i know the legendary status of the 303, but besides the vinyl sim compression, what makes it worth so much...besides the nostalgic factor? i'm in the market to buy a 404sx, and 303 costs nearly as much as a barely used 404sx. just wondering what i'm missing...cause on paper the 404sx has so many more features. I've heard people say the 303 the sounds better...are they referring to the sound of the fx or the audio converters?

thanks ya'll!

i think it might just be up cause of the sx, i got my 303 about a half a year ago or somethin like that, maybe more, and i found one for 150 after lookin for just a few short days, or maybe you haven't looked as much, but either way, if your goin for a stand alone sampler and your not tryin to do some straight raw hip hop beats then get the sx, or a plain old 404 if you can find one, the vinyl sim is totally worth it in my opinion, from what i hear the new one isn't the same, and the vinyl sim on the 404 is all i use when i comes to recording out, as i think alot of people on here that use a 404 do, plus the pad space, sequencing capabilities, and processing speed are just so much more useful compared to the 303

404sx is way better than the 303. If anyone in the Bay wants to trade a 404sx for my perfect 303 just PM me.

cool. that's pretty much what i figured.

303:
pros
-isn't ribbed for her pleasure
-more sensitive pads
-classic vinyl sim
-"long" sample setting in between regular and lo-fi
-can resample internal and external stuff at the same time

cons
-smart media
-slower processor
-fewer pads and banks
-fewer efx
-no batteries

I had a 404 and didn't get along with it too well(it may have been cursed since I bought it from pauly d of jersey shore "fame"). so when a used 303 poped up for cheap I snagged it and I get along with it real well. I am pretty tempted by the 404sx though the only things that I'm not 100% sure about with the 404sx are the pad sensitivity and the ability to resample both internal and external ie get a good resampled pattern going on in SP and then resample it again with some synth noodling or something on top.

between the two I would only go for the 303 if you find one for under $150 with a smart media card...

i am sorry it didnt work out for you, but that is awesome

8voices vs. 12voices

get a 606...

I mean...

who the shit is pauly d?

I got an sp-303 and a sp-404 and can't choose wich one i like the most.they are both great machines though!

yep, 8 vs. 12 voices is a nice imporovement.

i read through the SX manual last night--the ability to copy and exchange patterns and samples, resample to pad, and to actually be able to save whole songs/compositions by way of "backup data save" has me sold! these features aren't available on the standard 404 are they? on paper the SX looks to be perfect for me...my only complaint would be the inability to pan per sample. i know there are work arounds, but that seems like very very basic function....and it would save a huge amount of steps in the music making process.