Buying a second hand SP-808? Do first this test!

Hi guys,

From a viewer I received a very important question regarding buying a second hand Roland SP-808.
He asked if I could give him some tips and of course I can.
The most important tip is to do the Diagnostic Test.
In fact: not only for future SP-808 users this is important but also for the existing users this is important.

To enter the Diagnostic Test hold Status and Effects above D and power ON.
You'll enter a menu with 16 different tests.
1. LCD
2. LCD CONTRAST
3. LED
4. SWITCH
5. FADER
6. POTS
7. D-BEAM
8. MIDI
9. ZIP (atapi)
10. ANALOG I/O
11. INITIALIZE
12. SCSI
13. DIGITAL I/O
14. ENCODER
15. FOOT SW.
16. DEVICE

After every test the SP-808 will go to the next test.
When the test is done, the according pad is lit.

Also you can do more tests, like an audio test to make sure the unit can really grab audio.
So, bring a RCA-mini jack cable to connect your phone to the LINE input.
Also a MIDI-cable for the Diagnostic Test.

If you have any ideas, please let me know this in the comments below!

Due to the increasing number of tutorials I’ve decided to use color coding for the type of videos.
This to make it more easier to get a good overview.
Red = Sampling
Green = Effects
Blue = Synthesizer
Orange = System
Yellow = Recorder

Check out also my other video's of the SP-808 about the amazing vocoder and the deep synthesizer.
Vocoder fun:    • Vocoder fun! Playing with vocal effects of...  
Synth engine:    • SP-808: Be amazed! The Synthesizer of the ...  

Still not upgraded to e-MIX Studio?
Check out this video:    • SP-808: Easy! Upgrade now to SP-808 e-mix ...  

Thanks and keep on grooving.

Grtzzz,
Roger