Absolutely. I’ve long been telling people that working within some limitations can open up a ton of creativity and can push productivity forward. One of the reasons I recently acquired a 404 mkII
The thing about the SP and the limitations is that while there are some, there’s a lot of room for creativity. As someone who went to audio engineering school I learned a lot of mixing is good sound selection, volume and panning before anything. As long as your drums and bass are mono the beat will probably sound pretty great. Other than that we use these standalone boxes because of the grit they offer. Great video man! Keep on inspiring
I was literally thinking this today. My mixing is 90% levels and making sure the drum sounds I’ve chosen fit the sample. I rarely pan to be honest but I should do that more often! 👍
That’s the beautiful thing about the 404 - the sort of minimalist, messy way of making music. The limitations give you rails to ride on. You can tweak every element the live long day, but at what cost? Never putting anything out? I empathize with this big time, brother. Glad you’re finding contentment in getting back to letting the box determine some of how it goes and you can just enjoy the process. I’ve been recording live right into the DAW, knob twists and all, and giving only a bit of additional EQ and a master lift and I’ve been super happy with the way they’ve come out. Learning to love the imperfection is where the beauty lies. That’s the appeal of the SP, I think. 😊 Keep going brother, and thank you for sharing!
Yo man thats exactly what I do recording as well! I'm going to do a video about that too and my reasons behind it but yup I 100% agree with you when you say 'You can tweak every element the live long day, but at what cost? Never putting anything out?' thats what I came to realise with trying to move part of my workflow to Ableton.
I totally agree… limitations can encourage us to make something better. We tend to overthink as creatives when working in a DAW since possibilities are… basically endless. At some point we are so stuck with specific track that we don’t like it anymore (even if we had a vibe in the beginning) and then… you have disk full of forgotten, abandoned beats which can make you feel sad and overwhelmed. SP 404 has its own soul and uniqueness. Its specific workflow encourages to think differently about the process.
@@spvidz I feel that the best way to use Ableton in the process is to make a whole thing on a SP and afterwards to polish it in Ableton, no the other way around ;) I played few gigs where I made loops in Ableton and then I played them on 404 during performance with guitar and saxophone. But… I felt I’m missing something. A part of SP soul I guess 😅 Last time I played like that, afterwards there was also jam session and I felt I can’t really jam along with it. On the other hand, recently I took SP-404 for a jam session with just Roland default samples… and it went great. Just one shots and some finger drumming + FX on my vocals through SP. I realised I have to make everything on the 404 and it was going through my head for the past few days… and now you just proved my thoughts with this video 😅😅 Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
Necessity is the mother of invention. Not too long ago we only had 4 tracks and 10 seconds of sample time to work with.. that’s when the magic happens. 🪄 Dig’n the set-up! 👍🏽
In my opinion there is a great feature of SP that is fundamental. You do not use your eyes. You do not see time. It's all ears, all emotions. When the eyes are out of the way, your music travels from ear to ear, heart to heart. Alongside with the lack of physical pads, this is to me what explains the new iPad Madlib. The sight is the most powerful sense and trumps the others ones in deep ways.
I can relate to that feeling of option paralysis as a hindrance to creativity. Working with the SP and accepting the limitations helped me to really start breaking creative blocks and encourage decision making. For a good few months I just messed around on the SP and whatever keyboard I had available and my mindset changed. When I got back to producing more in the DAW, I've kept the mindset and it has been helpful because I just stick to what I like and don't overthink it, even though there are so many options. This is why I frequently go back to just using the SP and a keyboard every once in a while to stay in the mindset of pushing forward.
Just got the sp404mk2 because I was so tired of working on a DAW. I need to let my brain be more creative and I think dealing with limitations and changing environments can enable the creative side of the brain. The problem for me with Ableton after 10 years of using it was that there were so many possibilities that eventually I was always using the same workflow because I was “afraid” of experimenting.
good point. in a similar boat with DAWs right now, even though much less time on them. Still, Logic has become kinda glitchy & unstable after the latest update, and I've been getting a bit tired of it anyway... Thinking of getting an SP or an Octatrack to break out of the mold.
I love this! About two years ago I decided to go DAWless. Absolutely zero regrets. I’ve wasted hundreds of hours tweaking small things without hardly ever completing anything. I just like jamming with the 404. I record live stuff into my norns shield, It leads to a little more practice, but I’ve made a lot of tracks that I love. Thanks for all the tips and tricks throughout the years. Honestly I’ve had my 404 for a couple of years now and am just starting to really enjoy it.
