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Boss SP-505 Groove Sampling Workstation
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Boss SP-505 Groove Sampling Workstation

Sampler from Boss belonging to the SP series

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Published on 08/19/04 at 06:23
Notice updated on 19-08-04, after 2 years of use ... happy

- Polyphony 8 sounds acceptable given the price.
- 26 effects, not all so terrible, but useful ... Ability to resample a sample after applying the effect (good), but the knobs did not send sysex, not possible to sequence the movement of a pattern of effects (not good). Note, we can apply an effect at once.
- Memory: 16 MB SmartMedia one comes with the beast. Having transferred all the useless presets, you can unleash your desire for sampling ... As for internal memory, it is not huge but enough for the grip.
- Connectik: MIDI in / out (no thru, it's bullshit ...), RCA in + out, mic in, headphone output 6.3, optical input (not bad, but still a little gadget ...), switch to adapt a BOSS pedal to trigger the samples at the base.

UTILIZATION

Handling extremely easy. With the manual, you can begin to attack his first patterns with emotion and gratitude, after an hour or two of exploration ... The recording pattern offers RealTime with correct rhythm (adjustable, let me explain: you can adjust if it will correct the location of the sound of a quarter note, an eighth, a sixteenth .. . or a half, eh, if you want, then you are going to drool) ... resulting in the beats always snugly, and the ease and intuitiveness of the recording RealTime.
Editing sounds is easy too, the visualization of the waveform is really useful. on the other hand, always try to sample a good noise level, because you can always increase the level of a sample after, but the quality suffers. Otherwise, loop to work, the SP-505 is very intuitive and practical.
When the manual to him, is well done and quite clear ... Except for the chapter in the MIDI implementation, which was a bit sloppy (at least that's the impression I get from ...)

SOUNDS

Well, bin it will not dwell on the few preset sounds, four banks of 16 sounds from the glorious past of Roland TR sounds mainly for three largest banks, organized in styles: Hip-hop, Break, Techno. The fourth bank is itself dedicated to 16 samples of instruments, history of having a small base of sounds in instrumentals pitcher to do a few tunes at the beginning, when you have nothing else ...
Otherwise: for effects, cf. characteristics. Too bad that does not, however, a real edition of the samples, such as management of the attack would be nice ... The samples have against by several settings such as looping or upside down, the play mode (gate, drum ...)

OVERALL OPINION

I use the thing for two years now.
I just add a big sister, my sweet RM1x that the MIDI driver to this and this, without major difficulty (well, it remains to be knowledgeable at least, at first I gallery but I think it it must be valid for any beginner, and with any machine of course ...)
At the time of purchase, I did not know much about groove boxes, but I knew I wanted to make a sampler, so I hesitated between the Sp-505, Electribe S and I had tried in parallel. .. Oh my bin Foy, I am not disappointed and I would do this choice: the Boss is certainly more expensive, but is simply better than the Korg at the intuitiveness, ease of use, and characteristics (the Korg is less attractive side inputs, the sound processing is less developed, especially the Korg effects are really fake .... well, it's just my opinion, but I am not alone in thinking that the effects of Electribe)
The value is a bit high, we must admit that the Sp-505 is a bit expensive ... But bargain prices begin to fall, watch out ...
In any case you will not mine! I, I keep ... I'm not ready to sell it! It's really a good little machine, and I think even with a barge home studio at home, there's way to keep it, even if only to take it everywhere with you, and tinkering in his loops his corner ... It's great.
I see this machine as well small sampler of phrases that would bring a little more electro in a group of such high-bass-drums-vocals ... The singer can play with, throw a few loops and samples from time to time, and even run some patterns and apply the effects of Sp-505 to an external source, such as its micro ...
In this use, this machine excels! It's a big Kaoss Pad!