Capture sound · SP-404MKII guide

4.1Basics

Set up a recording

Two screens decide what a recording will be before it starts. Press REC and you reach sampling standby, the big rEC screen, where you set the length. Press RECORD SETTING from there for the input setting screen, which holds the tempo, the level and the source. ROUTING matters most, because it decides whether your pads end up in the take.

Set up a take

In sample mode, press REC. The 404 goes into sampling standby, with the current BPM, length and LEVEL along the top of the screen and a level meter at the right.
Turn CTRL 2 to choose the length in measures. Hold SHIFT and turn CTRL 2 to choose the time signature.
Press RECORD SETTING to open the input setting screen.
Set REC BPM, ROUTING, LEVEL and PAN with the knobs listed below.
Press EXIT when you’ve finished, then record as described in Record a new sample.

Key combinations

RECORD SETTING: Opens the input setting screen.In sampling standby
SHIFT + CTRL 2: Sets the time signature.In sampling standby
SHIFT + CTRL 1: Sets REC BPM in finer steps.On the input setting screen
SHIFT + CTRL 3: Sets PAN.On the input setting screen
Press VALUE: Opens the INPUT FX Setting screen.On the input setting screen

Sampling standby

Length: How many measures the recording is set to last, shown after M: on the screen. ∞ leaves the length open.CTRL 2 knobRange 1–32, ∞
Time signature: Hold SHIFT as you turn. The metre those measures are counted in.CTRL 2 knobRange 1/4–7/4

Input setting screen

REC BPM: The tempo of the recording, which becomes the sample’s own tempo. Hold SHIFT for finer steps, or tap it in with Tap in a tempo.CTRL 1 knobRange 40.0–200.0
ROUTING: The source you’re recording. See the table below.CTRL 2 knobRange Mix, ExtIn
LEVEL: How strongly the signal is recorded.CTRL 3 knobRange 0–127
PAN: Hold SHIFT as you turn. Places the recording between left and right.CTRL 3 knobRange L:50–R:50

Which ROUTING to use

Setting	What gets recorded	Good for
`Mix`	The 404’s own playback together with anything coming in from outside.	Playing pads over a source, and most resampling.
`ExtIn`	Only what comes in from an external device.	A clean copy of a record or synth, or playing an instrument along with pads you keep out of the take.

From the community

SP-404 MKII - Tutorial Series EP-13 - Record Setting Menu By Nervouscook$
NervousCook$
Another short episode from the same series, this time on the Record Setting menu.

4.2Basics

Record a new sample

Whatever the 404 can hear, you can put on a pad. That simple loop of listening, grabbing and flipping is what this instrument is for. You’ll trim and shape the result afterwards, so don’t worry about catching it perfectly: leave a little room either side and tidy up in Trim where a sample starts and stops.

Record a sample

Get your source coming in. Plug in a synth, mic or guitar covers instruments and mics, and Bring in audio from a computer or phone covers a computer or phone.
Press REC. The screen shows rEC, and the empty pads blink red.
Turn CTRL 1 to set the sample’s tempo and CTRL 3 to set the level of the external audio. CTRL 2 sets the length, and Set up a recording explains the rest.
Press a blinking pad. That’s where the recording will go.
Press REC to start. If you change your mind, EXIT cancels.
To finish, press REC again or press the pad you’re recording to. The sample is now on that pad.

Key combinations

REC: Puts the 404 into sampling standby.In sample mode
REC: Starts recording to the pad you chose.In sampling standby
REC: Stops recording and saves the sample to the pad.While sampling
EXIT: Cancels the recording.While sampling
SHIFT + PAD 9: Turns the metronome on or off.

Set the tempo before you record if you can. Land the end point on a beat needs it at the moment you record, and the sample keeps it for Lock a sample to the tempo later on. If you don’t know the number, tap it in with Tap in a tempo, and you can correct it afterwards in Give a sample its tempo.

For a click while you record, Metronome:REC has to be ON. You’ll find it on the CLICK tab of UTILITY > SYSTEM, next to Click Level and the other click settings in Every system setting. It sounds for resampling too.

