Shape a sample · SP-404MKII guide

5.1Basics

Trim where a sample starts and stops

Nearly every new sample passes through here first. The start and end points tell the 404 which part to play, so you can lose the dead air at the front and the noise at the tail. The loop point sets where a looping sample comes back to. These are only positions: the audio outside them stays in the sample until you choose to remove it in Make an edit permanent.

Set the points

Press START/END. The waveform screen opens, with each knob’s job along the top.
Press the pad of the sample you want to edit.
Move the points with the knobs below, zooming in as you need to.
Press EXIT when you’re happy.

The points

START: Where playback begins.CTRL 1 knob
LOOP: Where a looping sample returns to. It moves only with loop on.CTRL 2 knob
END: Where playback stops.CTRL 3 knob

Key combinations

START/END: Opens the start and end point screen.
SHIFT + CTRLS: Zooms the waveform in or out around that knob’s point.On the start/end screen
Turn VALUE: Zooms the waveform in or out around the point you moved last.On the start/end screen
SHIFT + VALUE: Lets you type a position in as a number when you press the knob.On the start/end screen
MARK: Sets the start point, then the end point, as the sample plays. The loop point goes to the start point.On the start/end screen
ROLL: Previews the few seconds before the end point while you hold it.On the start/end screen
REMAIN: Sets whether the start point stops at the loop and end points (on) or pushes them along (off).On the start/end screen
RESAMPLE: Snaps the points to the nearest zero cross while it’s lit.On the start/end screen
DEL: Resets the start and end points, once you confirm OK.On the start/end screen

Type a position as a number

Hold SHIFT and press VALUE.
Turn VALUE to choose the point.
Enter the position on PAD 1–PAD 10. PAD 10 is the 0.
Press VALUE to confirm.

From the community

SP-404MKII Creative Sampler and Effector Video Manual
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Roland product specialist PJ Bridger works through the unit in 93 minutes, with a chapter for almost every function. It was filmed at launch, so nothing added since then appears.

Roland SP-404 MK II Sample Edit Tutorial Guide
XNB
A steady tour of the sample edit screens: start and end, truncate and normalise, emphasis, marking, chops, envelopes and pitch/speed.

5.2Intermediate

Make an edit permanent

Moving start and end points leaves the audio alone. These three commands rewrite it. Use TRUNCATE once you’re sure of a trim, NORMALIZE when a take came in too quietly, and EMPHASIS when a sample needs more top end.

Set the start and end points: see Trim where a sample starts and stops.
While you’re still on that screen, press VALUE to open the menu.
Turn VALUE to choose a command, and press it to run the command.

Key combinations

Press VALUE: Opens the menu of TRUNCATE, NORMALIZE and EMPHASIS.On the start/end screen

The commands

Command	What it does to the sample
`TRUNCATE`	Cuts everything outside the start and end points, for good.
`NORMALIZE`	Raises the volume of the whole sample.
`EMPHASIS`	Lifts the high frequencies.
`CANCEL`	Nothing. It just closes the menu.

From the community

5.3Basics

Mark where to cut a sample

Markers are your cut lines. Placing them doesn’t split anything yet: that happens when you Chop a sample across the pads. You have three ways to place them. Go by eye when you need precision, by ear when the feel matters, and automatically when a sample has an obvious rhythm or shape. You can also let AUTO MARK do a first pass and then correct its markers by hand.

By eye

Press the pad of the sample you want to mark.
Press SHIFT + START/END to open the marker screen.
Turn CTRL 1 to move the cursor to the right spot.
Press MARK to add a marker there. Repeat for each cut.

By ear

Press the pad of the sample you want to mark.
Press SHIFT + START/END to open the marker screen.
Press PAD 1 to play the sample.
As it plays, press the blue-blinking pads, PAD 2–PAD 16, at each moment you want a marker.

Automatically

Press the pad of the sample you want to mark.
Press SHIFT + START/END to open the marker screen.
Press VALUE to open the menu, choose AUTO MARK, and press VALUE again.
Turn VALUE or CTRL 2 to choose a method from the table below.
Turn CTRL 3 to set its value, then press VALUE.
Choose OK and press VALUE. The sample is marked up.

