For discussion about setting up your studio and advice on the gear and equipment within it.
User avatar
By jnorth Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:25 pm
I really want one (or the other) because they seem like fun samplers, plus the limitations make beatmaking really challenging. I just have a few questions:

*Which is better? (sound quality wise and memory wise. I hear the SP 404 doesn't sound as nice)

*How much should i pay for an SP 303 used? Is the secondhand value high? Might bid on one on E-bay but it looks like there's going to be a bidding war :shock: I see quite a few used SP 404s on the market though.

*Is the SP 404 the same machine? Is it possible to get the same gritty sound from that as you can the SP 303?

*Is the build quality good? (don't want a piece of crap thats gonna break down in one week *cough* MPC 2500 *cough*


Update: Just seen 505 for £145. Thinking about that too. Is that a good deal?



(Before you ask: no it's not because J-Dilla or Madlib uses one)
User avatar
By jnorth Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:26 am
Dj Pound wrote:The 202!

j/k........Stay away from that one


Seen that one going mega cheap in this secondhand music shop. No ones copped it yet. Wonder why :lol:
User avatar
By fasttrackpimp Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:47 am
I got my 303 for like $200 including shipping off ebay about 6 months ago(I think). I tried the 404 before getting my 303, but the 303 looked more interesting and from the samples I heard, sounded warmer and it does. I looked at the 505 before deciding on the 303 too. After reading the 303 and 505 manuals, I just thought the 303 looked like more fun and would suit my needs/wants best, it was also cheaper. If you get the 303 or 505 get a smart media to xd adapter. Makes a world of difference. The 303 has tons of useful effects and is pretty fun to make beats with. I'd either get the 303 or 505, but obviously I'd choose the 303.
User avatar
By jnorth Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:50 am
fasttrackpimp wrote:I got my 303 for like $200 including shipping off ebay about 6 months ago(I think). I tried the 404 before getting my 303, but the 303 looked more interesting and from the samples I heard, sounded warmer and it does. I looked at the 505 before deciding on the 303 too. After reading the 303 and 505 manuals, I just thought the 303 looked like more fun and would suit my needs/wants best, it was also cheaper. If you get the 303 or 505 get a smart media to xd adapter. Makes a world of difference. The 303 has tons of useful effects and is pretty fun to make beats with. I'd either get the 303 or 505, but obviously I'd choose the 303.


Thanks, i'll look into that. How does the Smartmedia to xd adaptor work? Does that allow me to use xd cards instead?
User avatar
By peterpiper Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:48 am
fasttrackpimp wrote:Yeah. You just put it in your 303 drive and I have a 64mb xd card that I use. I think you can use cards up to 128mb, but the 303 will only use I think 64mb of that.

Here's the one I bought. Works like a charm.

http://www.memorysuppliers.com/xdtosmmeadco.html

[b]Oh and it saves faster than the 2000 classic does with the zip drive :lol: .[/b]


AFAIK the 303 use a compressed file format. So there is no reason to wonder why it saves faster. :)

peace
User avatar
By Ill-Green Tue Nov 03, 2009 3:08 pm
Get the 505, its basically like the 303 but with a screen with wave editing, auto/manual chop, 16 levels but refered as Pitch on this one. Timestretch for samples suck, but when you Timestretch the patterns its very good, don't know why but the samples are stretched without much clicking sounds, weird. And the voice cancellation is good, I took the Doors' Light My Fire and completely removed Morrison's vocals, but not too hot with mono records.

Peace
By Deta!L Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:58 pm
404 for the win
By Deta!L Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:23 am
no attack or decay on any of them
User avatar
By fawn Wed Nov 04, 2009 5:59 pm
the 404 has the same A/D conversion as the 555, I believe, whereas the 303 and 505 have the same. which is to say, the 404 and 555 do not sound as warm as the 505 or 303.

personally, i'm fans of all the sp- series, but i loooooove the 505, for all the reasons listed above (screen, auto-chop, good fx) and it has a really simple workflow. it IS slow, but as pointed out, pro'lly quicker than older mpcs.

the 303 only has a one-track sequencer, while the 505 has a four-track. may not be a big deal to you, if yr using an mpc along side, but it makes a dif if yr just using the sp- on its own.

you could scroll thru the sp-forum for some comparisons as well.
By Deta!L Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:56 pm
fawn wrote:the 404 has the same A/D conversion as the 555, I believe, whereas the 303 and 505 have the same. which is to say, the 404 and 555 do not sound as warm as the 505 or 303.

personally, i'm fans of all the sp- series, but i loooooove the 505, for all the reasons listed above (screen, auto-chop, good fx) and it has a really simple workflow. it IS slow, but as pointed out, pro'lly quicker than older mpcs.

the 303 only has a one-track sequencer, while the 505 has a four-track. may not be a big deal to you, if yr using an mpc along side, but it makes a dif if yr just using the sp- on its own.

you could scroll thru the sp-forum for some comparisons as well.


you know I don't really get this argument...303 does not sound "warm" by any stretch of the imagination...comparing 20 bit sampling to 24 bit sampling...a 2500 should sound "warmer" than both since it's 16 bit..

FWIW I own the 303 currently and have had all the machines mentioned for at least a year, in use

the 303/505 buttons are better, 505 has some great features the others don't

if you want "warm", get a tape deck or a snuggie