boss sp-202 user reviews and comments @ Synth Site

Synth Site: boss: sp-202: User reviews Add review

Advertisment

Average rating: 4.2 out of 5

bubbaloha a professional user from HI writes:

This is a way cool sampler with its own limitations for sure, but also very capable. The key to getting full potential out of this baby is having a handful of 5v smartmedia cards so you can have tons of samples all set to load easily. one card holds up to 35 mins of samples in lo-fi2 mode... and even 4&1/2 mins of samples in hi-fi mode. four and half minutes of hi-fi sample on each card. wow! you can usually find em over at ebay....if you are a workin dj like me, you probably already have a box full of em ;-) This sampler is small solidly built and works like a charm if you dont ask it to do miracles. Pretty amazing device. btw, the SP-303 is NOT as cool. its not as easy to use as the SP-202 and doesnt have the same feel to it. SP-202 was one of those products that turned out to be better than planned and packed a lot of value and function in a very small box.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Oct-15-2003 at 15:40

jesse a professional user from england - london writes:

this is 'cloudeads' weapon of choice. combine this with a technics 1200 turnable, and put each through a different channel on a dj scratch mixer for the perfect 'live' set-up

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Jul-23-2003 at 17:25

Rob a part-time user from US writes:

I have been using 4 of these puppies in tandem for about 2 years now, and even tho I have several rack samplers (emu,roland,akai) i just love using my SP-202s. with 4 of them, i feel that i definately have a secret weapon in my sound arsenal. people ask me what kind of cool sampler that is, and i tell em and they want to buy themselves at least one. At todays current prices for these, you simply cannot go wrong imho. A very easy and fun sampler! 5/5!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Sunday-Jun-29-2003 at 23:01

Definition a professional user from Ploanet ill writes:

My keyboard recently broke and all I have is my sp202 and a sequencer. For the price this thing is great the effects sound good except for the delay and the editing is alright it's very simple but gets the job done if used right you can make some killin tracks on this thing it just needs a sequencer and resampling. Can anyone tell me how toset the midi channel I lost my manual and forgot how to email me please

Rating: 3 out of 5 posted Monday-May-05-2003 at 18:17

blindandcrippledlamb a hobbyist user from us writes:

this is the first sampler i've ever had so maybe i'm just naive but this thing is a super value. I mean i got one off of ebay with a smart card for less than $100. its pretty stable too. ive been abusing it and dropping it like mad and the volume knob is the only thing that popped off and it just popped back on easily. it could be because i use it for more expermintal gritty lo fi stuff that it's working out so well, but honestly i compose more stuff straight on the sampler messing around when i'm drunk at 3 am then on fruityloops or acid. also its just really fun to record bad 80's funk bass solos on the lowest rate and then ring mod it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Tuesday-Mar-11-2003 at 20:13

Domenic a hobbyist user from New Jersey writes:

It's not perfect, but I got one off ebay for $125 dollars and it's worth it. I've been using it as a loop phrase machine. I will sample some parts of a song and then I will mix them in with my Korg EM-1 and my synths. It's fun, plus it's portable and will run on batteries. I have a 2MB card with it, but it takes the older 5V SM cards which are very hard to find these days. This is my first sampler and I'm happy with it. When I start getting more serious with sampling, then I will buy a better one.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Saturday-Jan-04-2003 at 03:10

simon from ft. laud, FL writes:

It's small, cheap, does what it supposed to do. It's very good for sampling voices and then you change the tempo, place delay, filter, you can even reverse in realtime. You can also tell it to record in a specific BPM so your drum loops sound perfect. It's very handy little sampler, if you don't know, ask Fatboy Slim he uses it.

It's nice to have this and another sampler, like mpc 2000, which I will buy one day. This works fine with my sp-808 and rm1x and mc505. I need to get myself a Nord Lead though.

Keep the music coming, peace. Visit:

www.stylexs.cjb.net - for my sounds.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Thursday-Dec-19-2002 at 15:24

Reid Elliott a professional user from Australia writes:

Compared to what you can do with a computer these days, this thing may seem dated. But... there is something fantastically cool about this box. You will come up with stuff using this that you would never think of using the more flash software apps of today. And it's great to use live because it's so portable (imagine three DVD cases stacked on top of each other) and wont screw up on you like a computer will.

It's great for triggering weird noises and vocal samples live. Sampling in lofi and playing it live on recorded work will give you an F. off grungy lofi feel. This is what I go for so it works well. Probably not too useful for slick and tidy dance music, but that's not what I do. Get one if you are into experimenting and playing around.

King Crimson's drummer uses one of these to play weird ambient intros to one of their songs live.

