Roland SP-404MKII Creative Sampler and Effector

Roland SP-404MKII Portable Sampler & Effects Unit

Roland SP samplers are the bona fide kings of performance-based beatmaking, celebrated for their distinctive sound and ability to create rapid-fire beats anywhere, anytime. Carefully refined through community feedback and extensive research and development, the SP-404MKII is the ultimate SP sampler. It’s faster and better than ever, with a vivid OLED display, expressive new pads, expanded effects, fluid sequencing and sampling, and a massive library of authentic sounds to inspire your music.

The SP-404MKII has everything people love about its predecessor—with some serious upgrades like 17 ultra-expressive pads and updated knobs for smooth, hands-on control. And beatmaking is even quicker with speedy boot time, swift project loading and sample import, and easy project access via 16 GB of internal storage. Longtime users and new beatmakers alike will feel right at home with the intuitive layout and classic SP effects, plus a revamped sampling and sequencing workflow, Skip Back Sampling for quick performance capture, DJ mode to mix beats live, and more.

People who make music with SP samplers love the rapid workflow, portability, and tactile approach they offer. The SP-404MKII takes this experience even further, retaining the lightweight-yet-rugged design while adding features that make it even easier to create in any scenario. Bang out beats anywhere with AA or mobile battery power, capture audio from or stream direct to your mobile device via USB, or collaborate with a partner using the dual headphones outputs and mic/guitar input.

With the SP404MKII’s vivid OLED screen and zoomable waveform view, sample editing is smooth like butter. Chop up samples by tapping out edit points in real time, or use auto chop to slice samples automatically. Then finesse them with envelope and pitch shift, and use the new resampling workflow to re-record patterns and effects layers for detailed sound design. And with Skip Back Sampling, you can instantly grab those golden moments by capturing up to 25 seconds of audio from your last performance.

Process, flip, and twist your sounds with legendary SP effects and a selection of new classics. SP staples like Vinyl Simulator and DJFX Looper are now joined with powerful additions that include Lo-fi, Cassette Simulator, and Resonator. Layer and route multiple simultaneous bus effects for intricate sound textures, or plug into the mic/guitar input and jam with ready-to-go Vocoder, Auto Pitch, and Guitar Amp Simulator effects.

The SP-404MKII gives you the flexibility to create patterns with unique feel and energy. There’s adjustable input quantize and shuffle for custom swing, Pad Link for firing off multiple samples with a single tap, a Roll button for variable note repeat, and BPM-per-bank for instant tempo changes. It’s also possible to organize patterns for different sets and chain them together to automate playback. With your hands freed up, you can stretch out on the SP effects controls or let rip on your favorite synth.

Dive into beatmaking with the pre-loaded sounds in the SP-404MKII's blazing-fast 16 GB of internal memory. There's a huge collection of curated samples to choose from and plenty of room to augment them with your private sound stash. And you can now load even more sounds at once, with 160 samples across each project for expanded performance and beatmaking combinations.

• Vivid OLED display for visual waveform editing, full menu access, and more
• 17 velocity-sensitive, RGB pads with no-click design for smooth playability
• Faster workflow with quick startup and load times, 16 GB internal storage, low-latency pads, and rapid sample editing
• Compact, ultra-lightweight design (2lb 7oz/1.1 kg) with versatile power options: USB-C, mobile battery (via USB-C port), six AA batteries, or AC adaptor
• Extensive onboard effects, including SP classics like Vinyl Simulator and DJFX Looper, new Lo-fi, Cassette Simulator, and Resonator effects, and dedicated Vocoder, Auto Pitch, and Guitar Amp Simulator effects for the mic/guitar input
• 32-voice polyphony, 160 samples per project, and 16 internal projects for expanded programming possibilities
• Blazing onboard sample editing with real-time or auto-chop mode, auto BPM detect, envelope, pitch shift, and resampling for layering sounds and phrases
• Pre-loaded sound library with 144 high-quality, professionally recorded samples and patterns
• SP-404MKII editor software for Mac and Windows provides direct sample access, detailed waveform editing, sample management, pad assignment, and import of MIDI files and legacy SP-404SX and SP-404A projects