If you take a walk in the woods, the most interesting trees are always the ones that had to grow around an obstacle or barrier. Creativity, I find, works the same way. It makes what you do stand out because the process of working around the limitation makes the beat or song more unique, and it (and this is the key) gets you out of the rut of doing things one way. At least, that's been my experience.
Great reminder! This is a dope vid. You're imparting your creative philosophy without the slightest hint of condescension which is refreshing. I can relate to everything you've said here. Control is a double edged sword. I am slowly working my way out of the DAW workflow for my own creative pursuits. I still have to use a DAW when I do work for others but there is nothing like the feel of working for hours without turning on a computer. It reminds me of my youth when I had to bounce between two cassette decks. It can be really frustrating at times but there is also a powerful sense of accomplishment when something turns out well. Thanks brother!
You know I got the sp404 cause of your vids. They’ve taught me so much. When you released the vid about moving over to daws more I understood it and got what you wanted, but you also kept uploading sp404 shit. To hear this vid feels like it’s come full circle. And never fear g, That 404 type sound nasty. The vibe of the beats is top tier just keep moving forward. Happy to see you jamming with my favorite little box again
Yeah man. Things can change and I’m always keen to try something new even if it ends up not working out. It’s good to be enjoying the sp life again at the moment though 🙌
Yes same here. I have a lot of synths and drum maschines but i have to say i really love to sit on the couch with just the sp. It’s my favorite maschine at the moment and i think there is no end 🔥🥁✌🏼
True. I agree with this. I've realized similar things over the past few years. Everything has its place. Simple things make the process more enjoyable and the overall picture cozy. There is no perfection, only staying in the creative process. It's exciting and inspiring to think how I can solve a complex step without ableton or other daw. Less is more...etc. I use an SP 404 MK2 too and an old iconic SP 555. :) The two are cool together. just a dawless setup. Thanks for the video and the topic as always. ; ) (sorry 4 my poor English, i don't use it everyday)
Yeah the SP is definitely a lot more hands on and tactile compared to a DAW which is fun. I agree though everything has its place and DAWs can also be incredibly useful 👍
I got the SP for this reason because I was learning on Koala. I’m trying to learn how to translate my Koala workflow to the 404mk2. If you made a video on that, would be amazing.
a podacaster/writer i like calls it the Spotify Premium problem, infinite options are paralysing, fewer make it easier to find a quick preference. SP is ideal for this. As an SX holdout, i have even fewer options so "good enough" is my old friend in terms of beat quality 😅
I love the sp 404 mk2.....I wonder if the sp404 MK3 will have features that will revolutionise the direction of the SP for the future ...the SP 404 has its own unique sound so it only can get better 💯🔥
I hope it doesn't go too far...I think if they iron out some of the bugs with the MK2 and maybe introduce one or two new features its going to be really hard to follow!
When they do make a MK3 I think there'll be a revolutionary features but yes the mk 2 definitely need some updates I still get clipping sounds in my samples
Yeah the limitations are a big plus, making a beatloop is so fast and easy, I only wish the pattern sequencer feels more natural and not so stiff if that makes any sense. Now its faster to export in daw and sequence plus finish the beat there, wish I didn't have to and stay in SP, now it takes away bit of the fun to really finish a beat
Yeah the pattern area is a bit like that I agree. It would be cool if there was a nudge feature. There is a similar function in TR-mode but it’s not natural at all. I think that could really help in a lot of situations, especially adding some groove!
Yo. Great video and great topic. I have a question about timestretching. Could you do a TS comparison between MPC Live II(standalone) and SP 404 mk2?. Maybe you've done such a comparison before and know what the results are. I'm very curious which device will handle this function better. I guess that MPC LIVE II in the controller mode will do much much better than sp 404 but this is not the issue that concerns me. Currently, I'm faced with the choice of which device to buy for making beats. Peace!
I know exactly what you mean however I have been going through a trying to find a way of working that suits me spell which has involved trying a few bits of hardware. I bought an MPC one a couple of years back with the idea that I could take it everywhere but found it a tad too big.. I bought a 404 2 a couple of months ago and TBH I am now questioning whether its all just getting in the way and if I had just spent the time on BITWIG I may even finished a tune by now.... Basically I think my limitation is me and its not helping at all.
