I built a pattern and now I can copy the pattern over to another pad but it really takes up a lot of space when you copy the pattern to multiple pads especially if you have a lot of other samples on the card. In my case I'm using 256MB and 512MB cards. I always run out of space with these cards and after I'm done resampling different sounds like drums and what not.. I need to go back and delete the old original drum samples to create space for the patterns. Then after all this work there's no song mode or sequencer..? It's like you can't just create a song and then hit run like an SP 1200 or some other drum machine.. Is this machine just limited to pattern mode only.. then your off to record it on Cake Walk , Pro Tools or some other program.. Right now I just create one pattern and then I use Effect # 22 ' Subsonic ' with the Ctrl knobs all turned so it's muted when I want to mute out different sounds and then I just hit Remain and other pads to mute more sounds within the pattern.. This gets really cumbersome.. is there a way to have a full song play with multiple sequences (patterns) one after the next??

hit pattern select- and then hit record- then select the pad you want to have your sequence recorded to- then hit record again.

Your steps are only good for recording patterns. I want to chain up my patterns together to create a song with the SP 404. so, I need a step sequencer which I'm not too sure if you can do with the 404. Or maybe there's some work around way of doing this.. I know the Manual does not talk about Song Mode or any way of chaining sequences together.. The only thing they talk about in the manual is creating a pattern.

ooops. I didnt really understand your question. yeah, you have to manually switch up the patterns-

It's all good.. mmm.. I wonder if there's some hack or work around trick? Otherwise I need to make several patterns and manually trigger them by hand and midi up to my software to record midi performance..

You can buy another 404 and record your samples...or a tape recorder or something. I just got a 555 and its nice that I can record my patterns and then use the sequencer as a makeshift song mode.

So, The 555 does song mode in a way? how does this makeshift song mode process work with the 555? The problem with recording is that I need to manually hit all the pads one after the other to trigger each pattern in the song with the 404. I want the machine to have an automated step or song mode process. Where I just click pattern select and I get a screen where I can select multiple patterns and place them where ever I like.

That's sounds like wishful thinking given the fact that the 555 has a 3 digit led display

the makeshift song mode is basically just using the pattern sequencer to record your patterns recorded as loops via the loop capture. A more simple solution is to buy a simple external sequencer. You can get get soemthing like a Roland MC-50(II) for under $50 on ebay.

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do you think the mc 50 will work with 404 ?

Through loop capture? You can also use normal sampling on the SP 555 and record all at once, all patterns making up your song behind eachother, or did you mean something different?

the any sequencer with a midi out can control the 404. You will need a midi controller tho.

Wow.. all this extra stuff like sequencer and controller just to do what the SP 1200 does straight out of the box. I guess I was wishful thinking when I thought I would somehow be able to create an entire song with just the 404.

Lately, I just been using the resampling function a lot for effects and beefing up my sounds then I just sample those resampled sounds into my SP 1200 and do all my sequencing and pattern creating with the SP 1200 since I can do song mode and create a better swing pattern with the SP 1200.

Don't get me wrong.. I love the 404 just wish it had a little more functionality then just resampling / pattern making..

I guess, I'm back to manually triggering stuff and midi up with my midi man / cakewalk or some other software.

OoH. you have an SP1200. You can trigger your SP404 from your 1200