2 x 404 = 24 pads 'n voices

wax inspektor · Post by **wax inspektor** » Mon May 19, 2008 2:06 pm

Yo fellaz long time no see

Guess what?! I made a decision. I'm gonna sell my 1k so there is bit money left. It was pretty easy decision, cause I didn't used it that much but now there is gap. You know I LOVE my 404 and the whole workaround but you know it has it's limits. (surely it depends on what you do...) I need more tracks in my tracks, I mean layers or whatever and so I thought I would be coo with 24 Pads, 20 Banks and 24 voices I mean 2x 404's. A 3month used 404 costs nearly nothing by now in germany and that's where I see my chance... But I have 2 lil questions which are pretty important for me:

One thing is the CF workaround. Would it be possible to export samples on a CF at machine A and import them from the same CF in machine B?
(please god let this be possible...!!!) Would it work with backed up patterns, too?

The midi-sync thang: Can I sync the 404's perfectly without using midi, just by choosing the same bpm, or are there sleightly differences? I mean it has to sync perfectly for minutes... What kind of gear would I need to sync both machine by midi at the same time? Is there a cheap midi device that can do that?

btw. when stars voting for #19?

(Are there some other topics about rocking 2 machines?)

jbl · Post by **jbl** » Mon May 19, 2008 2:25 pm

i would say yes and no!
the 404 is not a kgb machine so i doubt that it would be so sensitive to not let you use a card in any ol' sp-404. so yes i would guess that back-up patterns/samples can be thrown up into any 404. however they will NOT sync without some sort of mtc going into both of 'em, i mean mine loses time on it's own samples/patterns. what gear do you have? i would bet you got something that would send mtc. use your pc and get something/anything that will link that to your two? SP-404s.

niq names · Post by **niq names** » Mon May 19, 2008 2:35 pm

i can only answer so much cuz i havent gotten one yet but ive been researching it ... alot. it only has midi IN so midi hook up unless u have another sequencer wit midi out it'd be pretty hard. bpm snyc works but it would depend on what u have to record too: software wouold visually be easier being that u can see start and end points. and since you'd be tracking em out it should yeld better results. too bad theres no usb port cuz then midi snyc would be available.

my theroy on the cf cards is that once u have it formatted to one 404 it should be possible to transfer one sample to another either by way of computer or popping the card with the sample into the other and importing it into the bank of the onboard memory

wax inspektor · Post by **wax inspektor** » Mon May 19, 2008 2:43 pm

no kgb machine?!

sad but obvious... I guess I could deal with copying samples from one card to another (where are the backed up patterns stord?) on the computer but I won't like to it use the pc for sync cause it's so god damn LOUD... (wooshshshrrrrrtacktackatck) ya heard me? so this thing needs be putted off!!!
I've a microkorg which has midi in /out and midi-through. Maybe it's possible to use the mk for midi clock and split the signal? are there midi-adapters for that? (Maybe my incoming soundbite micro is that good, to sync both machines..(hopefully))

Come on tell me it's a good thought to have two machines, (I'm already bidding on one...)

drewzle · Post by **drewzle** » Mon May 19, 2008 2:48 pm

Wax Inspektor wrote: Come on tell me it's a good thought to have two machines,

it definitely is!!
you could route one 404 through the other too, so then you can stack effects for Resampling!
i think it's a great idea man, both for production and perfomance (maybe use a dj mixer between them for cutting between signals
you can get MIDI splitters, so i think feasibly you could have your microKorg sending MTC to both 404s

wax inspektor · Post by **wax inspektor** » Mon May 19, 2008 2:49 pm

niq names wrote:my theroy on the cf cards is that once u have it formatted to one 404 it should be possible to transfer one sample to another ... by .... popping the card with the sample into the other and importing it into the bank of the onboard memory

Can anybody agree with that? Anybody tried this before?

I hope I understood it the right way...
Exporting samples on machine one, pull the card out. Put it into the second machine, import, fine?! Right?! Can anyone try that please?!

niq names · Post by **niq names** » Mon May 19, 2008 2:54 pm

i can agree!!!! with a splitter it should work just fine. im gonna be jealous tho... cuz i have to wait till fathers day to get what you guys are already enjoying!!!AHHHHHHHH

wax inspektor · Post by **wax inspektor** » Mon May 19, 2008 3:00 pm

Allright the sync thang is cleared... Thanx Drew... I've found a cheap midisplitter

Good that I've found it at thomann cause, I'll need a new faceplate, too and they don't ship under 25€...

Last thing would be the CF quest...

Huph · Post by **Huph** » Tue May 20, 2008 6:31 pm

Wax Inspektor wrote:
Can anybody agree with that? Anybody tried this before?

I hope I understood it the right way...
Exporting samples on machine one, pull the card out. Put it into the second machine, import, fine?! Right?! Can anyone try that please?!

I'm not sure if I follow exactly, but I'll point out that the 404 doesn't load the memory card onto it's banks. It reads the memory card actively, so you must have a memory card in the 404 to access banks C through J.

You *can* however load samples to banks A and B, those are the 404's internal memory. Sadly, though, they are somewhat small and can't hold a lot of audio.

blast1 · Post by **blast1** » Tue May 20, 2008 6:41 pm

i like the 2 404's & the dj mixer in between idea, but that's just me though..

Euclid Ov Oåklånd · Post by **Euclid Ov Oåklånd** » Tue May 20, 2008 9:15 pm

I would go with a 303 and 404 with a dope digital mixer in the middle for some space age mixes.

Huph · Post by **Huph** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:34 pm

^^^ Best of both worlds, baby!

And it would sound stellar. Want to add a little crunch or grit to a sample? Simply pass it through the 303, the converters alone will dirty the sound up in a way that a lot of people find pleasing nowadays.

mostblunted · Post by **mostblunted** » Wed May 21, 2008 8:52 pm

Huph wrote:^^^ Best of both worlds, baby!

And it would sound stellar. Want to add a little crunch or grit to a sample? Simply pass it through the 303, the converters alone will dirty the sound up in a way that a lot of people find pleasing nowadays.

The 303 sounds like the 404. It doesn't add anything to the sound, just like the 404.

Euclid Ov Oåklånd · Post by **Euclid Ov Oåklånd** » Thu May 22, 2008 6:09 am

But they have some different effects and play differently as well.

wax inspektor · Post by **wax inspektor** » Thu May 22, 2008 9:09 am

hmmm... a 303? That's what I was thinking about for a moment, too but I'm not sure if they match together as well as 2x 404's. I mean cause of the smartmedia-shit (pretty expensive cards aren't they?). Has the 303 midi-in, too? Which FX are missing compared to the 404? (I know already that subsonic isn't available.../ no triplets in the sequencer?!) but the baddest thing is that there are only 8 pads and 4 banks...
Although it's more limited than a 404 I'm really interested in e 303 anyway
cause it's a really cool-looking-classic machine, which might be rare and expensive in a few years... and it's 2 lofi - rec.modes. If I just could try one...

Has the 303 VinylSim and is it the same as on the 404?