SP-404 Day!

[MrShake]

I'm posting a day late because I've been busy. But yesterday was "404 Day" in honor of the Roland SP-404.

I got one last year. The recent Mk II. It was not the sampler I was expecting. But it's unique way of doing things has really taught me a lot and taken me in unexpected directions, creatively.

Not just the end product, but its rough-around-the-edges crudeness has forced me to make hard decisions. Bash n crash recording, imperfections and all. Takes me back to my cassette 4-track mindset. Neat source of inspiration.

Yesterday Roland dropped a crazy update, they keep adding wild new features, big ones, periodically. The gear that keeps on giving. And I haven't even really scratched the surface even though I've already got a folder full of beats built from Dollar Bin vinyl.

Anybody else use one of these? Try the new update? Longtime users?

Happy 404 Day!

[ryland]

I've had one for about a year as well. I have a side project doing sample-based stuff that I've been working on since the mid-90's and it does EXACTLY what I've always wanted. I haven't updated it to the new 4.04 software yet, but the updates look great.

I've developed a few pieces on it. I feel like I'm just scratching the surface.

Any recommendations of sample packs to check out? I'm not all that interested in purely electronic samples...I'm always looking for acoustic African or Carribean type beats.

[copacetic]

nice to see the ol' 404 getting some love here. I got into the 404 during my "career" as a Lofi hiphop producer. SP's were a must-have for that sound and unique gritty lofi sound/workflow youre talking about.

The vinyl sim got used on basically every track I ever made on it lol. It encourages you to approach samples in a very unique way, i love it for that.
I dont make hip hop anymore really, but keep my dusty old 404 around for the memories and also for its practicality for triggering live samples or "playing" instruments you cant take with you live. if i ever want to do a solo show my 404 will definitely be in tow.

for anyone interested in having a laugh, heres some of my old music made fully or partially on my 404sx
heatwave '97
good evening

[MrShake]

For anyone interested in having a laugh, heres some of my old music made fully or partially on my 404sx
heatwave '97
good evening

I mean, I dunno about having a laugh, these are great! Love the vibe, and really great stuff (though I haven't finished the second record. Bar raised, time for me to learn some more.

In the interest of fairness, here's my first batch. Literally chronological, so you can hear Aug-Oct 2023 in order. The first two are tentative, but I think I figured something out by the third track. By #6-9 I feel like I'm actually hitting something I like, and after leaving it in my bag for a few months, this update (which I haven't yet loaded) is kicking me in the ass to get me started again. It's not streaming anywhere because some of it is... obviously familiar. (And occasionally crude and amateurish.)

Back 9 Beat Tape (2023)

[copacetic]

I mean, I dunno about having a laugh, these are great! Love the vibe, and really great stuff (though I haven't finished the second record. Bar raised, time for me to learn some more.

In the interest of fairness, here's my first batch. Literally chronological, so you can hear Aug-Oct 2023 in order. The first two are tentative, but I think I figured something out by the third track. By #6-9 I feel like I'm actually hitting something I like, and after leaving it in my bag for a few months, this update (which I haven't yet loaded) is kicking me in the ass to get me started again. It's not streaming anywhere because some of it is... obviously familiar. (And occasionally crude and amateurish.)

Back 9 Beat Tape (2023)

Thanks man haha. The 404 is truly awesome. Youve inspired me to dig mine up again!! Itd be interesting to see how it fits into my newer music's vibe which is pretty detached from the world of hip hop/electronica.

I listened to a few jawns of yours and really dug them! English Tear is especially clean sounding good work man!

some cool 404 inspiration here:
Stanley Ipkuss full 404 set
tajima hal full 404 set

[MrShake]

Thanks man haha. The 404 is truly awesome. Youve inspired me to dig mine up again!! Itd be interesting to see how it fits into my newer music's vibe which is pretty detached from the world of hip hop/electronica.

I listened to a few jawns of yours and really dug them! English Tear is especially clean sounding good work man!

some cool 404 inspiration here:
Stanley Ipkuss full 404 set
tajima hal full 404 set

Glad to hear you're digging it it back out. Genre be damned more music making is good music making. I'll be checking out those links over dishes today, lol.

And thanks for taking the time and the kind words. I always wanted to do something with that Mission Screen music from the NES Double Dragon. Figured that was as good a place as any to do some learning.

