I'm trying to find an effective and efficient workflow for the 303.

I really would like to know how people who work the 303 (or 404) manage their sounds. Do you really built up a track from scratch on the SP all the way untill it's finished? Or do you guys just use it as a sampler and bounce them to your computer/MPC etcetera? How many of yall really chop on the device instead of loading your chops in?

And at which point do you move your beat from your SP to for instance your DAW to finish it?

I do everything on the SP including Chopping. I dont load it into a DAW either i just transfer the wav to my PC when its done.

im on that "hot off the SP tip"

I sample everything into my 505, create a couple of patterns and then record straight into audacity. I export a wav file, load it into Acid Pro and then attempt to compress, eq and make it sound a little beefier.

i'm also an all in the box person, although i do bounce out to a digi 8 track, and do seperate cuts and vocals or whatever over the main track, but i definitely don't multitrack different parts of the beat (drums or whatever), its usually whatever i have done i record out to a stereo track, and i add cuts or whatever whatever as seperate tracks, and then if there is another sample or something that i see fit (some horn line or wierd space sounds or some other layer without a bassline) maybe i'll add it then, and then after its done on the 8 track i go through the 404 and 303 for effects and into a boombox to cassette, then back to 404 and export to wav on the card

Oke cool Im diggin the 'all-in-the-box' way of working. So I assume you really utilize using the 'pattern mode'. Do yall record straight to the patterns or do you record the resampled stuff onto patterns?

Also what I really wonder. How do you manage beats that aren't finished yet? Lets say you build a beat (75%). And then feel like making a new beat. And later on return to working on the previous beat. How do you manage this? Thats one thing that I'm really stuck on.

Hope yall can help me out a bit.

peace

Ive used the SPs Pattern Sequencer to make tracks as well as used the Re-sample method to build full tracks. Theres disadvantages and advantages to both methods.

As far as finishing unfinished work. I guess its just a matter of what you see fits the track. Just ask yourself what is the track missing? And just wait and see if you can eventually come up with something to add to it.

For example I have like 3 beats on the SP right now that are unfinished. so far they are just 2 bar loops extended for about 2 minutes. To Finish these tracks im going to add one shots/effects through out the track to give it variation.

I dont have problems with ideas and such to finish a track.

The thing I was wondering was lets say you have mapped out sounds and patterns on all 4 banks. And you decide to start from scratch and make a new beat. How do you back up the complete setup (all pads/presets/patterns) of the beat you made first?

So when you want to continue working on it everything is there like it was before?!

Also you mention having '3 beats you havent finished on your pc'. I only have 1 beat on my 303 at a time. I wonder what your exactly mean with '3 beats'.

To backup I just copy the ROLAND folder from the card onto my computer. I've never messed with the 303 though, so it may be different.

Oh i get you. Thats tricky. I know you can save Sequencer Patterns on your PC but for them to play properly on the SP the samples within the pattern need to be assigned to the correct pads. Im not sure theres a way (other than remembering or writing it down) to make sure your samples for your Pattern are assigned to the right pads.

EDIT: DirtySoaps post sounds legit but like he said that might not apply to the 303.

Regarding my beats. THe SP-404SX has 10 pad banks and 12 pads so theres a lot more room for stuff. I never put unfinished beats on the PC, i just leave them on the SP and if i want to work on something else and come back to finish the beat later, its as simple as switching to a different pad bank on the sp404sx.

allright I guess its just building it, recording it out to my computer. And then its done. No more going back to the track to add more stuff. Kinda limiting, then again it's like painting a picture. When the canvas is fully painted, it's a wrap.