Roland's Portable Sample Workstation Is More Potent Than Ever
The Roland SP-404MKII Linear Wave Sampler is the most powerful incarnation of Roland's beloved sampling workstation ever devised. Dual headphone outputs streamline collaboration with other musicians without needing a mixer or separate headphone amplifier to monitor your sampling session. An updated resampling workflow makes it simple to re-record patterns and effects layers; plus, with a generous selection of new effects on top of classic SP effects, the sound design potential is vast. Factor in its OLED screen for visual sample editing, the ability to tap out edit points in real time, pattern sequencing to turn ideas into full performances, and native Serato integration, and it's clear the Roland SP-404MKII stands out as a leader among portable sampling workstations.
Pro tip: to better grasp the full creative potential of the SP-404MKII, check out Sweetwater's Knowledge Base article, Working with Projects and Samples on the Roland SP-404MKII.
Related Videos: SP-404MKII Linear Wave Sampler
Sample or stream to mobile devices via USB-C
Here's a first among portable sample workstations: the SP-404MKII is equipped with a USB-C port to connect to your mobile device. You can sample audio from mobile apps, videos you've recorded, or any other audio source from your device. You can also stream audio to your device directly from the SP-404MKII. Finally, the USB port allows you to connect with the SP App on your computer for sample editing and project management.
All the effects you need
Sample artists at Sweetwater have long been fans of the SP series' effects like Vinyl Simulation and DJFX Looper, and the SP-404MKII adds even more ear candy to the mix. Effects such as Lo-fi, Cassette Simulation, and Resonator expand your creative potential, and the Mic/Guitar input can tap into Vocoder, Auto-Tune, and Guitar Amp Simulator effects. And thanks to the SP-404MKII's updated resampling workflow, it's faster than ever to process audio through effects and bring the resampled audio into your arrangement.
DJ mode encourages live performance
Gigging electronic musicians who typically juggle two SP sampling workstations will rejoice at the SP-404MKII's new DJ mode. It offers an all-new approach for live performance, allowing you to manipulate and mix two audio files with eight pad controllers per side. Speaking of live performance, the SP-404MKII allows you to chain patterns together manually, save a sequence of patterns chained together for playback, or even link up to four pads to be triggered by a single pad.
The ultimate SP — now a Serato controller too!
Since its release in 2021, the SP-404MKII has been the tool of choice for performance-based beatmakers and creative musicians. Now, with version 5, this sampler workstation offers seamless integration with premier software tools in DJ and beat culture, including native support for Serato DJ Lite, Serato DJ Pro, and Serato Studio. This enables you to use the SP-404MKII as a pre-mapped Serato controller, paving the way for innovative DJ sets, beatmaking, and song creation. Additionally, you can combine Serato’s advanced audio processing with the SP-404MKII’s intuitive interface, fusing the creative power of Serato Stems technology with the expressive capabilities of Roland’s acclaimed SP effects.
The SP-404MKII’s version 5 update also includes potent bug fixes and several user-requested enhancements, such as displaying the current setting during resampling and allowing you to trigger the start of the resample with the Sound Generator, which can now be accessed when resampling is restarted. Moreover, MIDI CC transmission is assigned to the unit’s CTRL knobs, and Skip Back Sampling can now be performed while in DJ mode.
Roland SP-404MKII Features:
- Compact and portable sampling workstation for production and live performance
- Includes 144 pre-loaded samples and patterns across 9 banks to get you started
- Huge sample storage capability, with 16GB onboard storage and support for 32GB SD cards (maximum)
- 16 velocity-sensitive, 9-color RGB pads for finger drumming, sample triggering, and launching patterns
- Vibrant OLED screen for visual waveform editing
- Powered by USB-C, mobile battery, 6 AA batteries, or AC adapter (included)
- Can sample from mobile devices via USB-C or even stream audio directly to your device
- Expanded effects including Lo-fi, Cassette Simulation, and Resonator, plus Vocoder, Auto-Tune, and Guitar Amp Simulator via the Mic/Guitar input
- Dual headphone outputs make it easy to collaborate with other musicians without a mixer or headphone splitter
- Envelope and pitch shift for shaping samples
- Updated resampling workflow makes it easier to re-record samples through various effects
- Skip Back Sampling captures up to 40 seconds of a performance — never miss a sonic gem just because you didn't hit record
- Adjustable input quantization and shuffle
- Up to 4 pads can be triggered simultaneously with Pad Link
- Roll button for triggering note repeats at speeds of 1/2 beat up to 1/64 beat
- DJ mode allows you to mix and manipulate 2 audio files with 8 controls per side
- BPM can be set per-bank for scripted tempo changes
- Native support for Serato DJ Lite, Serato DJ Pro, and Serato Studio
