Over the last year or so I have migrated from my QY700 sequencer to a Roland SP-404 Mk2 and it has been a real revelation. I would often get stuck on a track with the QY700 because I was always over thinking things and rarely got as far as a fully programmed track that I could record and attempt to mix.
With the SP-404 I can come up with a handful of ideas for phrases, hooks, drum patterns etc on my synths and sample them. It is then really easy to mix and match to experiment with building a track. Because it is so fluid, I find it far easier to improvise a structure with variations, builds etc and have found myself getting stuff finished! I think part of it is the fluid way you can mix and match and experiment and part that it forces you to go with things once you have sampled them, and move on to the next part.
A lot of the SP-404 Mk2 videos I saw on youtube were making similar types of music which wasn't the genre I was interested in but you can actually make any type of music with it if you sample your own playing or sequences and then use the 404 to assemble the parts into a track. I notice that you have tried groove boxes before but wanted something you could use to start a track and finish off with your Euro rack or DAW. This would sort of be the other way round, where you create a few ideas on your Eurorack or other synths, sample them in the 404 and then experiment, assemble and finish off on the couch. The 404 has 16Gb of static memory and 160 patterns and 160 samples per project so there is plenty of scope for sampling and resampling. It also has a very easy to use pattern chaining function with 16 chains for trying out different ideas. I find that really useful because I can set up a chain and sit back and listen for bits that don't work without having to trigger patterns etc.
The 404 is not a DAW in a box like the MPC but for me that makes it easier and more direct to use. There is no doubt that the 404 UI takes a bit of getting used to but once you start using it most of the key combos tend to stick in your head.
For a complete studio-in-your-lap you could pair the 404 with an MC-101 or S-1/TR-06/08/09 to create the phrases to sample. I have recently bought an MC-101 and have had the S-1 and TR-06 for a while and they all work together really well. The TR-06 and S-1 will run on batteries for ages. The 404 takes AAs but needs six of them and they don't seem to last that long so I use a USB powerbank (needs a USB C output to the feed the 404). You can monitor external synths from the 404 audio in so you don't need a separate mixer if you are on the couch with the 404 and the 101 for example.
From your post it sounded like your situation is a bit similar to mine. I found that dropping the idea of programming a whole track and then recording it (which I had sort of grown up with since the 1990s) was very liberating. Sampling a variety of ideas and phrases and then using the 404 to experiment with them to form a fluid and varied track works much better for me. Obviously, your mileage may vary but I thought I'd share my experience.
With the SP-404 I can come up with a handful of ideas for phrases, hooks, drum patterns etc on my synths and sample them. It is then really easy to mix and match to experiment with building a track. Because it is so fluid, I find it far easier to improvise a structure with variations, builds etc and have found myself getting stuff finished! I think part of it is the fluid way you can mix and match and experiment and part that it forces you to go with things once you have sampled them, and move on to the next part.
A lot of the SP-404 Mk2 videos I saw on youtube were making similar types of music which wasn't the genre I was interested in but you can actually make any type of music with it if you sample your own playing or sequences and then use the 404 to assemble the parts into a track. I notice that you have tried groove boxes before but wanted something you could use to start a track and finish off with your Euro rack or DAW. This would sort of be the other way round, where you create a few ideas on your Eurorack or other synths, sample them in the 404 and then experiment, assemble and finish off on the couch. The 404 has 16Gb of static memory and 160 patterns and 160 samples per project so there is plenty of scope for sampling and resampling. It also has a very easy to use pattern chaining function with 16 chains for trying out different ideas. I find that really useful because I can set up a chain and sit back and listen for bits that don't work without having to trigger patterns etc.
The 404 is not a DAW in a box like the MPC but for me that makes it easier and more direct to use. There is no doubt that the 404 UI takes a bit of getting used to but once you start using it most of the key combos tend to stick in your head.
For a complete studio-in-your-lap you could pair the 404 with an MC-101 or S-1/TR-06/08/09 to create the phrases to sample. I have recently bought an MC-101 and have had the S-1 and TR-06 for a while and they all work together really well. The TR-06 and S-1 will run on batteries for ages. The 404 takes AAs but needs six of them and they don't seem to last that long so I use a USB powerbank (needs a USB C output to the feed the 404). You can monitor external synths from the 404 audio in so you don't need a separate mixer if you are on the couch with the 404 and the 101 for example.
From your post it sounded like your situation is a bit similar to mine. I found that dropping the idea of programming a whole track and then recording it (which I had sort of grown up with since the 1990s) was very liberating. Sampling a variety of ideas and phrases and then using the 404 to experiment with them to form a fluid and varied track works much better for me. Obviously, your mileage may vary but I thought I'd share my experience.
Statistics: Posted by oldskool — Fri Apr 12, 2024 7:12 pm
