6 killer tips for the SP404sx/a

Welcome back to SPVIDZ. In this video I Share some killer tips on the SP404sx/SP404a to help you move closer to your goal of becoming an SP master. I hope you find these useful. This is a tricky little device to get to grips with so I'm hoping these will be a big help. If you have any questions please just drop a comment below!
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#lofi #sp404sx #sp404a

[@accidentallyfasting5768]

honestly, I never realized the SP was so simple. For some reason I couldn't wrap my mind around it and i've owned one for like 6 years at least. Now that I've found your videos, I'm back into using mine and really excited about it.

[@spvidz]

Awesome man glad to hear you’re back on it. It’s fun once you get your head around how it works

[@Mucksauce]

Tip Timestamp 0:31 Auto Trigger Level 1:49 Effects Preset 2:39 Remain Button 3:20 Bonus 3:41 FX Grab 4:44 Sample Time 5:36 FX Box

[@kri8beats778]

2nd day SP404 user. Thank yo so much for this. Especially the "REMAIN" for multi effects. Saved me so much time, not having to resample every single pad separately.

[@spvidz]

Nice one! Welcome to the crew

[@kri8beats778]

@@spvidz Nice man, I'm glad to be a part of this realness! Just uploaded my first SP404 video as well :)

[@GrootsieTheDog]

I actually chose to buy the sx over the MKII. I like the simplicity of this - which to me is what the magic of this gear is. I don’t want it to be a full kinda production studio...which is where the MK suffers a bit IMO. It’s neither simple nor is it full featured like an MPC. I’m gonna go out on a limb and predict a lot of the MK’s on the used market in a year or so.

[@spvidz]

Fair man. The SX is still a lot of fun and has some great FX!

[@evanmatthiesen7478]

Never realized it saved fx settings, I was always fiddling with the knobs so much. Thanks for the tips!

[@spvidz]

No problem man, glad I could help out :)

[@petitfantome777]

shoutout to that dude who sold me his sp for 110$ a year ago

[@spvidz]

Damn that’s a steal!

[@bbtreatsbbtreats907]

daaang and i thought i go a deal for $200, congrats on the find.

[@meisfaves9746]

Nice.

[@user-pu5df6jg3x]

dang son where'd you find that?

[@livinproof718]

That’s steal

[@danielcarter3928]

i just ordered an SP404A used for a good deal. i’m so excited but not gonna lay a little nervous to learn everything. great video!

[@JoshRedmondSB]

Thanks for all the vids! I got my sp last week and basically already knew how to use it.

[@spvidz]

Glad that the channel has helped you out man!

[@delisio_music4721]

had the sp for a year or so now thanks.Really appreciate these videos.

[@spvidz]

No problem man. Thanks for watching!

[@7wheels]

Thanks for your work. So usefull videos!

[@dwcc789]

These are all such a great help man, thank you for doing these!

[@spvidz]

Glad to hear that man! Thanks for watching

[@isaintjames]

Really glad you started back up. I remember when it was just you giving out a few tutorials. theyve all jumped on now. good to see you back strong.

[@spvidz]

Thanks for the support! Come a long way since the early days :)

[@isaintjames]

@@spvidz the sp love too --- so much so they made the A haha

[@ThePowermountain]

Awesome stuff! Super helpful!

[@spvidz]

Glad to hear it!

[@JKushKushadelic]

Nice! So glad i found you videos bro, thank you for creating them! Waiting for my sp404a to arrive..tomorrow probably! Already educating myself and i can’t wait to get it! Bless bro!

[@spvidz]

Nice man. Glad you found me. Welcome to the gang!

[@AgustinDavidF]

Super usefull! Thanks a lot, mate!

[@bijanrisdanaa]

Great tips. Much appreciated 👍

[@spvidz]

No problem - thanks for watching 🙌

[@Cellingfan]

Dude you’re making me want to get one. You’ve been banging these videos out so quickly. I’m loving all of them.

[@spvidz]

Dooo ittttt! (thanks for watching too!)

[@badbenjy]

Do it... Such an instinctive way of making music. Between spvids and nonjuror, all the info is there to get you started.

[@macbermpohl6023]

Get one

[@scotthewitt314]

Do itttttt!!!

[@kingeskimo4131]

Thanks for the good tips.

[@spvidz]

No problem man. Thanks for watching!

[@100fires]

great vid brotha! Learned some new tricks today!