The AUTO MARK methods

Method	Value	Where the markers go	Good for
`TIME DIVISION`	2–16	At equal spacing, dividing up the whole sample.	A loop that’s already in time.
`LEVEL`	1–10	Wherever the level goes above a certain amount.	Phrases with clear gaps between them.
`TRANSIENT`	`HARD`, `MID`, `SOFT`	At big jumps in volume, such as a sharp attack.	Drum breaks and other percussive material.

Once a sample has markers, the pads preview them: press a pad to hear the audio at its marker.

Fine-tune on the marker screen

MOV(C): Moves the cursor, which is where the next marker will go.CTRL 1 knob
MOV(M): Moves the marker you’ve selected.CTRL 2 knob
SEL(M): Selects which marker the other controls act on.CTRL 3 knob

Key combinations

SHIFT + START/END: Opens the marker screen for the selected sample.
MARK: Adds a marker at the cursor.On the marker screen
DEL: Deletes the marker selected with CTRL 3.On the marker screen
RESAMPLE: Snaps the cursor to the nearest zero cross while it’s lit.On the marker screen
SHIFT + CTRL 1: Zooms in or out around the cursor.On the marker screen
SHIFT + CTRL 2: Zooms in or out around the selected marker.On the marker screen
Press VALUE: Opens the menu of AUTO MARK, ASSIGN TO PAD and DELETE ALL MARKS.On the marker screen

Clear every marker

On the marker screen, press VALUE to open the menu.
Choose DELETE ALL MARKS and press VALUE. The markers are gone, and leaving the screen won’t bring them back.

From the community

5.4Basics

Chop a sample across the pads

This is where a loop stops being a loop. Each slice becomes a sample of its own, on its own pad, so you can play the pieces in a new order, give them different treatments, and sequence them into something the original never was. Flip a loop into a new beat and Turn a drum break into a kit show what to do next.

Chop it

Mark up the sample: see Mark where to cut a sample.
On the marker screen, press VALUE to open the menu.
Choose ASSIGN TO PAD and press VALUE. The assign screen opens.
Decide where the slices go, one at a time or as a block (see below).
Turn CTRL 3 to switch GATE on or off. With it on, a slice plays only while you hold its pad: see Gate and hold: what letting go of a pad does.
Press VALUE. The slices land on their pads. Nothing is assigned until you do this.

Place slices one at a time

Turn CTRL 2 to choose a marker. The screen shows which one, such as MARK 1/4.
Press the pad you want it on.
Repeat for the next marker. DEL clears the pad choice for the marker you’re on.

Lay out a block in order

Turn VALUE to choose the first pad. The screen shows it after Auto Assign from.
To use a different bank, press its bank button now.
Press MARK. The slices line up in order from that pad. This only plans the layout, so you still need to press VALUE to finish.

Key combinations

MARK: Lays the slices out in order from the pad chosen with VALUE.On the assign screen
DEL: Cancels the pad choice for the marker selected with CTRL 2.On the assign screen
Press VALUE: Assigns the slices to their pads.On the assign screen

What the pad colours mean on the assign screen

Pad	What it means
Blinking yellow	Empty and available.
Green	Empty, and you’ve chosen it for a slice.
Dark orange	Already holds a sample.
Red	Already holds a sample, and you’ve chosen it. That sample will be overwritten.

From the community

Not sure a long sample will work? Before you chop it, set a drum loop going on another pad, open the new sample’s edit screen with gate and loop off, and move the start point in real time. You’ll hear which parts fit without committing to any slices. via kel on SP-Forums

SP-404 Mk2 Beginner's Guide (Part 1): Setup, Sampling, Recording & Chopping
Chris Laps
A patient 25-minute start, from setup and SD cards to recording and chopping. Parts 2 and 3, also listed here, pick up effects and patterns.

SP-404MKII Sample Chop with Dibiase
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Dibiase shows auto-chop mode for real-time chopping in under a minute.

ROLAND SP-404 MK2 Review // 9 tips & ideas to make the most of it // Tutorial for the SP-404 MKII
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A 50-minute tutorial and review from launch, with nine ideas and a list of pros and cons near the end. It predates TR-REC, so treat its sequencing chapter as out of date.

3 Sample Chopping Methods on the Roland SP-404 for Quick Easy Chops!
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Three quick ways to chop, shown on piano, drums and vocals, ending in a finished beat.