Hey vids - do you have anyway to contact Roland with feature requests? - I thought of one that would be absolutely game changing and very simple for them to implement
Do you have any idea to quickly access levels for live performance with the SP 404MK2? I have been really excited about that device, got it, played a bunch, wondered about the marvelous amazing fx, but had to send it back because it does not do the job why I initially bought it, wich is a performance sampler. Right now the Octatrack does the trick, but I am moving away from Elektron due to several times the hardware failed me and I can't afford that for liveshows. But as mentioned unfortunately no mixer section on the SP404 MK2 😞. Such a cool tool though....maybe you have an idea...
@@spvidz guess you are right about that:(. I am not a DJ though…do ambient and downbeat Livesets…I will find something else. Thank you so much for clarifying!
Yeah this machine is great. It makes you think about what you’re making. I got it last week and I made 5 beats that are album worthy cos of the simple fact that I’m not overthinking the whole time.
Absolutely. I’ve long been telling people that working within some limitations can open up a ton of creativity and can push productivity forward. One of the reasons I recently acquired a 404 mkII
Nice! The MK2 is a great machine especially for the price
The thing about the SP and the limitations is that while there are some, there’s a lot of room for creativity. As someone who went to audio engineering school I learned a lot of mixing is good sound selection, volume and panning before anything. As long as your drums and bass are mono the beat will probably sound pretty great. Other than that we use these standalone boxes because of the grit they offer.
Great video man! Keep on inspiring
I was literally thinking this today. My mixing is 90% levels and making sure the drum sounds I’ve chosen fit the sample. I rarely pan to be honest but I should do that more often! 👍
That’s the beautiful thing about the 404 - the sort of minimalist, messy way of making music. The limitations give you rails to ride on. You can tweak every element the live long day, but at what cost? Never putting anything out? I empathize with this big time, brother. Glad you’re finding contentment in getting back to letting the box determine some of how it goes and you can just enjoy the process. I’ve been recording live right into the DAW, knob twists and all, and giving only a bit of additional EQ and a master lift and I’ve been super happy with the way they’ve come out. Learning to love the imperfection is where the beauty lies. That’s the appeal of the SP, I think. 😊 Keep going brother, and thank you for sharing!
Yo man thats exactly what I do recording as well! I'm going to do a video about that too and my reasons behind it but yup I 100% agree with you when you say 'You can tweak every element the live long day, but at what cost? Never putting anything out?' thats what I came to realise with trying to move part of my workflow to Ableton.
I totally agree… limitations can encourage us to make something better. We tend to overthink as creatives when working in a DAW since possibilities are… basically endless. At some point we are so stuck with specific track that we don’t like it anymore (even if we had a vibe in the beginning) and then… you have disk full of forgotten, abandoned beats which can make you feel sad and overwhelmed.
SP 404 has its own soul and uniqueness. Its specific workflow encourages to think differently about the process.
That first sentence is wayyyy too relatable 😅
@@spvidz I feel that the best way to use Ableton in the process is to make a whole thing on a SP and afterwards to polish it in Ableton, no the other way around ;)
I played few gigs where I made loops in Ableton and then I played them on 404 during performance with guitar and saxophone. But… I felt I’m missing something. A part of SP soul I guess 😅
Last time I played like that, afterwards there was also jam session and I felt I can’t really jam along with it. On the other hand, recently I took SP-404 for a jam session with just Roland default samples… and it went great. Just one shots and some finger drumming + FX on my vocals through SP. I realised I have to make everything on the 404 and it was going through my head for the past few days… and now you just proved my thoughts with this video 😅😅
Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
limitations breed creativity
Necessity is the mother of invention. Not too long ago we only had 4 tracks and 10 seconds of sample time to work with.. that’s when the magic happens. 🪄
Dig’n the set-up! 👍🏽
big facts!
In my opinion there is a great feature of SP that is fundamental. You do not use your eyes. You do not see time. It's all ears, all emotions. When the eyes are out of the way, your music travels from ear to ear, heart to heart. Alongside with the lack of physical pads, this is to me what explains the new iPad Madlib. The sight is the most powerful sense and trumps the others ones in deep ways.
I can relate to that feeling of option paralysis as a hindrance to creativity.
