SP-FORUMS

right now i have the sp 404 and i totally love it as an all in one solo production machine. but sometimes i wish it had a little more so i was thinking of upgrading to either 505 or 555 but they seem real similar so i was thinking if anyone on here has both or has one and has used both they could give me some points for either machine

note/fyi i would be selling my 404 to my production partner in order to finance this

505 and 555 are actually not very alike at all. the 505 is more like a 606 and the 555 is more like the 404.

If you like the 404s style of doing thing I would say to go with the 555. The 505 is a completely different workflow. FX and resampling work the same but thats about it. The 555 is a beefed up 404. It adds mores pads, velocity sensitivity, swing function on the sequencer, more effects, dedicated pattern and sample copy and of course the USB, Midi out and loop capture. You do lose 2 things the 404 had tho. The battery power and compressor on the vinyl sim.

I'd agree with Dj Frantic, the 555 is more money but full featured with a quick editing style.

Lol, buy both!

Naw, I think Frantic is right, the SP555 is a lot like the SP404 in terms of work flow, you'll like it for sure.

The SP505 can do a bit more I think, but if you're thinking about that one, I'd go with a SP606 instead as it's a bit newer (not per say better).

the 555 has pattern copy? damn that almost makes it worth it. i'd even overlook the lack of battery power if they didn't take away THE ONE EFFECT I USE ON EVERY FREAKING SONG! why that one? grrrrrr..... of course i guess i could use them in tandem, beefing up the samples sitting in the park, then sequence everything on the 555 when i got home, but come on roland...

on a tangentially related note, how's the pad feel on the 555? similar to the 404 in the amount of give before the sound triggers?

I wish the pads are more like the 303, but with the velocity sensitive pads it probably turns out better after you learn them. I also agree that the 505 is a powerful machine and unique to Roland's SP line up, they are also fairly inexpensive on Ebay.

what are the 303's like compared to the 404's?

Pretty much exactly the same, but the 404 has a few more effects and 4 more pads.

the 303 has the best pads of the whole series hands down...no question. To bad they didnt stick with that design That said....some people like the 404 pads better than the 555 pads... the pads on the 555 give a little more but are also alot more responsive. Id put the 555 in 2nd place for best pads in the series. And man tell me about it... why the hell did they drop the compressor on the vinyl sim ! I guess they figured adding the lofi compressor(which is really dope) makes up for it...but the lofi compressor is very extreme. It doesnt allow the sublte tape type compression u get from the vinyl sim Thats pretty much the main reason I keep my 404 around.