It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 8:25 pm




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 50 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4
Author Message
 Post subject: Re: NEW Roland SP-404A
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2020 8:30 am 
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 10:00 am
Posts: 1170
It was the Isolator that did it for me, lif, it thickened-up more than the sound!

Can't see me pairing-it-up with a second 404 though, I mean fucking hell, it must have taken me a year of living off 'Pot Noodle' to afford this one!

To be honest it's the flaky behaviour of it that finally pushed me into requesting a refund on it, not the limitations. Over 80 views in a 404-specific area of the forum and not a single homie bothered to reply about the firmware.

Fuck it, I'm too fucking skint to risk bricking it, so back it goes!

Dan, I'm well aquainted with classic hardware and the character certain designs impart on the sound. And while those devices were limited by todays standards, they were never limited in areas important to the device.

I very much doubt the Emulator would have been much use if it were unable to load recorded samples back into memory from its own floppy disk! Yet here, with the 404, a much more modern device, we have not only that limitiation, but the others pointed out as well.

I mean, the thing has three "Control Function" knobs along the top. Surely the thing to do would be to press a button that switches those controls into Pitch, Pan, and Level controls while the button is lit. A very simple and obvious solution that would kill a whole bunch of its unacceptable shortcomings with one stone!

It's a bullshit situation that no 404 user should have to deal with. It's not as if the four things on my list are 'unexpected' or 'far-fetched' in any way. They are super-basic 'bread'n'butter' features that absolutely SHOULD be there.

You might not feel you're a sucker for punishment for tolerating such an incomplete design, but from where I'm standing, you absolutely must be, and the same would be true for me if I were to keep it. I wanted to get along with it, I really did, and put a heck of a lot of time into it even before I bought it. It's just too much of a lemming in its current state, but I'd buy it again without hesitation if those mind-blowingly dumb shortcomings were fixed.

The retailer is super-busy at the moment, I'm still waiting for my RMA so there is still a very small chance I might keep it, but I doubt it.


Offline
 Profile  
Top 
 Post subject: Re: NEW Roland SP-404A
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2020 4:46 pm 
Member
User avatar

Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2017 12:55 pm
Posts: 578
Location: Out the back.Im digging up the yard and spying on the devil
I dunno man, I just accept the 404 and appreciate it for what it is as I previously stated .. Yeah, it's got limitations but I honestly don't believe that actually stops creativity for a moment .. If anything, it's gonna push me to work harder with the machine to get the best out of the thing.

I use other gear with the 404 OG from time to time, including the SP - 303 and the 404 SX, mostly just recording live, direct to tape, sometimes fuck around with Ableton too but I'm not massively interested in using computers to make music with really.

It just sounds like owning the 404 isn't for you basically.. Maybe look into something like the MPC 500 as Crane mentioned earlier as that's possibly the kind of sampler that's better suited to your needs.

Good luck with your search!

_________________
https://danswift.bandcamp.com/track/her ... -album-mix

https://soundcloud.com/user-58305257


Offline
 Profile  
Top 
 Post subject: Re: NEW Roland SP-404A
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2020 7:10 pm 
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 10:00 am
Posts: 1170
Now that makes perfect sense, using the 404 as a device for recording to and from tape, it would be a first-class piece of kit for that. I do work with tape and thought about keeping it to use as a sort of triggerable multi-track to pair-up with my cassette deck, but I'm really concerned about that firmware thing and not a single homie on here has said a thing about it!

If I don't find out before the retailer gets back to me, I'll have to return it. I've even gone to the length of watching 404A unboxing videos today, hoping that they switch the thing on once they've unboxed it, but nah, every fucking video I've watched they have unboxed the thing and not bothered to switch it on, so I'm still no wiser. I cannot see what their unit displays when they switch it on, cause they never fucking do so!

It's frustrating, you twisted bastards ... tell me ... tell me now :twisted:


Offline
 Profile  
Top 
 Post subject: Re: NEW Roland SP-404A
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2020 8:14 pm 
Member
User avatar

Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2017 12:55 pm
Posts: 578
Location: Out the back.Im digging up the yard and spying on the devil
You could always try asking about the firmware questions over on the Roland Clan forum dude, not sure if your familiar with that place but there's a wealth of knowledge from the members on the site about a whole host of Roland gear both vintage and modern.

Definitely worth looking into if you haven't already of course.!

Here's the link below.

https://forums.rolandclan.com/

_________________
https://danswift.bandcamp.com/track/her ... -album-mix

https://soundcloud.com/user-58305257


Offline
 Profile  
Top 
 Post subject: Re: NEW Roland SP-404A
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2020 8:46 pm 
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 10:00 am
Posts: 1170
Cheers mate, have just joined and posted there 8)
I just hope I find out in time!


Offline
 Profile  
Top 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 50 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: