Roland Groovesampler SP-808 User manual

Topics
We will cover the following topics in this document:
I. The SP-808 Architecture
II. Sampling
III. Sample Editing
IV. Using Effects
V. Using the Step Modulator
VI. Re-sampling
VII. Track Recording
VIII. Track Editing
I. The SP-808 Architecture
Before we get into some of the features, it is a
good idea to understand how the SP-808 is laid
out. The SP-808 is a new type of instrument
that combines sampling, hard disk recording,
effects, and realtime performance features into
a single workstation. A quick look at the front
panel will give you a good idea how these
various components are designed to work
together (see Fig. 1). The hard disk recording
section is located at the lower left portion of the
front panel and uses the familiar fader and
status button controls found on many
recorders. The sampling section is found on the
lower right and is a pad based interface that is
popular on many "phrase" type samplers. The
upper right section of the SP-808 contains the
effect and realtime performance features,
including the innovative D-Beam* infrared light
controller. Separating these sections are the
edit and transport controls that are located in
the center of the SP-808.
_____________________________________________________________________
Roland SP-808 Basics
_____________________________________________________________________
The new Roland SP-808 Groove Sampler offers a whole new approach to sampling and remixing.
This unique workstation combines phrase sampling, hard disk recording, effect processing and live
performance features that are essential for today's producers and remixers. This document will
cover some of the basic operations of the SP-808 such as sampling and track editing. In addition,
we will offer some tips and suggestions for using the SP-808 in ways you might not have thought
of. This document is not intended to be a replacement of the owner's manual, but it can provide
you the basic knowledge needed to start using your SP-808. For more in-depth information, please
consult the SP-808 Owner's Manual.
Fig. 1
The SP-808 Front
Panel

When you record to the SP-808, you will record in one of two ways: as a sample, or as a track. A
sample is typically a shorter piece of audio designed to be triggered from the 16 pads in the
sampling section of the SP-808. A single Zip™ disk can contain as many as 1024 samples, which are
divided into 64 banks of 16. A track is typically a longer, more linear type recording such as a lead
vocal or guitar track, and is controlled by the faders and status buttons in the recorder/mixer
section of the SP-808. Tracks can also be used to trigger samples by recording the order in which
you press the pads. There are four stereo tracks on the SP-808 that provide up to 46 minutes of CD
quality recording on a each Zip™ disk.
II. Sampling
In the past, many people were intimidated by the sampling process. Traditionally, sampling meant
you had to navigate through endless menus and parameters just to record something. Then, you
would spend hours trimming and looping your samples by trial-and-error. This process seemed to
have more relation to mathematics than music. The SP-808 allows you to do all of these things
quickly and easily without wasting lots of your time. Let's get started:
1. Insert a SP-808 formatted Zip™ disk into the drive.
2. Press SAMPLING so the "Sampling" screen is displayed (see Fig. 2).
3. Press the pad you wish to sample to.
Note: When you press the sampling button, the SP-808 will automatically
select the next available pad.
4. CURSOR to Start/w and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select "Lev. 1."
5. Play your instrument or CD and adjust the LINE or MIC INPUT knobs so that the signal is just
below the dotted line on the meter. After you have set the desired level, stop playing.
6. Press SAMPLING and then start playing your instrument or CD.
7. Press SAMPLING again when finished. "Finished. Check Result. OK?" will be displayed.
8. Press any pad to hear the playback of your sample. Press ENTER/YES to keep it or EXIT/NO
to try again.
If you have a Sampling CD (CD with pre-programmed loops and sounds), you can record large
portions of the CD at one time and use a special SP-808 feature called "Auto Divide" to
automatically separate the samples to the different pads. This feature will save you tons of time
because you don't have to stop and setup for each sample. Here's how you do it:
1. Follow steps 1 - 5 in the Sampling section above.
2. CURSOR down to Auto Trim and rotate the TIME/VALUE dial to select "ON."
3. CURSOR down to Auto Divide and rotate the TIME/VALUE dial to select the amount of silence
needed before division takes place. You can select from 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 seconds.
4. Press SAMPLING and then start playing your CD.
5. Press SAMPLING again when finished. The SP-808 will start dividing the samples to each
available pad. If it fills up an entire pad bank, "PADs are Full. Use Next Bank?" will be
displayed. Press ENTER/YES to continue.
Fig. 2
The Sampling
Screen

III. Sample Editing
After sampling to the pads, editing is a breeze. First of all, the SP-808 has a
section on the front panel called QUICK EDIT. The main sample editing
features (Trim, Level, Stretch, and Pitch) allow you to quickly cut, adjust the
volume, change the tempo, or change the pitch of your sample. Let's start
editing our sample:
Trim
Trimming a sample is the process of changing the start, loop and end point
(see Fig. 4 on page 7) of the sample so that it loops smoothly and/or plays
only the portion of the sample that you want to play back. A perfect loop
should sound seamless when it repeats. The SP-808 lets you trim samples
in a more musical fashion than most samplers, using parameters such as BPM and measure
number. Because of this, we are going to start with a quick overview of some common musical
terms. Here's a brief description of some musical terms that will be helpful to know:
Beat
=
Each time you tap your foot in time with the music is equal to one beat. In most
popular music, this is referred to as a quarter note (q).
Measure
=
A grouping of beats. In most dance music, there are usually four beats to a
measure and the first beat (the downbeat) is usually emphasized.
Quarter
Note
=
A division of time in music. Represented by the "q" symbol in musical notation. In
most popular music, a quarter note is equal to one beat and there are usually four
quarter notes in a measure.
Half Note
=
A division of time in music equal to two quarter notes. Represented by the "h"
symbol in musical notation. In most popular music, there are two half notes in a
measure.
Whole
note
=
A division of time in music equal to four quarter notes. Represented by the "w"
symbol in musical notation. In most popular music, there is one whole note in a
measure.
Eighth
Note
=
A division of time in music equal to 1/2 a quarter note. Represented by the "e"
symbol in musical notation. In most popular music, there are eight eighth notes in
a measure.
Sixteenth
Note
=
A division of time in music equal to 1/2 an eighth note. Represented by the "x"
symbol in musical notation.
In most popular music, there are 16 sixteenth notes in a measure.
Tempo
=
In music, the tempo indicates how fast or slow the beats are counted. In other
words, it is the speed of the music. Tempo is normally indicated in beats per
minute (BPM).
Time
Signature
=
In music, the time signature determines two things: the note value that is equal to
one beat and how many beats there will be in a measure.
Note: Most of today's music is written in a time signature of 4/4. This means that the quarter note
will be equal to one beat and that there will be four beats in each measure. A typical "House Beat"
is a good example of this. The kick drum usually plays on every beat which, in musical terms, is the
equivalent of quarter notes. A new measure begins after every four beats. The speed at which the
kick drum is played is determined by the tempo. A tempo marking of q = 120 BPM indicates that
the kick drum would play 120 times in one minute and, in 4/4 time, would be 40 measures long.
Fig. 3
Musical Note
Values

Knowing the tempo and time signature of your sample will allow you to set the loop points quickly
and easily. The SP-808 will estimate the tempo of your sample based on the note type and length
parameters that are set on the Sample Parameter screen and the length of time between starting
and stopping the sampling function. Many sample CD's have the BPM for each sample listed. The
trick is to first determine the length of the sample in order to get the correct BPM. For example, if
you are sampling a two bar drum loop in 4/4 time, you would set the BPM BaseNote to "q" (a
quarter note) and the length to "x 8" (because there are eight quarter notes in two bars of 4/4
time). When you finish sampling, the tempo in the upper right portion of the display should match
the tempo listed for that sample. If it does not match, you can adjust the Length (>End) parameter
until the tempos match. Now, when you play back your sample, it should loop smoothly.
Tip: If you hold down SHIFT and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial, you can change the values in exact
doubles or halves. Also, the Start and Loop points can be moved without changing the length of the
loop by rotating the VALUE/TIME dial while holding the STOP button.
If you do not know the tempo, you can hold down SHIFT and tap the HOLD button in time with the
sample until the tempo is displayed on the screen. This feature is called Tap Tempo and it can be
very helpful. You may need to tap the button several times in order to get the correct tempo.
Note: If you cursor up, you can set the Loop Mode. "START-END" will repeat the entire sample.
"LOOP-END" will allow you to set a loop point that is different from the start point. When you press
a pad, the sample will play from the Start Point to the end point. When the sample repeats, it will
play from the Loop Point to the End Point.
Use the following procedure to set the loop points of your sample:
1. Press TRIM followed by the pad you wish to edit.
2. CURSOR to X (Times) and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to adjust the length of the loop (total
number of beats). For example, if you have a one measure loop, you will select "4." If you
have a two bar loop, select "8."
3. CURSOR to Length (->End) and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to adjust the end of the sample
until you get the desired BPM.
4. Play the pad to check your results. Playback will start just before the end of your sample so
you won't have to wait to hear the loop point.
Fig. 4
Sample Loop
Example

Time Stretch
Stretching a sample will allow you to change the tempo or BPM of the sample without changing the
pitch. This is extremely useful when you wish to match the tempo of one sample to another or
when you want to change the tempo of a sample to match the tempo of a tune you're working on.
Use the following procedure:
1. Hold SHIFT and press STRETCH.
2. CURSOR to SOURCE and press the pad you wish to change.
3. CURSOR to TO and press the pad you wish to write the new sample to.
4. CURSOR to NewBPM and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired BPM and press
ENTER/YES.
You can also use RATIO to determine your new tempo. Here's an equation you can use to get the
ratio:
(ORIGINAL TEMPO / NEW TEMPO) x 100 = RATIO
1. Divide the original tempo by the new tempo. For example, if the original tempo is 100 BPM
and you want to change it to 110 BPM, your outcome would be .9090.
2. Multiply your outcome by 100. In our example, our result would be 90.9.
3. CURSOR down to Ratio and use the VALUE/TIME dial to enter your result and press
ENTER/YES.
4. Press PLAY to return to the main play screen and press the pad to hear the results.
If you want to match the tempo of another pad:
1. Hold SHIFT and press STRETCH.
2. CURSOR to SOURCE and press the pad you wish to change.
3. CURSOR to TO and press the pad you wish to write the new sample to.
4. CURSOR up to Match/w and press the pad you wish to match.
5. CURSOR down to TYPE and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select "TEMPO."
6. Press ENTER/YES.
7. Press PLAY to return to the main play screen and press the pad to hear the results.
Pitch
Changing the pitch of a sample without changing the tempo can also be a very useful tool.
Sometimes, you may already have the correct tempo, but the pitch just doesn't fit with the tune
your working on. For example, you might have a horn hit that needs to be a half step higher than
when it was originally sampled. Use the following procedure to change the pitch of a sample:
1. Hold SHIFT and press PITCH.
2. Press the pad or rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select the SOURCE sample you want to
change.
3. CURSOR to TO and press the pad you wish to write the new sample to.
4. CURSOR to GRADE and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired grade (1-5) of the
effect. Higher numbers result in better fidelity, but may affect the rhythm of the sample.
5. CURSOR to NewPitch and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired pitch. For
example, if you want to shift the sample a whole step up, select "2." If you want to shift it a
whole step down, select "-2" (see Fig. 5).

6. Press ENTER/YES.
7. Press the PLAY button to return to the main play screen and press the pad to hear the
results.
Fig. 5
Pitch Shift
Example
Level
The Level function allows you to adjust the volume of each sample. This will help you blend all your
samples so that one is not louder than another. Use the following procedure to set the level of a
sample:
1. Press LEVEL.
2. Press the pad you wish to change.
3. Rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to adjust the level as desired (0-100).
4. Press PLAY to return to the main play screen and press the pad to hear the results.
IV. Using Effects
Roland is well known for their great effects processors and the effects on the SP-808 are no
exception. There are many unique effects such as the analog synth, the step modulator, analog
modeled choruses, tape delays, and flangers. They've even included effects from popular Roland
products such as the SDE-330 Digital Delay, SRV-330 Digital Reverb, and the VS8F-Series Effect
Expansion boards used in our popular hard disk recorders. It's amazing how these effects can make
even the most tired, overused samples seem brand new.
The SP-808 also allows you to use the dual D-Beam controller to alter the effects in real time, great
for live performance and re-sampling (page 15).
Use the following procedure to apply effects to a sample:
1. Press REALTIME EFFECTS [ON/OFF] so it is lit.
2. Hold SHIFT and press SELECT ROW so that "a" (PATCH) is lit.
3. Hold SHIFT and press MUTE to display the Mix Common screen.
4. CURSOR to FxLoc and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select "(FX PATCH)."
5. Hold SHIFT and press EFFECTS.
6. CURSOR to the Fx value and use the VALUE/TIME dial to adjust the overall effect level as
desired.
7. Press FX INFO and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired effect.
8. Press ENTER/YES to select the effect.

9. Press the desired pad to hear the results.
10.Repeat steps 4-6 to audition different effects.
Sampling with Effects
The SP-808 allows you to record an effect and make it a permanent part of your sample. This frees
up the effect processor, allowing it to be used on another sample or track. There are two different
ways an effect can be routed to record: as an insert effect or in a send/return loop. The method
you should use depends on the effect you are using. Insert should be used when you want to send
your source signal into the effects processor and record the output of the effects processor without
recording the dry signal. Some effects commonly used in an insert routing include distortion, slicer,
and radio. Use the send/return method when you want to record a mixture of the dry and effected
signal. Effects such as reverb, delay, and chorus are commonly used in a send/return fashion.
Use the following procedure to record a sample with the effects inserted:
1. Hold SHIFT and press MUTE (MIX COMMON).
2. Hold SHIFT and press SELECT ROW so that "a" (PATCH) is lit.
3. CURSOR to FxLoc and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select "INS RECORD."
4. Press REALTIME EFFECTS [ON/OFF] so it is lit.
5. Press FX INFO and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired effect.
6. Press ENTER/YES to select the effect.
7. Press PLAY to return to the main screen. Now, when you sample to a pad, the effect will be
recorded.
Use the following procedure to record an effect in a send/return loop:
1. Hold SHIFT and press MUTE (MIX COMMON) to display the Mix Common screen.
2. CURSOR to FxLoc and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select "SEND/RETURN."
3. Press PLAY to return to the main play screen.
4. Press MIC/LINE EFFECTS so it is lit.
5. Repeat steps 4-7 above to sample with an effect.
Realtime Effects Knobs and the D-Beam
Each effect contains six parameters that can be edited as the sample or track is playing by using
the Realtime Effect knobs. These knobs will edit different parameters depending on the effect you
choose. The SELECT ROW button will toggle between the parameters that can be controlled with
the knobs. You can also assign the Realtime Effects knobs to function as a 3-band isolator or filter
control. This is very useful for live performance.
Use the following procedure to assign the Realtime Effects knobs to function as a 3-band isolator or
filter control:
1. Hold SHIFT and press SELECT ROW so that "b" (FILTER/ISOLATOR) is lit.
2. Press the SELECT ROW button by itself to toggle between FILTER and ISOLATOR.
3. Play the pad and rotate the control knobs to edit the effect.
The dual D-Beam can also be an effective tool for editing the effects. The D-Beam is an infrared
beam that can be used to control various parameters on the SP-808, including effect parameters.
The D-Beam is controlled by moving your hand across the beam and the parameters will change in
various ways depending on how close your hand is to the source of the beam on the SP-808's front

panel. The SP-808 actually uses a dual D-Beam controller that can edit two different parameters at
once. Most of the preset effect Patches already have controllers assigned to the left and right beam.
Use the following procedure to edit an effect in real time using the D-Beam controller:
1. Hold SHIFT and press SELECT ROW so that "a" (PATCH) is lit.
2. Press SELECT ROW so that FILTER is lit.
3. Press REALTIME EFFECTS [ON/OFF] so it is lit.
4. Press D-BEAM CONTROLLER EFFECTS so it is lit.
5. Play the desired sample or track and move your hands over the D-Beam to control the
effects as desired.
Use the following procedure to change the effect parameters the D-Beam controls:
1. Hold SHIFT and press SELECT ROW so that "a" (PATCH) is lit.
2. Hold SHIFT and press FX INFO.
3. Use the CURSOR buttons to highlight CTL (Control) and press ENTER/YES.
4. CURSOR down to C5BL(Control 5 Beam Left) and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select the
desired effect parameter for the left D-Beam.
5. CURSOR down to C6BR(Control 6 Beam Right) and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select the
desired effect parameter for the right D-Beam.
6. Use the PARAMETER buttons and the VALUE/TIME dial to change other effect values as
desired.
7. Press PLAY to return to the main play screen.
8. Press one of the pads to play a sample and move your hand across the D-Beam to hear the
results.
Virtual Analog Synth
In addition to all of the other effects, the SP-808 contains a virtual analog synthesizer similar to the
Roland JP-8000. This is a programmable monophonic synthesizer that can be triggered from an
external keyboard, the D-Beam controller, or the Step Modulator. It has all of the parameters you
would expect from an analog synth including cutoff, resonance, VCO, VCF, LFO, portamento, ring
modulator, delay, chorus, and flanger effects. You can customize these parameters and save the
settings as a user effects Patch. You can also sample the output of the synthesizer to a pad or
record it to a track. Use the following procedure to control the virtual analog synthesizer effect f rom
a MIDI keyboard:
1. Connect the MIDI OUT of your keyboard to the MIDI IN of the SP-808.
2. Set your keyboard to transmit on MIDI channel 11 (refer to the owner's manual for your
keyboard if you are unsure how to do this).
3. Press FX INFO, use the VALUE/TIME dial to select "P99 20>AnlgSyn," and press ENTER/YES.
4. Play the keyboard to hear the virtual analog synthesizer.
Tip: You can adjust the parameters of the virtual analog synthesizer in real time using the Realtime
Effects knobs. Refer to pages 123-130 of the SP-808 Owner’s Manual for more information.
If you have edited the effect parameters and would like to save those settings, use the following
procedure to write a user effects Patch:

1. Hold SHIFT and press ENTER/YES (SAVE).
2. CURSOR down to EFFECTS Patch and press ENTER/YES.
3. Use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired User location.
4. CURSOR down to New Name and use the pads or the VALUE/TIME dial to rename the Patch.
5. Press ENTER/YES twice.
6. Press PLAY to return to the main play screen.
V. Using the Step Modulator
The Step Modulator is a virtual recreation of the analog sequencers found in
the 1980s. When combined with the virtual analog synthesizer, you can create
great techno-like patterns (up to 16 notes) without a MIDI keyboard. The
tempo of the Step Modulator can be controlled manually or by the Tempo Map
of the current song. There are many preset sequences already programmed
into the SP-808 or you can create your own. Use the following procedure to
set up and record your own patterns into the Step Modulator using the Analog
Synth preset:
1. Press FX INFO, use the VALUE/TIME dial to select "P66 SY:StepTk3," and press ENTER/YES.
This is a preset effects Patch for the Step Modulator that is 16 beats in duration.
2. Hold SHIFT and press STEP MOD (SET UP) to display the Step Mod setup screen (see Fig. 6).
3. Use the VALUE/TIME dial to select "REPEAT" for the trigger type. In this setting, the step
modulator will play continually while STEPMOD is turned on.
Other trigger type settings include:
1 STEP:
Plays only one note every time you press the STEP MOD button.
SINGLE:
Plays through the sequence once when you press the STEP MOD button.
MEAS:
Plays one measure of the sequence when you press the STEP MOD button.
SngPLY:
Plays the sequence every time you play the song.
4. CURSOR down to VALUE and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the first note to be played
by the Step Modulator.
5. CURSOR right once and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the second note to be played. If
you want the first note to play longer, rotate the VALUE/TIME dial counterclockwise to select
"TIE." If you want a pause before the next note, select "RST" (REST).
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to program additional notes as desired. If you want the pattern to be
shorter than 6 beats, CURSOR up to EndStep and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the
desired length.
Tip: You can have two step progressions play at the same time by selecting an EndStep
value of 8 or less. Steps 1-8 become the first progression and 9-16 become the second. This
is referred to as "parallel motion."
7. CURSOR down to BPM and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired tempo for your
pattern. You can also select SONG to have it follow the Tempo Map of the current song.
Use the procedure for writing a user effects Patch (page 13) to save the sequence you created. The
sequence will be saved with the effects Patch. The STEP MOD button will flash when the Patch is
recalled indicating there is a sequence stored with the Patch.
Fig. 6
The Step Mod
Setup Screen

VI. Re-sampling
Re-sampling is a term used for combining multiple samples into a single sample or re-recording
samples to another pad while adding effects. By re-sampling, you will be able to play more than
four samples at once because multiple samples can be combined to one pad. Re-sampling with
effects will help make your samples unique and also free up the effects processor to do other
things, like play the analog synthesizer.
Use the following procedure to combine multiple samples into a single sample:
1. Press SAMPLING.
2. CURSOR down to Start/w and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select "PAD."
3. Press SAMPLING again to display "Waiting Signal."
4. Select the samples you wish to combine by pressing the appropriate pads. Up to three
samples can be combined at a time and sampling will begin automatically as soon as the first
sample is played.
5. Press SAMPLING again when you are finished.
6. Play the pad to hear the result. Press ENTER/YES to keep the new sample or EXIT/NO to try
again.
Use the following procedure to re-sample an existing sample with effects:
1. Press the FX ON/OFF button so it is lit.
2. Press FX INFO and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired effect. Press ENTER/YES
to confirm your selection.
3. Hold SHIFT and press SCRUB until the PAD indicator above the fader is lit.
4. Press the EFFECTS button above the MIC/LINE (PAD) fader so it is lit.
5. Press SAMPLING.
6. CURSOR down to Start/w and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select "PAD."
7. CURSOR down to FxLoc and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select "SEND/RETURN" or "INS
RECORD" depending on the effect you have chosen.
Note: When (FX PATCH) is selected, the SP-808 will automatically select the routing that is
appropriate for that effect. If you have chosen an INSERT effect, all of the effect buttons
above the faders will light. When a SEND/RETURN effect is selected, only the MIC/LINE
(PAD) effect button will light. This is an easy way to determine the type of effect you have
selected.
8. Press SAMPLING and then play the pad(s) you wish to re-sample with the effect.
9. Press SAMPLING again when finished.
10.Play the pad to check the result. Press ENTER/YES to keep the new sample or EXIT/NO to
try again.
VII. Track Recording
Along with all of these cool sampling features, the SP-808 can function as a four stereo track hard
disk recorder. This allows you to create songs from your samples or to record directly onto a track
from the MIC/LINE, DIGITAL, or AUX input. There are three different types of recording:

STEP:
Allows you to record the pads directly to the tracks by
touching the pads in the order you wish them to play. The
playback length of the pads is determined in one of two ways;
the trimmed length of the sample (SMPL), or by the selected
note length (MEAS). If "MEAS" is selected, the playback
length is determined by the note value that is selected (e.g., q
[quarter note], e [eighth note], h [half note], etc.).
REALTIME:
Records the pads while the song is playing. The pads will
record as long as you hold them down.
AUDIO
RECORDING:
Allows you to record directly from the MIC/LINE, DIGITAL, or
AUX Inputs.
Step Recording
Step recording is great if you already have a lot of samples that are the same
tempo (BPM). Before we start, it's a good idea to create a Tempo Map so that
the samples line up properly. This will also be helpful for editing the tracks
later. Use the following procedure to create a Tempo Map:
1. Press SONG/TRACK.
2. CURSOR down to TEMPO MAP? and press ENTER/YES.
3. Rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to match the BPM of your samples, or play the pad that uses the
BPM that you want to match and press ENTER/YES.
4. Press PLAY to return to the main screen.
Now let's record some samples to track 1 using the STEP recording method:
1. Press PAD BANK and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired bank of samples. Then,
press ENTER/YES to select it.
2. Hold SHIFT and press STEP (EVENT REC).
3. displayed (see Fig. 7).
4. Rotate the VALUE/TIME dial counterclockwise to select "SMPL."
5. Press the pads in the order you want them to play back. If your samples are the same tempo
as the Tempo Map, the SP-808 will automatically place the samples at the correct bar and
beat.
6. Press STOP ( ) when you're finished.
7. Press STATUS (TRACK SELECT) A so that it is green (PLAY).
8. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the beginning of the song and press PLAY (4) to listen
to the track.
9. If you do not like what you have recorded, press UNDO/REDO once followed by
METRONOME ( ) to return to the top of the song. Then, repeat steps 2-8 to try again.
Realtime Recording
Realtime recording is a great way to add samples to an existing track. The samples are recorded for
as long as you hold the pad(s) down. The SP-808 features a quantize function, so if you play the
pad a little off time, the SP-808 can correct it for you. This can be extremely helpful if you are
having difficulty playing a particular section of your song in time with the metronome. Use the
following procedure to record a track in real time:
Fig. 7
The Step Record
Screen

1. Press PAD BANK and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired
bank of samples. Then, press ENTER/YES.
2. Hold SHIFT and press REALTIME ( ) to display the Realtime Record
screen (see Fig. 8).
3. Press STATUS(TRACK SELECT) B so it flashes red.
4. CURSOR down to Quantize and rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select "q"
(quarter note). You can also quantize using 8th (e) or 16th (x) notes.
5. Press PLAY ( ). There will be a two measure count in before the music
starts.
6. Press the pads in time with the music.
7. Press STOP ( ) when you are done.
8. Press STATUS (TRACK SELECT) B so that it is green (PLAY).
9. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the beginning of the song and press PLAY (4) to hear
the results.
10.f you do not like what you have recorded, press UNDO/REDO once followed by METRONOME
( ) to return to the top of the song and repeat steps 2-9 until you are satisfied with the
results.
Audio Recording
The Audio recording method is probably the easiest to understand because it is very similar to
recording on a "portable studio" type multitrack recorder. You plug something into the recorder, hit
record, and play your instrument. The SP-808 can record in a similar fashion. Use the following
procedure to record a track directly from the mic/line input:
1. Hold SHIFT and press AUDIO REC ( ) to display the Audio Recording
screen (see Fig. 9).
2. Connect the audio outputs of a CD player or instrument to the LINE
INPUT, or a microphone to the MIC input.
3. Adjust the INPUT or MIC level so that the meter peaks just under the
dotted line on the screen.
4. Press STATUS (TRACK SELECT) C so it flashes red.
5. Press PLAY ( ). There will be a two measure count off before the music starts.
6. Play your instrument/CD or sing into the microphone.
7. Press STOP ( ) when you are done.
8. Press STATUS(TRACK SELECT) C so it is green (PLAY).
9. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the beginning of the song and press PLAY ( ) to hear
the results.
10.If you do not like what you have recorded, press UNDO/REDO once followed by
METRONOME ( ) to return to the top of the song. Repeat steps 1-9 until you are satisfied
with the results.
Bouncing
Bouncing tracks is the process of combining multiple tracks to a single track. The idea is very similar
to the re-sampling procedure we discussed earlier. It allows you to use one track to play back what
used to require three tracks, enabling you to record new material on the previous tracks. This will
free up more tracks for recording and play back. Use the following procedure to bounce tracks A, B,
and C to track D:
Fig. 8
The Realtime
Record Screen
Fig. 9
The Audio
Recording Screen

