Hey! I play drums and I'm looking to mix in elements of sampling/electronic drums by using a midi control pad...you know, that alesis thing that looks like this...



I've been doing this for a while now, using the alesis pads as a midi controller and various other things as samplers but I have yet to find any good combination I'm truly satisfied with - I was using a Korg ES-MKII for a while but the SP404 makes that thing look like a joke haha.

So anyways, I'm wondering if the SP404 would be a good piece to incorporate into this set up. Basically, I don't need to sequence anything at all, I just need to store a good amount of samples that I can trigger from the pads. There are a few factors that are extremely important, though, and I can't seem to find out what I need without asking!

1. Does the SP404 have any features that will allow me to mute samples by triggering other samples? For example, if I play a sample on pad A01, if i trigger A02 a couple seconds later is there any way I can mute A01, or will they just overlap? (I think this has something to do with gating but I can't quite understand that part of the manual)

2. Is there any way to make kits or programs or anything like that? I can't seem to find any mention of this in the manual. For example, let's say I sample a couple keyboard chords for one song in bank A. Is there any way I can save this as a 'program' and load it up later? Or will these parts just always remain in bank A? I think this may be how the backup data works but I'm not sure? If so, are you able to save twelve sets in total or twelve sets per compact flash card?

I think that's it for now. Sorry that this was such a long post, and if anyone has any suggestions on how I may be able to make this set up easier/more effective lemme know! Thanks!

1. No mute groups at all.

2. No, but there are like 10 banks consisting of 12 pads each which could easily be a kit for each bank.

I too am a drummer and use this very same setup. The combo works great. There is so much you can do, you will get lost just playing around, seriously. But, there are some limitations.

About your questions:
1. As far as I can tell you can't stop/start two samples from a single pad. I may be wrong, but I have not found a way around this yet. (the Roland drum sampler, I forget the name, does have this feature. It is made specifically for drummers. If you need this option, you should look into that little monster).

2. I have built a number of kits, mainly around non-drum sounds. You have 120 samples you can access through the Alesis triggers, so you will not run out of options. I don't use it as a "drum" but rather as a loop and effects source.

Good luck. BTW- Did you ever notice how drummers always ask the questions that push the envelope?

Secret handshake bro....