And at the risk of patting myself on the back too hard, I wad delighted to have a couple decent tracks drop out my first time at bat in months. The first one, frankly, kinda rocks. A drum groove borrowed from some funky Players from Ohio, a couple of snippets from a bargain-bin belly dance record, a chromaticized bass tone, and boom.

"Horseback Beat"


The second is a little less bangin', but I tried the new looper. Layered together a rudimentary beat from single hit samples, flattened it to a pad, ran it through the cassette sim, and then supplemented with "clean" kick, snare, a faux walking bassline, and some TV news samples. Goes a little long at 2:15, but if anything else, proves the new (free!) looper function update can be a quick way to get running. I may have to see if I can turn on quantization in the looper mode...

"Irritable Beat"

I'm sharing these not to stroke my ego, but our guitar-centric world can often close out other genres and tech, so I'd be all about this being a 404 master thread, share your stuff - amateur or expert. OG, SX, -A, mkII, bring em all. I won't get mad at a 303, either.

We can't all be Flying Lotus.

So don't be shy. Beats, songs, experiments, I'd love to hear them. After all, we're ALL Luddite guitarists, right?

[MrShake]

I've had one for about a year as well. I have a side project doing sample-based stuff that I've been working on since the mid-90's and it does EXACTLY what I've always wanted. I haven't updated it to the new 4.04 software yet, but the updates look great.

I've developed a few pieces on it. I feel like I'm just scratching the surface.

Any recommendations of sample packs to check out? I'm not all that interested in purely electronic samples...I'm always looking for acoustic African or Carribean type beats.

I have zero help to offer on sample packs, but, a 1/8" TRS to 2x 1/4" TS y-cable (stereo headphone to dual 1/4" mono) and a device with YouTube and a headphone jack has been remarkably helpful on the go... for what it's worth.

The world is your oyster.

[ryland]

I've had one for about a year as well. I have a side project doing sample-based stuff that I've been working on since the mid-90's and it does EXACTLY what I've always wanted. I haven't updated it to the new 4.04 software yet, but the updates look great.

I've developed a few pieces on it. I feel like I'm just scratching the surface.

Any recommendations of sample packs to check out? I'm not all that interested in purely electronic samples...I'm always looking for acoustic African or Carribean type beats.

I have zero help to offer on sample packs, but, a 1/8" TRS to 2x 1/4" TS y-cable (stereo headphone to dual 1/4" mono) and a device with YouTube and a headphone jack has been remarkably helpful on the go... for what it's worth.

The world is your oyster.

Yeah, I've made some guitar samples and found it really easy to do! My use is probably not at all standard. It bears no resemblence to hip hop or lofi beats. I have a number of old instructional or self help spoken word albums that I chop up into samples, rearranging statements over loops. The 404 is perfect for me. I'll have to see if I can pull a few performances out of a friends private youtube channel.

[B.T.]

Pretty sweet firmware update for the MKII released on 404 day.

[MrShake]

Pretty sweet firmware update for the MKII released on 404 day.

Couldn't agree more -- been knocking around on mine all week, some of the new features have proven quote useful. Already "finished" nearly as many beats/tracks this week as I did over the back half of 2023, and I can hear most of them are leaps and bounds over that last batch.

That said, I've had mine restart itself a few times, usually when resampling a sound I brought over from the SD card. Seems other people have been having similar issues. So, anybody reading this might wanna go into any updating knowing that. And it would be easy to put another firmware update on the SD card (and do the instructed System Reset).

That said, I don't l play out with mine, so it was more of an inconvenience than anything, but here's hoping they get it ironed out soon, because these updates are wild.

[crazyzeke]

folder full of beats built from Dollar Bin vinyl.

This is the part that interests me - I love obscure old vinyl, super fun, forgotten stuff that never made the jump to CD/digital file due to being so obscure it never got an official or fan-made rip/version. Would love to hear more about that.

I always wanted to do something with that Mission Screen music from the NES Double Dragon

I love stuff like this as well, for me it would be putting some kind of huge arrangement/beat onto the final boss music from Genesis Golden Axe that thing rips and actually has a feel/rhythm change. Specifically the part from about 37 seconds in, that bit. Just before the feel change. Genesis has that awesome Yamaha synth sound chip and there are carts you can get where it can be used as a multi-channel synth.

