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Roland SP404 Sampling Workstation

Picking up where Roland's popular SP-303 sampler left off, the new SP-404 is built on a foundation of more: more features, more voices, more pads, and more memory. The SP-404's sleek, silver look is new to the SP family, and it surpasses its predecessor by offering battery-power compatibility, a CompactFlash slot, and a built-in microphone for quick, stress-free sampling sessions. Just turn it on, aim, and record - no cables and mics to connect. Then get down to the business of making beats and patterns, and add extra color with the great effects built into this little powerhouse. Even with all the bonus features, the SP-404 is still amazingly affordable. Learn More...

    • New $395.00
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Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10

Individual User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
Quite a few and they aren't monotonous considering its size. Useful and creative also.

Quality:
Plastic bottom, metal top. Ins and Outs had no hum and pads are fast responsive.

Value:
Cheaper than an AKAI, yet just as effective.

Desirability:
Saw it and I had to get it. It's quite desirable by look and price. Dig the lights.

Sound:
CD quality sound without a Computer.

Ease of Use:
The Manual was short and straight to the point. Took less than an hour to get the basics. The rest is up to the user.

Support:
No need. Roland products are top-notch.

Overall:
Wonderful product. Beats Software Sampling by a mile. Makes the creative Music process flow more smoothly.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10

Quality:
yeah, this is a pretty sturdy build, least i hope... is there something ya'll know that i don't? ha

Value:
YES

Desirability:
VERY COMPELLING AND APPEALING like that guy said like a gameboy just way better or whatever.

Sound:
the sound is quality, ultimately whatever the musician makes of it. yes it is quite expressive. It helps me get the sounds i hear in my head onto tracks. this can work with any musical style, just takes the ear to place it right. specifically with it i use an electribe emx-1, microkorg, and tr-707.

Ease of Use:
the interface is as intuitive as it can be for its size and number of buttons and knows. very tiny learning curve(an hour or two)

Overall:
sequencing is the only problem i have. the real time pattern recording is ok but step editing and recording would make this an ace. this is such a rad piece though, it allows me to be composing beats and sounds on the fly where ever i go, using the noise around me is a pretty incredible, so portable. i really love it, i could hug it.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10

Feature:
Plenty of effects, BPM Looper, DJFX Looper, Subsonic, Filter + Drive, Delay and Pitch are all of my favorites thus far. The features are simple. Learn the SP style operating system in a day or two, begin sampling and sequencing. Work flow can be intuitive and amazing if you take time to use quality samples (Using the "Mark" function and the "Start"/ "End"/ "Level" to time in and out points of sounds ).

Quality:
I felt like the 404 wasn't as massive as I had imagined. It's just heavy enough (without batteries) to sense what kind of circuitry is hidden beneath the shell. I'm sure with batteries it would feel as solid as I had originally imagined. It would be a cinch to take this on the road. Mind the KNOBS and all is well. And no dropping of delicate electronics. I'm sure if the 404 were dropped enough, it may suffer damage as any piece of musical equipment would.

Value:
I somtimes have a friend drum with me while I alter the rhythms. There is an "EXT Source" button to use this as an effects board. Switching through effects between phrases is tricky yet fairly easy. I can sample directly into the 404 from my mixer which provides me with acoustic sounds from mics, more drums from my TD3, and samples from synth. Great asset to work-flow.

Desirability:
Finally adult toys without any perversion?! The pulsing blue light is definately a draw in a Gameboy-like sampler. I can barely fathom what will become of my musical creations as I become more comfortable using this machine.

Sound:
The sounds are as diverse as your imagination if you prefer. Resampling can layer as many effects to a sample as you desire. Sampling sounds are as clear as you intend them to be. Sounds are "thickand well pronounced", not "Rich and lush" (it is a sampler and effects module, not a 3 grand synth.

Ease of Use:
It's real simple to operate this small, simple and entertaining piece of musical equipment. Please allow yourself some time to become familiar with patterns. This allows you to play along, performing live edits while sequencing. CF card is mandatory for any serious musicians. Larger canvas.

Support:
Haven't had to contact Roland. You get what you buy.

Overall:
I plan to be satisfied by this for the rest of my life. It seems new now, and 10 years from now with be semi-vintage already. Flexibility (creativity on our part) and intuitive operation all make this a keeper. A powerful tool in the hands of those who take time to learn patterns and sequencing. I've had the 404 for over a week now. The learning curve is great.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10

Feature:
Workflow ! thats the biggest feature on this. I think this a sampler more for those of us who have been producing for years and just want something simple that gets the job done right. Thats what this machine is. Everything is right there where you need it. and everything works nicely. You gotta have some tight rythim for the sequencer though. I give it an 8 because I think it lacks 2 important things: Sample tuning and pattern copying (or pattern re-sampling). Oh.. and battery power is awesome ! load up some samples and make beats sitting by the ocean breeze at night and make beats !

Quality:
Its made very well... I actually broke mine tho. The volume got stuck all the way down.. i'd move the knob and nothing would happen. To its defense though I literally took it everywhere I went and it was banged aroudn quite a bit.

