Roland SP-808

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ANJROO

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This is an incredible machine no doubt about it. It has tons of functions, effects and capiblities. The sound quality is really good, and it has tons of ways to minipulate sound.
the only thing is that it is really inconvient to use. so many of the functions and commands are burried in menus and mulit-purpose buttons.
does anyone use this sampler? and what for?
 
x sp808, ex owner

i used it to loop samples...
it is kind hard to make your pattern since it has no sequencer..
just like acid... it has little thing called step sequencer but it is mainly use for placing already looped samples...
there is a way to make you own loops.. load drum samples on the pad and do live resampling(with note start on), since the quantizing on that 808 is to recored actual sound of samples.. not note msg so it's not really useful.(unless you have timing sence of knife) it's good for playing loops add efx resamples.. that's it.. i used it for more of 4 trk recorder for hooks, vocals and playing analoge sound..samples, while mpc plays the pattern
 
SP 808ex is almost the perfect sampler.


I use it in a MIDI setup

MC 909/master ----> Karma /hru ---> MC 505/Thru ----> Yamaha Motif/Thru ---->Roland Phantom/Thru ---->ElectribeER1/thru ---->SP808ex/Thru----->MC 307/IN.

In this setup, there is a track (number 1 of course) on the
MC 909 that contain notes event, but this notes doesn´t sound on the MC 909 or the other synths. They go all the way thru the synths by MIDI until they arrive to the SP 808 and activate the tracks.

Each song has a 16 or 32 samples inside it, of course, they a re on the 16th palette of the SP 808. When I make Program Changes like changing the patch on the track one from patch 1 to patch 3, the MIDI message will order to the SP 808 change from sample bank 1 to sample bank 3.

In this way, I manage all the 64 banks of 16 samples each one without stopping or loading, or losin time in other wasteless process.
I have 250 MB zip disks with the 1024 samples full.

I need to play with no rest during 3 hours like Djs do, mixing.

I could not live without SP 808ex. This machine manages samples in so simple way.

With SP 808, you just turn it on, and 63 minutes of samples, 350k effects, and a lot more, is loaded inmediatly


Get the EX version on the net. Download the vocoder. I spend hours playing with the tridimensional D-Beam, my voice sampled on the MOTIF and assigned words to each key, I plug the audio output inside the MIC INPUT of the SP 808, and the Karma audio output connected to the LINE IN of the SP 808.

I new and full versatile sound borns from the mergin of the vocals recorded on the Motif, the melodys played on the KARMA, anda the movements you make on the air over the D Beam infrarred controller.


!---------------> mic line in line in <----------------!
! !
MOTIF voices SP 808ex vocoder KARMA sound



:cheers:
 
I wouldnt mind sequencing that piece from the MPC60. Effects sound real good.
 
Yeah everything balma Said.

I have a MP-7 ---> EMUE5000 ---> ION
| ---> SP808ex

The command station triggers the tracks on the SP808ex, I think really you do have to have something triggering it because the timing on a sequencer and a sampler can never really be perfect. Balma you forgot to mention the PAD to Track, yeah oh yeah you can control levels with sliders and effects on each column separately (col1 = 1,5,9,11 etc) this is indispensible for livePA performances. Also becuase there is a line in function I use the SP808ex as a EFX unit.

If i remember correctly it did take me awhile before i could make love to the 808ex like i do now. I mean I love recycle but I do almost everything in the 808ex cause its a lot faster for me. I think you need to learn the shortcut functions like split sample, you have a line from a movie or a song or something and hit enter when you want to split it WAY easier then trying to Beat Mung with the E5000k. You can also manually set the beginning and end of a sample loop by highlighting the start or end field and hitting enter. Also something about the line in on the SP808ex, for some reason its really easy to get a hot signal
with good levels without clipping. I especially use the SP808ex to sample movies, its easy to take into the living room and with a long RCA cable I route the audio out of the DVD player to the 808ex and the out of the Roland back into the TV.

anyway i could go on but you get the point.

DREW
 
neverwin said:

The command station triggers the tracks on the SP808ex, I think really you do have to have something triggering it because the timing on a sequencer and a sampler can never really be perfect. Balma you forgot to mention the PAD to Track, yeah oh yeah you can control levels with sliders and effects on each column separately (col1 = 1,5,9,11 etc) this is indispensible for livePA performances. Also becuase there is a line in function I use the SP808ex as a EFX unit.


DREW
Click to expand...


Right, with the Pad to track ON U can control the output of the different patchs. The problem is when U activate this function, the pads become organize in in four mute groups, so, if you trigger pad 5, 9 or 13 whan pad 1 is active, the 1 will be mute to give chance to the other...
 
