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 Post subject: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 11:28 pm 
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My new SP-404 (A) arrived today and for some reason, it scrolls "SP-404 SX" across the display when switched on. Is that Normal for the (A) model?

I know it's based on the (SX), but there are differences in the firmware due to an upgraded "Aira-Friendly" MIDI spec or something. Do the (A) owners here get "SX" or "A" shown on their screens?


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:25 am 
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Man it's quiet in here ... Yo! ... any (A)-using homies out there?

It has me wondering if they stuck the wrong chip in it at the factory or something. Like maybe someone on the Roland assembly line had smoked themselves into semi-coma just prior to assembling it or something! I was gonna flash it with (A) version firmware, but I'm worried it might brick it cause it's a bad idea flashing the firmware of one model into another.

Physically it's an (A), but its power on sequence suggests it's an (SX) and I don't know if I need to return it ir not :?


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 8:38 am 
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Let me guess ... the Coronavirus has killed all SP-404A owners, right?

Little did the poor 404 homies realise, that what appeared to be an attack of the respiratory system, was actually purpose-engineered in China to rid the world of Hip-Hop producers!

Silly me, and there was I thinking it was a (plan)demic :lol: :mrgreen:


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 7:54 pm 
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Did your machine have the Loopmaster samples pre-loaded?

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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 4:47 am 
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Kind of feel like you are looking for a cuddle buddy at this point for your constant request for assurance that you own a 404A. When this has been answered years ago.

The 404A has been out for years and it is more than common knowledge that the 404 is nothing more than the 404sx with a new shell and buttons. nothing in the firmware has changed. If you check your firmware it should be 1.07 or 1.08 which is the same as the SX.

The whole aria TR-8 promote for the new aria 404a is b/s. The firmware update to work with the "new" 404A has nothing to do with the 404a or 404sx, the update was for the TR-8.

Unlike you I challenge the mofo to actually post a scrolling screen that says 404A, cause it does not exist.

https://www.elektronauts.com/t/roland-sp404a/43183/21

and here's your hugs and cuddles.

Grrrrrrrrrrr. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

If you want the screen to match the unit let me know and I will trade you my SX cause I think the black and green looks badass.

This is a Phrase Sampler, not a production unit. As mentioned above, get a MPC500 if you want a full unit in a compact package, if not respect the 404 for what it is!!


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 8:00 am 
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FeelinDank, LoopMaster samples came on the card they had pre-installed. Since the 404 is a Roland product I would much rather have had something from the vast library of Roland sounds on there, and would have preferred an SX anyway, but hey ...

Which brings me to Crane and his reply ...

If by "Cuddles" you mean the comfort of knowing I've no chance of brickimg my device, then yeah, damn right! You could have posted that long ago, but didn't. Because of that, I have deducted the Homie Point I awarded you for your previous input. You might not realise you were awarded a Homie Point, but you were, but now you've lost it again and are back to zero!

Sure, the first place I thought of looking was an Elektron forum!

Worked out well in the end though, you actually did me a favour. They confirmed a collection date just hours after my previous post, so I'm glad I was still in the position to get them to collect this lemming of a device.

Just goes to show that Japanese corporations have become every bit as dishonest and misleading as American corporations. I happen to have deep respect for the Japanese and their culture, and it is dishonest bullshit like this that unfairly tarnishes their reputation. I honestly thought it had an updated MIDI spec designed to make working with their 'AIRA' products easier.

It is never the fault of a customer if they were mislead.

Here's an idea for a T-shirt: On the front, a picture of a lemming followed by an equals sign followed by a 404. On the reverse, a 404 followed by an equals sign followed by a lemming.

If anyone want's to roll with that idea, be my guest. Just be careful not to add the Roland logo, cause I doubt the corporate bullshitting anus that thought-up the scheme will be too pleased about people being made aware of the bullshit and general lemming status the 404 has.

What's that you say, homies, but the 404 doesn't have a lemming status???

It does now, and I would love for some corporate anus from Roland to read my posts. Over two weeks of my life completely fucking wasted be because of these twisted, dishonest bastards.

