To me, this is the biggest challenge of the SP-404 (Constructing a full song). It seems like this varies wildly from user to user. Some resample performances and make loops that they tap out and others have mastered the pattern sequencer. Some just trigger all the samples live with no sequencing.

I do my sequencing on a laptop bouncing back and forth to the SP and am jealous of those that can stay completely "in the box" on the SP in regard to sequencing. I'm also most impressed with those that sequence with lots of sample chops (less loops). I'm also impressed with some of the drum sequencing I've heard from a lot of folks on this forum. I want to be able to shut my laptop down and use nothing but my SP-404, but Im not there yet.

How do you do it? Any advice or tips/personal stories? Any nuggets of gold you can share with a n00b? -(and dont say "read the manual" I recite that thing before I go to bed.)

I haven't touched the pattern seq. on the 404 in a very long time. I usually build everything with the 404, resampling, my hands and a metronome. I don't know why but this seems to be the best stratagy for me.

Practice, I resample all chops onto one pad and record that live, to the one pad. Then add high hats by resampling on another pad live. Then resample that pad with the chops and hh to another pad and add kicks and snares. dont be scared. after you have your final pad with all of the perc, resample that and eq/compress add efects.

Trust me your hands have swing inside them you dont need the sequencer or quantize, it will just piss you off, this way you can be mad creative without the grid holding you back.

Yeah, resample is annoying to begin with, just gotta keep at it..

ive never really fucked with the way just jeff was sayin, i use the sequencer. . .alota ppl dont like it but it grows on you. . .udont have to put an entire beat on one pattern. . .(i did this once when i first got my sp and gadamn it took forever) they switch into each other seamlessly. i usually do 2 bar patterns and just have multiple of em. . .choose to use quantize or not and build a beat homie!

then how do u track it out for the mix? or do u not? lol

How exactly does that work? It sounds effective, but I don't quite get it... new to the 404... You resample all your samples onto one pad?

all resample and live recording. practice practice and a shit load of microwave beats. my favourite way to work, and in my opinion, the most fun.

microwave beats?

microwave beats = beats made in a short amount of time, generally on the first attempt.

i love them because of my short attention span, also a great excuse if it turns out shit haha

DTCPU makes good microwave beats.

I don't use the sequencer because it slows down my workflow. i hate waiting for the thing to tick tick tick., and then screwing up and then waiting for the sequence to come back around, and then... probably screwing up again (or accidentally deleting a pad instead of a pattern...) ARG!

yurp.

i hate metronomes!!

damnn maybe i need to rethink my methods and expeiriment! lol

So if you don't use the pattern sequencer, do you play out your samples live and record them on another unit?

I'm thinking if I wanted to make music the way some of you guys do, I would connect my 404's line-out to my 16-track (or whatever... laptop if you use that) and play my samples live while recording them?

Is that what some of you guys do, or do you keep it all on the 404?