Hey guys,

Let me start off by saying, this forum is a big part of the reason why I got an SP. Y'all are chill and seem like you wanna help eachother out, and the beats that come from y'all are ill. So, I just purchased a used SP-404 on ebay for $275. The seller said that he was a DJ and had only used the unit a few times, but that it is in working condition (or atleast when he sold it). I was so stoked, my first hardware sampler. It came in the mail about an hour ago, and the unit does not power on. Ive tried batteries, a different power supply, and nothing seems to work. I didn't come across anything in the manual about a failure to turn on. Is there a mass reset? Could it be a LCD failure? I have three days to ship it money back, so any replies asap would be greatly appreciated. I would much rather try and fix this while I have it then return it...

Thanks,

Skepsis

P.S. I'm not sure if this is on the right board, I'm pretty new to the forum, but I'd be happy to move it if its in the wrong place...

return to sender, end of story.
You'll be happier in the long run and might even find one cheaper.

Definitely send it back.

If I could find a 505 for under 200, would that be good? Whats your opinion of the 505?

Under 200 is good. From my understanding processing (such as truncating, and resampling) won't be as fast as the 404. If your interested in the 505 check out Olby's youtube vids.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Olb ... Nl6qEJMmWg

You'll want to scroll to the SP-505 Tips n Tricks, there's seven of em.

I already have. Olby is sick, he knows his stuff. Thanks for your time guys, I really appreciate it. That was amazing response time, Thanks Again.

Skepsis

i would also recommend sending the unit back - BUT - have you tried turning it on without a compact flash card in it?

try taking out the card and seeing if the unit powers on. sometimes incompatible cards can stop the 404 from powering up (happened to me).

good luck.

and (to me, in canada) anywhere around $200 - $250 for a 505 is a good deal, but that's me, again, in canada

Yes, I have tried it with and w/o the CF card, the card is SanDisk so I dont think that is the issue. Anyways, Ive already notified the seller that I will be returning the unit. About the 505, I'm a little concerned about no usb compatibility. How do you guys get the sound in the machine, and tracks out, just curious...

Note: I know how its done, Just wondering what methods you guys prefer...

i just sample in, and record out. no bigs. i find USB over-rated.

So do you use a multitracker or what?

maybe i don't understand the Q...to sample in, I play from a audio editor and sample into the 505 / 404.

to record the finished product, I just record into a single stereo audio file back into an audio editor. which is to say, the tracks are composed on the 505 / 404 and I then just hit play, do my tweaks, and record that on a computer.

is that what yr asking?

Yeah, Yeah, thats what I was askin...

Thanks

no probs! peace

An update just incase youre wondering, I got a 505 for 200 bucks, stoked, thanks for the help...