So im getting a sp with my tax refund, an I have $300 to spend. I was almost positive i was gonna get the 303 but than i saw that the 404 uses compact flash instead of old smartmedia cards. so i was wondering besides that what are the main differences? does the 404 have just a 1 track seq. like the 303? any difference in quality or the converters? any advice or input will bring me one step closer to deciding so feel free.

There is small differences that can be debated like:

sound quality- some will say the 303 sounds more grimy some will say they sound the same. I wouldnt even bother comparing them. they both have very high quality sound reproduction.

pads- people generally agree that the 303s pads are more responsive. But as a 404 user I think the 404 pads are fine.

the 404 has more pads- more memory- a few extra FX - the 404 can be battery powered - the 404 has a built in mic-the 303 has an 2 lofi recording modes - I think the 303 can quantize in real time

and thats about all I know