1. Hold SHIFT and press AUDIO REC ( ).
2. Press STATUS (TRACK SELECT) A, B, and C until they light orange (BOUNCE).
3. Press STATUS (TRACK SELECT) D so it flashes red.
4. Press PLAY ( ). There will be a two measure count in before the music starts.
5. Use the faders to adjust the levels of tracks A, B, and C as desired.
6. After the tracks have finished playing, press STOP ( ).
7. Press STATUS(TRACK SELECT) D so that it is green (PLAY).
8. Press STATUS (TRACK SELECT) A, B, and C until they are off (MUTE).
9. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the beginning of the song and press PLAY (4) to hear
the results.
10.If you do not like what you have recorded, press UNDO/REDO once followed by
METRONOME ( )to return to the top of the song. Repeat steps 1-8 until you are satisfied
with the results.
Recording With Effects
The SP-808 allows you to record an effect and make it a permanent part of your track. This allows
you to use the effects processor for other tracks or samples. There are two different ways an effect
can be routed to record: as an insert effect or in a send/return loop. The method you should use
depends on the effect you are using. Insert should be used when you want to send your source
signal into the effects processor and record the output of the effects processor without recording
the dry signal. Some effects commonly used in an insert routing include distortion, slicer, and radio.
Use the send/return method when you want to record a mixture of the dry and effected signal.
Effects such as reverb, delay, and chorus are commonly used in a send/return fashion.
Use the following procedure to record samples to a track with an effect added to those samples.
First, let's create a new song:
1. Press SONG/TRACK.
2. CURSOR down to Create New Song and press ENTER/YES.
Now, let's name the song:
1. Use the CURSOR buttons to place the cursor and the VALUE/TIME dial to select the desired
character.
2. Press ENTER/YES twice.
Now let's add the Radio effect to some samples and record the output to a track:
1. Press REALTIME EFFECTS ON/OFF so it is lit.
2. Press FX INFO, rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select "P97 18>Radio," and press ENTER/YES.
3. Hold SHIFT and press MUTE (MIX COMMON).
4. CURSOR down to FxLoc and use the VALUE/TIME dial to select "INS RECORD."
5. Hold SHIFT and press AUDIO REC ( ).
6. Press STATUS (TRACK SELECT) A so it flashes red.
7. Press PLAY ( ). There will be a two measure count off before the music starts.
8. Press the pads in time with the music and rotate the Realtime Control knobs to alter the
effect.
9. Press STOP ( ) when you are finished.
10.Press STATUS (TRACK SELECT) A so it is green (PLAY).

11.Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the beginning of the song and press PLAY ( ) to hear
the results.
12.If you do not like what you have recorded, press UNDO/REDO once followed by
METRONOME ( ) to return to the top of the song. Then, repeat steps 5-11 until you are
satisfied with the results.
VIII. Track Editing
Track editing could not be any easier on the SP-808. Crucial editing functions such as erase, cut,
insert, and paste have dedicated buttons on the front panel for easy access. The SP-808 lets you
select a range of material to be edited by simply pressing the REGION IN/OUT button at the
appropriate locations. Then, just select the type of edit you wish to perform and your done. Use the
following procedure to edit the track we recorded in the previous section.
Cut
Cutting a track will delete the portion of the track you've marked and move everything after the edit
forward in time. This is ideal for removing entire sections of your song, such as a verse or chorus.
After recording, it is common to have some blank space before the start of your song. Use the
following procedure to cut out any blank space at the beginning of track A:
1. Hold SHIFT and press STATUS B, C, and D so they are dark. This indicates that any editing
will only be performed on track A.
2. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the top of the song.
3. Press REGION IN/OUT.
4. Press NEXT (MEAS ) or use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the location right before you
want your song to start and press REGION IN/OUT again.
5. Hold SHIFT and press the RIGHT CURSOR (CUT) button. The edit happens immediately.
6. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the top of the song and press PLAY ( ) to hear the
results.
7. If you do not like your edit, press UNDO/REDO once. Then repeat steps 2-6 until you are
satisfied with the results.
Erase
Erase is different from Cut in that when you erase a portion of a track, the track does not shift in
time. Blank space remains where the audio used to be. This is really cool for breaks or drop outs.
Use the following procedure to create a drop out on track A:
1. Hold SHIFT and press STATUS B, C, and D so they are dark. This indicates that any editing
will only be performed on track A.
2. Use the PREV/NEXT (MEAS ) buttons or the VALUE/TIME dial to select the location
where you want the drop out to start.
3. Press REGION IN/OUT once.
4. Press NEXT (MEAS ) or use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the location where you want the
drop out to end and press REGION IN/OUT again.
5. Hold SHIFT and press the LEFT CURSOR (ERASE) button. The edit happens immediately.
6. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the top of the song and press PLAY ( ) to hear the
results.
7. If you do not like your edit, press UNDO/REDO once. Then, repeat steps 2-6 until you are
satisfied with the results.

Insert
Insert will copy the material selected by the REGION IN/OUT points to any point in your song. Any
material after the destination point will be pushed back in time to the point after the copied
material.
Use the following procedure to insert the first two measures of track A at measure three:
1. Hold SHIFT and press STATUS B, C, and D so they are dark. This indicates that any editing
will only be performed on track A.
2. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the top of the song.
3. Press REGION IN/OUT once.
4. Press NEXT (MEAS ) twice or rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select measure three and press
REGION IN/OUT again.
5. Hold SHIFT and press the DOWN CURSOR (INSERT) button. The material in bars one and
two is now repeated at bars three and four. The material that was in bar three will now start
at bar five.
6. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the top of the song and press PLAY ( ) to hear the
results.
7. If you do not like your edit, press UNDO/REDO once. Then, repeat steps 2-6 until you are
satisfied with the results.
Paste
The paste function is similar to the insert function in that it copies material selected by the REGION
IN/OUT points to another point in your song. The difference is that paste does not shift audio after
the destination point back in time. If there is audio at the destination point, it will be replaced by
the copied material.
Use the following procedure to paste the first two measures of track A at measure three:
1. Hold SHIFT and press STATUS B, C, and D so they are dark. This indicates that any editing
will only be performed on track A.
2. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the top of the song.
3. Press REGION IN/OUT once.
4. Press NEXT (MEAS ) twice or rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select measure three and press
REGION IN/OUT again.
5. Hold SHIFT and press the UP CURSOR (PASTE) button. The edit happens immediately.
6. Press METRONOME ( ) to return to the top of the song and press PLAY ( ) to hear the
results.
7. If you do not like your edit, press UNDO/REDO once. Then, repeat steps 2-6 until you are
satisfied with the results.
As you can see, the SP-808 is an innovative product. It combines powerful sampling and recording
features with a unique interface that is very musically oriented. We hope that this document has
provided you with the tools you need to begin using your SP-808 to its fullest potential.
_____________________________________________________________________

SP-808 SPECIAL USERS TIPS AND TRICKS MANUAL
_____________________________________________________________________
General Tips
_____________________________________________________________________
A patch in the SP-808 is an effect, i.e. reverb, compressors, etc.
Yes, the D-Beam can be shut off and assigned to any sound or effect parameter.
You really don't lose anything to resampling.
The SP-808 like any other digital hard disk recorder has limitless tracks because of resample and/or
bounce that is performed in the digital domain!
HINT: The step modulator hooked to the Virtual analogue synth effects patch makes for a 5th
sound... It can be played at the same time as 4 (8) voices... Here's what I do:
- I loop my beat on Track A.
- I add background pads or noise on B.
- I program the synth to play my bass line.
- I leave 2 voices open for live triggering.
Here are some tasty titbits on the SP-808 that they don't tell you:
I can pull off a resample or bounce more than 15 times without an unprofessional sound... But the
enhancer in one of the effects parameters restores the loss no prob!!! Stomper like drum creation
has already been simulated on the effects patches of the SP-808!!! Imagine 6 realtime controllers
all at once completely desecrating a sound... then you resample this and set up a new patch and do
it again... and again. The EQ, the centre canceller, the filter, and resample allows anything to be
extracted... Then rebuilt using a compressor, EQ, enhancer... POWER!! RSS... what other sampler
has 3-d with 2 speakers… Um... None!! The step modulator, the 6 knobs (a & b), the tempo, and
the D-BEAM all modulate any parameter in the box, can we say please pass me clean underwear
and a towel... Oh yeah all at once! Oh excuse me. Try this: stretch a beat loop sample to a low
tempo, resample it, then stretch it again... This will clear up some of the extreme choppiness at
high change of speed... (buys you about 10 BPM more) add a slicer effect and chop the beat loop
into 16ths... Resample, set your auto trim for .5 seconds... VOILA!
Sounds time consuming but it only takes about 5 minutes!!!
_____________________________________________________________________
I use the SP-808 in the studio to produce Hip Hop records. Here are some
things that keyboard Magazine failed to mention before bombing the SP in the cons
section of their review:
- It has an envelope workaround... using the virtual synth effect!
- It has graphic waveform editing... push Scrub on the waveform edit page on the start, loop, or
endpoint numbers!
- Polyphony restrictions are taken care of by resampling!
- Velocity sensitivity is available if the machine is played from a MIDI keyboard or drum machine
that is capable! Also a mis-researched bit of info for loopers.
It can play back while sampling, or loop while sampling from the inputs! I have done this on many
live setups and in all studio sessions with live drummers and bass players.
This machine is only limited by imagination and poor song planning...
Thank you Roland for a new classic!

_____________________________________________________________________
Status + FX A --> MIDI Update
Status + FX B --> Zip Update
Status + FX C --> Develop Monitor
Status + FX D --> Diagnostic Mode
_____________________________________________________________________
I didn’t see this in the manual but if you hit (Shift+Pad Bank) you get a graphic layout of the bank
on the screen. Now use the value knob to scroll, you can see what pads have samples in any given
bank before selecting a bank.
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Syncing
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Syncing the SP-808 will do nothing to help keep pad based loops in time. This is a common
misconception about the SP-808. Sounds that are assigned to pads and triggered, either by hitting
the pad or via MIDI notes (or even hits recorded to an SP-808 track) will not track tempo changes
or in any way respond to either MIDI Time Code or MIDI Tempo. When you create a loop and
adjust its length to a particular tempo you are merely fixing the parameters of the sample loop.
Once set these do not change regardless of how you change the tempo map or any other tempo
source (i.e. external sync). This is confusing as the setting of loops involves referencing a tempo -
but that is only an aid to get things right at that particular setting. Syncing the SP-808 is for making
the linear tracks play back in sync to an external source. The contents of these tracks (1-4) can be
either recorded material or pad hits that were recorded. The timing of the start of any hit recorded
is fixed in time according to its placement on the track. Using any form of sync, be it MIDI Tempo
or MTC will only allow the SP-808 to know where it is WRT the time of playback. The SP-808 will
not adjust the recorded information to follow these time changes nor will samples and their loops
be adjusted. To best understand this think in terms of time, not tempo. The SP-808 cannot expand
or compress time while it is playing back - with the exception of the varispeed, which is something
else entirely. When play begins the SP-808 will go to the time that is currently specified by the
timing source. But it expects this timing source to be producing ticks at regular, standard intervals,
like 24 FPS, 30FPS, 29.xxFPS. While it may be able to do slight adjustments for drift in these timing
signals the range is rather limited and would, if it did adjust, be accompanied by a slight shift in
playback pitch. Tempo is nothing more than an agreed upon standard between the SP-808 and
other devices as to how real time relates to musical time. The Tempo map is what does this
conversion. When the SP-808 acts as a Master the tempo map is used to generate Song Position
Pointer as well as the rate at which MIDI timing commands are sent, thus establishing a tempo. But
the SP-808 is always operating internally on real time. So the whole tempo thing is just a
convenient way of looking at time.
So, in summary:
- If you want synchronized playback use the SP-808 as a master and setup a corresponding tempo
map.
- Loops must be set to work at the desired tempo and will not self adjust as tempo changes.
- Try to use one-shot samples as much as possible because their start will follow tempo changes.
So to do a one measure loop adjust the length to be one measure at the target tempo and just

