21 thoughts on “Roland SP-404 mkII Review & Hands-On Demo”

1. THEY CANT RELEASE IT FAST ENOUGH TO CATCH UP TO MY MONEY! Ordered today. Cant wait to buy another pair of headphones and use that screen with all that detailed information that makes it super easy to use and a great update to the 404.

2. Pretty strong device. Gonna be a big hit.

   1. I have a black box and circuit rhythm but man is this beast tempting, I think I could squeeze it in there lol

3. RIP Elektron

   1. Said nobody ever

   2. How so?! There doesn’t seem to be many automatable MIDI CCs for the internal parameters!

4. I’ve always wanted an SP404 and this looks amazing. I’m in love with my digitakt so won’t be picking one of these up but I’m tempted to get one JUST to make hip hop beats on. Seems so fun.

5. incredible, well done Roland!

6. ok I am really tempted here – this thing looks awesome

7. TAKE MY MONEY!!!!

8. Good function wise!
   … the screen edges cut off because the canvas has to be round is a dire design choice tho.

9. If this had 8 outputs that would be a big deal.

10. Curious to see how this will affect the used market prices? I think most would rather buy new.

    1. I see people listing them on FB marketplace and Kijiji all of a sudden lol. The used price is about to drop for sure. This new one is about what you pay for a used and does so much more.

    2. Sp404SX prices always fluctuated. I get updates since I added it to a list. About 2 years ago it was $399.99, Ive seen $450 about a year ago. I checked yesterday and its $699. Weird. I left it in my list when I noticed the price kept changing. But $699?! I dont think they are roland prices but retailer prices shifting.

11. question: has the SP-404 mkII the aira link function? i´d want to use it in conjunction with the mx-1.

12. Remember there is a chip shortage so we will see lots of porotypes and yes wait for months for these items to come out if they come out at all….

    Right now it’s all gear porn. Tease, look but can’t touch, do you like fantasy, cuz this is what we are giving you sucker but keep watching. And like all porn the one who is touching is getting paid.

    cough, cough, loopop

    1. Roland is a large MI company and likely has their chips manufactured well in advance. They develop a processing chip that can be used across all their lines for around a 4-5 year cycle. Non-custom chips are usually bought in large quantities to ensure the factories can produce the products. Small MI companies are the ones most effected by any supply chain issues.

       Also, what is the evidence that loopop is getting paid? His reviews are always fair. I own many pieces he has reviewed and he is exactly right each time. You should probably stop slandering people unless you have proof. It looks quite sad.

       You should really think things through before spouting garbage.

       1. How about this let loopop speak!
          I know he is a good reviewer. That’s why you and companies value his reviews.

          Now what evidence do you have that loopop is NOT getting paid?
          And if he is getting Paid that’s good.

          Understand something I was writing about the state of gear companies and the selfless company promotion when they all know there is a chip shortage.

          1. Iirc loopop explicitly said he was loaned the unit by Roland and didn’t receive a fee. I really, really appreciate that he is open and explicit about it.

             Of course, loopop is known for giving pretty upbeat reviews. That’s probably why he sent got one early. And because he got sent one early, he gets more views (and ad revenue), so there is an indirect incentive to be positive.

13. Whole lotta sp404sx’s showed up on Reverb in the last week. Like soooo many new posts for sale.