Roland SP-404MKII 4.04 Update: Explosive Possibilities That Change Everything

Roland’s SP-404 linear wave sampler debuted in 2005, taking up the gauntlet of all-in-one sampling and production for which Roland’s and BOSS’s SP-303 and SP-505, respectively, had laid the foundation in the years prior. While several permutations of the SP-404 would be released across the ensuing decades, it wouldn’t be until 2021 that the SP-404MKII would emerge as a proper successor to its early-aughts counterpart, upgrading nearly every facet of its technical and creative capabilities.

Now, the Version 4.04 update heralds a new era of multidimensional sampling, looping, ideation, sound generation, production, composition, editing, and performance tools that extend the possibilities of the SP-404MKII’s already formidable sampling architecture to augment multitudes of musical styles and workflows. Because its versatile suite of connectivity options accommodates guitar, microphone, and line-level signals alongside class-compliant USB audio, sonic sketching, live looping, and sample creation are more streamlined and detailed than ever, letting you seamlessly move from rough drafts to performance-worthy playback. Expanding the musical and creative prowess of this legendary sampler is no small feat, yet the 4.04 update illustrates that the style of beat crafting deployed by the likes of J Dilla, Pictureplane, Flying Lotus, Four Tet, Oneohtrix Point Never, MF Doom, and Madlib is only the beginning.

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Loop Capture: Reimagining Its SP-505 Roots

In a callback to its predecessor, the 4.04 update introduces Loop Capture, a dedicated, real-time looper that marries the sample-based beat-making tradition with flexible editing and performance tools that can be limitlessly applied to virtually any musical style. Both external and internal audio can be incorporated into your loops, while overdub, undo, redo, and further features inject musical malleability into your performances. Loop Capture expands studio and stage control by accommodating external MIDI controllers through the SP-404MKII’s footswitch jack, providing an additional vector of expression. Furthermore, Loop Capture allows you to bounce recorded loops directly to sample pads, seamlessly bridging multiple stages and styles of ideation, sampling, and composition to inspire seasoned producers and make new-coming vocalists or instrumentalists feel right at home.

MultiPad Export and Preset Recording/Resampling

When ideas emerge and evolve at breakneck speeds, it’s imperative that your gear can keep up with your creativity. The 4.04 update introduces the ability to pre-define the exact measure length for recording and resampling, saving immense amounts of time and tedium on trimming your recordings. With MultiPad Export, managing your projects across media is more streamlined than ever, simultaneously bouncing sounds from each pad in a pattern as WAV files to an SD card, your computer, or your DAW of choice. Additionally, entire pattern chains can now be bounced as a single WAV file as the SP-404MKII will automatically perform a hardware mixdown of the selected, complete pattern chain.

Expanded Audio Management and Distinctive Sound Shaping

Though the SP-404 and its descendants have remained staples of studio and stage performances, this update expands your audio-routing capabilities to seamlessly integrate the SP-404MKII into virtually any live arrangement, solo or otherwise. Pattern playback now includes a headphone-only option for the click track, which can be further differentiated between the sampler’s dual headphone ports. Further routing capabilities let you send your master output to the front-of-house engineer, sans click, as the rest of the instrumentalists in your ensemble hear the click with your outgoing audio.

The 4.04 update also shepherds in a brand-new Sound Generator, complete with dedicated waveforms, envelopes, and more, to expand your sonic palette with everything from striking synthesis to mind-bending modulation. Roll capabilities have been expanded, as well, alongside an additional MFX option, dubbed “DJFX Delay,” further diminishing the boundaries between DJs, beat makers, studio producers, and live performers.

Get in the “Groove” with Powerful, Versatile Performance Tools

Thanks to the immensely flexible “Groove” features, the SP-404MKII now offers unprecedented avenues for controlling one of the sampling world’s most elusive elements: “feel.” You can now manipulate audio in real time with unrivaled depth of detail and precision. Well, there’s one rival, and it’s the source of the 4.04 update’s explosive audio-processing capabilities: Roland’s VP-9000 VariPhrase Processor. With the heart of this revolutionary machine beating within the SP-404MKII’s sonic architecture, you can instantly warp, stretch, humanize, or pitch-bend your audio. Moreover, because the VP-9000 supported MIDI control over its numerous harmonizing and audio-manipulation tools, the 4.04 update’s expanded MIDI functionality grants the same degree of dominion over these electrifying capabilities.

MIDI, Merging, and Micro-level Editing

Speaking of MIDI, this update improves the onboard MIDI sequencer by allowing you to use blank pads for external sequencing over the SP-404MKII’s MIDI output. Take things a step further with the step sequencer’s Microscope Editor, which lets you dial in values for pitch, velocity, and timing at each step in a sequence. If you’ve ever found the process of combining samples to be tedious, then this next one’s for you. The Merge tool is here so you can combine multiple samples on a single sample pad, setting up complex layers of resampling and pattern building with the rest of the update’s array of artistic appointments.

Koala Sampler, Revamped Recording, and Robust Compatibility

For those who may not know, Koala Sampler is an iOS and Android app for recording, modifying, editing, and composing up to 64 distinct samples. Its extensive array of mix and mic effects, Ableton Link and Export compatibility, and MIDI-controllable design make it an exceptional option for on-the-go ideation as well as for bridging your DAW with untold worlds of sound. Now that the 4.04 update has arrived for the SP-404MKII, Koala Sampler can be integrated with the sum of possibilities afforded by Roland’s linear wave sampler.

Updated UX and Quality-of-life Improvements

For as grand as our musical visions can be, we all know how often seemingly minute changes can make a world of difference in our workflow. Roland understands this, too, which is why the 4.04 update works to improve every level of the SP-404MKII experience, no matter the size or scope. Project files can now be loaded directly from your SD card, an upgrade that supplies users with further mileage when you consider that SP-404SX projects can now be converted to SP-404MKII projects straight from the sampler’s hardware. When using the flexible TR-REC mode, the recording input now accommodates real-time tap information to support any number of tempo and synchronization choices from quantized to controlled chaos. The SP-404MKII’s editor and accompanying app have also been tightened up to streamline the user experience, while onboard naming procedures for projects and individual samples have been optimized to make painless work of saving, recalling, and managing your recording repertoire.

Ready to Record?

After seeing the all-new features in creative action, if you have any lingering questions about the SP-404MKII, the exciting 4.04 update, or how you could use this in your setup, then contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700. They’re eager to help you elevate your sound!
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