THE 404 - by SP-USER

So I got me a 404
Lent it to ma hoe
She say you gotta be kidding
Dis thing aint a singin
Is more like a lemming Yo!


Last edited by SP-USER on Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:11 am 
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SP-USER wrote:
Which brings me to Crane and his reply ...

If by "Cuddles" you mean the comfort of knowing I've no chance of brickimg my device, then yeah, damn right! You could have posted that long ago, but didn't. Because of that, I have deducted the Homie Point I awarded you for your previous input. You might not realise you were awarded a Homie Point, but you were, but now you've lost it again and are back to zero!

Sure, the first place I thought of looking was an Elektron forum!


You Think I need your "homie points"? You honestly think that I give that much of a f*ck about you? I answered your question "homie" cause you kept asking and no one else did. I'm not the dumb mutha that bought a 404A thinking I was buying some great sampler. The shit has been out for ages, a simple google search would of answered all your questions! I have owned a shit loads of these samplers and know what they are capable of. I've said many times for what you want buy an MPC.

SP404's are phrase samplers that fools take to the limits and make great shit. These are people that like limitations and stretch them to the boundaries. You are not one of those people. So again buy an MPC. It will allow you to easily do what you want.

You didn't have to search the electron forum. Just typing in your initial question of 404A firmware would of taken you there. Homie.

Here's your homie point fool, bend the f*ck over cause Roland just screwed another dumb mutha f*cka.


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:26 am 
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Just to tack on a little more.

You complained about this sampler prior to even buying it. So why did you?

Also have you heard of Pioneer? Japanese companies don't give a shit about complaints or "homie" points. You want a sp404 on some fucking steroids' buy the f*cking Pioneer sp-16. Which like the 404 got left half done (in the consumers eyes).

Nobody has been misleading. A product was pushed out, yes it could of been expanded upon, but you bought what was offered, so to complain is unjustified.

Again, you bought a DJ Phrase Sampler, yet expected a handheld workstation. Nobody did you wrong.

Homie.


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:33 am 
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Right, just for that I'm deducting another Homie Point which now puts you at -1HP

Dude, I was only joking 'bout the Homie Points. It was just my way of thanking you for not telling me in the first place! I do realise that something like 90% of the population these days seem to suffer from social media-induced mental illness, but I ain't one of them. I asked BECAUSE I needed to know, and searching about it yielded no result for me!

As for Roland, lol, I could go into hours worth of literature on why being a Linear Phrase Sampler does not excuse the 404 for having some of the limitations it has. Yes, I purchased it knowing about some of the limitations and I am solely to blame for that. I am not, however, responsible for the misleading bullshit the corporate anuses at Roland have pulled in promoting the SP-404A as some sort of AIRA-Friendly update.

An updated MIDI spec (which I was lead to believe it has) suggested to me that the firmware must therefore be different in some way, and if so, it should surely be reflected in the start-up sequence it displayed. And since mine still displayed "SX" I was worried I might brick it if further down the line I needed to flash it. Rolard are lazy, irresponsible bastards for not even taking the time to update the text on the fucking boot-up sequence.

How the fuck is a customer supposed to know that the "NEW" model is EXACTLY the fucking same as the old one? Do these corporate anuses actually think that people are dumb enough to try loading the firmware of one model into another?

Obviously they do, but again, I'm not dumb enough to do so. I wasn' aware it was meant to have exactly the same firmware. What they are doing is likely illegal since they are passing-off an old model as a new one. You need to remember that the "SX" has been released under a whole bunch of fucking "paint jobs" and not once was the name of the product changed, it always retained the "SX". So basically then, if the firmware and hardware are identical, that means they are illegally passing-off the "A" as a new product.

Give me a break, Crane, stop acting the shill. They're irresponsible, bone fucking idle, and incredibly misleading. It might not bother you, but as a first-time purchaser, I didn't even want the fucking 'A'. No, I wanted the 'SX' since it actually comes with a Roland sample set, not samples from a third party!

Think very carefully about what I just wrote right there, and you will realise that what the corporate anuses at Roland are doing is actually bang out of order! Why do all those special edition colours of the SX they released get to remain being called an "SX", but the "A" is somehow a new model? In what way is it different if it is just a paint job like the previous SX limited editions were?