[@spvidz]

Glad to hear that man! Thanks for watching 🙏

[@jurgenvermietung4094]

THX

[@TheMangokushking]

great videos my guy. poeple who are just now getting a 404 are at a huge advantage watching your videos. alot more fun and better than reading the manual (which was in japanese when i got it) hahah

[@spvidz]

haha! glad to help out man

[@skyeloops]

LOVE ME SOME SPVIDZ !!

[@spvidz]

hell yeah! :)

[@nearzine]

Thank you!

[@spvidz]

no problem!

[@ettchicago]

Amazing vid! Great tips!!!

[@spvidz]

Yo glad you found it useful man!

[@mi777ke777]

The best SP vids come from SPVIDZ

[@spvidz]

Thanks a lot! :)

[@anibalgallo3411]

Thanks!

[@spvidz]

No problem. Hope they helped!

[@glizzyhendrix]

Never new about the auto trig function, you comin in clutch my boi

[@spvidz]

haha glad to pass on the knowledge!

[@madimakes]

You ain’t playing. These are killer. Glad I found this a week in.:) subscribed

[@spvidz]

Nice one man glad you found them useful! Good luck with your beats!!

[@superloser3859]

Thanx!

[@spvidz]

No problem, thanks for watching 🙏

[@sykromsmile6303]

Great video

[@user-eg4zk5ko3o]

Killer vidz bro

[@spvidz]

thanks a lot! Hope they help you out

[@riddim7774]

Anyone know if the SP is likely to be the cause of my stereo blowing? It’s a cheap (€120) Panasonic. I was running the Caustic app through the SP and into the stereo at the time. Too much power going in from the app and SP together?

[@rectalfission]

Agreed, SP-404 is a great FX processor. Even the OG is a good investment for that matter, I'm routing my turntable through it permanently; allows me to EQ, Comp and play on the fly. It brings some extra interaction to your listening experience and allows you to sample on the go when you're having a musical epiphany. One of my favorite pieces of gear... And portable if battery powered

[@spvidz]

Nice man yeah this is exactly what I'm starting to move my workflow to - up until the last few weeks I made full beats in the SP but now I'm gravitating toward what you say of having the SP as an 'fx processor' and then using Ableton to map everything out. Its a lot more flexible but you can still get the lofi vibe! Thanks for watching

[@rectalfission]

@@spvidz I'm still not using as an Aux Send on my DAW, I'm trying to go as DAWless as possible. But it surely opens the door to a quicker and more creative workflow.

[@spvidz]

​@@rectalfission ahh fair enough thats cool!

[@rectalfission]

@@spvidz Guess what, since your comment, I'm trying your method. It' dope !

[@spvidz]

Awesome man!

[@fusty_45]

Thanks! Is it possible to add a different MFX effect to each pad using remain, say for a live set?

[@spvidz]

No man you can only do one at a time in the SP unless you resample a pad with the mfx applied!

[@user-pu5df6jg3x]

PLEASE make another:6 killer tips for the SP404sx/a! I love this and you need to make it a series!

[@spvidz]

I’ll think of some more vids like that man yeah. Thanks for the suggestion

[@Pat52786]

Great vid but left out how to multitrack. While playing a rhythm pattern or patterns and that last tip can be done on the original model. ✌️

[@losjardinesdebruselas]

Great video!

[@spvidz]

Thanks a lot! Thanks for watching

[@stoic_]

GREAT VIDEO! Just got my SP-404a and I love this thing. BTW Can you explain your camera setup? so I can record videos from that point of view lol

[@spvidz]

Not much to share man, it’s just my iPhone on a tripod that points down :)

[@JohnnyFilter]

Thank you bro! You have helped me out a lot!!! Got my first live set coming up in August - hyped!

[@spvidz]

Glad to hear that man. also thats sick! Good luck with it! how long you gotta fill?

[@JohnnyFilter]

spvidz the set is 1hour +\-

[@spvidz]

nice

[@sukorileakbatt294]

Best of luck man

[@JohnnyFilter]

Thank you!!!

[@DJFiBa]

THX bro!!!

[@spvidz]

No problem man hope they help 🙌

[@godruchillhiphopjazz8914]

🔥🔥🔥🦉

[@spvidz]

Thanks for tuning in!

[@SKYE-ex4rs]

where exactly do you download that Roland software where you can drag n drop your songs onto the pads?

[@spvidz]

It’s on the official Roland website

[@csyk1990]

sick vid man! do you have the normal sp404 or the 404a??

[@spvidz]

Cheers bro! I’ve got the SX but it’s pretty much exactly the same as the A!

[@gpenney123]

Hey awesome vid. Complete noob here, but I will ask anyway. Would I be able to sample from my synth into this machine? What do I need to do that?

