Thinking of buying an SP-606

joao orecchia · Post by **joao orecchia** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:24 am

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of buying the SP-606 and I was hoping some of you might tell me something about how well it works or not. I've read some user reviews and they're not great, though I know people sometimes just get angry at equipment and use the internet to vent...

The main thing that worried me about the reviews was that a few people said the sequencer lagged and cut out at times. I'd be making patterns, switching between them, muting and unmuting tracks, and playing samples over the patterns. And using it as a clock master for other gear.

These angry posts were also quite old, from when the machine first came out so maybe the firmware's been updated since then?

I don't expect a million dollar machine at that price, but would just like to know that it can do what it says it can.

Thanks!

João

joao orecchia · Post by **joao orecchia** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:58 pm

OK, let me rephrase:

Does anyone on this forum use the sequencer in 606 extensively?

Thanks,

João

soundexp334 · Post by **soundexp334** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:39 pm

I use the sequencer all the time. It has real time and step recording. coming from using the 303, the 606 sequencer is alot better. I cant compare it to other hardware sequencers cause I have never used any other hardware sequencers. one limitation on the 606 is its only 4 tracks which sucks because I could use more.

joao orecchia · Post by **joao orecchia** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:39 pm

Do you sequence short drum sounds or longer samples?

I was wondering about the 4 tracks - Can you only record one sound at a time on each track? Meaning, if you want a bass drum and a hi hat to sound at the same time, you'd have to put them on separate tracks?

soundexp334 · Post by **soundexp334** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:51 pm

No not at all, you could record a whole song on one track. Sometimes when i do drums I use more tracks like high hats on one, snares on another track etc... when making patterns it makes it easier to change drums up alittle bit by muting tracks instead of recording new patterns with them. there is always the resample feature which I think you can resample multiple pads to one. so there is a work around the 4 track thing. I hope this helps.

joao orecchia · Post by **joao orecchia** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:21 pm

It helps a lot, thank you!

I can't wait to get one! Been reading manuals and reviews of all kinds of samplers on the net, I think this one sounds like the right one for me.

soundexp334 · Post by **soundexp334** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:09 pm

the machine is so easy to use and its pretty fast. it has really good sampling editing features also. the resampling is awesome because you can add as many effects to the sample as you want. hence why I would like more tracks for stuff like layering snares with reverbs etc.....

joao orecchia · Post by **joao orecchia** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:54 pm

Hm, I know what you mean. I was looking at the Roland MC-808 with a 16 track sequencer till I realised it's not really meant for heavy sampling. It'd be nice to have something blending the best of both.

METAFYZIKAL · Post by **METAFYZIKAL** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:50 pm

Don't forget the 606 is designed for computer integration; if the onboard sequencer is too limiting, you can always use a soft sequencer (Sonar, Cubase, etc) to add as many tracks as you can.

If you haven't bought it already, I believe there is one for sale in this forum for pretty cheap.

soundexp334 · Post by **soundexp334** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:46 am

METAFYZIKAL wrote:Don't forget the 606 is designed for computer integration; if the onboard sequencer is too limiting, you can always use a soft sequencer (Sonar, Cubase, etc) to add as many tracks as you can.

If you haven't bought it already, I believe there is one for sale in this forum for pretty cheap.

Yeah good looking out on that. I keep forgetting about the software.

joao orecchia · Post by **joao orecchia** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 7:09 am

METAFYZIKAL wrote: if the onboard sequencer is too limiting, you can always use a soft sequencer (Sonar, Cubase, etc) to add as many tracks as you can.

REALLY?! Thats pretty cool. How does that work though when you bring it back to the machine? Can you mute and unmute the extra tracks?

And how do you get it from the computer to the sampler? Do you export a smf? I've never done that before. But I work a lot on the computer so I don't mind using both. I just don't want a computer on stage.

METAFYZIKAL · Post by **METAFYZIKAL** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:23 pm

When connected via USB, the SP makes a MIDI connection to your pc. In a soft sequencer, you can sequence the sounds of the sp's pads on the pc and when you're ready to go live, you can sample the tracks to the sp. The SP is one of the best samplers for long sample phrases, so it works pretty well. You can now mute/unmute the tracks by hitting the pad you want to mute.

drpunk · Post by **drpunk** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:28 pm

I don't really like this whole resampling thing banded around the way it is.

Only 4 tracks, but don't worry you can resample.

That would be all well and good if you could resample patterns into a sample. But you can't. As far as I know, you can't. Maybe you can, in which case I'm talking rubbish, but I'm pretty sure you can't.

I don't think resampling should be mentioned at all when it comes to the number of tracks. Resampling's much more to do with the polyphony than the number of tracks.

P.S. My main gripe with the sequencer on the 606 is the lack of copy function.

soundexp334 · Post by **soundexp334** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 5:15 pm

You can resample up to 4 pads to one pad.

METAFYZIKAL · Post by **METAFYZIKAL** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:39 pm

drpunk wrote:I don't really like this whole resampling thing banded around the way it is.

Only 4 tracks, but don't worry you can resample.

That would be all well and good if you could resample patterns into a sample. But you can't. As far as I know, you can't. Maybe you can, in which case I'm talking rubbish, but I'm pretty sure you can't.

I don't think resampling should be mentioned at all when it comes to the number of tracks. Resampling's much more to do with the polyphony than the number of tracks.

P.S. My main gripe with the sequencer on the 606 is the lack of copy function.

When using another sequencer, be it soft or hard, you can sample whole patterns to a single pad. This is what the EXT SEQ SAMPLING function is for.

Using another sequencer opens many more possibilities, as the SP's sequencer is the machine's biggest limiting factor. With a more powerful sequencer coupled with the awesome sampling options of the 606, there is pretty much nothing you can't do...