From the community

SP-404 Mk2 Beginner's Guide (Part 1): Setup, Sampling, Recording & Chopping
Chris Laps
A patient 25-minute start, from setup and SD cards to recording and chopping. Parts 2 and 3, also listed here, pick up effects and patterns.

SP-404MKII Creative Sampler and Effector Video Manual
Roland Cloud Academy
Roland product specialist PJ Bridger works through the unit in 93 minutes, with a chapter for almost every function. It was filmed at launch, so nothing added since then appears.

【SP-404MKII】SAMPLING / RESAMPLE【How to Setup】
Roland ｜ローランド
Sampling from an external input, then three ways to resample, in under ten minutes. From Roland’s Japanese channel, so expect Japanese; YouTube offers auto-generated English captions.

4.3Basics

Give yourself a count-in

Pressing REC and then getting your hands back on an instrument takes a moment. A count-in gives you that moment. COUNT-IN WAIT goes further and holds the recording back until there’s sound, so a take doesn’t open with silence you’ll need to trim.

Hold SHIFT and press PAD 10. Each press, with SHIFT still down, moves to the next setting, and the screen shows it.
Record as usual: see Record a new sample.

Key combinations

SHIFT + PAD 10: Steps through the count-in settings.

The four settings

Setting	What happens	Good for
`COUNT-IN 1MEAS`	One measure of count-in, then recording starts.	Coming in quickly on an instrument.
`COUNT-IN 2MEAS`	Two measures of count-in, then recording starts.	Settling into the tempo before you play.
`COUNT-IN WAIT`	Recording starts when the input rises above `Auto Trig Level`, or when you press a pad to play a sample.	Catching a record or mic from its first sound, or starting a Resample what the 404 is playing right on the pad hit.
`COUNT-IN OFF`	Recording starts the moment you press `REC` after choosing a pad.	Grabbing something that’s already playing.

UTILITY > SYSTEM has a Count-In:REC setting on the CLICK tab as well, with the values OFF, 1 MEAS, 2 MEAS and WAIT, and it applies to both sampling and resampling. Pattern recording has its own setting: see Get a count-in and a click.

From the community

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Goes through what each pad does with Shift held, from Fixed Velocity to EFX settings. Filmed at launch, but the pad layout hasn’t changed.

Roland SP404-MK2 - ESSENTIAL Customisations!
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Setting up the 404 for speed: MFX buttons, bus colours, pad settings, bus favourites, pop-ups, skip-back time, count-in and the boot-up screen.

4.4Intermediate

Land the end point on a beat

Stopping a recording exactly on the beat is hard, and a late stop is what makes a loop stumble when it comes round. With END Snap on, you can stop a little late and the 404 sets the end point on the beat just before you stopped. It works from the tempo, so set the BPM before you record.

Press REC. Empty pads blink red.
Press START/END. END Snap ON appears and the button lights.
Set your tempo and level, choose a pad and record as usual: see Record a new sample.

Key combinations

START/END: Turns END Snap on or off.In sampling standby

What changes

State	On the panel	Where the end point goes
On	`END Snap ON`, and `START/END` lit	On the beat near the end of the take. Anything after it sits beyond the end point and doesn’t play.
Off	`END Snap OFF`, and `START/END` blinking	At the very end of the take.

END Snap also works when you Resample what the 404 is playing and while you rehearse a pattern (Record a pattern as you play).

From the community

SP-404 MKII - Tutorial Series EP-50 - Using End Snap For Perfect Loops By Nervouscook$
NervousCook$
Episode 50 of NervousCook$’s long series of short lessons: using End Snap to record clean loops. The other episodes are worth browsing by topic.

4.5Intermediate

Resample what the 404 is playing

Resampling points the recorder back at the 404 itself. Whatever you’re playing, with whatever effects are on, comes out as one new sample on a new pad. Use it to commit an effect so the bus is free for the next sound, to squash several pads into one, or to turn a pattern into audio. It’s also where a lot of the 404’s character builds up, one generation at a time: Print effects and stack layers by resampling shows that workflow.

