Thinking about getting a 404

[Moonbased]

Hello...

Well 1st off let me say that i come from the MPC background (i had a 2000 and a XL) but in September someone broke into my place and stole all my gear...

so now im on FL7 with my laptop and i want to get back on the "Hardware Bandwagon"...

im on a very tight budget, so i really have my eye on a SP-404...

just a cuple of quetions...

1. on roland website it says... "When using a computer or similar device to copy or store an audio file (WAV/AIFF) onto a CompactFlash memory card, you must place the file in the root level (the top level) of the memory card. If you place the file in any level other than the root, you won't be able to import it into the SP-404."... what to they mean, i cant make folders???

and "The SP-404 cannot import extremely short audio files."... so what, no hihats??!?!?

and last one, would u recommend the SP-404 as a stand-alone production gear???

im just trying to do simple stuff... sample, chop (or loop), layer drums, mix, rec.... no fancy pants for me...

im defiantly gonna get a MPC again, but that will be later this year when i finish college and get a job... just looking for something to make music on, cuz im getting sick FL its killing me.

really appreciate your time, and thank you in advance.

feel free to check out my music and add. or whatever....

myspace.com/jazzincoffeebreaks

[mostblunted]

1. on roland website it says... "When using a computer or similar device to copy or store an audio file (WAV/AIFF) onto a CompactFlash memory card, you must place the file in the root level (the top level) of the memory card. If you place the file in any level other than the root, you won't be able to import it into the SP-404."... what to they mean, i cant make folders???

Nope, no folders. The sp doesn't work like that. It loads all the sounds you have in the machine when you fire it up. It loads all the patterns too.
Loading a certain project like on the mpc is not possible on the sp, samples and patterns will stay where you left them when you shut your machine down. You have 10 banks and each can hold 12 patterns and 12 samples, so there is enough space.
Also important for mpc heads is that the sp doesn't save the bpm to the patterns, you'll have to write them down.

and "The SP-404 cannot import extremely short audio files."... so what, no hihats??!?!?

Hi hats work fine for me, I guess it means stuff under 0.2 seconds or so...

and last one, would u recommend the SP-404 as a stand-alone production gear???

I have a mpc too, still I love my sp404 as a standalone machine. You can do everything with it, though it's sometimes dissapointing when you come from a full production machine. Only at first though! The sp has many workarounds and people are making great music with it, so you know that a lot of stuff is possible when you listen to madlib, J Dilla and others.

im just trying to do simple stuff... sample, chop (or loop), layer drums, mix, rec.... no fancy pants for me...

sampling is great. Choppin' is done by ear in the machine. You have to press mark on the sart and end of the chop, then fine tune with the knobs.
It's a little hard at first when you come from the mpc super precise chopping, but works very well after 1 or 2 weeks.
Layering drums is no problem, thanks to resampling!
mix is kinda' hard to do, but you can adjust the volume of each sample
in the machine quite fast. Recording patterns is very basic, just length and
quantitize can be adjusted. No pre-made swing or other stuff.

im defiantly gonna get a MPC again, but that will be later this year when i finish college and get a job... just looking for something to make music on, cuz im getting sick FL its killing me.

I have a lot of machines and all of them are fun to play with.
In the last 3 weeks I just loved my sp404, but I know that in the next few weeks I'll be back on the mpc or emax. Whatever it is, making music is a lot of fun and the sp404 gives you great possiblities to create some tunes.
Take some time and listen to Dillas album Donuts, it was made with the sp303 and is one of the best albums I've ever heard!

peace

[Dj Frantic]

I sold my 2k and bought a 404 and never looked back.

[Moonbased]

yea!!! i love Dilla and Madlib, and i know for a fact that Madlib used the 303 for all his "Quasimoto" production...

i got to speak with him laster year when he did a show in L.A.

daft punk also used 303 in some of their work.

so i guess ill give the 404 a shot...

one last thing, how is the midi on the SP i know it only has a MIDI in... what can i do with that... seems kinda limited with out a midi out... i cant connect a synth to it with just a midi in...


thanks for the info...