The best lines I've sampled with it were from a William Burroughs spoken word CD where he says, "The Supreme Court came to consist of nine purple assed baboons." And, "We have a minor problem in the boiler room but everything is now under the sound effects of a nuclear blast." Nice.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Monday-Nov-18-2002 at 20:49

peter brown a part-time user from uk writes:

this is wicked for dj`s dropping speech samples. using the gated pads you can drop little snippets of the sample before playing it all. also great for practicing scratching to as you can loop a beat forever!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Sunday-Jul-14-2002 at 21:54

JC a part-time user from USA writes:

Easily the BEST mini sampler hands down!! The only drawback is that the SP-202 uses those darn 5v smartmedia cards which are almost impossible to find now....everything has switched over to 3.3v cards now. So, other than that factor, this thing rules!! For now, you can still get the 5v cards on eBay here and there, but probably not in the very near future. So, I would not recommend getting this unit without some extra cards. Just look for a deal that includes a couple of em. Sometimes, it doesnt even add much to the price of the unit, so its the best way to go.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Thursday-Jul-11-2002 at 18:20

Simon a hobbyist user from Fort Lauderdale, FL writes:

I've got my sp from a pawn shop for 100 bucks about 2 years ago. Let me tell you, this thing has endless uses, I've sampled from tv with that thing, used it with turntable loops and it sunded just like a technics itself. This little sampler is the coolest thing I bought for my studio, where I use mc505, RM1x, sp808, sp202 and my PC for editing and rebirth. It rocks let me tell you, get it. Wanna check the sounds I've made, go visit http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/286/tekken_x.html

Good site, by the way, thanks for the info.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Saturday-Jul-06-2002 at 22:56

Rob from USA writes:

This Machine belongs in the "easy sampler" hall of fame. Dont expect miracles, but do expect excellence in simplicity.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Saturday-Jun-29-2002 at 03:32

Rick a professional user writes:

Amazing small piece of gear. I just filled my 10th 4mb smartmedia card, so now I have quite an arsenal of samples to whip out on 2 SP202's. I love em cuz they are simple and do what theyz supposed to.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Monday-Jun-17-2002 at 21:45

Michael Taylor a hobbyist user from USA writes:

I dont understand why people post reviews before they either get a chance to spend some time working with the sampler. or decide that it cant do what they wanted and slam it. if you want a dope all in one box, with a dazzling array of effects and mad midi ins and outs etc. buy an mpc. The sp 202 was designed as a small, portable, sampler that runs on batteries, able to give the live dj an effects, loop setup and the producer a portable scratchpad studio. it performs both of these intended tasks admirably. the poly. is 4 voices, guess what? a drummer has 2 feet and 2 hands=4! people who complain about sample time and bank access are full of it. Just because this unit has limitations (what do you expect for 100 bucks?) doesnt mean its weak. the patter sequencer sucks, so what do it realtime. this box is intended to be done by ear, not with some step time sequencer. people used to doing sample editing/looping of their computer will find it frustrtating at first, but the learning curve is fast, and you get the swing of it easily. there are ways to get around problems like, no re-sampling, polyphony cutting down if you add effects etc. add a mini-disc recorder (portable, of course) and resampling with effects w/ no polyphony loss. run a bass drum sampler through a filter, pitch it, send it to the md and then re-sample it from there, viola! i bought it as a scratchpad studio, to use with my MD. my alesis drum machine and a small mixer i built in a weekend and its awesome. i can take it on the bus, the subway anywhere. sample any sound i want and be making a beat right away. anyone who says they cant make a beat that sounds dope on this is just someone who is either too lazy to work with it, or one of those system specifications kinda people who dont want to do anything else. anyone ever heard of a portable mpc? NO. so why do all the reviews sound like people want a portable mpc? the boss is great for what i just said, portable project studio, go anywhere.

or dj sampler/effects setup.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Friday-Jun-14-2002 at 13:00

a professional user writes:

2 Words--User Friendly!! This is one of the most unconvoluded little samplers ever made.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-May-29-2002 at 23:32

RIP a part-time user writes:

I have 3 of these babies. They are addictive!! Very cool machines and with the smartmedia card expansion, you can really go to town with sampling time. I got a few cards for each machine (on ebay) and I am going wild. Very easy to use and definately has an uncanny coolness to it. I will never sell. The SP-202 is much cooler than it was supposed to be.....I think its even cooler than the SP-303. It's unique and IS already a true classic!!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-May-29-2002 at 04:26

Rod a professional user from CA writes:

yes, cool drum machine it IS!! ...and you can usually find the 5v cards on eBay....use this baby for a drum machine and you will keep forever!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Tuesday-May-14-2002 at 00:19

Nippage a professional user from USA writes:

And the battle wages on...

