SP-404 vs SP-404sx for live ambient sets

[nationalsound]

Hi, new to the forums (first post) since I've just decided to get an SP after trying out a friend's.

So I'm going to be using mine not for making beats but for playing live ambient music using 12 loops I bring in and out gradually and use the effects heavily on.

First a couple basic questions that apply to both - can I have 12 loops going at the same time? Can I have the same effect on more than 1 or have to have different effects on each?

Now for the differences - using CF cards would be annoying and I'd need to use an adapter but if the difference is big enough for my purposes I'm willing to deal with them instead of the more convenient and larger SD cards. I've heard that the effects on the original 404 are capable of getting more extreme than on the 404sx, is that true and to what degree? Since I'm gonna be playing experimental ambient music the effects are the most important part of the device. I'll be using them very heavily to shape the sound of drones and loops live.

One last thing, how different is the sound quality of each and how much will that affect the sound for my purposes? I'm not as worried about pristine audio quality as I would be if I was using it for beats or normal songs since I'm really just planning to use it to play layered ambient/experimental/drone music live without a computer but if one has sound quality more suitable for this type of music than the other that would be important to know too, though to a much lesser degree than the difference in effect intensity/variance.

Thanks in advance for any and all info!

[cameospirit]

can I have 12 loops going at the same time?

the number of pads that you can play at once (polyphony) is dependent on whether the samples are mono or stereo, and if you are resampling onto another pad at the time.

the og 404 can do 12-voice polyphonic playback. mono samples take up just one voice, you can play 12 at once. any sample in stereo will take up two voices, so each stereo sample you include will reduce the overall number of pads you are able to play at once (ie. 6 stereo samples will take up all 12 voices).

if you are resampling, the max number of voices is reduced to 4. so max 4 mono samples/2 stereo samples.

i think the 404sx has the same number of voices.

[nationalsound]

Thanks a lot cameospirit! That's super helpful, at this point I'm really leaning towards the 404sx, I just want to know exactly how big a difference the intensity/extreme-ness of the effects is on one vs the other. If it's not a huge difference then I'm definitely going with the sx just for the ease of use that comes with using SD cards and the ease of getting one quickly and in brand new condition for just a little bit more.

[cameospirit]

the older units are generally regarded as having dirtier sound overall, but you'll be able to do plenty of ambient sample mangling with a 404sx dont sweat it.

[nationalsound]

Thanks guys, after careful consideration (and trying out my friend's SX) I decided to go with the SX since the effects seem powerful enough as it is and I got it new rather than having to buy a used OG 404 that might need repairs sooner, and, most importantly for me, I can use SD cards instead of outdated CF cards that would require an adapter (my computer has a built-in SD card port as most modern computers do).

AND... I LOVE IT!!

Already set up 2 sets and I'm working on a third, I'm going to be performing live with my friend using 12 loops each so we'll finally be able to perform our ambient stuff live! I'll probably end up posting a video or audio from one of our performances at some point and I can link to it if anyone is interested in checking them out.

Anyway, glad to be here on the forums and part of the SP ̶c̶u̶l̶t̶ community!!