Okay, it looks like I've settled on the 404, now all I need to do is pick out an interface to get it to work with my computer. I was just curious what DAWs and audio interfaces you guys use with your SPs and maybe what steps you take to get it on to the computer from the device. I'm pretty new to the hardware aspect of electronic music, so any tips go a long way. Sorry for so many questions

http://www.roland.com/products/en/UA-20/index.html

I use this little bugger; cheap and cheerful, but really good too!

It's only 24bit, but I usually work with 16bit anyway so no matter.
It's only got RCA output to your mixer, but I find in practice it's noise-free anyway.
It has really low latency too (<14ms) which is great if you wish to run soft-synths and the like, which you may do since it comes with Sonar (le) for free!

As for getting audio from your SP to the comp, you can already do that for free (not as good, but FREE). Just use an RCA->1/8" lead to record using your computer's default sound device.

Audacity is a good free audio-recording program if you need one.

I knew you could record directly in, but I was wondering about tracking it out. Maybe I'm totally dillusional, because I'm aware it only uses one track, but say in a beat I have an intro, a bassline, a drum loop, a hook, and a verse. Do I have to lay the drums, bass, and samples for every one, or can I plug it into Ableton/Sonar/Whatever and draw in where I want everything to be. What I'm saying is, if I wanna have 4 or 5 different stages, am I going to have to play the same drums for 4 or 5 different patterns, or can I have a drum track that goes throughout the whole song and do that relatively painlessly?

Do you want to sequence the whole track on the SP, or mix separate parts together on the computer? I'm assuming (since you say 'track out') that you wish to go through the whole syncing-it-up-to-your-DAW stuff. I'm not the person to ask if that's the case ( ) sorry - I use this amazing technology called my ears to sync things up in my DAW..

If you check here:

viewtopic.php?t=1571

there's some good advice in there, hidden in the arguments..

Well, I do want to play it live, that's why I'm getting the 404 instead of Reason. Maybe I'll rethink the way I want to do this; obviously if this many people like it, there's not a whole bunch of crap that makes it impossible to use

But yeah, thanks a lot guy, that post helped a lot. I appreciate it.

I find that using the sp with ableton live is great. Toss in a midi connection and sequence in live and you get the best of both plus timestretching that is unbelivable. I use magix samplitude for everything else its a beast of a workstation but will run you 400 - 1000 depending on the version you choose. As for a front end i suggest

http://www.solidstatelogic.com/music/Matrix/gallery.asp

J/k but its a new daw front end for small studios from ssl and i really want one lol.

The SP-555 or 606