Resample a pad

Press RESAMPLE. The rEC screen appears, showing the current settings along the top.
Turn CTRL 2 to set the length in measures, from 1 to 32 or ∞.
Press RECORD SETTING to open the input setting screen.
Turn CTRL 2 until ROUTING reads Mix.
Turn CTRL 1 to set the sample’s tempo and CTRL 3 to set the level of any external audio.
Press EXIT or RESAMPLE to leave the screen.
Press an empty pad that’s blinking red, to record to. It turns orange and the screen shows Press Pad to START, with WAIT on the top line.
Press the pad you want to capture. Recording starts with its playback, the top line changes to REC and RECORDING appears. EXIT cancels.
To finish, press the pad you’re recording to, or press REC. The new sample is now on that pad.

Key combinations

RESAMPLE: Opens the resampling standby screen.
REC: Starts recording at the moment you choose, whatever is playing.Once Press Pad to START shows

Other ways to run it

Start when you’re ready. Instead of pressing a pad to start, press REC. Recording begins right then, so you can play several pads or work the effects while it runs.
Capture a pattern. Turn the pattern sequencer on first, so PATTERN SELECT is lit, then follow the same steps. Turn a pattern into a sample has more on turning patterns into samples.
Play over a backing. Set ROUTING to ExtIn and only the external input is recorded. Your samples play as a backing track but stay out of the new sample.
Tidy the start and end. COUNT-IN WAIT (Give yourself a count-in) and Land the end point on a beat work here too.

The click follows Metronome:REC, and SHIFT + PAD 9 turns it on or off, just as in Record a new sample. MIDI start (FA) and stop (FC) commands control a resample as well.

From the community

To leave a part out of a resample but still hear it, set Pad MUTE to Master in Every system setting and mute that pad. It drops out of the main mix and stays in your headphones, without effects. This is one owner’s workflow rather than something Roland describes. via jemmons on Elektronauts

SP-404MKII in 2026 | Everything You Need to Get Started
Gear4music Synths & Tech
Andy from Roland takes a beginner from banks and pads through resampling, effects, the step sequencer, skip-back and the looper. Filmed in 2026, so it matches a current unit.

SP-404 Mk2 Beginner's Guide (Part 2): Effects, Busses, Routing, Resampling & Skipback
Chris Laps
Part 2 moves to effects, the difference between BUS 1–2 and BUS 3–4, routing, resampling, skip-back and input effects.

ROLAND SP-404 MK2 Review // 9 tips & ideas to make the most of it // Tutorial for the SP-404 MKII
loopop
A 50-minute tutorial and review from launch, with nine ideas and a list of pros and cons near the end. It predates TR-REC, so treat its sequencing chapter as out of date.

THIS is why you buy an SP404-MK2 (Resampling walkthrough)
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A ten-minute walkthrough of the resampling workflow, the reason many people buy a 404 in the first place.

SP404 mk2 production tips/tricks/problem solving/bugsElektronauts — Owners swapping fixes and workflow ideas since 2022. Older posts can describe bugs that later updates fixed.

4.6Basics

Save what you just played with skip-back

Skip-back is why you can stop worrying about REC and just play. While there’s sound, the 404 is writing it to a separate memory in the background. When a fill you’ll never repeat or a loop you stumbled on goes by, press MARK and put it on a pad. It works on samples, patterns and anything you’re playing through EXT SOURCE.

Save it to a pad

Play a sample or pattern, or turn on EXT SOURCE and play your instrument. Once the level is high enough, the 404 starts writing to skip-back memory and MARK blinks.
Press MARK. SKIP BACK... appears, followed by the waveform of what’s in memory.
Press REC. Select Pad To Save appears and the empty pads blink red.
Press a blinking pad. The audio is now a sample on that pad.

Key combinations

MARK: Shows the audio in skip-back memory.With MARK Function on SBS Def or SBS Long
REC: Moves on to choosing a pad for the audio.On the skip-back waveform screen
EXIT: Leaves without saving, and loses the audio.On the skip-back waveform screen
SUB PAD: Switches to skip-back mode.With Sub Pad Mode on SkipBack

The waveform screen labels its controls: CTRL 1 as START, CTRL 3 as END and VALUE as ZOOM.

