Quick question before I buy the SP-555...

3c_tee · Post by **3c_tee** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:06 am

i produce beats and i am currently working with logic/reason with a midi keyboard.

im looking to pick up a sampler so im debating between the sp-555 and the mpc 500. i played with the sp today and i was amazed by the effects and the simplicity of it. i was leaning towards the mpc (portability and sequencer) until now.

my question is: now i know the sp is a loop based machine and features a single track sequencer (from what i've read), but is it possible to construct a loop from the pads and record this loop as separate audio tracks in my DAW (being logic) like how you can do so with an mpc (by muting certain tracks or whatever)? its a very simple question but i can't seem to find my answer in these forums...

i know this may be stupid but i am relatively new to samplers and this seems to be my deciding factor in my purchase. ultimately this is for production use and i want to be able to have a separate audio track for my sequencer in logic (i know mpc is better for production but i can't ignore how nice the effects are on the 555)

Any comments or tips? thanks

schopper · Post by **schopper** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:17 am

hey!

i am not quite sure how this muting thing is working with the mpc, got mine just a couple of days ago. but for the sp555 you can erase parts from pattern that you have done.

3c_tee · Post by **3c_tee** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:20 am

if i erase the patterns then they will be lost in the loop? how do i record the loop as separate audio pattern tracks without destructing the loop itself?

thanks

drewzle · Post by **drewzle** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:47 am

to do that, you would use an effect like Isolator or BPM Looper on the pads you don't wish to hear
then turn the effect knobs to silence those pads
then record out
repeat with diff mutes as needed and then you've got your loop in separate tracks

shmedy · Post by **shmedy** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:09 pm

with the 555 you can copy patterns so you can record your drums or whatever onto one pattern, copy it to another pad, then add bass or whatever to the second pattern. then you could erase your drums from that pattern and have one pattern just drums and one pattern just bass.
but the patterns only play one at a time so you would have to record(on your computer or whatever you record with) one at a time this way. hope this helps.

the way i deal without a multi track sequencer is i just adjust the volume of samples on the pads of the 555 until everything sounds good, then i record all onto one track(in cool edit).

3c_tee · Post by **3c_tee** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 6:56 pm

ahh thanks...

so from my understanding the tedious way of doing it would be to say copy a pattern loop onto all the pads, and delete all the patterns you want for a particular pad to achieve that soloing effect without destructing the original loop...

is that correct?

thanks again

shmedy · Post by **shmedy** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:50 pm

well its kinda hard to explain since you havent used one yet. im not talking about using the loop capture at all. there is two modes on the sp-555. sampling mode and pattern mode. now in sampling mode you can record a sound (sample) onto pads 1-16 on banks B-J. (bank A is stock sounds only.)
now in pattern mode each one of those pads (1-16) can be used to record a pattern. you set up the bpm and how many bars and all that. and you play the samples off the pads and it records it to your pattern.

so lets say your in pattern mode and you record a pattern to pad 1 in bank c. (or whatever) then you can copy that pattern to pad 2 or 3 or 4 or whichever. then you can go back and edit each pattern individually adding or subtracting sounds. (samples, hits, intruments.)

hope i make some sense.

3c_tee · Post by **3c_tee** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 12:09 am

yeah i got you... i just needed to know that it can be done, thanks for the explanation, much appreciated...

i'm going to get one on ebay today... can't wait for it to arrive