Thanks a lot guys. I just wanted to know how other people use the machine.

Oh, i bought the sp 808 used, and the previous owner upgraded it to the e mix studio version, which pretty cool. But he also F'd up all the FX... there are still a lot of good FX left, but there are also a lot of patches that do absolutely nothing. Is there any way that i can restore all of the effects to the factory specs?

Also, in the sample menu there is a function called "normalize" what does it do? I cant look it up in my manual, bc my manual is for the normal SP 808.

Thanks. Andy
 
NORMALIZE:

This functions helps you to reach the highest output for the sample.
Also, it helps to save memory...

For example
Start point
0000001250
End point
0000006480

After normalize:
0000000000
0000005230

The 1250 recorded before the start point are erased, so it helps to erase those trash piece of sample that U are not using before the sample beginning. When U cleanup disk, this returns to the available sample memory...

We shoudl discuss about SP 808 and SP 808ex tips. this machine has hundred of possible implementations, and I have a lot of questions about them.
 
what are the MP-7 or XL-7 ?

MP-7? I know that they're made by Emu, and that they're called a "command station". But even their website doesnt help out very much. What kind of work does it do ? Is it like a sampler or sequencer ?
T-Dub
 
ANJROO said:
Thanks a lot guys. I just wanted to know how other people use the machine.

. But he also F'd up all the FX... there are still a lot of good FX left, but there are also a lot of patches that do absolutely nothing. Is there any way that i can restore all of the effects to the factory specs?

Thanks. Andy
Click to expand...

Ups.
They are not f*ck up. Go inside the effects program, go to location screen.
there are several options:
SEND/RETURN
RECORD
INS MASTER
TRACK A
TRACK B
etc...
This specify where the output fx should work.

The overall fx output of your SP 808 must be on EFX PATCH mode, go to the master and specify it t EFX PATCH. (shift +MUTE button)


for example, when you go to the fx location and it says "now invalid" its because the overall fx output is different than the specific fx output of the effect patch you are using.

Other example: if the specific fx location is set to INSERT RECORD, the effect will work only when you're going to sample on REC SAMPLE, not in normal mode.


the mic effects are specify to work only on the MIC LINE IN by default.

But if you want to restore the factory settings, just restore them with the system function.
 
Thanks for the link.

What did you want to discuss? Performance tips?

Does anyone know where i can downlowd software to convert the sp808 's zip format into WAVs? Is that possible, to burn all the work on on the zip disc onto an audio cd?
 
well, I like to go deep inside the gear I use, but this machine is limitless...

I use it in certain way inside an entire synth setup. All the machines must act as a unique instrument, creating synergy with the interaction between them. My SP 808 is almost at the end of a sequential network. System exclusive commands go thru a lot of synths until they arrive to the SP 808 and activate the samplers. SP 808 also is in thru mode letting other messages go all the way to the last MIDI device, an MC 307.

I'll like to know about different implementations other producers give to the SP 808 on FP...

:cheers:
 
Yeah totally. I would like to get more out of the sp 808 and use it to its full potencial with the equipment that i have.
i pretty much just use it for step recording samples and loops. or recording scratches and mixes. I like the step modulator, because i have no synth. i was trying to control the step modulator with a midi key board, but i could not find the time code for the board.
 
Originally posted by neverwin

I have a MP-7 ---> EMUE5000 ---> ION
| ---> SP808ex
Click to expand...

What do you use the e-mu e5000 for when you have the sp808ex? Arent they both samplers?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
this machine give good surprises each day.

I'm expecting to hear applications for the SP 808. This machine can be used on multiples ways.

Sometimes I jam wiith a sequencer triggering the SP 808's pads.
Now I'm using the MOTIF to control it. I record on track1 long notes wich control the sample pads, and on tracks 2, 3 4... I record basses, acoustic and drum sets.

While I'm playing, I'm burning CDs, so don't lose any inspiration.
Then, I hear what i did, sample it to the SP 808, and wok on the samples length and BPM.

I start again the process, assigning the new samples to the track 1 on the MOTIF and recording new patterns on it. Its a feedback process, the music continues growing in sound variety.
 
What can i do durring live perfermances with just decks, an sp 808, and and mini keyboard

I really like conroling the step modulator with they key board.

Also, about the FX, i can use the FX with no disk in the machine. That cant be done with the normal sp 808, but mine is updated, like i said, some of the FX patches are useless.... i think it has something to do with the previous owner loading the upgrade program.... Does anyone know anything about how to load in a new program? Because my machine does not have the IO expansion. I dont know how he did it.

Oh, and did mention... this website is wicked awsome. such a big help... thanks a lot everyone, you have helped me a lot.
 
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