Everyone seems to be spunking about the variable sample rate thing but I didn't realise that it was such a rare feature. Most of the samplers I've ever had could do that.
They removed the variable sample rates on the SP-404 MKII and the LOFI button. They replaced it with a MFX effect, but honestly the lofi MFX is way more like the lofi compressor on the SP-555.
SP 404 OG/SX/A they removed the variable sample rates, but replaced it with the lofi button.
The SX is a toggle effect (meaning you can turn it off or on after the fact. The OG is something you do during the sample process.
I love the different modes of the SP-303 (IE Standard, Long, and Lofi) Long mode is my fav!!
I’m on night two of owning the Roland P-6. I’m in the middle of moving so my time has been limited to just a few hours over two nights right before bed.
I was very fluent on the OG Roland SP-404. Because of this, I was able to migrate to the sp-606 with ease. More recently, I picked up the Roland SP-404 mk2 and the whole thing was easy to grasp immediately. Because of this, I figured the P-6 would be easy for me to grasp.
It is not easy for me at all. I’m not discouraged or anything, I just know now that it’s a device that will require a thorough reading of the manual. First impressions are good regarding sound quality, build quality and overall feel. I just was a little bummed that it wasn’t going to be the easy 404 experience I thought it would. That’s not a problem with this device though, it’s more that I shouldn’t have assumed. Keep in mind that I’m moving and I’m also distracted right now.
Just something to keep in mind if you’re considering recommending or buying this for a beginner.
So far, seems to be pretty darn good. Might do a full report when I've had a bit more time with it but so far it's been pretty easy to get it to do what I want without referring to the manual too much.
Something to bear in mind if you're coming from a 303 - the 22khz is very different from Long. It's much more of a lo-fi sound, weirdly, despite the freqs being the same on paper. This is a problem as, whereas with the 303 you can resample a Long sample as Long again and expect it to sound pretty much the same, if you resample a 22 sample with 22 on the (S)P-6, the lofi-ness compounds and so the resample sounds very different to the original. So, you therefore have to resample with 44.1...but then you might come up against the pad time limit.
There are a couple of other niggly things (like if you turn on Loop or Gate while the sample is playing, it cuts off instead of just changing mode...see below) but overall, seems like an excellent unit for someone who likes the old school SPs. I haven't used a MkII but, the shape and layout aside, this defo feels like an updated SP303/404/SX to me.
Here's a few things I'll be adding to lists that will hopefully get sent to Roland as things to be added in an update...
Show BPM of current sample (shift + sample?) - only BPM of pattern is shown currently;
Shift + pitch knob = fine tune short cut - currently a menu item;
Mono sampling balance (Mono L, Mono R or mono summed stereo - currently just sums);
Sample to not cut out when Loop or Gate is selected while playing;
Mute instantaneous rather than muting next trigger.
ellaguru wrote:hi guys
wich is the sampling time liit of the P-6 and also, has it some stocking (sd card) or it's just usb to pc stuff?
thanks
Alas, no card storage. Only computer back up.
Sampling time is per pad rather than for the whole machine. 6 seconds mono at 44.1khz, 12 seconds at 22khz and so on; half that for stereo.
I'm assuming they did it this way so they could have different settings for each sample (pitch etc) as the Roland sampling algorithm doesn't seem to allow it otherwise (hence no pitch or only global pitch on previous samplers).
I just sent it back to get my 30-day money-back guarantee. Absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's a fine machine, especially for the money, and I would recommend getting one to anyone who uses SPs who wants a great-sounding, capable, fun sampler that has a lot of the features the legacy SPs missed. I just prefer older, simpler stuff and found myself more inspired by the prospect of a 202/MS-1/NTS-3/MicroBR set-up.
If anyone who is considering one has any questions, ask away...
And if anyone has a nice MS-1 to sell, let me know...
Hearing a lot of fly beats made on this thing on Reddit etc. Sounds a lot nicer and grimier than the MkII beats I hear. Think it might be taking off as the 'new' SX finally, as predicted...
I know this thread is a bit old but I just wanted to put in my two cents about the Roland Aira P-6 for anyone reading in the future.
I owned it for a few months and in the time I had it I really enjoyed it. The CHOP function is like magic and then you can play your chops on the keyboard and record them to the pattern. It takes away the whole process of marking and copying samples over and making your chops like you do on the 404 and earlier models.
The pitch shift is freaking awesome
The granular sampler can produce some cool sounding stuff.
The built in effects are really good
My only gripe is how small and puny the knobs are, they are a pain in the butt. My hands aren't very large but I had some trouble with them. When going ham on FX it is very easy to hit one of the other knobs with the back of your finger when twisting.
Overall a good machine. When I bought it, it was only $220 brand new. It appears that they are now around $260 brand new, tariffs maybe??? either way, that's around the same price of a used og 404 or sx on ebay at this current time, so it's a somewhat good value in my book.
At the end of the day I ended up selling mine because I didn't find myself using it very much, but I really wish I kept it. It was very easy and convenient to just throw in your bag and not have to worry about it breaking or something.
Maybe I'll get another one someday. I really want to get a 303 or 555 for my next purchase.
