:

Like the Models, you don’t have dedicated MIDI tracks but you can send a track’s sequence over MIDI, which is how the Skulpt is being played.

So yeah, I’ve been having a lot of fun with it even if there are some annoying things about it.

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I have a LOT of experience with the 404, both the OG and SX. Reach out if you need specific info.

In terms of the effects, I think they’re rubbish. Horrible old-skool digital effects. The compressor is okay on the SX, it ducks nicely, but the one on the OG 404 is better. However in terms of workflow the SX is miles ahead for easy copying of pads and fast saving/loading.

Overall though, despite being a big fan of the aesthetic and how the limitations promote creativity, I wouldn’t buy another one. They’re too clunky. That said, if I were in a band, I would use one for backing tracks if I didn’t want to use a laptop, because it’s bonehead simple to use and holds endless amounts of stereo audio.

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I make pretty strange, experimental music and the 404sx (well, I gave the 404a) works perfectly for me. I do not use the built in Sequencer, nor do I sequence the pads with MIDI. I use the ‘resample method’ to create layer upon layers of sound. I then combine everything into full tracks or create samples on the pads to bang out/finger drum. I really enjoy the effects section. You can get some really spaced-out textures with them. Fun little machine indeed!

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It seems like you are drawn to it and they are pretty affordable as far as gear goes. I’d say go for it! If you want something more powerful, you could save up a bit for the MPC One, but maybe you are looking for something a bit more minimalist.

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I should have said, the SP-404 was a tremendous stepping stone for me and it helped shape my understanding of making music. I love the heft of it, I enjoy trimming samples by ear and the resample method is fun for making lo-fi hip hop. Just because I wouldn’t get another doesn’t mean I didn’t have a blast with the ones I had! I went round to friends’ houses and had mini DJ sessions on them, felt like a boss! Hooking them up to a DAW also helped tremendously in learning how to use external effects.

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MPC One + SP-404 = fun/options

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another option, OP, if you want to see if you’ll like the 404 workflow is to try the Koala Sampler app. About 1/10th the cost of a 404 and a couple more features, but of course its a phone / pad app.

That said, I have a 404SX and I don’t regret the purchase at all. I’m mainly using it for easy recording and editing samples for “one-shot” use right now.

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Yeah, this didn’t even occur to me. I’d honestly recommend Koala to anyone that’s at all interested in sampling. With the upgrade it all works out to like 10 bucks. I especially like it for choosing the bits to use from my synth sessions since you can load in very long samples.

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I bought Koala, used it twice and never touched it again. :confused:

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I can’t focus on it either, a few minutes, 15 max and I am done.

Must be normal, I am born in the 70s. I get more going creatively without (touch) screens.

I actually should go totally screenless with my instruments.

I think the SP404 will stay onboard, easy to use and beyond limited parameter info it’s screenless.

Thinking about it… I don’t have that much screens on my instruments … the OT must be the major one… :upside_down_face:

For the OP … SP404 is always a good choice but also depends on your needs, it holds its value also really well.

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The bare bones immediacy of the PO 33 is present in the sp404. If that’s what you want, then heck yes.

I was just playing with my PO and Nanoloop, fun duo.

I have the Polyend Tracker, and it is a slower reward. The song mode is really the only thing holding me back anymore. It’s a lovely device.

SP404 is more a performance tool. Polyend is programming. I’d say get the SP404 if you want fun, or get the Polyend Tracker if you want something more serious. Get both. Return one.

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Weird isn’t it? They advertised it as a super cheap iPad 404 and it kind of it, with added luxuries such as visible waveforms, but it has absolutely zero mojo. I don’t know… I was born in '86 for what it’s worth, and I love using screens for making music, but iPad apps bore me to death. I have some amazing sample sequencing ones - Patterning 2 is a revelation as is Samplr - but as cool as they look it feels so sterile to use them. I’d much rather use Ableton Live!

Back to the SP-404, I got into them because of Teebs. He released E S T A R A in 2014 and I was hooked on those dusty textures and melancholic beats. Turned out he used FL Studio and an SP-404 for everything. I watched/read interviews and even had the pleasure of seeing him perform, and his love for the 404 made me need one in my life. They looked so cool and it felt like a gateway into another world. I had two at one point, audio from one going into the other, just like Teebs.

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