Using the SP404-MK2 to chop DRUM BREAKS - Its almost TOO EASY!
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A straightforward process for chopping drum breaks with the chop feature.

5.5Basics

Fade a sample in and out

An envelope changes how a sample’s volume moves as it plays. Use it to take the edge off the front of a slice, let a tail die away instead of stopping dead, or turn a held chord into a slow swell.

Press SHIFT + PITCH/SPEED to open the envelope screen.
Press the pad of the sample you want to shape. To select it without hearing it, hold MARK as you press the pad.
Set the three values below.

Parameters

ATTACK: How long the sample takes to rise to full volume. At 127, that’s three seconds.CTRL 1 knobRange 0–127
HOLD: How much of the sample plays, as a share of its whole length. At 50, you get the first half, and both fades happen inside that half.CTRL 2 knobRange 1–100 (%)
RELEASE: How long the sample takes to fade away. At 127, that’s three seconds.CTRL 3 knobRange 0–127

Key combinations

SHIFT + PITCH/SPEED: Opens the envelope screen.
Hold MARK + PAD: Selects a sample without playing it.On the envelope screen
Hold COPY + CTRLS: Changes the value on every sample in the same mute group.On the envelope screen
Hold REMAIN + CTRLS: Changes the value on every sample in the same bank.On the envelope screen

What the values do to an eight-second sample

ATTACK	HOLD	RELEASE	What you hear
0	100%	0	Full volume from the first moment to the last.
64	100%	127	A fade-in of about 1.5 seconds, full volume, then a fade-out across the last three seconds.
64	50%	127	Only the first four seconds play. The three-second fade-out begins before the fade-in has finished, so the sample never quite reaches full volume.
64	100%	127, with `GATE` on	The same fade-in, but the three-second fade-out starts the moment you lift your finger, whenever that is.

From the community

Roland SP-404MKII V3.0 Update Overview
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Covers 3.0’s sequencer changes, one-shot playback, DJ mode cue points and quantising after recording, each with its own chapter.

5.6Basics

Change a sample’s pitch and speed

This screen is where a sample starts to fit your track: put it in key, change its pace, set its volume and pan. One choice shapes the result more than any other. With VINYL MODE on Yes, pitch and speed move together, like changing the speed of a record, and you get that slowed-down or sped-up sound. With No, they’re independent, so you can change the key without changing the tempo.

Press PITCH/SPEED to open the screen.
Press the pad of the sample you want to edit.
Set the values below.

Pitch, speed and level

SPEED: How fast the sample plays. Hold SHIFT for finer steps. You can change this only with BPM SYNC off.CTRL 1 knobRange 50–150 (%)
PITCH: The pitch the sample plays at. The range is narrower upwards with VINYL MODE on.CTRL 2 knobRange -12.00–+12.00 when VINYL MODE is No; -12.00–+7.00 when it’s Yes
FINE: Hold SHIFT as you turn. Sets the pitch more exactly.CTRL 2 knobRange -1.00–+1.00 (CENT) when VINYL MODE is No; -0.49–+0.50 (CENT) when it’s Yes
VOLUME: How loud the sample plays.CTRL 3 knobRange 0–127
PAN: Hold SHIFT as you turn. Where the sample sits in the stereo field.CTRL 3 knobRange MONO (Left), L:50–R:50, MONO (Right)
BPM SET: How the sample’s tempo is set. AUTO uses the tempo the 404 detects, and MANU and MANU-F let you enter it by hand. See Give a sample its tempo for all three.VALUE knobRange AUTO, MANU, MANU-F
FIXED VELOCITY: Press SHIFT + PAD 1. Fix plays the sample at 127, the maximum, however you hit the pad. Vel turns that off. See Control how hard the pads hit.Range Vel, Fix

Key combinations

PITCH/SPEED: Opens the pitch/speed screen.
SHIFT + CTRL 1: Sets SPEED in finer steps.On the pitch/speed screen
SHIFT + CTRL 2: Sets FINE.On the pitch/speed screen
SHIFT + CTRL 3: Sets PAN.On the pitch/speed screen
Turn VALUE: Sets BPM SET.On the pitch/speed screen
SHIFT + VALUE: Sets VINYL MODE and VARI MODE when you turn the knob.On the pitch/speed screen
SHIFT + PAD 1: Switches FIXED VELOCITY on or off.
Hold COPY + CTRLS: Changes the value on every sample in the same mute group.On the pitch/speed screen
Hold REMAIN + CTRLS: Changes the value on every sample in the same bank.On the pitch/speed screen

How pitch and speed are processed

Setting	Value	What it does	Good for
`VINYL MODE`	`Yes`	Links speed and pitch, as on a record.	The classic pitched-down or sped-up sound.
`VINYL MODE`	`No`	Separates speed and pitch, and makes `VARI MODE` available.	Changing key or tempo on its own.
`VARI MODE`	`Off`	No VARI processing.	When the plain result already sounds fine.
`VARI MODE`	`Backing`	Optimised for sounds that decay.	Drums, percussion, strummed guitar and anything else with a sharp attack.
`VARI MODE`	`Ensemble`	Optimised for sounds that sustain.	Held notes that change gradually, such as strings or a choir.

VARI processing is there for when a pitch or speed change starts to sound unnatural. Reach for it if a sample goes grainy or odd after you’ve moved it.

From the community

【SP-404MKII】BPM / PITCH / SPEED【How to Setup】
Roland ｜ローランド
How sample, bank and project BPM relate, what BPM sync does, and how pitch/speed settings differ. From Roland’s Japanese channel, so expect Japanese; YouTube offers auto-generated English captions.

SP-404 Guide: Pitch Shifting, Time Stretching, and BPM Sync
Chris Laps
A thorough guide to vinyl mode, pitch and time algorithms, project and bank tempo and BPM sync, worked through on drums, bass and vocals.

5.7IntermediateSystem 4.04+

Give a sample some swing

A drum loop played dead on the grid can feel stiff. Groove nudges the timing of a sample’s beats to a template, so you can give it a lilt without replaying anything. The templates follow the sample’s tempo, so that tempo has to be right before you start: see Give a sample its tempo.

Press PITCH/SPEED, and press the pad of the sample if it isn’t already selected.
Press ROLL to open the groove screen.
Choose a template with CTRL 3, then set how strong it is with CTRL 2 and CTRL 1.

Key combinations

ROLL: Opens the groove screen.On the pitch/speed screen

Parameters

Groove: The template. Those starting with 8 are 8-beat grooves and those starting with 16 are 16-beat grooves, each with its own amount of swing and its own timing.CTRL 3 knobRange Off, 8<, 8<<, 8>, 8>>, 16<, 16<<, 16>, 16>>
Rate: A fixed strength for the timing shift. High values can hurt the sound quality.CTRL 2 knobRange 1–15
Humanize: Varies the strength of the timing shift at random.CTRL 1 knobRange Off, Low, Mid, High

From the community

Roland SP-404MKII v4.04 Update Overview
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Roland’s longest update video, at half an hour: the looper, sound generator, groove, microscope editing and much more. Converting SP-404SX/A projects from an SD card starts at 23:45.

5.8BasicsSystem 4.04+

Colour-code your samples

Colour helps once your banks fill up: all the drums one colour, the vocals another. Switch the pads to SAMPLE mode and the colour belongs to each sample, with room for up to 2,560 of them. The pads can also follow the bus or use a colour per pad: see Every pad setting.

Press SHIFT + PAD 15 to open the pad setting screen.
Turn CTRL 3 to reach the LED tab, and set Pad LED Mode to SAMPLE.
Press EXIT.
Press the pad you want to colour.
Hold REMAIN and turn VALUE to reach the Color setting.
Press VALUE. The SAMPLE COLOR SETTING screen opens.
Turn VALUE to choose a colour.
Move the cursor to OK and press VALUE. The setting is saved, and you’re back at the top screen.

Key combinations

SHIFT + PAD 15: Opens the pad setting screen.
Hold REMAIN + VALUE: Moves through the selected sample’s settings to reach Color, when you turn the knob.

5.9Basics

Check a sample’s settings, or reset them

When a sample isn’t behaving as you expect, look before you start changing things. Holding REMAIN shows what’s set on the pad you last pressed. If it’s beyond rescue, INIT PARAM takes its settings back to their defaults, including the start point, end point and tempo.

Key combinations

Hold REMAIN: Shows the settings of the selected pad’s sample, and its remaining time while it plays.
SHIFT + PAD 6: Starts resetting the selected pad’s sample to its default settings.