trigger the sample at the downbeat of each measure. If you vary the tempo up slightly the sample
will cut off early, likewise if you slow things down the sample will go silent briefly. But the start will
always be in sync.
- If all you are doing is trying to trigger loops from an external sequencer then the easiest way of all
is to ignore syncing and just insert the appropriate MIDI notes in the external sequencer track(s) to
trigger the samples on the pads that you want to loop.
_____________________________________________________________________
Drive too Busy Workarounds
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1.) On track one - program a simple hi-hat rhythm in step record (realtime if you want.)
Cut and paste a few times and let it repeat.
2.) On track two - record your kick and snare in realtime, and set your quantize however you want
to. I find it easier to use the Vari-Pitch at about 50% for fast beats, rather than recording them at
normal speed.
3.) Now, cut and paste this a few times. Play back your two tracks now... Damn!
"Drive too Busy" error message again.
4.) Now here's the good part!!! Turn your Vari-Pitch down to about 25%.
Bounce tracks 1 and 2 to track 3. As you'll notice, you don't get the error message! The Zip drive is
reading the disk at a much slower speed and therefore it gives itself time in between snippets to
"catch up." If 25% doesn't work, go lower... 18%. If that doesn't work then your beat is really
complex! After you get over the initial shock and awe, copy your 3rd track to the Clipboard, and
then to a pad of your choice! The best way to get around a "Drive Too Busy" message, is to enter
your sequence into the step programmer. Select the track to record, then hit Shift+Stop to enter
into this mode. It will say something about "Multi" or "Single" or "Auto". Select Single. What this
will do, is transform your intricate pattern into a single sample, and place this on the track, rather
than a million individual triggers.
_____________________________________________________________________
Also, another tip related to the "disk too busy" message. The problem: When I encounter the
message, most times it is because I have sliced and diced my original loops too much (cut and
pasted little parts of loops in various places) until there is several measures of 8th or 16th note
data. At most useful BPM's the SP-808 simply CANNOT keep up.
The solution: Resample. Bounce to one new sample that comprises the many little pieces. Then the
SP-808 can read it. Obviously if the SP-808 can't even read the data at a specific BPM, it certainly
wouldn't be able to read and write it, right? Right. So to sneak around this limitation, resample the
pieces with the Vari-Pitch feature turned on and turned WAY DOWN, to around half or even less of
the original BPM. You could turn Vari-Pitch ALL THE WAY DOWN, but that makes for a time
consuming resampling process. Give it a shot!
_____________________________________________________________________
Obviously, the reason it gives you that message, is because it is attempting to retrigger the sample
too many times, too fast… The way I get around this, is when you go into step-record mode, it
prompts you as to whether you'd like to record the sequence in Single, Multi, or Auto mode. Select
Single, and the sequence will be one big "step" rather than a ton of little ones.
Therefore, the SP-808 only has to trigger one step, so it won't give you the disk busy message.

_____________________________________________________________________
Remixing
___________________________________________________________________ __
Q.) Also, being new to the SP-808, I have mostly concentrated on trying to "remix" tracks from my
CD collection. Can anyone provide some high level tips on how they approach a remix project. I'd
be grateful, I've got some great old school vinyl screaming for an update?
A.) Firstly always prepare "story board" for a remix. Sometimes you have DA'BESTEST idea, just
write it down, song position, loop length etc. GET THE BPM RIGHT!!!!!! Record the stuff to tracks,
use lots of bouncing. Keep all your bits and pieces at the beginning of tracks, and start your work at
about 100th bar, that way you can always jump to the front, pick up a sample and paste it where it
should be. Remember, there are only 4 tracks, but they are loooong, so parts of them can be used
as "sample pool". Before you do any time stretching etc. you must decide what tempo your entire
song is going to be and set it. This is called a "Tempo Map" you can find it under the [Song/Track]
button menu. Next you must trim your samples to be the length you want them.
Also you must choose how the sample is going to play as a note, such as a quarter note or eighth
note or sixteenth note. A whole note sounds an entire measure.
A quarter note would sound on 1,2,3,4 in a bar/measure an eighth note would be
one, and, two, and, three, and, four, and. This is important in the layout of different types of
samples. Hard to explain on the computer - READ YOUR MANUAL.
Most of the time the SP-808 sets this correctly for you if you trim it right. Next you stretch to the
length you want the sample to be (usually the same as the tempo map) so a drum loop that you
want to loop every measure in a song that is a tempo map at 120 BPM would need to be whole
note = 120 BPM. This is not the rock solid rule to make it work.
Really you stretch whatever until it sounds the way you want it to sound.
You can’t cut and paste samples to start and stop wherever or make them sound only a percentage
of their length to make it work as well. There’s a million ways to do it.
_____________________________________________________________________
Smoother Timestretch
_____________________________________________________________________
Well, until recently, the only thing I could do on the SP-808 is time-stretch the sample.
If you have tried to change a sample, especially a beat, from 97 to 135 it's gonna come out kind of
funny sounding with a lot of unwanted chorus effect. Well, NO MORE!
Step 1 is to figure out a sample's BPM by sampling it first, trimming it and
seeing what the tempo is.(70 BPM in this case)
Step 2 is making sure you are currently working in a song that has the desired
tempo (135 in this case).
Step 3 is setting your Vari-Pitch down to get the BPM as close to 70 as possible.
Make your sample, then turn off the Vari-Pitch and trim it. Voila!
You have now successfully raised the pitch and tempo of the sample without the nasty sound of
timestretching. You can time-stretch them to the desired tempo if need be, because it's not by too
much and it'll turn out fine.