Ok so with out an amp of some sort before the line in I will always have to have my volume knob turn to max that just doesn't make any since. Even when I attach a line out of head phone on my computer and line-in to the sp 404sx I can't hear the music unless the sp has its volume maxed. However when I go through the microphone it works great. problem is thats not how it should work I need that line-in option which just isn't. places I have taken samples from and had this problem with line in sound being shiznit where the TV,turntables,computer, Ipod. but like I said if I change the plug to phone jack and throw it into the mic no problem.

Well ok, the Mic pre-amp has plenty of gain because mic signals are weak - and you're right, you shouldn't have to use it for line sources.

Roland don't give a spec' for the input sensitivity of the line inputs, but I'd bet they're the so called "pro" level of +4dBu which most stage and studio gear deals with. The other standard is the "Consumer" level of -10dBv which is what you get from most hi-Fi, on-board sound chips and other consumer grade audio. Although, just to confuse us, dBu and dBv are not actually the same units of measure, the Pro +4dBu is quite a lot hotter than the consumer version.

There is a fault condition with stereo gear that can result in a weak signal - a break in the ground/screen connection between the units. The result is that you get only the difference in sounds between the 2 channels recorded on both channels. So are your phono cables really any good? What do you get with only the left or right plugged in?

Jim

Yeah, seriously that input volume issue does not sound like a problem with the 404 itself. I thought about all this last night when I was practicing, and perhaps this last guy is right. You really need some top-of-the-line cords for your sampling input, something equivalent to Monster Cables less than five years old, and not really because of shorts. Of course shorted cables get trashed ASAP, but I have found that there is some wierd magnetic type of interferance that seems to build up in old cords, which works for the grimey gear like the SP202, but the more hi-fi units can reveal this surface noise and lack in punch. SInce I converted most of my rig to short gold-tipped Monsters, my samples are really too hot. I thought that shoving a DJ mixer between everything would make more surface noise, but that is not even close to true. This cheap Berringer DJX750 and Monster Cables...wow, what a difference. Now I have to reduce nearly every sample volume to 1/2 after I get it in my 404SX...the power is so feirce when I sample sounds from the Kaossilator Pro...I'm no longer at the mercy of the soundman when I need more push, though I fear I will be well in the red on the soundboard now at most clubs...

Volume can be among the most complex problems, simply because nearly every knob/button/setting can effect the volume in some way, and if your like me running three samplers and a DJ mixer...you don't want that problem to plague you on stage later.

Alright thats really helpful info yet confusing let me ask a defrent way. Is it normal to listen to my turntable i need to have the volume at max. But my turntable is hardwired with normal(not gold or anything) left right audio. So does that mean my turntable is no good for sampling? And if so what is a good one to get thats cheap? Besides that my only question is would a mixer with pre amp or something fix this also? I have taken the card out and put it in my computer and used audacity to amplify the sounds but unless you set all your sounds to the exact dps well any how regardless I hope your right about these wires because this sucks.

Uh oh...
Does the turntable contain a pre-amp? It has to if you want to plug it into a line input on anything. If it doesn't, you will have a thin, very weak recording with no bass whatever. You need something with an RIAA phono pre-amp to plug the deck into before anything else.

If the deck does contain a pre-amp, the same fault I mentioned about the cable ground break could be happening with the cartridge wiring connection, which is easily broken.

Jim

sweet thanks the pre amp worked