A few questions before I buy one (SX)

[nagz]

Hello folks,

I'm about to make a groundbreaking decision in my life - get my first sampler to perform live after 15+ years of producing music for my lowbrow techniques it may (or may not?) be enough to get an SP 404 SX only and perform solely on that (i do weird experimental electronic/ambient/chillout stuff).

However, I have a few questions which are crucial for me:

- No matter how big the SD card is by capacity, I can store only 120 (2x5x12) samples in it, no matter what? (ie. is it better to get few smaller SD cards used for 120-120 samples instead of getting a really big one?)

- It says 12 sounds polyphony. If I play a loop/pattern from - say - the A bank, can I switch to bank C and play one-shot effects from it while the A sample/loop/pattern is still playing?

- Most important of all: Can I make the filter/mfx alter individual sample(s) only, while leaving other samples (loops, patterns, etc) dry, untouched by the effect i'm tweaking?

Thanks, any helpful reply is welcome

n

[sharpmotif]

Yes. You could use backups and importing to expand on the number of samples, but I guess that wouldn't work in a live scenario.

Yes, works the same way for patterns too.

Yes, check the manual for details on that.

[nagz]

Yes. You could use backups and importing to expand on the number of samples, but I guess that wouldn't work in a live scenario.

Yes, works the same way for patterns too.

Yes, check the manual for details on that.

hey, thanks a lot!

- i didn't quite get what you meant by the backups part, but i assume the bottom line is: small cards for samples is the way to go when doing it live is there a maximum filesize for a sample anyway? (however, 20 minutes would be enough)

- I see, so i can jump here and there between banks while playing, and don't have to stay at the same bank (same 12 samples) as i play if i got it right.

- cool

[Dr Van Nostrand]

only one effect at a time though, you can put it on as many or few pads as you want, but if you have an effect on one pad, you can't turn on another effect for another pad without turning off the one you already had on

[blavatsky]

- i didn't quite get what you meant by the backups part, but i assume the bottom line is: small cards for samples is the way to go when doing it live

Lets say you load up 120 samples, every pad in every bank is taken...now you save that (all of it) as Backup 1.
Now you could clear all of these, load another 120 samples, save as Backup 2. And so on.

You can switch between backups at any time, takes maybe a minute or so if that to load them.

[sharpmotif]

IIRC you can save 12 backups on the SX. That means 12 pads * 10 banks * 12 backups = 1440 samples + 12 pads * 10 banks (import) = 1560 samples.

That's theoretically, backup recall might be fast enough, importing depends on sample length - both will stop playback. Doesn't have to do with the card capacity, it's about how many samples the SP-404SX can take.

That's it, as well as playing a sequence on pattern sequencer, as long as you don't max out polyphony.

Like Dr Van Nostrand said: only 1 FX at a time, manual has details on that.

[sharpmotif]

Lets say you load up 120 samples, every pad in every bank is taken...now you save that (all of it) as Backup 1.
Now you could clear all of these, load another 120 samples, save as Backup 2. And so on.

You can switch between backups at any time, takes maybe a minute or so if that to load them.

This.

[nagz]

Thanks all! You are more than helpful

- i didn't quite get what you meant by the backups part, but i assume the bottom line is: small cards for samples is the way to go when doing it live

Lets say you load up 120 samples, every pad in every bank is taken...now you save that (all of it) as Backup 1.
Now you could clear all of these, load another 120 samples, save as Backup 2. And so on.

You can switch between backups at any time, takes maybe a minute or so if that to load them.

Ah! clear now. I think. I will have lots to play with it.
Does it back it up into some internal memory then?

only one effect at a time though, you can put it on as many or few pads as you want, but if you have an effect on one pad, you can't turn on another effect for another pad without turning off the one you already had on

That is okay, i just needed to know if i have a drumloop, and i do a one-shot of something else (like a speech) and twist some filter on it, would it affect the drumloop too, or just the speech. but i see now it's pretty elastic.

IIRC you can save 12 backups on the SX. That means 12 pads * 10 banks * 12 backups = 1440 samples + 12 pads * 10 banks (import) = 1560 samples.

That's theoretically, backup recall might be fast enough, importing depends on sample length - both will stop playback. Doesn't have to do with the card capacity, it's about how many samples the SP-404SX can take.

That's it, as well as playing a sequence on pattern sequencer, as long as you don't max out polyphony.

Like Dr Van Nostrand said: only 1 FX at a time, manual has details on that.

I see. Well if the loading time is something that's bearable during 2 songs (5-10 secs) then it's affordable. I will play around with this. Thx

[preqwal]

Remember, it's only 12 note polyphony with mono samples. 6 with stereo

[blavatsky]

Does it back it up into some internal memory then?

I think you need a card for this , internal memory is pretty limited.

[sharpmotif]

Does it back it up into some internal memory then?

I think you need a card for this , internal memory is pretty limited.

Does it actually work without a card? (SX)

[Rabot]

Sx only works with a card

[nagz]

Remember, it's only 12 note polyphony with mono samples. 6 with stereo

oh my.. is that for real?

[Rabot]

that's why you buy two!

[nagz]

that's why you buy two!

nnnnnNotgonnahappen!