The Sp-202 is getting a little long in the tooth nowdays, especially with new samplers on the horizon and software samplers gaining a heavy edge - BUT, I still have mine, purchased new from 1998, and it still has a place in the studio...

As far as a "phrase sampler" for looping, I guess you could still use it as such. To me there are much better products that do that now a days, the SP-202's greatest asset to me is as a drum machine. Yep, a drummachine. Load up my softsynths, audio manglers, dat tapes, whatever, and then dump the oneshots down to the pads. Control it with a cheap but useful DR-660, and off we go..

For those of you still scratching your personally selected area, think about it. The Sp-202 has 4 pad poly, every drummer I know (with the exception of Def-Lepords) has countem 2 hands, 2 feet, 4poly for those synth guys. Works like a charm, and with 16 sounds readily availible, I can load what ever kicks/snares/hihats I want for a selected sound.

For those of you still seeking 5V cards, check with some phone people. A buddy of mine works for Lucent, and lo and behold, a 4mb 5V card is used in those music on hold machines, he gave me a fist full for a beer..

Overall, the SP-202 actually gets a 4.75 out of five, but the fact it still runs after as many times I've dropped it from a moving vehical, it's getting a 5 from me..

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Monday-May-13-2002 at 16:40

Will a part-time user from CA writes:

Well said Julian!! The SP-202 is a great little machine. Runs on batteries!! YES!! and does what its supposed to. I really love mine. .....and its true, Fat Boy does use one too........ I love how this baby is so simple and easy to use. Very inspiring device!! I like it better than the SP-303 due to its being simpler to operate. Simplicity is important!! SP-202 is a true classic machine....no doubt about that!!

AND if any of you guys need any 5V cards, contact me via email. I have a bunch of brand new ones that I dont need.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Apr-24-2002 at 21:28

Ron a part-time user writes:

Eibzion makes several good points that should be considered carefully. I own both the SP-202 and the ST-224 and have since '99. Each one is really a master of what its meant to do. I like the extra features on the ST-224 for sure and its ease of use AND the fact that it uses 3.3v smartmedia instead of the older & EXTREMELY hard to find and way way more expensive 5v smartmedia cards (like the SP-202). However ths SP-202 has its own ease of use due to lack of features and its just great for lo-fi hits and stabs. It is smaller, runs on batteries, and costs about $125 used. I like owning both and probably wont let go of either one cuz they both are just too handy. They each do their job. So considering all angles of the 2 samplers, that cost so little, why not own both? Or you could buy a more costly, more capable, & consequentially a more complex machine made of steel. Nah,... stick with the small rigs, and you'll have more $$ & space for cool outboard processing gear!! :}}}}}} sample and resample to taste!!

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Saturday-Apr-06-2002 at 02:59

eibzion a hobbyist user from USA writes:

I owned an Ensoniq ASRX with all the upgrades for several years. It was my first piece of real equipment. As I expanded my studio, I ended up using the big sampler less and less and my sampling needs went down. After I sold my ASRX I bought an SP202. It appealed to me because of it's low, low price and it's simplicity. After about 2 months, I sold it because I discovered the Zoom St224, which is the same price as the SP202 but worth about twice as much! I've only had it for a day and I know the ST224 works better, has better features, and is easier to use. The Zoom ST224 has a beat match function, TONS of effects, resampling capability(!), and you can load different banks of sounds so that you're not limitted to the sp202's maximum 4 banks, with only 2 banks allowed on a smartcard. Plus, the Zoom accepts 16 mb smartmedia cards so you can store 4 times as much on a single card. If you're looking for a budget sampler, DON'T BUY THE SP202, BUY THE ZOOM ST224. You'll get much better FX, much better functions, and overall, a MUCH BETTER SAMPLER! check out ebay... they sell for $175 or less.

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Friday-Apr-05-2002 at 21:59

Jimbob Jimbalayah a professional user writes:

Bottom Line this thing rulez. All you jackasses who complain that you can't match beats with it and other shit didn't know what you were buying. If you want to do crazy, technical stuff, get a real sampler that is meant to do that like a E-mu E4. This thing was intended to be quick and shitty (in a good way) and that's exactly what it is. I love this thing for lo-fi but wouldn't produce a whole record with it which is what it sounds like some people are trying to do. It's just crazy to me how many people buy things and expect things to act differently than they are intended. If you want something to act like a $4000 sampler, than buy one of those, if you want something to act like a $200 lo-fi, scratch pad/sfx triggering thingy, get the SP202. It rulez and I laugh at all you clowns that whine because it doesn't do what an E4 Platinum does, and you thought it would. Of course it doesn't you cack!!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Friday-Mar-22-2002 at 16:36

shafmaster a hobbyist user from ca. writes:

this little baby isn't a toy . i completed a whole song....plane and simple read your manual to get the most out of it

