MusicRadar

• Review

New features include a Function button for accessing utility functions via the pads – press and hold the Function button and hit the pad to adjust in and out gain, save and load, select MIDI channels, copy and exchange sounds/patterns, import WAVs and AIFFs, auto-trigger sampling and more.

Other changes include the Pitch button, which was next to the display on the old 404, but has been replaced by a formant-shaping Voice Transform function for warping voices and other material on the 404SX. Additionally, the Vinyl Sim button of the old 404 has now been replaced by a DJFX looper that enables DJ-style pitching, looping and stuttering to simulate vinyl or CD deck functionality (this works great and is a lot of fun).

The old effects are still there, but have been moved to the MFX menu. Included main effects (which now switch smoothly) are a low-pass filter with overdrive, a delay and an isolator that removes frequency content to isolate sounds in a loop.

Other major changes involve the use of an SD card rather than Compact Flash, increasing the number of patterns the SX can hold on a card. Depending on the size of card used, sampling time can be up to 48 hours in stereo and 96 hours in mono!

There's also a handy software wave converter app included with the hardware that enables you to import WAV/AIFF files from your computer and save them onto an SD card formatted for the SP-404SX. This means the 404SX is also a great bet for playing long samples live.

In addition, it appears that the sampling/sound quality has been improved. While AIFFs and WAVs could be imported on the old 404, it previously used its own type of sample format with compression to keep file sizes down. The 404SX uses AIFF and WAV as its standard formats and the overall sound quality seems improved. What you put in comes out fully intact (unless of course you want to use the lo-fi mode) and will impress even the most discerning of ears.

Problems

So what hasn't been improved? There are still major deficiencies that even a basic sampler should have as standard these days. Save for the fact that patterns/samples can now be copied to other locations without resorting to copying them to the memory card, putting that card in a card reader connected via USB to your computer, copying the pattern in the computer and then sending it back (yes, it really was that tricky), all our other frustrations with the original 404 remain.

"There are still major deficiencies that even a basic sampler should have as standard these days."

This is very disappointing, not only for current users who may have been considering an upgrade, but also for prospective buyers who would have bought the latest model if these issues had been addressed.

The display is still pretty cryptic and the interface is still unnecessarily confusing (no dedicated transport buttons for a start) for such a basic sampler. Also, it's still not possible to sample while playing a pattern (which is a godsend for live sets), there's no roll function, no MIDI Out, no USB and the sequencer is only one track.

We were hoping for a wholesale overhaul to make the 404 easier to use, but that hasn't happened. Its nearest competitor, the Akai MPC500, has all of these missing functions and isn't significantly more expensive either.

Summary

To sum up, the 404SX has some subtle improvements and the new effects/sound engine is great, but it feels like Roland has missed a golden opportunity to really make a slimmed down MV-8000 and give this end of the market shake-up.

Instead, while the 404SX is certainly a useful little sampler (and it's capable of decent results once you get to know it), it still has rather too many frustrations. True, it's fairly cheap, and four years ago it might have been hot, but currently the competition offers a lot more functionality and better interfaces for not much more outlay.

Hear what the SP-404SX can do

Loop with BPM looper

Loop with vinyl sim

Loop with slicer