[@spvidz]

You can sample anything into this providing you have the correct cables. You could either go into the ‘input’ jack on the front or phono at the back

[@xoabys5180]

are these tips also helpful for the sp555 i heard the 404 and 555 are similar

[@spvidz]

Not sure sorry. The features are similar but possibly not identical. If you have one just give them a try!

[@goseanproductions]

One thing I can't fig out is what is the sensitivity for the auto record. Is 1 or 9 the most sensitive?

[@spvidz]

Pretty sure 1 is the most sensitive man. Not at the sp at the moment but can’t confirm for sure but that’s what I remember :)

[@carlitoblu6127]

thanx

[@spvidz]

No problem! Thanks for watching

[@Nomcas]

6:49 pretty sure you can have effects on the external source on the og 404

[@tylerwharen5636]

Hey spvidz - first off, really grateful for your videos, been studying them all before buying my first sp. My sp404sx just came in the mail today and all the presets sound loud and clear, but i had a question: for some reason when I try plugging in a synth or keyboard into the ext source quarter-inch mic input, Im getting zero sound even with keys or synth turned to 10. Do you know of a remedy for this/how to get ext audio coming in loud and clear? Thanks again for all your videos! Best, Tyler

[@spvidz]

hey man, do you have the external source button highlighted...? Thats the only thing I can think of. They may also me a small dial on the front of the SP but that might just be for the built in mic, can't remember off the top of my head!

[@tylerwharen5636]

Ya its highlighted and small button in front of sp is turned to max. Also tried plugging a mic in and got no sound. one weird thing that im concerned about is that when i do function>input gain, the only options i can access are -10db and 0db - is that what is says on yours?

[@spvidz]

Yeah it’s the same. It only gives you s couple of options it’s not a continuous dial. Is the smaller light for the mic on as well? If so turn that off. That’s all I can really think of tbh. If that’s all correct there may be an issue with the input

[@culturemax234]

🖤

[@mannybaidoo]

What does PRT on the 404 sx stand for ?

[@spvidz]

Hey man when is it that you see that?

[@petitfantome777]

damn that remain button handy

[@middknight5202]

You mentioned putting full beats on the pads, would you have any knowledge about the OG doing this? 1 gb usually brings a decent amount of minutes (sets by Teebs and Ras g and tajima Hal use the Og) I’m wondering how to get so many files on there? Thanks!

[@spvidz]

I'm guessing but I imagine they use short loops instead, so probably not a whole track, just parts of it maybe and then play with the FX to mix things up. It seems like a logical way to go about it when you have limited memory

[@middknight5202]

@@spvidz Idk if you've watched any of these videos but they do loop however theyre not very short lol. Highly recommend for inspiration and ideas! But i see what you mean.

[@kushu.3174]

Dope g :)

[@spvidz]

Nice one!

[@dragon-id5uj]

At 6:50 you mention older models being unable to apply FX to the input; are you referring to the boss dr samples? Cause I use the OG 404 and it definitely can apply fx to incoming audio...

[@spvidz]

Can’t remember of the top of my head. It could be just on the 202

[@cold-momentss]

It’s just the 202, four tet uses his 303 as a effects unit for cool edit lol

[@joeanderson1307]

just got an SP404 . ur videos are my masterclass lol thank u so much hope u r doing well

[@spvidz]

Yo man glad to help you out. Welcome to the sp gang! 🙌

[@joeanderson1307]

@@spvidz ya man awesome. im actually having trouble recording tho. so i watched ur video about formatting the SD card and i did that. but my sp doesn't have any numbers on the display, and when i go to hit record it doesn't say record it says RDY(i assume this means ready), but it doesn't actually record anything. any idea why?

[@spvidz]

yup - you've somehow put 'auto trig level' on. This means it waits for a signal into the SP before it starts recording instead of you having to do it yourself. Use function and 4 and then set it to 0 using the right hand dial (move it all the way to the left) and you should be able to use record normally again

[@joeanderson1307]

@@spvidz ya i actually put auto trig on cuz u made a video about it and i watched that one lol. but even when i turn it off, it doesn't record anything . really weird. i used a dual rca to aux chord and plugged right into my computer and it didn't work, then i tried dual rca to 1/4 inch cables into my focusrite 2i2 and it only samples like the static. so idk gonna try more shit today and see if i can get it to work

[@spvidz]

hope you get it sorted man 👍

[@Allytherevepavillion]

