we should compile a list then sticky it so that newcomers can easier find out what they need to know before asking.

1.all loops in pattern sequencer must have gate and loop mode turned off!
-this bugged the crap out of me for a long time

2. the wave converter is useless
-just import/export everything

3. The loop you recorded can be monitored for peaking by pressing resample and hitting play. remember the LED value and hit cancel then hit save to pad. Return to the volume level you found before and select the pad you wish to save.
-no more saving distorted loops

4. Holding effect assign+remain keeps the effect on the samples even if you change effect or turn it off.

5.If usb audio recording level is low turn up the internal processing level by holding cancel + start/end/level and turning up the cntrl 3 knob

6.Effects can be played like samples in effect memory mode, and they save extremely fast.

7. If recording external audio change the signal flow to "out" by holding cancel+line in and turning the cntrl 3 knob

8. resample to mono whenever possible

im sure there is more

Could you explain the reasoning behind #7 and 8?

7 is only when you have something like a guitar plugged in so you don't get feedback i guess it doesnt matter


8 is so you can maximize the amount of samples you can play at once. i believe its 6 stereo files at once so thats 12 mono samples. you don't have to convert everything to mono, but if its like a kick and snare, you might as well make the mono to save room for more samples

Awesome, thanks. A lot of your posts around here have been really helpful.

what do you mean by "import/export?" are you using a program?

its cancel+resample i think then sample to import and resample to export

this way you can bring in dozens of samples at once and save dozens of samples to the card at once as well. i used to do them one by one, which is a pain because i would making a shit ton of samples to reuse in one session that i needed saved on my comp. with the wave converter that could take an hour, by exporting it takes a minute

ok cool. ive been reading in the manual about it and im still a little shakey on some of it. as far as importing goes, how are you actually getting the files onto the card? is it just a drag and drop kind of thing? sorry if these are redundant questions.

well i have a card reader that i plug in

then i pick the samples i want, and drag them on the card when they show up in my computer. the files have to be a specific format, 16 bit 44hz i think

then on the machine you just do the import command and select where you want to start loading the sounds.

16 or 8 bit, 44.1kHz.

By loading samples with sample rates other than 44.1kHz you'll change pitch - haven't had luck trying to use that to my advantage yet...

This might work very well for really short (high pitched) melodic samples though.

whats the deal with the file naming when you inport export. its a pain in the ass. i had my files the way they are supposed to be then i read in the book that you cant use like any characters except for the underscore (which the machine uses to name files like A_06 and A_07) so i even did this and still no luck, or id have like a bunch of samples to import but it would only import a few leaving the other behind yet all of them are the exact same.
weird.
anyone know how to name em and if there is anything else im missing. only files ive been able to get back on the machines are the ones i exported to the card and put on my computer.

i never had a problem

i just pick out the samples then renumber them by selecting all of them--->rename--->name one sample or something and an option to rename the rest with an added number pops up so you get something like

sample
sample (1)
sample (2)
sample (3)


its always alpha-numeric ordering

you might just be putting the wrong format of wav on there?

alternative to above method:
use F2 as a shortcut to rename things manually
so click the sample hit f2 then a number then enter and down arrow to select the next file.
you can get in the groove and knock out many names very quickly

i ended up using adobe bridge to batch rename all the files and it still didnt work. ill try and make sure im using the right type of wave file but im sure i did. i exported from fruityloops, cubase and recycle with no luck and recycle only works with 16 bit files. ill do some trial and error and dedicate my time to figuring it out cause i started chopping with fruityloops and adjusting my attack and decay, then id just play each sample and sample it in. with the sample starting to record when it hears a sound instead of the other way so i dont have to worry about trimming my start. would be alot cooler if i could just throw em on a card.

you can i just dont know why you are having a problem hmm

do you get an error message or anything?

Hello, I'm kind of new to the whole sampler game. Not to run things off course here, but I have been trying to sample from my PC using USB and it has been a little difficult. I am wondering if this is the easiest way to record PC audio onto the SP 555. In your guys' opinions, if I make a short loop in Ableton for example, would it be easiest to sample with usb and try to get the start/end times accurate, or to export it to wav and import onto the sampler? Like I said, I am kind of new to this and appreciate any advice at all!
Thanks.

if you go to your control panel and select sounds and audio devices. click the audio tab, and make sure playback device is set to roland sp-555. then once you got audio coming through just play your loop or whatever and use timing to get it just right. if you want, start sampling a second or two early and let it run a second or two longer after the loop. then you can use the mark button to perfect your start and end points.
hope this helps and welcome to the forums.