Look on the bright side, you might be at -1HP right now, but Roland are way behind you at -100HP for that triple"A"pile of marketing bullshit they just pulled right there!

But you're right, Homie, the 404 is what it is ...

It's a lemming, and had it not been for the wow and flutter simulation I'm guessing barely any Hip-Hop producer would have touched it with a barge-pole!


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 5:37 pm 
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SP-USER wrote:
Do these corporate anuses actually think that people are dumb enough to try loading the firmware of one model into another?


That is the first thing I tried to do when the 404A came out, but loading the 404A factory settings on the SX just loads the Loopmasters sound pack.

Trust me I'm with you 100% that the machine should be able to do simple things like pan a sample. But it is what it is, a very basic phrase sampler that has a cult following. I think it's fun to jump into one of the battles and only use the resample or an sp to try and make a beat, but would I use it solely for one of my own projects, hell no, why find work arounds when there are other units that do so much more. Hence why I keep suggesting the 500, it does everything you want and is portable.

The original SX sounds can be found here, which you can load on your machine.
https://www.roland.com/us/support/by_pr ... 575e21c59/

The 404 loopmasters kit can be found here.
https://www.roland.com/us/support/by_pr ... c54c4b4f9/

I don't know what shill means so I'll let that one slide. +5 homie points for me.


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 7:15 pm 
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I have a feeling you would've at least heard that "the A is just the SX with a paint job" when researching the SP series. And a pretty big hint lies there too, that everything wrong with the 404SX is probably what you're finding in the A, so no point suggesting you'd have preferred an SX... I think as a whole it just wont be for you(?) but its cool that you tried :) . Anyways, plenty of great alternatives have been named, get that refund n start exploring what works best 8)


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:11 am 
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Dear Crane, it is not permitted for a Homie to award oneself their own HPs!

The golden rule of Homie Points is that any Homie can award any other Homie any amount of Homie Points (up to a maximum of 10HPs at a time) as a way of showing gratitude. Any Homie can also deduct a maximum of 10HPs at a time from any other Homie, if they feel they have a valid reason to do so.

Roland only managed to land themselves at -100HPs cause the 404 is evil :twisted:

But since you came good in the end I shall forgive you leaving me waiting, and award you those HPs. Bear in mind though, you are now at 4HPs cause you was already -1Hp when you was awarded the other five.

Just sayin ... so don't go thinking you've got 5HP's!

Thanks for the links, it's good to know, although the samples are irrelevant to me. I just meant that being a Roland product I would prefer Roland samples to come with it. Why the fuck would I want a LoopMasters logo and samples on a Roland product?

Weird marketing that is, unless maybe Roland plan to buy-out LoopMasters.

Jaytreaze, I didn't take the complaints literally. I thought people were trashing it because other than an updated MIDI spec, it's nothing more than a paint job. I still believed (at the time) there were differences in it though. I even saw other homies telling others that it's nothing more than a MIDI upgrade, so again, this had me convinced that the firmware MUST be different.

I mean you expect that, don't you, for them to release a new product that is exactly the fucking same as the old one! But as we all now know (even me), they should never have called it an "A", it is not an "A" it is still an "SX", so much so that the boot-up sequence says so.

See I'm guessing that Roland would try to escape amy allegation of wrong-doing by suggesting that the "A" simply referres to the "AIRA" paint job. Such nonsense could be proven to be nonsense by pointing out that none of the previous paint jobs were cause to rename the model, they were always called "SX" because that's what they were, just like the "A" is.

I'm tellin ya homie, it's just Roland marketing BS. If they plan to milk it any more they'll likely need to tool-up with cow-sucking dairy equipment at the Roland factory.

And when you think of the outrageous shortcomings the 404 has, you would think they would at least fix those with a firmware update before having the nerve to market it as an updated product. Like I said in another thread, it's about time these nasty corporate anuses showered the 404 homies with some Novation-Style love and fixed the 404's shortcomings with a firmware update it has needed since the OG was released.

