^ what formal said is correct, but I don't think (personally) the 555/404 "color" of the sound is that noticeable or musically useful....think of it this way, its more like a lower quality mp3 version of what you record into it..missing a little bit of the highs, tiny bit less quality - but it's not going to sound like an SP1200, SP303, S950, sampler that had lower bit rate converters...the modern SPs like 404/555 just compress for space, not for any digital nostalgic effect.

you are not going to hear "aww man it's got that 404 converter sound!" anywhere, but you'll find legions of fans of the sound for the other samplers I mentioned.


If you want digital lo-fi, play around with the Bit Crusher, compression, radio tuning, isolator, and the lofi button on the samples....play around with resampling some samples with reverb or tape echo, but then lay the compressor heavy across the entire track (assuming you are using pattern sequencer).

I like this setting on the 404sx compressor (since it doesn't have vinyl comp)
1. effect limit off
2. Release -> full right
3. Attack - > just a touch, or it will sound too harsh
4. level -> full right

Crank your bass drum and snare to max volume, now take your other samples (melody/hats/riffs whatever) and put their level at around 40-70 , to taste. YMMV

Are the SP404's input and output, balanced or unbalanced?

I've been getting some static and a bit of hum when using recording the output the 404 that I've tried using as external FX.

My current setup is onboard generic soundcard output > SP404 > line input on my soundcard (Mackie Onyx Blackjack). What types of connection should I be using to the best sound?

Thanks a lot for this tip man, I'd definitely gonna give this a try.

The 404's RCA therefore unbalanced (balanced needs 3 conductors per channel & RCA only has 2). Hum can come from loads of places: crossed/buggered cables, ungrounded devices, low-audio-out to high-recording-in etc. If you're using long unbalanced cables (>2m/7 feet) you might introduce a bit of phase, no worries if your RCAs are short though. Just be methodical checking your connections & you should find the culprit soon enough.

Does the Blackjack allow insert FX? Go Blackjack > 404 > Blackjack if you can (if has already been covered, apologies I missed it). The computer's regular audio out might not cut the mustard compared to the Mackie.