How the memory behaves

It follows the level. Sound above Auto Trig Level sets it going. After three seconds or more below that level, it pauses.
Quiet gaps drop out. Because writing pauses, two passages with a lull between them sit side by side in memory, each followed by its few seconds of tail. A long silence doesn’t use up your time.
The oldest audio goes first. Once audio is older than the memory’s length, it’s gone: you can neither hear it nor save it.
No blink, no audio. If MARK isn’t blinking, nothing is being written. Pressing it then shows No SKIP BACK Trigger Data.

What MARK Function does

Setting	What `MARK` calls up	Choose it when
`SBS Def`	Skip-back with up to 25 seconds of memory.	You’re happy with the default reach.
`SBS Long`	Skip-back with up to 40 seconds of memory.	You want to catch longer phrases.
`Looper`	The Build up a loop live with the looper instead.	You’re looping live. Skip-back isn’t available while this is set.

MARK Function, Auto Trig Level (1–10) and Sub Pad Mode are all on the GENERAL tab of Every system setting. To swap MARK between skip-back and the looper without opening the menu, hold SHIFT and press VALUE. Since system 5.00, skip-back is available in DJ mode too.

From the community

Want the next capture to begin exactly on your first note? Press MARK to open skip-back, then EXIT without saving. That empties the memory, and the 404 doesn’t start writing again until it hears sound, so whatever you play next is the start of the take. via TGN on SP-Forums

Roland SP-404MKII Version 5 Update Overview
RolandChannel
How 5.00 ties the 404 to Serato DJ and Serato Studio: connecting, controls, stems, hot cues and building a pattern. The last chapter covers skip-back.

4.7IntermediateSystem 4.04+

Build up a loop live with the looper

The looper works like a loop pedal built into the 404. Capture what’s playing or coming in, keep it going round, and add a layer on each pass. It suits parts you want to build as you go, like a stacked vocal, a beatboxed rhythm or a guitar figure. When you like what you’ve got, send it to a pad and it’s an ordinary sample. It shares MARK with Save what you just played with skip-back, so you can have one or the other at a time, not both.

Record a loop and save it

Give MARK to the looper: hold SHIFT and press VALUE, or set MARK Function to Looper in UTILITY > SYSTEM (Every system setting).
Press MARK to enter looper mode. The screen reads empty.
Set MEAS, AUTO TRIG and BPM, using the parameters below.
Press REC to start recording. With MEAS on Free, press REC again to stop.
To save the loop, press COPY, press the pad you want it on, then press VALUE.
Press MARK to leave looper mode.

Overdub on top

Set BUS to LOOPER with SHIFT + CTRL 1. Overdubbing requires this setting, and it keeps effects off the loop’s playback.
Press RESAMPLE to switch on overdubbing. If you light it before you first press REC, the 404 moves into overdubbing by itself once the first pass is down.
Play your new layer as the loop goes round. Feedback Rate sets how much of the existing loop carries on.
Don’t like the last layer? Press SHIFT + PATTERN SELECT to undo it, and press it again to bring it back.

Key combinations

SHIFT + VALUE: Switches MARK between skip-back sampling and the looper when you press the knob.
MARK: Enters or leaves looper mode.With MARK Function on Looper
REC: Starts or stops recording.In looper mode
RESAMPLE: Switches on overdubbing.In looper mode
DEL: Deletes the recorded loop. This works only when the loop is stopped.In looper mode
COPY: Starts saving the loop: press a pad, then press VALUE.In looper mode
SHIFT + PATTERN SELECT: Undoes what you just recorded, or redoes it. This works while the loop plays or when it’s stopped.In looper mode
PITCH/SPEED + PAD: Gives the looper the tempo of that pad’s sample.In looper mode
SHIFT + CTRL 1: Sets BUS.In looper mode
SHIFT + CTRL 2: Sets Routing.In looper mode
Press VALUE: Swaps turning VALUE between Rec Level and Feedback Rate.In looper mode
SHIFT + VALUE: Sets METRO VOL when you turn the knob.In looper mode

