Let's help Roland make the next SP a killer!

[dman5000]

16 pads with the option to tr style step sequence in patterns as well as the traditional method
nice chromatic pitch and bpm sync/turntable pitch
that idea of quantized pattern changing was hot, like for 1-2 bar switches
2 effects would be awesome if its affordable
adsr seems easy to implement, even if its an effect like someone said
usb like the 555 would be sick if affordable
panning feature with 1/4 outs
continous marking for 1 time chopping
overdubbing!
midi out

kind of like an SP 444SX

[hurlingdervish]

Keep the d-beam synth, but lose the light sensor, and just make it a monophonic controllable synth via midi in. keep it simple: sine, square, and saw and let the effects take care of the rest.

drag + drop samples from the computer while device is on (not via card)

internal harddrive organizing projects into a folder system, where banks are still accesible from another project.
Project A---Banks---ABCD etc
Project A---Pattern---A1 a2 a3 etc

this would of course mean a slight update in the display, a simple segment display would do.

8 track sequencer to compete with the Maschine

effect memory from the 555

some sort of simplistic automation

[Dr. Tad Winslow]

- USB transfer seems possible - comes with the 555, BUT... they've left it off the 404SX.. so maybe they decided that was a bad move? Or maybe its about whether it's a studio product or portable...

IMO USB would be beneficial, I dunno about making it a soundcard and all that jazz.. I'd rather leave out that sorta stuff to save money.

That's the thing, the 555 is not recognized as a hard drive like the 606.

Do the 505 and 202 read the samples directly off the card? Or are they imported to internal memory?

I saw Ill Green answered regarding the 505, but I'm not sure anyone answered about the 202. Yes, the 202 reads samples directly off the card, or the internal memory depending on where you saved the sample. Same exact concept as the 404...

[7th CITY]

i want a SP Software DAW program....(don't kill me) but imagine using a 404(sx) as a midi controler for a very basic DAW. just with a few extra things....(real pitch,mono-trigger, wave view for editing...)

like have a picture of the 404 on one side of the computer screen and a few other lil things on the right for editing...
able to use mouse to hit pads...twist nobs on the picture side.

BASICLY LIKE THE NI MACHINE but SP


or just hook up the SP like we want! lol

[timfromtexas]

thats what i was saying! a sampler than links and uploads your ish (like how the ipods iphone touches work kinda) and then let you work with the computer.. no frills just a basic set up.. and allow the machine to be easily hacked for homebrew... heh...

[Nothingless1987]

on the 404

with the start/end/level button, you should be able to push it again so you have further control, so the knobs change to ....
1- attack 2- decay 3- pan

just this would be a great update, sure it would be simple to include.

[Nicknw]

A little screen, preferably a better one than the 505.

[V-F!]

I was just thinking of all the features I want and the 505/606 cover everything. They should just make a 606sx with battery power and more up to date specs.

[sharpmotif]

cartesia: your thoughts so far?

[shmedy]

ive thought about it a little. i think that 16 pads and 20 banks would be very nice. and how bout this?, two usbs. or one usb that can do two things. thing#1 would be stream sound in and out like a sound card (like the 555). thing#2 would be to import and export files directly to and from the pads

my 2 cents

[sharpmotif]

I don't understad why the SP-555 doesn't have this, I can only assume this thing is more of an updated 404 than a downgraded 606.

That's why I believe Roland is most likely to come up with the SP-555SX.

[cartesia]

cartesia: your thoughts so far?

I think they're all good ideas but I dont think roland is gonna want to spend much money on anything...

[sharpmotif]

I think the SP-555 is more of an upgraded 404 than a downgraded 606.

So I guess Roland is going to come up with an updated version of the 555: SD/SDHC slot, all banks on the card, Func button and Pause - just like the 404SX.

Maybe they could improve Loop Capture a bit, but that's wishful thinking really. If they could somehow rearrange the internal memory and make it part of loop capture then loops could be longer and/or they could implement undo/redo. This stuff is pricey though, that's probably the reason why they've changed that in the SX (no internal banks/sample memory) and undo/redo would kinda step into Loopstation territory.

Since the SX seems to have a way faster processor than the 404, then maybe it'll be able to save loops without messing with everything else.

Still there's space for another Roland sampler, there's a big gap between the 555 and the MV (at least without the recent mark-up). It could go like SP-404SX: $400, SP-555SX: $600, SP-707/MV-770: $1000, MV-8800: $2000.

[cartesia]

I dont think the 404SX has a different processor to the 404, I think it's just because they have new card reading hardware in there which is faster than the old...

[timfromtexas]

put it this way... they came out with a new piano bench this year... its not even usb compatible...