Hey mate, ive got a question which I think relates to tip 2.. I've found when performing tracks live that I'll have the parameters set in a certain way for one effect. But when I take it off and switch on another effect with the parameters in different positions, it seems to play the new effect based on where the parameters where originally placed. Just wondering if that ties in to what you're saying about the second tip. Hope that makes sense! Still sussing out my 404a at the moment

[@spvidz]

cant remember tip 2 off the top of my head but whenever you change to an FX it will remember your previous settings. You can set them all up before you start but once you use them once (if you change them) thats pretty much it - you will have to just put up with however you left it. To get around it you can use FX grab very quickly to push the fx on and off in like a split second then you can update the parameters before you put it on again

[@Allytherevepavillion]

@@spvidz Thank you very much my man. Seems to be working! Loving the vids

[@georgecathro1473]

Hi - I'm using my 404 SX alongside a modular synth and have a question. Is it ok to have different SD cards and swap them between sets? Will the SX keep the pad locations from card to card? Cheers

[@spvidz]

Yup should do. It stores data on the card for what bank they are in etc

[@georgecathro1473]

@@spvidz Cheers! As an 'experiment' I've copied the factory data from the website onto a SX formatted SD card but it isn't being recognised by my 404 SX. RTFM......

[@spvidz]

Yeah not sure about copying stuff on to the SD card like that but if you create samples/sounds etc on the SP and save it to the card, it will be exactly as you left it if you take it out and put it back in again!

[@TheMangokushking]

@@georgecathro1473 as long as you assign a sound to a bank using the wave converter on the computer it should be there. using any other method will not work because the card wont know what to do with that data(other than sampling straight into the 404 of course). i hope i understood enough to be any help.

[@SHREVERaps]

A1

[@oscar6357]

really want to invest in a 404, whats the difference in the 404SX and the 404A

[@spvidz]

Sorry man I've only just seen this - hardly anything except the paint job I think...!

[@chibukun]

Good shout, didn’t know about the remain plus fx button to get all pads lit nice one! I finally got my sp and mpc hooked up, just did a beat uploaded on my page check it out if you like. Showed my mate some of your videos he thinks our accents are closer than we think 😝 any way hope you’re well dude keep the vids coming 👍

[@spvidz]

Nice one man will check it out! I’m in the north west :)

[@beaupeep3660]

Yo see when u applied the vinyl sim but u didn’t dial it in ?? How did ya do that’s?

[@spvidz]

It will be the last settings I used on it. The SP remembers your presets so long as you don’t switch it off I believe. Hope that helps

[@fluidizm]

Dude that was the one thing that surprised me the most! I get what you are saying and I had to slow down the video to 0.25%. Basically, to enter the MFXs from 13 to 24 press MFX with Dj Looper and then select the effect that you want with the pads! In this case OP pressed pad 4 to access Vinyl Sim which is MFX 16 Hope I helped!

[@germacam3498]

Nice vid bro

[@spvidz]

Thanks a lot. Appreciate the watch!

[@MattGreerMusic]

Yep, "FX thru" is a perfectly applicable term. I usually use this machine to process and resample specific sample parts that I then bounce into either my MPC or my PO-33 to compose my tracks in. And to that point, do you have any tips for the sequencer? Even with really tight trimming on my start points and close attention to using quantize settings, all of my sequenced beats just sound sloppy in the sequencer. Thanks for this btw. The "remain" function in particular was a new one by me.

[@spvidz]

I have the same issues with the sequencer and rarely use it. It’s something I want to look at in more detail though. I’ll try some more content soon!

[@jayreidy5317]

Where did you get yours because I really want and SX but I don’t know where to find one

[@spvidz]

Got mine off Amazon - amzn.to/2uRrktH

[@jayreidy5317]

spvidz thx mate btw +1 lifetime subscriber ur the best

[@spvidz]

No problem, appreciate the sub!

[@yogabeats8704]

Thanks for these bud. Hey whatcha ya filming on? Just curious cuz it looks pretty good. 60fps?

[@spvidz]

Hey man its just on my iPhone - can do 4k 60fps

[@yogabeats8704]

Oh nice. 11? 10?

[@yogabeats8704]

I used a ton of these tricks in my most recent live set. so TY

[@spvidz]

It’s the iPhone XR :)

[@SentaAerger]

how am i gonna finish my track in a door?

[@spvidz]

lol should have subtitled that bit

[@livingaudio2478]

Hi, could you tell me if this is something a blind person could use? What I mean is, can you do everything with button presses, or do you have to look at the screen a lot. Really looking for something with complete hands on control where the screen is kind of secondary.