[mostblunted]

yea!!! i love Dilla and Madlib, and i know for a fact that Madlib used the 303 for all his "Quasimoto" production...

i got to speak with him laster year when he did a show in L.A.

daft punk also used 303 in some of their work.

so i guess ill give the 404 a shot...

one last thing, how is the midi on the SP i know it only has a MIDI in... what can i do with that... seems kinda limited with out a midi out... i cant connect a synth to it with just a midi in...

thanks for the info...

You would have to use an external sequencer if you want to sync the 404 and a synth. Or you sample the synth line in.

With the midi in you can controle all the usual midi stuff, like velocity,swing etc if you have an external sequencer.

[Moonbased]

i see

BTW did u say there is no "SWING" in the SP???

and how about turning off the Quantize?? lets say i have a loops and want to lay drums over the loop with out quantizing.. is that possible?

sorry for being a pain in the a$$ just want to know what im gonna get into..

[mostblunted]

i see

BTW did u say there is no "SWING" in the SP???

and how about turning off the Quantize?? lets say i have a loops and want to lay drums over the loop with out quantizing.. is that possible?

sorry for being a pain in the a$$ just want to know what im gonna get into..

You can always turn quantize of if you want.

And as I said, there is always a workaround.
What I do for quantizing is
reample a hi hat with a little air before it, then use both the immediate hi hate and the one with air before it. The I let the beat play and adjust the air before the second hi hat until I have the swing I want.
Limitations force you to be creative you know?

[DarkWing]

i see

BTW did u say there is no "SWING" in the SP???

and how about turning off the Quantize?? lets say i have a loops and want to lay drums over the loop with out quantizing.. is that possible?

sorry for being a pain in the a$$ just want to know what im gonna get into..

You can always turn quantize of if you want.

And as I said, there is always a workaround.
What I do for quantizing is
reample a hi hat with a little air before it, then use both the immediate hi hate and the one with air before it. The I let the beat play and adjust the air before the second hi hat until I have the swing I want.
Limitations force you to be creative you know?

I think it's easier to just play it the way you want than having the air before the sound.

[mostblunted]

not if you want perfect swing.

[Moonbased]

Well i just got a Brand new SP-404!!

it seems like a pretty good gear... just dont really like the pads on it...

i just got it last night the manual is pretty short and simple...

i still dont really get the sequncer on it... like i said i had a 2000 and im use to submenus and a looking at a screen... im havving truble looping.

but u can make the sample sounds really dirty annd grimy i love that.

next ima get a mpc-60 and hook them together and connect Reason 3.0 to the mix...

quick question, i have a sample on Pad 1... is there any way to copy it to other pads other then using "resample"???

meanwhile ill just keep looking at the owners manual.

thnx

[Euclid Ov Oåklånd]

Yeah, you need a cf card to copy samples or patterns. Just go on youtube and search for sp-404 flying lotus trick, it's for copying patterns but it works with samples too. You'll get used to the pads and using the mark button, I like the 303 pads better than mpc pads for most programming. If you don't like using the mark button you can also chop up samples and in a program and load them with a cf card reader/writer.

[Moonbased]

yea i need a CF card 1st...

BTW i have REASON 3.0, Ableton Live and FL7... can i throw the 404 in mix using MIDI?

if it had a MIDI out i wouldn't be asking this but it only has midi in.

[pt3r]

yea i need a CF card 1st...

BTW i have REASON 3.0, Ableton Live and FL7... can i throw the 404 in mix using MIDI?

if it had a MIDI out i wouldn't be asking this but it only has midi in.

What do you mean by throwing the 404 in mx using MIDI?

[balazs]

glad to see you picked up a 404 red planet. Once you get to know it, you wont regret it.

[Dj Frantic]

ya, you can throw the 404 into that mix. Basically you can sequence its sounds from the FL sequencer (along with reasons sounds) You can also run audio in/out of it to run your stuff thru its FX.