The fact it has reached not one, but THREE iterations now and these nasty bastards still have not fixed it, is absolutely fucking MIND-BLOWING!

I'm just seriously pissd off, that's all. I understand why people love the 404, I love it for the exact same reasons they do, and I get why Crane and I'm guessing a lot of you like to join in those 404 battles. I totally get it.

Still no excuse though, Roland are a disgrace. And while the MC-101 is at this moment in time the strongest candidate for me to replace it with, there's part of me hates the idea, simply because of the way Roland are treating their customers. What makes it extra unacceptable is that they use "404 Day" to promote a "Legendary Sampler" that has only become legendary due to the legends that use it. You'd think that alone would give them reason to share the love now and then, but no, the UPDATABLE firmware fitted to EVERY 404 ever made is still as NEEDLESSLY fucked-up as it was when the OG was released.

Then they go ahead and milk it even more :shock:

Such behaviour shows ABSOLUTE contempt for the customer/user.


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:47 pm 
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*Cue Funeral March Music*

We are gathered here today, to mourn the passing of ownership of a 404, collected today by Parcelforce, now making her journey back to the retailer where she will, once again, lure some poor unexpecting soul into the abyss.

Gone but impossible to forget, the 404 :(


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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Tue Oct 27, 2020 9:54 pm 
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I agree with you SP-USER. Roland is far from being the only (recently) grimy corporation of doing these half-baked redos. Elektron is guilty with their "change to dark greys and blacks + 2 buttons" redo's of the Analog Rytm and stuff. I'd argue that big players like Gibson and Fender play this game too (though guitars are definitely more unique when you change enough parts for different parts).

404 has been overdone IMO anyways. Stick with more off the wall SP's like 202,303, 505, 808, 555, MV8800, etc etc or move to other companies like Synthstrom, Elektron, or Pioneer's latest offerings. Or Akai if your into that stuff.

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 Post subject: Re: Question for (A) Version Users
PostPosted: Sat Feb 20, 2021 1:18 pm 
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I wouldn't know about the Elektron products to be honest, and would never buy one of their over-priced products anyway. Not because of the price, but rather the bare-faced ignorance of the company. Sent them some very serious emails once regarding legal matters related to activities on their forum, and they completely ignored both!

I'm guessing they think it's something they can ignore and it will just go away. It won't, and believe me, the ignorant bastards won't be ignoring my solicitor in a hurry :lol: :lol: :lol:

To be honest, I think the amount of times I see people enthuse about their products only to dump them shortly afterwards, is testament to how good they are at sucking people in and failing to deliver. I've never owned an Elektron product (thankfully), but have studied their capabilities extremely well and have oserved the general opinion of the (ex)-users of them. I've come to the conclusion that they are one-trick ponies designed to get you to buy their other matching one-trick ponies so that eventually you end up with a whole bunch of 'Elektron' one-trick ponies that together cost a fortune, yet between them all, still manage to have less production capability than a single, far more capable Roland MC-101 has.

But I digress, 'nuff about Elektron, fuck Elektron :lol:

Believe it or not, I've not replaced the 404 with anything yet, and I saw that new 'Circuit Rhythm' from Novation recently, which apparently, is a sampler and even has "Vinyl Simulation", so it kinda sounds as if they're looking to eat into the 404's part of the market (and I sincerely wish Novation the very best of luck if that is the case).

I said myself on this forum that if the 404 didn't have a Vinyl Sumulator, most Hip-Hop producers would not touch it with a barge-pole. And I'm guessing that through Novation chosing to make "Vinyl Simulation" a notable marketing point during the early information they have provided about it, Novation must be aware of this as well.

So damn, now I'm waiting again cause I want to see what's what with the 'Circuit Rhythm' before I decide whether to lay the cash down on that, or something else. I like Novation, and really hope they don't fuck it up with some dumb limitation like unrealisticly limited sampling times or whatever. The Circuit Rhythm will fly off' the shelves if it has massive (or unlimited via SD like the 404 has) sampling times, and the samples can be played chromatically and polyphonically.

Anyway, FeelinDank (and whoever else reads this), I hope all is going well with your own music projects and gear aquisitions 8)


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