SP-404MKII notes

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Recording from a PC over USB-C, and how project BPM works

USB-C audio from Windows goes in through [EXT SOURCE]; samples follow the bank or project tempo only when BPM SYNC is on and their own tempo is right.

Question

Give me a detailed breakdown of the ways to deal with samples when recording from a PC over USB-C: what the project BPM is, best practices for recording samples in sync with (or at the same BPM as) the project, and how samples can be changed to fit the project BPM. (Chopping, asked in the same message, is in its own entry.)

Key takeaways

  • No driver needed (USB Audio Device Class 2.0). Don't go through a USB hub or use a charge-only cable. (Connecting to a computer or mobile device)
  • Windows: Control Panel > Sound > Playback > "Speakers SP-404MKII-G" > Set Default, then press EXT SOURCE so it lights. (USB AUDIO)
  • Three tempos: sample tempo (per sample), bank tempo and project tempo. SHIFT + pad 11 (TEMPO SEL) picks PROJECT or BANK as the base tempo; patterns always play at it, samples only when BPM SYNC is on. (Setting the tempo)
  • Record in sync: set REC BPM to the source tempo, set the length in measures with CTRL 2, and turn on END SNAP (START/END in standby). (Sampling)
  • Fit an existing sample: PITCH/SPEED > BPM SET (AUTO range, SX (Length), MANU or MANU-F), then BPM SYNC on, or SPEED by hand with CTRL 1 (50–150%, only with BPM SYNC off). (Setting the tempo data in a sample)
  • With a DAW, UTILITY > SYSTEM > MIDI > MIDI Sync "USB" or "Auto" makes the unit follow the DAW's MIDI clock. (SYSTEM)

Details

Claude answered from the 5.50 reference manual. Later in the session the user said the unit runs Ver. 5.52 (shown under UTILITY > SYSTEM > VERSION), so the 5.50 manual applies.

Ways to get a sample onto a pad

Method What it is Best for
Sampling (REC) Records the external input (USB, LINE IN, mic/guitar) to an empty pad Grabbing audio from the PC
Skip-back (MARK) Saves the last 25 s (40 s with MARK Function = "SBS Long") Catching something you weren't recording
Resampling (RESAMPLE) Records the unit's own output, with effects, to a new pad Printing effects, merging pads
Looper (MARK Function = "Looper") Loop recorder with overdub, up to 16 s Layering ideas live
Import from SD card SHIFT + pad 14 > IMPORT, WAV/AIFF/MP3 Audio you already have as files
Bounce Converts a pattern to a sample, effects bypassed Committing a beat

If the audio is already a file on the PC, importing it is cleaner than recording it over USB; record over USB when the source is a stream, a DAW or a browser.

USB setup. If EXT SOURCE blinks red the input is too hot; turn the PC volume down. UTILITY > SYSTEM > USB IN decides the path: "LINE IN" mixes USB audio with LINE IN, before INPUT FX; "MIX OUT" sends it straight to the mixer output without INPUT FX or BUS FX. Claude suggested "LINE IN" for sampling (its reading, not a manual statement).

Recording. REC (empty pads blink red); CTRL 2 = length 1–32 measures or ∞, SHIFT + CTRL 2 = time signature; on RECORD SETTING: CTRL 1 REC BPM (SHIFT for fine steps, or tap tempo), CTRL 2 ROUTING ("ExtIn" = only the input, "Mix" = input plus the unit's playback), CTRL 3 LEVEL. Press the pad, then REC; press REC or the pad to stop.

Recording already in sync.

  1. Set REC BPM to the real tempo of the source.
  2. Set the length in measures rather than ∞.
  3. END SNAP: in REC standby press START/END ("END Snap ON").
  4. SHIFT + pad 10 cycles the count-in: "WAIT" starts when the input exceeds Auto Trig Level; "1MEAS"/"2MEAS" count in.
  5. SHIFT + pad 9 toggles the metronome.
  6. With a DAW: MIDI Sync "USB" or "Auto"; the DAW's start (FA) / stop (FC) messages can start and stop the recording.
  7. In the DAW (Claude's advice): run at 48 kHz and loop exactly 1, 2 or 4 bars.

Making an existing sample fit. BPM SET AUTO detects the tempo: choose the range that contains the real tempo to avoid half/double readings, or "SX (Length)" for trimmed loops up to about 10 s. MANU (0.1 steps) or MANU-F (0.01 steps) if you know it. Then turn on BPM SYNC (SHIFT + BPM SYNC for the whole bank), or leave it off and set SPEED by hand. VINYL MODE (SHIFT + turn VALUE): "Yes" changes speed and pitch together like a record; "No" keeps them independent and enables VARI MODE ("Backing" for decaying, percussive sounds; "Ensemble" for sustained sounds, using 2× the voices for mono and 4× for stereo samples). PITCH is CTRL 2; SHIFT + CTRL 2 is fine tune. Resample the pad to make a stretch permanent.

Correction from the manual: the session gave PITCH as ±12 semitones. That is the range with VINYL MODE "No"; with VINYL MODE "Yes" it is -12.00 to +7.00.

Still to try / open questions

  • Does a USB source routed with USB IN = "MIX OUT" get recorded when sampling? The manual doesn't say; "LINE IN" is the safe choice.
  • Try MIDI Sync = "USB" with Ableton sending clock, and record a loop started by the DAW's transport.