[B.T.]

Pretty sweet firmware update for the MKII released on 404 day.

Couldn't agree more -- been knocking around on mine all week, some of the new features have proven quote useful. Already "finished" nearly as many beats/tracks this week as I did over the back half of 2023, and I can hear most of them are leaps and bounds over that last batch.

That said, I've had mine restart itself a few times, usually when resampling a sound I brought over from the SD card. Seems other people have been having similar issues. So, anybody reading this might wanna go into any updating knowing that. And it would be easy to put another firmware update on the SD card (and do the instructed System Reset).

That said, I don't l play out with mine, so it was more of an inconvenience than anything, but here's hoping they get it ironed out soon, because these updates are wild.

I’ve read some people mentioning that it looked like folks that didn’t power cycle the system after applying the update might be suffering the random reboot bug? I can’t confirm because my studio is an absolute mess this week and I’ve been concentrating on tweaking guitars and less on SP’s!

Maybe Roland can confirm and come out with update 4.04.1?

[MrShake]

folder full of beats built from Dollar Bin vinyl.

This is the part that interests me - I love obscure old vinyl, super fun, forgotten stuff that never made the jump to CD/digital file due to being so obscure it never got an official or fan-made rip/version. Would love to hear more about that.

Here's a few I used in my last batch. The craziest one I found was a retelling of the bombing at Pearl Harbor, told in narrative form from the perspective of the USS Arizona. Like, the SHIP is talking. It was a picture disc souvenir sold at the gift shop at the memorial, apparently.



Here's a few I grabbed recently that seemed promising. The morse code one has no narration, just dots and dashes, flute/harpsichord records seem like a great option with no percussion to clutter things up, etc.



I've had that one in the white jacket for years, and I'm still on the fence about using it, feels a little... exploitative? But the sonics are wild. The patients of a state mental health facility making '60s-style singalong folk music. Songs include "Everybody Loves A Nut" and, unbelievably, "Make The World Go Away".



Absolute respect to the innovators of the form, but in a post physical media world, crate digging for expensive rarities seems... strange. I realize those innovators needed a copy to do ANYTHING with the sound - you want the sounds, you need the media.
But there's flippable stuff on EVERY record, depending on how you use it. I'm just a rank amateur, but there's a whole world of rhythms and melodies out there that sound great with a beat. And so many of them are so cheap. And I still haven't started scouring my stack of Ventures LPs for pounding drums and twangy riffs.

And I am DEFINITELY going to experiment with that Golden Axe track. The Genesis FM soundchip was never a favorite of mine growing up, but if Streets Of Rage can make it sound like it does, the fault is with me, lol, not the synth chip.

[MrShake]

I’ve read some people mentioning that it looked like folks that didn’t power cycle the system after applying the update might be suffering the random reboot bug? I can’t confirm because my studio is an absolute mess this week and I’ve been concentrating on tweaking guitars and less on SP’s!

Maybe Roland can confirm and come out with update 4.04.1?

I'm hoping you're right. I did the power cycle and the "leave my samples but reset the system" reset, but have still had crashes when resampling. I've needed to back everything up and flush it for space anyway, so once I get that done, maybe I'll wipe the whole thing and see if that helps.

Even if every issue hasn't been addressed yet (like the bit of added silence at the beginning of resampled pads!), the updates on this have been so significant (and unexpected) since I bought this thing, I'm betting on an imminent patch for the crashing problem.

Not to sound like "that guy", but others have said it seems like they may have rushed this update out the door to have 404=4/04+4.04, but c'est la vie - I've rarely bought a product so well-updated after the purchase. Especially second-hand.

And I'm not usually a "customizer", but with my birthday coming up next week, my wife registered mine and ordered me a replacement faceplate so I can try some vinyl skins to see if I like giving it a little personality. I usually like to let my gear be the gear, but I'm willing to have a little fun sometimes.

She also ordered me a Behringer MS-1 (mk I, on clearance) so my beats are going to be COVERED in that for a week or two, lol.

[ryland]

I have a similar Morse Code album! Might be useful at some point.

Glad to see someone else digging into the old and weird spoken word albums. I've been collecting them since the mid-90's.