Which sp has the better sound?

[K.loor]

Hi.
Which sp in your opinion has the better sound and why? Included the new mk2.

[TGN]

Search here in the forum, i think this topic is well discussed, not mentioning the mk2 of course.

I think the best sounding devices are the ones that were produced before 404 SX/A/mk2. This is because of the real lofi sampling capabilities. You can decide if you want to sample with lower kHz via the lofi-button (on og404 this is 22kHZ).

On SX/A/mk2 you only got an effect, pretending to be lofi.
Anybody please correct me, if i am wrong.

the pitch on 202 and 808 shall be really good, i read

[scopebeats]

for me the clear winner is the SP303.

(i had all the SPs and got the new one too)

hard to argue why... i just like the sound of the whole machine. the beats i did on the 303 sound more pleasing to my ears than what i did on the other SPs.

[Danswift]

Personal preference

1
SP-808 OG & EX

2.
SP-404 OG

3.
SP-303

Out of the SP's I've used I like the sound generated by the 808 most.. there's a warmth to the big brother of them all that the others simply can't match...as much as I love the OG 404 it can't do half of what the 808 does.

And while the 404's got the hallowed Vinyl Sim like the 303 they're both limited in other ways .Also,if you know how to you can achieve that very same effect with the 808 by combining certain algorithms.

What the 404 & 303 do have is a real quickness of use,they're very hands on, have a cool workflow, sound dope of course and are portable...the 303 has this 'sonic glue' (for want of a better expression) that makes drums especially sound dope AF ..the kind of crunch you'd get using an Akai S-950 which is a good reason as any to want to own one ,or was until the prices went through the fucking roof .

But for me those samplers are in a lower class to the 808 when it comes down to things like micro editing, pitching and chopping up samples, the FX and other functions on the 808 win that battle easily .

Obviously one of the drawbacks to the 808 is it uses Zip Drives which can be problematic for some ppl...I'm upgrading to a CF card reader some point soon on the EX for this exact reason and for ease of use ,I also have another OG 808 that's in need of some minor attention and hopefully it'll be up and running again shortly.

So I'd take the 808 over any of the other SPs hands down,no question.

The new MK 2 looks like a fine machine and I can totally understand the hype and the GAS folks are having for the sampler but it doesn't actually interest me at all tbh..I'd rather shell out a little more for the MPC X which I've been seriously contemplating pulling the trigger on for a while now.

[MattCoops]

By a landslide, the 303 got the best sound.
But, you can fake it with the 5 for less than half the price off eBay.

If you want a super Lofi sound, and are on a budget, go with the Yamaha su-10.

Them pocket operators sound fresh too and you can score on the low and find em pretty easy.


The 303 got blown up in popularity cus of Madlib. It's a dope machine. But no need to put it on a pedestal.

It's not what you use, but how you use it

It's kind of like how cats dig for samples. Do you really want to hear regurgitation from the same breaks from countless beatmakers? No. People want originality.

[K.loor]

Before one month, i got a 505 and to be honest, the similarity with 303, as I read in some forums, was the reason i chose it. Ok, and the low budget. I was between the 505, mpc one and 404 mk2.
I have a po 33. Is good, but due to auto quantize it's sounds very robotic to me.
In my opinion 505 has warm sound, warmest than the 404og, that one of my friends has. Also has a good workflow.
But except from the 505 and the 404og, I have not heard anyone else of the SP's, to be able to compare.

[Ill Green]

I had them all, the best for me is the SP606. Its quieter than the 303/505, AND its converters were designed and created by Roland Japan. Its not wav or Mp3, its Roland's own RDAC sound.

However, the MKII is almost pure silent. But nothing like the 606's distinct sound.

[K.loor]

I had them all, the best for me is the SP606. Its quieter than the 303/505, AND its converters were designed and created by Roland Japan. Its not wav or Mp3, its Roland's own RDAC sound.

However, the MKII is almost pure silent. But nothing like the 606's distinct sound.

And who has designed and has created the converters for the others SPs?

[Ill Green]

The late Ikutaro Kakehashi. He the man that oversaw all production of Roland samplers. What he says, goes into the SPs.

In fact, he loved samplers. Saw it as an instrument. Thats why Roland has more samplers in their legacy than Akai and Korg put together. He died in 2017 at 87 yrs old. Roland has been in a rut since, but with the new groove boxes and the MKII, they returning back to the roots, though slowly.

[zindan]

sp202 sounds the best
sp303 has the best sounding FX