[@spvidz]

That’s a Difficult one - there are a lot of combinations of buttons that you need to know in order perform certain tasks so although the screen is very primitive it does give you certain feedback to know what you’ve done is correct. I imagine they would be tricky with no visual reference. I guess they could be learned though it would just take a lot of practice

[@livingaudio2478]

@@spvidz combinations of buttons aren’t a problem really. If the screen is only for verification that’s okay, but for example I purchased a Korg OP6 recently and to do something like change the sequence length from one bar to 8 bars, you had to use one of the six endless encoders which wasn’t notched so you couldn’t count clicks. The only way to know if you had changed the number of bars was by looking at the screen. Generally buttons and encoders that are detented can be worked with. One of the biggest problems with anything that has a screen is if menus wrap round, because you can never know exactly where you are in a menu circle. So if the 404 or the 555 have a menu system that stops at the top option and the bottom option, then you always have a way of starting again if you miss count button presses or knob clicks and so on. The other thing that might be a problem is if the software you have to use to import samples onto the SD card is accessible with screen reading software. It’s a real pity that you can’t just copy samples onto the card using standard Windows Explorer.

[@spvidz]

@@livingaudio2478 You can copy samples in using the standard windows explorer. There is an 'import' folder on the SD card. You put samples in there and then use the import feature on the SX to import them onto the pads. You will find the same issues with the sequencer on the SP - there are various things like BPM and loop length which are changeable but don't have notching either unfortunately

[@livingaudio2478]

@@spvidz dam! That’s a real shame that you can’t use any of the pads/buttons on the unit to set values for things like loop length! I guess I was hoping you would say that you can set it with the dial, but you can also set it with the pads or buttons. Oh well… thanks for answering anyway. I will take a look at the electron samples. Perhaps that has button control.

[@spvidz]

Good luck, I hope you find one that is suitable

[@MaticBeatsGermany]

Dope Link 4 knobs?

[@spvidz]

Thanks man. Chroma caps fatty knobs by DJtechtools

[@iampetey1212]

sick video as per usual but the plant in comparison to the camera.. plant would be the vinyl and camera would be the laptop.. just sayin

[@spvidz]

lol will bear that in mind for the next one man :D thanks for watching

[@SRock-yf5nm]

I was about to say, judging by the succulent placement I can tell I have a reddit user here.

[@RogerontheKeys]

god I can't wait till mine comes in

[@spvidz]

Nice man, its a lot of fun!

[@dinneratlunch]

Same

[@RogerontheKeys]

@@dinneratlunch it's super fun. Your first beat is going to take maybe a whole day because you're going to be figuring things out but the process is a fun learning experience.

[@dinneratlunch]

@@RogerontheKeys I look forward to it I still got like 10 days till it’s here but I’m counting them down lol.

[@RogerontheKeys]

@@dinneratlunch lo I know the feeling do as much research a head of time and purchase things you may need for before it gets there like cables lol

[@seydevilchick8]

Great vid you broke that shit down …lol don't give away all the secrets JK you rock dude

[@spvidz]

haha good point! thanks for watching man

[@marcusbritton74]

Nice vids thanks - enjoying your Gone12 stuff too :)

[@spvidz]

Yo man thanks a lot for checking that out. Got a new tape coming soon too hopefully!

[@genesis_tracks]

Ooooh yeah camera vinyl

[@spvidz]

😂 the best kind! Thanks for tuning in again man, hope you're all good!

[@genesis_tracks]

@@spvidz I'm all good fr! Just finished my first year at college!

[@spvidz]

nice one! :)

[@CAPTAINxJAMESx]

One little but annoying mistake I sometimes make is forgetting to truncate samples. Sometimes I will mark a sample, then move it to the MPC and realise it has reverted back to its original length. Have to truncate to make that change permanent.

[@spvidz]

Cool tip man yeah, thanks!

[@goonknox]

Dope as fuck

[@spvidz]

Yo man appreciate that! Thanks for watching :)

[@goonknox]

spvidz got Insta?

[@spvidz]

GoonKnox yeah man @spvidz_

[@goonknox]

spvidz dope I will add ya up

[@softeyez6700]

tip #7: subscribe to spvidz

[@spvidz]

Damn missed a trick there haha!

[@softeyez6700]

@@spvidz how could you miss that? its the most useful tip!

[@MaticBeatsGermany]

Maybe We can collab Check SP Mato on Spotify Same Label with Wuntwo and Flughand. I would like 2 work with u

[@spvidz]

You on insta man? Send me a DM on there - just search spvidz