Looper settings

MEAS: The loop’s length in measures. With Free, the loop runs until you stop it. Whichever you choose, there’s room for up to 16 seconds of audio, and the tempo affects how far that goes.CTRL 1 knobRange Free, 1, 2, 4
AUTO TRIG: At ON, recording starts by itself once the input rises above the trigger level, which leaves your hands free. The level is Auto Trig Level in Every system setting.CTRL 2 knobRange OFF, ON
BPM: The tempo while you’re recording.CTRL 3 knobRange 40.0–200.0
PLAY-RATE: How fast the loop runs while it plays back.CTRL 3 knobRange 1.0–199.0 (%)
BUS: Hold SHIFT as you turn. Where the incoming audio goes, and so which effects it passes through. Use LOOPER to overdub: see Turn an effect on from the keys for the buses.CTRL 1 knobRange DRY, BUS1, BUS2, LOOPER
Routing: Hold SHIFT as you turn. Mix records the 404’s own playback along with the external input. ExtIn records the external input alone.CTRL 2 knobRange Mix, ExtIn
Rec LevelLEVEL on the screen: How strongly the signal is recorded. Press VALUE to swap between this and Feedback Rate.VALUE knobRange 0–127
Feedback RateFDBK on the screen: How much of the loop feeds back into itself.VALUE knobRange 0–100 (%)
METRO VOL: Hold SHIFT as you turn. How loud the metronome is.VALUE knobRange 0–5

To stop everything at once, press SHIFT + EXIT or press EXIT four times quickly, as you can elsewhere: see Stop or pause everything.

From the community

Roland SP-404MKII v4.04 Update Overview
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Roland’s longest update video, at half an hour: the looper, sound generator, groove, microscope editing and much more. Converting SP-404SX/A projects from an SD card starts at 23:45.

A full guide to the 4.04 LOOPER MODE! 🔄 (SP404-MK2 Tutorial)
SPVIDZ
A full guide to the 4.04 looper: setup, controls, recording a loop, undo and redo, and bouncing to a pad.

4.8IntermediateSystem 4.04+

Make your own sounds with the sound generator

No bass to sample? There’s a small synth inside the 404. It plays one waveform across the pads, in a scale you choose, and can write what it’s making to a pad as audio. From then on it’s an ordinary sample that you can pitch, chop and put through effects. Make a bass line from scratch takes it all the way to a finished line.

Make a sound and keep it

Press SHIFT + RECORD SETTING to enter sound generator mode.
Choose a waveform and shape it with the settings below.
Press the pads to play it.
Press REC to export what you’ve made as audio.
Press the pad you want to save to, then confirm with REC or VALUE. Roland’s instructions name a “REC knob”, which doesn’t exist, so we can’t say which. The sample is then on that pad.

Key combinations

SHIFT + RECORD SETTING: Enters sound generator mode.
REC: Exports the generated sound to a pad.In sound generator mode
SHIFT + CTRL 1: Sets Pad Length.In sound generator mode
SHIFT + CTRL 2: Sets Duty Cycle.In sound generator mode
SHIFT + CTRL 3: Sets Balance.In sound generator mode
REMAIN: Previews the bus the signal is sent to.In sound generator mode, playing over MIDI
SUB PAD: Starts or stops the preview.In sound generator mode, playing over MIDI
MARK: Turns on skip-back sampling, when MARK Function is on an SBS setting.In sound generator mode, playing over MIDI

The waveform

Type: Which waveform the oscillator plays.CTRL 1 knobRange Sine 1, Sine 2, Cos 1, Cos 2, Saw, Saw+, Saw 2, Tri, Pulse, Pulse+, Noise 1, Noise 2
Freq: How high or low the waveform sounds.CTRL 2 knobRange -36–+48
Level: How loud the waveform is.CTRL 3 knobRange 0–127
Pad Length: Hold SHIFT as you turn. How much of the waveform goes to the pad when you export, counted in periods or seconds.CTRL 1 knobRange 1–256 (period), 0.5–10 (seconds)
Duty Cycle: Hold SHIFT as you turn. The waveform’s duty cycle: how each cycle divides between its high and low parts.CTRL 2 knobRange 0–100 (%)
Balance: Hold SHIFT as you turn. Where the sound sits between left and right.CTRL 3 knobRange L50–0–R50

The remaining settings are on VALUE. Turn it to reach a setting, press it to move the cursor onto the value, and turn it again to change the value.

