SP-404 FX comparison: SX vs MK2.

I made this video because there's a lot of people who are still waiting on their MK2s and depending on your workflow/experience, the SX might still be a better option for you- and it's actually available right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pBRUmiiFYs

THIS IS MILE END MY FRIEND.

this fool constantly gets so much shit wrong it genuinely pisses me off he capitalizes on this content but also pleases me that his audience is being misinformed

Not sure what you're complaining about Zindan, I totally agree that the effects on the SP-404MKII (although more capable) do not sound as good as on the SX and A.

I noticed it almost as soon as people started uploading videos of it, and it's just one of the reasons I lost interest in it (the SP-808 now being among the other reasons). I still like the SP-404MKII, still think it is awesome and would definitely not say no to one, but there is no denying those effects, that filter, that Isolator, those Vinyl Sims are lacking in satisfaction in comparison to the SX and A.

Personally I think Roland might have carried the effects over from a 44.1 design and have not tweaked the algorithms of those effects to compensate for the higher bandwidth of the new machine. There is no technical reason it can not be made to sound the same.

The SX and A sounds wider, more detailed and has more depth, and that really should not be the case at all, so something is not quite right about it. I also maintain my opinion that not having a Touch-Wah on a machine that will often find the user needing one, is quite an oversight!

I've got so many ways to create a Wah on the SP-808 that I've lost count of the collective amount of parameters, and that machine was released back in 1998 FFS. Abilities and sound quality are expected to evolve over the course of two decades, not devolve.

Unfortunately, they've failed in both those areas, because the effects are neither more capable, nor sound better. They sound worse than the previous genration and still lack the very important parameters of their own SP devices from two decades ago.

- Why can't the LFO's on Flangers and Phasers be slowed to Zero?
- Why isn't there a Touch-Wah or Envelope Follower?
- Why do the effects sound lack-lustre compared to the previous generation?

These are questions that all SP-404MKII owners should be asking Roland, because unless they start doing so I'm guessing Roland will be perfectly happy to keep those effects in the current state of devolution and limitation they are currently in. They've improved the routing and added many welcome features, but as far as effects go, it's devolution.

right, the question sp-404 users should ask roland is why the updated version of the sp-404 they love can't be an sp-808

in the age of infinitely capable DAW, these are the truly pertinent questions

There's some things TGN was complaining about as well that are quite disturbing:

TGN Wrote:
"Like the pitch and timestretch-capabilities oon the mk2 but i hate the slow workflow when it comes to set up sample start- and endpoint. And why the hell is the efx-bus deactivated when recording a pattern?"

I mean what the fuck, and why indeed?

There's no technically limiting reason for the effects deactivation, and no excuse for the workflow being shit when dealing with Start and End points of samples, especially on a model where the screen is often touted as progress. To be honest I'm hoping that TGN has it wrong and that the problem doesn't really exist, but I dunno!

if SP-USER's account of TGN's remarks here is accurate, i'ma tell you rn it's 99% most likely user error

this is the only circumstance where you have a valid excuse tho bc there is no official manual of operation for that overpriced paperweight huh?

never used one of these pieces of crap and never will but

there are multiple FX busses on the mk2, right? this introduces the potential for disparities in routing between different modes of operation

also, this is really a non-issue. why tf do you need FX busses to be active when all you're doing is sequencing sample-triggering events? if it really is impossible for FX to be active during sequencing, all you'd need to do is apply FX after your patterns are already laid down. or if it's really a life and death issue in your mind, just resample the elements you want FX on with the desired FX applied before sequencing them? i really don't see any problem here at all though. in fact, having the ability to sequence patterns while FX busses are active only adds unnecessary variables to your workflow for increased margin of error, so if FX really can't be active when sequencing, i'd consider this a feature rather than a bug tbh

now, regarding the other remark... "but i hate the slow workflow when it comes to set up sample start- and endpoint. "

all i'ma say is, i'd love to see what you'd do with a 202 in front of you and a gun to your head

So you don't see a problem in not being able to have the effects active when you're recording (and I assume therefore resampling too) a pattern?

Sure it could be user error, and hopefully so, but if it isn't then that's a serious design fuck-up. Can't say I've noticed these things watching videos about it, but I've never laid hands on an SP-404MKII and it's definitely got my attention. I can't see me ever buying an SP-404MKII now that I have an SP-808, but nevertheless I'm keeping my eyes on this discussion just in case!

if you can resample patterns, add the FX with another resample

retard

literally the only advantage to SP-808 besides sick ass FX is the built in digital 8 track recorder

i'm prolly going to end up copping a standalone 8 track digital recorder eventually

When you throw efx (for example the holy Vinyl-Sim) on samples, the groove and feel of a pattern can change drastically. And i want to have that feeling when i work on my pattern, because it affects my ideas how i want the pattern to be. Yeah, i could use the resampling method, but i do not see any sense and advantage, why the efx gets deactivated in pattern record mode. No problem for og here and the mk2 has to compete with it direct ancestor in my opinion.

OG only has 1 FX bus genius

Wrong.

Unless you actually own or spend a decent amount of time with the SP-808 you'll never fully appreciate what these machines are capable of.

And it's a Digital 4 track recorder..not an 8 track.

'Genius'....

4 stereo tracks = 8 tracks [MODDED]

dunning-kruger effect on full display

i will concede one thing tho, there is ONE more advantage to the sp-808 besides the 8 track recorder and sick FX but you only get it with an expansion board that is pretty much impossible to find unless you find a unit with one already installed