What you can read while holding REMAIN

STORAGE AVAILABLE, the space that’s free.
NAME, the sample’s name.
Remaining Time, how much of the sample is left to play.
STEREO/MONO, how the sample is stored.
ORIGINAL BPM, the sample’s original tempo.
PAD LINK and further settings, including Color, as you turn VALUE. See Trigger several pads from one and Colour-code your samples.

Reset a sample

Select the pad, then press SHIFT + PAD 6. A confirmation message appears, and EXIT cancels.
Choose OK and press VALUE.

What the Remain button does covers the other things REMAIN can do.

From the community

SP404 MKII Pad Shift Functions Explored
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Goes through what each pad does with Shift held, from Fixed Velocity to EFX settings. Filmed at launch, but the pad layout hasn’t changed.

5.10IntermediateSystem 4.04+

Merge samples into one

Merging builds a new sample from up to four others, with no playing or recording involved. SUM is the practical one: it stacks sounds together, which also frees up pads when you’ve run out. MUL is the strange one, where one sample modulates another, and it’s worth trying for sound design.

Press SHIFT + RESAMPLE to enter sample merge mode.
Press the pads of the samples you want to merge. You need at least two and can use up to four.
Turn CTRL 1 to choose SUM or MUL.
Turn VALUE to choose a pad, and turn CTRL 3 to set its volume. Repeat for each pad.
Press VALUE to move on.
Press the pad you want the result on, then press VALUE. The merged sample is saved there.

Key combinations

SHIFT + RESAMPLE: Enters sample merge mode.

The two methods

Method	What it does	Good for
`SUM`	Adds the samples together, like a mix.	Layering sounds, and clearing pads when you’re out of room.
`MUL`	Multiplies the samples, so one shapes the other. An audio sample merged with a recorded waveform takes on that waveform’s modulation.	Creating your own sounds. A waveform from the Make your own sounds with the sound generator is one place to start.

From the community

5.11Basics

Swap and copy pads and banks

Your layout will change as a track comes together. Swap pads to get your hands where they want to be, copy a sample before you try something drastic with it, or copy a whole bank to start a variation. The same keys also work on patterns: see Swap, copy, extract and delete patterns.

Swap two pads

Press SHIFT + PAD 5. The EXCHANGE PAD screen appears.
Press the two pads. If one is in another bank, press that bank’s button before you press the pad. EXIT cancels.
Press VALUE or COPY to make the swap.

Copy one pad

Press COPY. The COPY PAD screen appears.
Press the pad to copy from.
To copy to another bank, press that bank’s button. To copy to another project, turn CTRL 3 to choose it.
Press the pad to copy to. EXIT cancels.
Press VALUE or COPY to make the copy.

Copy a whole bank

Hold COPY and press EXIT. The COPY BANK PAD screen appears.
Press the bank button of the bank to copy from.
Turn VALUE clockwise to move the cursor across.
Press the bank button of the bank to copy to. To copy to another project, turn CTRL 3 to choose it.
Press VALUE to make the copy.

Key combinations

SHIFT + PAD 5: Opens the EXCHANGE PAD screen for swapping two pads.
COPY: Opens the COPY PAD screen.
COPY + EXIT: Opens the COPY BANK PAD screen for copying a whole bank.

From the community

5.12Basics

Protect banks and delete samples

Deleting on the 404 is final, so it pays to know both halves of this. Protection locks a whole bank, samples and patterns alike: nothing in it can be copied, edited over or deleted by accident until you lift the lock. It’s a good habit before a gig or once a bank is finished.

Protect a bank

Press the bank’s button to select it. For banks F–J, press the button twice so it blinks.
Press SHIFT + COPY. A confirmation message appears, and EXIT cancels.
Choose OK and press VALUE.
To lift the protection, do the same again.

Delete one sample

Press DEL. The SELECT PAD screen appears.
Press the pad holding the sample. EXIT cancels.
Press VALUE or DEL to delete it.

Delete a whole bank of samples

Hold DEL and press EXIT. The DELETE BANK screen appears.
Press the button of the bank you want to clear.
Press VALUE or DEL to delete its samples.

Key combinations

SHIFT + COPY: Turns protection on or off for the selected bank.
DEL: Opens the SELECT PAD screen for deleting a sample.
DEL + EXIT: Opens the DELETE BANK screen for deleting a whole bank.

From the community