Working with the SP and accepting the limitations helped me to really start breaking creative blocks and encourage decision making. For a good few months I just messed around on the SP and whatever keyboard I had available and my mindset changed. When I got back to producing more in the DAW, I've kept the mindset and it has been helpful because I just stick to what I like and don't overthink it, even though there are so many options.
This is why I frequently go back to just using the SP and a keyboard every once in a while to stay in the mindset of pushing forward.
💯
So true. “Choice overload effect” is a hindrance, not just in marketing but also in creativity.
Just got the sp404mk2 because I was so tired of working on a DAW. I need to let my brain be more creative and I think dealing with limitations and changing environments can enable the creative side of the brain.
The problem for me with Ableton after 10 years of using it was that there were so many possibilities that eventually I was always using the same workflow because I was “afraid” of experimenting.
good point. in a similar boat with DAWs right now, even though much less time on them. Still, Logic has become kinda glitchy & unstable after the latest update, and I've been getting a bit tired of it anyway... Thinking of getting an SP or an Octatrack to break out of the mold.
I love this!
About two years ago I decided to go DAWless. Absolutely zero regrets. I’ve wasted hundreds of hours tweaking small things without hardly ever completing anything.
I just like jamming with the 404. I record live stuff into my norns shield, It leads to a little more practice, but I’ve made a lot of tracks that I love.
Thanks for all the tips and tricks throughout the years. Honestly I’ve had my 404 for a couple of years now and am just starting to really enjoy it.
Yeah same story here. Cutting options out has helped me a lot over the past few months. Glad to help you with the tips 🔥
The time stretch wobble sounds ace, I’d be trying to recreate that in ableton anyway 👌
🙌
If you take a walk in the woods, the most interesting trees are always the ones that had to grow around an obstacle or barrier. Creativity, I find, works the same way. It makes what you do stand out because the process of working around the limitation makes the beat or song more unique, and it (and this is the key) gets you out of the rut of doing things one way. At least, that's been my experience.
Great reminder! This is a dope vid. You're imparting your creative philosophy without the slightest hint of condescension which is refreshing. I can relate to everything you've said here. Control is a double edged sword. I am slowly working my way out of the DAW workflow for my own creative pursuits. I still have to use a DAW when I do work for others but there is nothing like the feel of working for hours without turning on a computer. It reminds me of my youth when I had to bounce between two cassette decks. It can be really frustrating at times but there is also a powerful sense of accomplishment when something turns out well. Thanks brother!
Thanks for the kind words!
You know I got the sp404 cause of your vids. They’ve taught me so much. When you released the vid about moving over to daws more I understood it and got what you wanted, but you also kept uploading sp404 shit. To hear this vid feels like it’s come full circle. And never fear g, That 404 type sound nasty. The vibe of the beats is top tier just keep moving forward. Happy to see you jamming with my favorite little box again
Yeah man. Things can change and I’m always keen to try something new even if it ends up not working out. It’s good to be enjoying the sp life again at the moment though 🙌
You got luv in Columbus Ohio USA....Thanks for all you do !
🙌🙏
Yes same here. I have a lot of synths and drum maschines but i have to say i really love to sit on the couch with just the sp. It’s my favorite maschine at the moment and i think there is no end 🔥🥁✌🏼
🔥🔥🔥
Nice dude! Sounds like you broke into new territory!
I've definitely been finding a groove with the SP recently
True. I agree with this. I've realized similar things over the past few years. Everything has its place. Simple things make the process more enjoyable and the overall picture cozy. There is no perfection, only staying in the creative process. It's exciting and inspiring to think how I can solve a complex step without ableton or other daw. Less is more...etc. I use an SP 404 MK2 too and an old iconic SP 555. :) The two are cool together. just a dawless setup. Thanks for the video and the topic as always. ; ) (sorry 4 my poor English, i don't use it everyday)
Yeah the SP is definitely a lot more hands on and tactile compared to a DAW which is fun. I agree though everything has its place and DAWs can also be incredibly useful 👍
Great video and great topic! I have had similar issues. But for me a bigger thing is the sound. Nothing sounds like the SP ❤
I got the SP for this reason because I was learning on Koala. I’m trying to learn how to translate my Koala workflow to the 404mk2. If you made a video on that, would be amazing.
