Making a Beat on the SP-404 MK2 | New Features & Workflow Tutorial

Making my first beat on the Roland SP-404MKII. In this session I flip a Jazz Piano sample & cook up a boom bap joint, breaking down some of the new features along the way.

00:00 Intro
00:42 Drums, Panning & Pad Link
01:56 Main Sample, Pitch & 404 Vinyl Sim
03:52 Chop Mode, Envelope & Mute Groups
07:14 Pattern Sequencer
08:20 Effects, 303 Vinyl Sim, Assign Fx Buttons
09:39 Guitar Amp Sim
10:33 The Beat

Other SP-404 MKII vids -
SP-404 MK2 VINYL SIM vs SP-303 & SP-404A:    • SP-404 MK2 VINYL SIM vs SP-303 & SP-404A |...  
SP-404 MK2 PITCH (Vinyl Mode) vs SP-202:    • SP-404 MK2 PITCH (Vinyl Mode) vs SP-202 | ...  
SP-404 MK2 Time Stretch & Chromatic Pitch:   • SP-404 MK2 Time Stretch & Chromatic Pitch ...  
SP-404 MK2 AMP SIM: My Guitar Tone Settings:    • SP-404 MK2 AMP SIM! Here's some of my favo...  

There's a bunch of new functionality going on with the SP-404MKII, here's some of my favourites:

It's quiet! That buzz we get with the SP-404SX/A isn't there. I've wrestled that so much over the last few years it had to be first on my list.
It has both 303 & 404 Vinyl Sim, expect a video comparing it to the SP-303 n SP-404A real soon...also, Cassette Sim is notably wicked, I use that a lot now.
Pitch has two modes: 303/404 style (you can still get that classic Madlib time stretch warble) and Vinyl mode which is SMOOOOOOTH, much like the SP-202 but it goes quite a bit lower and higher than the 202...I'll do a vid on that soon too.
Resample pattern to pad! This is a big one - plus you can chain patterns together AND record what's coming in the EXT SOURCE at the same time (like on the 303).
Pattern Duplicate: for example, you can make a 1 bar pattern then duplicate it so you've now got a 4 bar pattern which is that 1 bar copied and pasted 3 times...then go in n make variations.
The FX buttons around the screen (Filter, Isolator, DJFX Looper etc) can be assigned to other effects - for example, the Resonator button I now change to Cassette Sim and Delay button I've switched out with Tape Echo.
Amp Sim is pretty fun, it didn't take me long to find a guitar tone I liked n you can put a reverb on it (and just on the guitar, not the rest of the samples) which still being able to put other effect on the beat.
I've always dug the MFX 2 Tape Echo, it can now be stereo - ping ponging left to right...so sick.
Chop mode is dope, you see the sound wave, tap where the marks are, fine tune them then assign it to pads. After that you can adjust the start and end envelope to smooth them out. Also you can Normalize a chop - esp good for Kicks and Snares you've chopped out of a break.
16 Velocity, Chromatic mode, Mute Groups n Pad Link...I never knew how much I wanted them.
The 16 pads, I really like them for finger drumming...I haven't used anything like them before, they're not at all clickity clackity, kinda feel like what a drummer's practice pad is made from.

There's so much more going on, heaps I'm yet to wrap my head around...

As always, if you have any questions feel free to get at me in the comments...I'm still pretty new to this machine but I'll answer what I can!


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I have a couple of sample packs:

"BEEFY GRIT DRUM STASH" - Over 200 Dirty Dusty Drum Samples from my personal
collection that I used to make the beats from my last beat tape CHOPSMITH OFFCUTS &
various beat making videos on the Nonjuror YouTube channel: https://bsta.rs/e2bfd7234

"SP-202 LO-FI P BASS" - individual notes played and recorded with my Fender 50's
Precision Bass then resampled with the Boss SP202 at it's various sample rates:
https://bsta.rs/ea73ee5

"SP-202 LO-FI CHOPPED BREAKS, VOL. 2" - a collection of drum breaks sampled from
vinyl and chopped into gritty lo-fi kits. Sampled with the Boss SP-202 Dr Sample at
various sample rates then chopped and EQ'd on the Boss SP-303:
https://bsta.rs/fb81ba27

Also:
"LO-FI JAZZ GUITAR"
SP-202 LO-FI CHOPPED BREAKS, VOL. 1
SP-202 DUSTY LO-FI 808 [FREE DOWNLOAD]
SP-202 LO-FI 2 DRUMS [FREE DOWNLOAD]
SP-404 SCRATCHING SAMPLES [FREE DOWNLOAD]
Visit https://www.beatstars.com/nonjuror/so...


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Check out my latest Beat Tape "CHOPSMITH OFFCUTS 2" - 16 raw dirty dusty dank nasty naughty malcontent bumps eye ballin y'earhole with nothing but bad intentions...streaming now everywhere online, including:

‣ YouTube -    • Nonjuror - CHOPSMITH OFFCUTS 2 (SP 404 Bea...  
‣ Bandcamp - https://skybarstudios.bandcamp.com/al...
‣ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/album/1zVHRz...
‣ Soundcloud -   / chopsmith-offcuts-2-sp-beat-tape  
All the rest of the links → https://nonjuror.xyz/links

This way for more EAR BUTTER:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3i6HV...
  / nonjurormadnotes  
  / nonjuror_madnotes  
  / salvatoredelnoc  
  / nonjuror  

For more information email nonjuror@skybarstudios.com


#sp404mkii #sp404mk2 #sp404