I've been using the SP-606 for a couple of years as part of a hardware-based home studio set-up. I used a Yamaha Motif 6 synth workstation to control the SP-606.

However, I've recently bought myself a new computer and Cakewalk Sonar 6 with a view to moving to a software-based system so I'm wondering if there would be any advantage in my retaining the SP-606 when Sonar itself provides sampling facilities?

Does anyone else here control their SP-606 from a software sequencer (such as Sonar, Cubase, Logic, etc). What are the pro's and cons?

definately keep your 606. The 606 was built to be used with software integration. You can use it as a midi pad controller, as a soundcard and as a midi interface at the very least.

Yep, even if you only use it as an audio interface; you've got an audio interface with built-in effects! Record vocals with compression, filter incoming synth signals etc. And as DJ Frantic said, you can also use it as a controller for your software. The 606 is really at home in a computer-based setup.

I must admit that the 'SP-606 = audio interface + MIDI controller' equation hadn't even occurred to me. So it's a shame that I'd already gone out and bought myself Edirol's UA-25 interface and their PCR-300 controller if the SP-606 does all that and more in a single box of tricks! I wish I'd discovered this forum a little earlier.

Is there a write-up anywhere on how to make the most of the SP-606 in this way?

Still haven't wasted your money - I use a UA-20 with mine as well; especially good if you wish to track into a second computer.

If you want to use the 606 as a controller, it's painless if you connect the 606 to the computer through the Edirol...

If you have any specific questions hopefully I can help

Thanks 606man. Do you mean connect the SP to the UA via the MIDI I/O sockets on the two machines?

Is the SP's USB port useful for anything other than transferring samples between the SP and a computer?

If you wish to use the 606 as an interface, connect to the computer using usb.

If you wish to use the 606 as a controller, connect to the PC through the UA-25 using standard midi cables (it's just the easiest way to get it to work).

I see you got a keyboard as well - good stuff - use it to control multisamples on your 606 as well. You're set!

In its role as an audio interface, is the SP-606 restricted to 16-bit or does it have a higher spec than that?

I've looked for this in the manual, but can't find any reference to it.

I know that it only works with 16-bit samples, but I wondered if that limit also applied in its audio interface mode.

24bit. It's definitely a 24bit soundcard/interface.

All the internal DSP processing in the 606 is 24bit afaik; it just handles 16bit samples..

As this is exactly what I'm wondering, I notice that no-one has really talked about this?

No, the discussion around that part of my query never really took off.

When I started to think about it, I realised that several pieces of my current gear could be used as audio interfaces and/or MIDI controllers. I bought an Edirol UA-25 and a PCR-300 specifically for those purposes, but I already had the SP-606 and a Yamaha Motif, which would have done the job perfectly well. So spoilt for choices really.

More important to concentrate on learning how to use Sonar, whichever interface and controller I want to use with it.

I'm only just getting into that side of things . Never really saw the need (software for software jobs hardware for SOUND is my philosophy..) but as it's something people want to know about, I'm learning!

You can control your software with the 606, but I must say setup is not without its headaches. Probably would be easier for someone who's done it before

The other way round, that's what I mean. Controlling the 606 with software (triggering the sounds especially, tweaking can allways be done on the front panel of the 606 itself, but it should be possible with the right messages...)

just send midi out from your computer to the 606,

im not sure if you can control effects and stuff in that way though, but playing the samples back, definitely