The notes, on VALUE

SCALE: The scale the pads play.VALUE knobRange Chrom–Penta m
NOTE: The root note of that scale.VALUE knobRange C–B
OCT: Shifts everything up or down by octaves.VALUE knobRange -3–+4
OFST: Moves the root note to a different pad.VALUE knobRange -4–+11
ENV: The envelope applied to what you play.VALUE knobRange OFF–C2
TUNE: Adjusts the pitch, in hertz.VALUE knobRange 416.0–464.0 (Hz)

You can also play it over MIDI, from a keyboard on MIDI IN, a computer over USB, or a DAW app on an iOS device. REMAIN, SUB PAD and MARK do the jobs listed above while you do. See Connect MIDI gear and sync tempo.

From the community

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Uses the sound generator as a synth, for drum one-shots, for resampled loops and for live improvising. Its section on 4.04 bugs may no longer apply.

How to make groovy Basslines on the SP404mk2 | Tips & Tricks
imLowKey
Builds a bass sound in the sound generator, shapes its envelope, writes a simple line, layers it and makes it sit in the mix.

4.9Basics

Plug in a synth, mic or guitar

There are two sets of jacks for outside sound, one for line-level gear and one for mics and guitars. Once a device is connected, EXT SOURCE works as its on/off switch. With the input on, you can play along, run the sound through effects, or record it.

Where to plug in

Source	Jack	Set-up
Synth or other electronic instrument	`LINE IN` on the rear panel	For a mono source, use the `L/MONO` jack.
Mic	`INPUT` on the front panel	Set the level with GAIN.
Guitar or bass	`INPUT` on the front panel	Slide the `MIC/GUITAR` switch across to the side nearest the jack, then set the level with GAIN.

Bring it in

Connect your device, as in the table above.
Press EXT SOURCE. The button lights and the input is live.
Press SHIFT + EXT SOURCE to open the input setting screen.
Turn CTRL 3 to raise LEVEL. You’ll hear the device come up as you do.
Press EXIT when you’ve finished.
To shut the input off, press EXT SOURCE again. The button goes dark.

Key combinations

EXT SOURCE: Switches the external input on or off.
SHIFT + EXT SOURCE: Opens the input setting screen.

Settings that help

If LINE IN is distorting, Attenuator brings its gain down. Noise Gate cuts the noise floor on both inputs, and Anti Feedback helps a mic. Find them all on the GAIN tab of Every system setting, which SHIFT + PAD 12 opens directly.
With GATE on, EXT SOURCE passes audio only while you hold it down: see Gate and hold: what letting go of a pad does.
Set up a recording covers everything else on the input setting screen, including ROUTING.
Add an effect to what’s coming in puts an effect on the input.
Decide where external audio goes chooses which bus the input goes to.

From the community

4.10Basics

Bring in audio from a computer or phone

One USB cable is enough to get a computer’s or phone’s audio into the 404, so anything you can play on them can become a sample. There’s no driver to install. On a computer, you first tell the operating system to send its sound to the 404.

On Windows

Connect the computer to the 404 with a USB cable.
Open Control Panel.
Click Hardware and Sound, then Sound. If the panel shows icons or classic view, double-click Sound instead.
Open the Playback tab.
Click Speakers SP-404MKII-G, then Set Default.
Click OK.

On macOS

Connect the computer to the 404 with a USB cable.
Open System Preferences.
Click Sound.
Open the Output tab and choose SP-404MKII-OUT.
Close System Preferences.

Then switch it on

With your computer or mobile device connected over USB, press EXT SOURCE. The button lights and the audio comes through.
To record it, follow Record a new sample.

Where USB audio goes: the USB IN setting

Setting	What happens	Good for
`LINE IN`	USB audio is added to the `LINE IN` signal, so it reaches `INPUT FX` and then the input bus.	Treating the computer like any other instrument, with effects.
`MIX OUT`	USB audio skips `INPUT FX` and the bus effects and goes straight into the mixer’s output.	Hearing it clean, alongside the 404.

USB IN is on the GENERAL tab of Every system setting. Decide where external audio goes shows how it fits with the other inputs.

From the community

No iPad audio over USB-C with EXT SOURCE on? Apps such as AUM can leave the iPad sending its audio elsewhere. Swipe down from the top right of the iPad and check its audio output is set to the 404. via NearTao on Elektronauts