Yes limitations can be good. Nice workflow with mfx. I dig the new video format. 👌
it's as the quote says the enemy of art Is the absence of limitations
a podacaster/writer i like calls it the Spotify Premium problem, infinite options are paralysing, fewer make it easier to find a quick preference. SP is ideal for this. As an SX holdout, i have even fewer options so "good enough" is my old friend in terms of beat quality 😅
That beat is wild man❤
🙏🙏🙏
Carry on filming like this love the face plate
Thanks man, I've actually gone back in my studio now as its a lot easier to set-up each time but I'll definitely switch things up now and again! 🙌
I love the sp 404 mk2.....I wonder if the sp404 MK3 will have features that will revolutionise the direction of the SP for the future ...the SP 404 has its own unique sound so it only can get better 💯🔥
I hope it doesn't go too far...I think if they iron out some of the bugs with the MK2 and maybe introduce one or two new features its going to be really hard to follow!
When they do make a MK3 I think there'll be a revolutionary features but yes the mk 2 definitely need some updates I still get clipping sounds in my samples
Agree with you Man, Class 👍👍👍
🙌🙌🙌
I agree with You Man! 🙂
Yeah the limitations are a big plus, making a beatloop is so fast and easy, I only wish the pattern sequencer feels more natural and not so stiff if that makes any sense. Now its faster to export in daw and sequence plus finish the beat there, wish I didn't have to and stay in SP, now it takes away bit of the fun to really finish a beat
Yeah the pattern area is a bit like that I agree. It would be cool if there was a nudge feature. There is a similar function in TR-mode but it’s not natural at all. I think that could really help in a lot of situations, especially adding some groove!
Love it bro
Thanks man 🙏
Yo. Great video and great topic.
I have a question about timestretching. Could you do a TS comparison between MPC Live II(standalone) and SP 404 mk2?. Maybe you've done such a comparison before and know what the results are. I'm very curious which device will handle this function better. I guess that MPC LIVE II in the controller mode will do much much better than sp 404 but this is not the issue that concerns me. Currently, I'm faced with the choice of which device to buy for making beats.
Peace!
I know exactly what you mean however I have been going through a trying to find a way of working that suits me spell which has involved trying a few bits of hardware. I bought an MPC one a couple of years back with the idea that I could take it everywhere but found it a tad too big.. I bought a 404 2 a couple of months ago and TBH I am now questioning whether its all just getting in the way and if I had just spent the time on BITWIG I may even finished a tune by now.... Basically I think my limitation is me and its not helping at all.
Keep working at it my guy. You’ll get there 👊
Hey vids - do you have anyway to contact Roland with feature requests? - I thought of one that would be absolutely game changing and very simple for them to implement
I'm not sure if they are taking them on or not but let me know what it is 👍
Do you have any idea to quickly access levels for live performance with the SP 404MK2? I have been really excited about that device, got it, played a bunch, wondered about the marvelous amazing fx, but had to send it back because it does not do the job why I initially bought it, wich is a performance sampler. Right now the Octatrack does the trick, but I am moving away from Elektron due to several times the hardware failed me and I can't afford that for liveshows. But as mentioned unfortunately no mixer section on the SP404 MK2 😞. Such a cool tool though....maybe you have an idea...
Did you look at DJ mode?
@@spvidz Yeah did, but it only does it for 2 samples that you can load up like in a 2 deck dj setup, am I right?
Would have been so cool if they have added like four decks to mix with
I dont think its the right bit of gear for you by the sounds of it. its more of a beat making machine with a lightweight DJing area bolted on
@@spvidz guess you are right about that:(. I am not a DJ though…do ambient and downbeat Livesets…I will find something else. Thank you so much for clarifying!
How can I export to ableton?
Marvin Gaye sample? Living on the edge. 😏
Uh oh, sample police are out 🚨😂
Yeah this machine is great. It makes you think about what you’re making. I got it last week and I made 5 beats that are album worthy cos of the simple fact that I’m not overthinking the whole time.
Very cool to hear!
@@spvidz Yes, coming from mpc’s and what not, it’s cool to have a little machine like this. Your tutorials are very useful💪
Glad to hear it 🙌
Roland has not hired you yet ? I hope you are getting some free stuff from them.😁
lol not yet but they do hook me up tbh 🙌
Face good. Sideways bad
Oh and beat very good
I’m back up in the studio now so the overhead cam will be back 👍