Value:
Yes...I think $255 would be a bit more fair. But its worth it.

Desirability:
I had to sell mine cuz I was broke. I need a new one asap ! lol

Sound:
The sound is FAT ! Roland is making the best sound sampler today. The FX are cool also. They are differnt. Very unique sounding.

Ease of Use:
Cant get any easier than this. I give it a 9 because the sequencer isint very tight. You have to be on point.

Support:
When it broke they were helpfull... But its wak that its only 30 days labor on the warranty.

Overall:
Great workflow, tons of sampletime, Great control of samples, Its everything u need minus pitch control and pattern copy. For a good price and portable !!! Go buy it now !

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Overall:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10
Quality:
* * . . . . . . . . 2 out of 10
Sound:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10

Sound:
I returned the first one I got thinking something was wrong but.....it has a hum and a hi frequency buzz (like a hi F# note) that's especially aparent when you record, the buzz is recorded onto the track, and it's noticeable, especially if you hit multiple pads (it adds up). This is more like a toy .

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
like i stated previously its pretty dope . i got an mpc 2000 and although its a sick piece of equipment capable of amazing things, some of the stuff the 404 allows u to do in terms of manglin sounds with the fx opens up a lot of apportunities that u cant do with an ilder mpc model

Quality:
i m not one who particularly cares for looks that much but i wasnt realy feelin the sparklin blue screen thingy. looks kinda toyish with all the bright lights and stuff however the blinkin orange lights do serve a purpose and r needed i just wish it didnt look so radio shackish

Value:
i wish it was $300 rather then 4 but all in all its worth it

Desirability:
see above

Sound:
the effects sound dope , the only drawback is u can only use 1 at a time but u can get around it by resampling the sound with the effect on it to another pad . so u can pretty much use all the effects u want that way.i took one of the preset hi hats that the piece came with added a compressor to it , resampled it , added a reverb resampled it again and ended up with a ill original sounding snare. deffinitly dope for wildin out with sounds. plus the subsonic bass thing is cool, if u need a bassline and cant find one to sample which happens all the time

Ease of Use:
very easy

Support:
the manual is idiot proof and designed really well with things repeated over and over so by the time u read the whole thing it sinks in

Overall:
i actually owned it for about a month and had to return it due to money difficulties and have been greatly missin it and fiendin for another one ever since. and as soon as i got $400 again im runnin back to the store to cop another one

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10

Feature:
I'm using it strictly for sample triggering at this point and it is exactly what I needed, plus some features that I may take advantage of later. If you're doing sound in theatre and don't have access to an Instant Replay, this is a great investment. Only criticism is that the internal memory is a bit chintzy, but I'd just as soon use the CF cards anyway.

Quality:
seems very solid.

Value:
OK, the essential here is that I needed something for a theatre project where the operator could play back sounds in tight sync with stage action. Minidisk can cue pretty tight but not tight enough for this one, plus you have to let sounds play out before you play the next one, and a month rental of a 360 Systems Instant Replay was 50% more than the purchase price of this box. Of course it's not perfect but for the money and for my application it's darn close. I think it could pay for itself within a few months in rentals or as part of my sound design biz.

Desirability:
It's practical but it's also hilarious to play with. When I was testing it out one of the wav files I loaded was the old Peter Gunn TV theme. While it was playing I used the tap feature to set the beatbox tempo reasonably close to the wav file and had really stupid fun putting hip-hop beats on top of Henry Mancini.

Sound:
Sounds fine so far.

Ease of Use:
pretty easy. The file import is kind of wierd, because it uses a proprietary file format and has no USB file transfer capability, so you have to put wav or aiff files on the CF card and do a real-time conversion process (i.e., a 2-minute wav file will take two minutes to convert). Then you can load the CF card back into the computer and delete the wav files to save space on the card. On the other hand, it's a fairly logical process except for lots of obscure button presses to start the import process. I'm using this as a sample player so I really haven't gotten too deep into the beatbox functions.

Support:
Unknown, but I've never had an issue with any other Roland/Boss gear either. I have some very basic Boss digital delays from the 80's that I still use now and then.

Overall:
Yup, I'm happy with it and if I can get people interested in renting it I'll buy another.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
Great set of features for the price range. Patterns sync up automatically unlike the old 303.. this is a big upgrade. Also 16th triplet and 32nd note quantizing is a welcome addition. The subsonic effect is sick ! Sample editing is very simple. I do wish it had swing and step editor though.

Quality:
Very sturdy, it take it almost everywhere I go and its been droped banged and throw around quite a bit and still holding strong.

Value:
much better than the electribes IMHO

Desirability:
looks nice.

Sound:
plenty of headroom when recording samples, phat full sounds.

Support:
havent needed customer support. I give it a 10 because roland makes the best manuals.

Overall:
I think this is a sampler I will use for a very long time. I have a full array of software/hardware samplers but the fact that can work on my tracks ne where I go on a machine that gives me as much flexibility as this thing is dope !

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