very cool box obviously. def a lot more rugged and durable...I doubt the rca ins/outs will be as easy to eff up.

as far the efx, I would say that they are closer to my 606's sound then the 303...I was expecting a lil more thump out of the compressors b/c the users on here liken them to the 303 sound but they are a lot more subtle. the vinyl sim is nice but the comp on it does not seem to bring the drums to life quite as much when you crank it up...like there is a leveling out in the thump you get when cranking the compressor up...this is similar to the 606 imo...I need more time but I think I like the 303 efx more...my bad this is prob old newws to most of ya'll, I'm just baked and rambling bout SPeeeez

btw I just meant the sound of the efx...there is obviously more versatility with the 404's efx

Yeah man, they definitely aren't as dirty as 303/202 territory..

Still, they are useable.. you just have to try harder to destroy clean samples

Word. I can see why the 404 users talk so much bout resampling...you kinda have to if you are making hip hop b/c the sound is kinda sharp and bright, I'm already doing a lot more re-sampling chops multiple times with diff efx compared to the 303

sampling from a portable turntable helps with the dirtiness. i use a pt-01 and its plenty dirty w/o resampling. (i used to own a 303 too)

just to follow up on this...

I wound up copping another 303. I need that

I play/sequence with mpc2000xl, which has a big and bright/tight sound....in combination with 303 there is a balance and thump, with the 404 no matter how much I tweaked the sound was too big and bright for my taste...a lot of this is my natural preference...but I went back and ran some of my old beats which were 2kxl > 303 thru 2kxl > 404 and I much prefer the sound the 303 vinyl sim compressor gives me. I will hold on to the 404, it has some sick efx, especially the djfx looper, also useful for live stuff if I ever wanna do that but for me the sound of the 303 is way more hip hop

sinapse, man, i feel those thoughts very well.
i had a 404 too in 2009.
before that i bought a 303.
i still have that 303.
(and a new 606, as you know from the 606 t'n't)

make sure u check out the compression with a system that can amplify all frequencies... 404's compressor works dif but also pumps up a lower end than the 303. sometimes beyond my headphones, but on my system its heavy.

^ yo same with my 404 use, the beats sound better in my car with the sub. the compression sounds nice.

i used to prefer the 505/303 sound a lot more but now i want another 404 it has grown on me

I have been finding the 404 too bright and brittle lately. I now just use it for it's portability and then dump it into the 303.

the 303 and 505 have the same AD/DA converters, and yeah, my 505 is a lot 'warmer' than my 404. but i've learned to get the tone i want from the 404 using the isolator fx, and (as said above) sampling off a portable and resampling a lot. don't forget sampling in mono lo-fi. mmm-MMM!

the 404 also has FX 23, and that's one of the best fx roland's ever done IMO.