hi
that's what happened to me today. i don't use sp-404 very much but today i was in a record shop to listed to some vinyl and after few listen the sp-404 were off. i put it on and the "SP-404" written stay ther without go away. when i put out the CF card everything were ok. but when i put the card again in it was the same thing as before. all the sample in the card went away...s**t...
what really happened?
the card is broken?
peace

yup, it sounds like the card is fucked. I use those cards for messing around and have fun on the sp, not for a project. I write "DEFECT" on those cards knowing the info saved on it can be lost at any time.

I'm just curious and have to ask this ellaguru. If you're in a record shop listening to records, what do need your 404 for? I'm just using a turntable and headphones you know

getting samples off the records without taking them home?

That's right Tim

As if sampling in it's self wouldn't be stealing enough I'll take my stolen 404 and break in to a record store at night and sample the shit out of the wax before the police gets there. Then I make beats and upload them to Piratebay.

ahahah
i was there with the sp-404 to listen to records with because i have my own turntable , the sony ps-j20, wich it has only rca outputs and in this shop they don't have turntable to make you llisten to...it is just a general shop wich sell everything used and also records...
anyway i will try to steal as samples as possible the next time to post after in the sp-forum boys!!

seriuos, wtf happened to the sp-404? i don't use it often, the card is (was?) new and now when i try to sample without card it is written PRT wich , i think from what i remember from sp-303, Protected or something...
...how could this thing happened? how to try to format (or watever) the card? how to make this thing don't happen again in the future? i repeat, the card worked right, until today...

peace

i put the card in my card reader and it reads it normally...when i put it inside sp-404 is the same problem as before.
maybe there is an upgrade in roland site i ignore?
peace

ps
how to make disappear the "PRT"?

just gotta get a new card man, that shit is always gonna cause problems, ditch it and find a new one

so this s**t happens very often?
anyway i tried to format it with sp-404 but with no success, i will try with the card reader...

yes, i think when you format it in your card reader the card will work again if not the card is broke i think.

That thing about taking samples from the record shop and post it on the forum would be nice :p

ahah ... maybe the god of copyright has discover me and punish me this way by advertising me like this

all just steal beats that i didnt make and put them up on myspace and call them mine lolz


JOKE

ok
i formatted the card with the card reader and the sp-404 not even turned on. So i formatted the card with my mpc 1000 black, the card was succesfully formatted, and the sp-404 accepted this card to be formatted by itself. the problem is that after i tried to sample things on the memory card 1)The sample disappeared after turn on again the sp-404 2)They were badly recorded (not in stereo, half recorded etc). i will try to use this card with the mpc 1000 to see if it really works and i will use another card with the sp-404 to see if it got problems or not.
the card is a Kingston 1gb compact flash.

Try avoiding formatting a flash card with windows...there is a utility from HP which is perfect for formatting flash cards:
http://www.eocfiles.com/bdc86eb1ed2989c30dcd1902e84939ae/bootdisks/SP27608.exe

it might help...