okay i dont have 1 yet but i want to get a roland sp 404.and i've heard exporting you have to use a card.i have a compaq laptop if i get one where do i put it i have a slot on the side of the laptop is that it.i think it is but i wanna make sure before i buy.im pretty sure though but then i dont know!lol

hey man

cards are more useful for importing. any sound you want out of the 404 you'll probably record from it's outputs. with a card you can export sounds from the 404, but not patterns (you can backup patterns to the card though, but your PC won't make sense of these files)

the compact flash card requires a card reader (like this http://www.meritline.com/apacer-am300-3 ... eader.html )
it'll attach to your usb and you can drag wav files onto the card to then assign to a pad within the 404

i have used a card to put sounds into my 404, but only once to see how it was done. i find it alot easier to record the sounds in as it is more task-oriented, as soon as the sound is recorded in you can hit the pad immediately and check out it's usefulness. i find dragging wav files onto the compact flash to be too distanced from the actual act of playing the 404. so don't focus too much on card worries

edit: by recording in i mean use an external source (ie your PC/turntable/discman) plugged into the 404's inputs, then record the sound

okay so let me get this straight i put the card into the card reader and then use the usb cord and then connect to my laptop?

yep
the card reader will show up in your My Computer folder as an external hard-drive
then whatever is on the compact flash card will be visible in it's own folder
you have to format the card on the 404 before you drag files onto it though

thanx alot im new 2 this whole thing!

no worries dude
i was mad confused to begin with too
let us know if you got any other questions

thanx.now i really cant wait nemore get 1 now lol.and dont worry i wont be a stranger when i get i probaly be more confused lol just kidding