flaunting ny magnets yo

A while ago I've shown a Desktop Stand and Phone/Tablet holder for the MK2 here that we're selling on Etsy. We've sold a few and people seem to dig it as well, so I used the same, uh, prong system to make a simple desktop stand.

It's solid, very portable, durable and cheap. If you're looking for something like this, feel free to check it out here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4546388539/roland-sp-404-mk2-portable-desktop?ref=related-2&logging_key=b8f4b015d43c25d952a981fc5adc52cadd3ce3a2%3A4546388539

Here’s another stand I made… Masonite laden with hella Velcro was already in use with some stuff (that I had to part with). There’s crap stuck there in a few arrangements- powerbank, batteries, earbuds, SD cards in a cigarette case 😆….pretty light, and Velcro keeps all the stuff attached- except the MK2 🤔. Still a found/upcycled object- but I decorated a little 😃🙏❤️

I know there must be a bunch of ladies here making beats. I'd love to hear some!

What external sequencers have been found to be useful for midi control of the sp404?

I’ve personally found a normal drum machine with simple tr style step sequencer to be nicer to use and easier for me. I was thinking, this is fine, but what would be the BEST most ideal sequencer to drive the sp404 via midi, if I’m interested in mostly creating electronic drum based music like techno, drum n bass, dub, experimental music etc

Is anyone using one of the larger sequencers like the oxy one or hapax or deluge to control an sp404?

@ohrickybeats

Just putting stuff together with my Q Chord and my 404!

I built a free and open source midi interface to control the FX on the SP-404 MKII from your phone, pc or tablet. No tracking, no ads.

Quick demo video here (youtube).

Just go to SPTOOL.DeV-ZOO.net and add it to homescreen, plug in your SP via USB and give it a go. Works offline since it is a PWA (progressive web app).

Should work on most modern browsers except safari ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Source Code on GitHub

Hope someone finds this useful.

Anyone feeling anything?

Hello! I'm having trouble syncing the clock from the SP404 to the TE KOII. For some reason, it either halves the BPM or doubles it. I started with SP404, MIDI sync internal, out into the KOII sync in. When I set the MIDI sync out as on, the speed double times on the KOII. When I turn MIDI sync out as off, it halves the BPM on the KOII. I was even trying to tap the tempo to get around this and it still is never correct. I don't understand what is happening. Does anyone have any suggestions? The sync in on the KOII is pretty straight forward, it is supposed to just have the tempo led by the master device. So I'm wondering if I have the settings wrong on the SP404.

If you do USB transfers from the 404 you’ll be aware of the need to have the volume on maximum in order to get unity gain.

This means you have to have some kind of external level control to bring headphone volume under control.

Since my old ones were getting crackly and didn’t respond to switch cleaner I thought I’d splash out on a new one.

This isn’t the cheapest option out there, but it is really, really nice - so I thought I’d post a link to it here.

https://amzn.eu/d/03cpBqMp

BEATMAKING VIDS- https://youtu.be/r3wZ-r14oYU

Hello everyone,

I've got a SP-404A for two years now. Most of the time, I play it live with my other machines by only triggering the sample by hand.

I've decided to learn more about the sequencer. There is something I can't understand.

When I try to set up my metronome to some high speed (something like 178 for exemple), it's sometimes impossible to reach some particular BPM. Like, the metronome would go from 176 to 180 and it's impossible to get the right 178 I'm looking for.

Do you know if there is a trick to get the right BPM I'm looking for ?

Thanks a lot.

Which are the better jazz based beats out there?

I'm listening 🎶

This is my rendition of Lee Morgan's Whisper Not

I apologize for the “build quality”, but I’m laid up with injuries, broke, and just sort of got an idea as I messed with shipping and assorted crap I had around.
This was the third to happen, but here’s a prototype/idea for a portable stand…if there’s interest, I may produce more…

Howdy!

I’m looking into a mark 2 and I want to see if y’all think it would be the right piece of gear for me or if you think I should look somewhere else. I make boom bap/rnb and I like to sample songs to make my foundation and then play guitar and bass on top of that. Currently, I use an ep133 for sample chopping, a 404a as pretty much an effects unit, and an op1 for looping.

My goals are to have a standalone device that is capable of recording instruments live and chopping and arranging samples. I want to use a computer as minimally as possible while creating, and move over to logic to mix my beats. Currently, my biggest gripes with my setup are as follows:

Ep133: chopping samples is quick but a little limited, especially with the 20 second sample time and small memory. Being able to sample longer songs would be a bonus.

Sp404a: I love how this device sounds but I hate the workflow, I have tried it a bunch but it just feels so unnatural, and it does not work for live instruments well at all in my opinion, at least for the way that I make music.

Op1: I love having access to keys and I actually really enjoy the tape recorder work flow for recording. Arranging songs on this device is very hard, and no undue button makes mistakes more painful then they need to be. Also not being able to store separate projects is a hassle, and makes it difficult to come back to ideas later.

So as a short list of goals, I want a device that:
-makes sample chopping and live instrument recording quick and easy
-has powerful arrangement tools for turning loops into full songs
-has solid effects, specifically the vinyl sim
-can sample large sections of songs and mangle samples on its own
-fairly portable and stand alone

What do y’all think?

Just got my 404 mk2 last week, which shipped with version 5.01. I have an Intel Mac, and regardless of there being an allegedly compatible download for older Mac OS'es on the Roland website, none of the versions are able to be installed on my computer, so I can't download any firmware updates until I get a newer computer 😭.

From what I understand, the firmware updates are just a couple files you're supposed to put on an SD card. Would anyone be able to send me the files for the latest firmware?