Hi, ive recently bought an SP-404, and to my disappointment i couldnt record/sample with my synth during playback. But i was thinking it could be done using two SP's, one playing the beat and another one hooked up to it where i record my synth. Is it possible? If not, is there any other way to work around this problem?

Depends how you want to go about it.

Basically, you either need a 4 track recorder (digital or analogue cassette), a DAW setup (Ableton, FruityLoops, Cakewalk, Cubase, etc), or a mixer and 2 sp's, or a hardware sequencer and mixer.

Okay, let's say for the sake of the argument you have your 404/synth. You'd like to have the synth sequenced as you build a beat of kicks, snares, hats, etc.

If you got yourself a 4 track, you would record your beat on the sp as a track. Your synth would record the next track. You could bounce these tracks together if you want, and toss in more sounds, melodies, chords, and so on. A digital 4 track would give you unlimited bounces with no loss of frequencies, so you could do a lot with one, especially if it has a included FX unit inside the unit. A 4 track analogue cassette unit will degrade the signal the more you bounce tracks around, probably won't have any built in FX, but can give you some interesting compression or warmth depending on the unit itself, but will be easier to use than the digital one, for its simplicity. Just make sure you do your homework and see the pros and cons of what you decide on. Digital or analogue units are out there in your pawn shops/music stores because most people are abandoning them as obsolete when they have their DAWS.

Which is your next option. You need a Mac or PC, soundcard, a few audio/midi cables (plugged into your synth/404) and the software you choose to be your method. This is a great method to bounce tracks, use compressors, reverbs, eq, or toss in more than you would with just the SP404 and your synth. It is perhaps overkill, or a Mt. Everest learning curve, just to go this route, but you could edit/chop .wav files in your DAW with precision, and get professional results the more time you're familiar with your sequencer, and it's bells/whistles.

If you want to just keep it simple, and add a 2nd SP (any model you choose, so I'll leave that decision up to you), you can do that as well, but you'd ideally need a mixer to balance the 404, synth, and the 2nd SP. Your Synth can get performed on 2nd SP, as you copy that performance onto a pad onto your 404. Then build a beat around that.

Another choice is a hardware sequencer. With a midi cable to the synth to sequencer, perform your bassline or melodies into the unit. The Hardware sequencer can play it back for you, as you sample it onto a pad in the 404. It can probably sequence your beats that you perform on the 404 as well. (If you don't care for the 404's own sequencer).

Hope that helps or made sense.

if you were to get another sp.. try and grab a 303.
you can play synth (or anything) using EXT SOURCE while playing/resampling the other pads.
i don't know why they discarded that feature with the later models..

also.. you should post this in either the S.P.I or Production Techniques thread. you might get more replies and help.

goodluck

Yeah the 505 can do this too, great feature !!

This is a dope topic , because the most of us thought the same when buying this super gear from Roland.

They discarded those feautures with later models so we have to buy all SP
s to get the full package.
This forum is your guide in your SP-life until you know the road yourself:)
Even when you know the road yourself, you still need some guide advice sometimes.

Hope you guys get my Dutch/English PEACE