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Friday-Feb-15-2002 at 21:44

Nick a hobbyist user from United States writes:

I've had the SP-202 for a couple of months: if you want a sampler for the purpose of making beats, don't buy this model (get the SP-303). However, if you want a sampler for the purpose of trigger sounds at live performances (like I do), this is perfect. The only people who give this sampler a bad rap are those you bought this thing for making beats, which it doesn't do very well in today's standards. Know what to buy before you buy it. This sampler has beat making limitations, but if you are not using it for that purpose, then save some cash and buy it!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Jan-23-2002 at 22:11

GEN FETUS a professional user from Los Angeles,cal. writes:

well i boght this sampler to trigger out movie samples.yha sure i could easly have burned a cd or played it out of my pc,but whats good about this phrase sampler is it can be triggerd midi out of a sequencer to be right on time to where ever you want the sample to be at.

posted Saturday-Jan-12-2002 at 18:57

writes:

Turn it on and hold the 1st pad wile it is powering up.

posted Thursday-Jan-10-2002 at 20:56

dude a hobbyist user from USA writes:

Hey, i changed the midi channel on the sp-202 to 3 by mistake (i think) does anyone know how to change it back to 1?

please help.

it's a great machine by the way. i got the last one from times square guitar center for $100.

Thanks.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Thursday-Jan-10-2002 at 20:45

Shuai a hobbyist user from USA writes:

The SP-202 is going to be famous someday. Up there with the Casio SK-1 and the Yamaha VSS-30, it will have its place on the vintage market. I've had mine for close to 4 years now and I still use it in my rig even with all the more advanced sampling equipment i've bought over the years. Yeah, it's a piece of shit. But this piece shit does a lot of work. I've managed to acquire 3 4mb memory cards for less than 50 dollars. Roland is probably making more money off the memory cards than they are this little toy sampler.

The reasons I love this thing though is for it's portability, and it sounds better than a microcassette, and it has two really decent effects on it that sound like no other in its classs. The Ring Modulator and the High Pass Filter. It's got a very cheap dry sound to it, but run it through some delay and it sounds better. It can be sequenced which is nice... it loops nicely and it has a fairly accurate BPM Display. You can also use it as an expensive tap tempo machine to see what tempo your samples are on your other samplers and such so you can sequence them right. I've never used a computer to sample stuff and I kinda like it that way. Give me a calculator and a tap tempo and i'm happy. The SP-202 has a great built in mic which can make for some really annoying and beautiful feedback sounds to piss off an audience that thinks shows are a place to catch up on scene politics. Anyways... these things are going real cheap these days and it was my first sampler and instrument and i had lots of fun with it. You can do more than you think with it, but i think the beginners have more fun with it than the old geezer type professional people looking for that perfect sample rate and no hiss and thousands of options to make their boring music sound better. I'm not going to say anything negative about it because there just isn't a point. It's obviously in a class of its own and shouldn't be compare to anything more than a Akai SU-10 or 20. It's the most non-intimidating sampler you could ever buy.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Jan-09-2002 at 13:02

DCLXVI 29a a hobbyist user from USA writes:

OK I didn't pay for this believe me or not I won it by shaving my head bald (I had a long ponytail). So after shaving my head I agreed to a used SP-202 (I really just shaved my head to make a point about vainty... didn't want them to pay arm and a leg) so...

--- Upsides --- (0) I got no manual with my SP-202 but... it was/is simple enough to figure.

(0) Granted it is not a expensive sampler with alot of effects but at it's price you can afford to be creative. The best method is to edit the samples on your computer before sampling that way what every FX you can muster and then sample

(0) Excellent to Voice Samples!!!! This is really what I use it for... MIDI capable and easy to tigger... just tape a TV show that is sappy or a soap opera and you can often find priceless phrases for example I wrote a really dark track and then recorded 7th Heaven haha (they say the darnst things), try the TBN or 700 Club they are always saying extreme things that can be use to make a point about extremist views. The best sample ever I got from 'The View' Meredith says '...the otherday I got stuck on a life size vibrator...' see what I am saying priceless :) record any yuppy show and have fun.

--- Downside --- (0)The Sampler is hissy RCA's like the DR-202 and the SmartMedia 5v cards are not wildly available (and are expensive when you find them).

(0)Make sure you sample at the same volumes or your sample kit will be grossly jacked

All and All I wish SmartMedia cards for these were easier to find (affordably) that is my biggest problem --DCLXVI 29a

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Nov-14-2001 at 22:01

D Maddix a professional user from USA writes:

I've owned an SP-202 for a couple of years, and it has passed the trail by fire of being on tour. It goofed off a couple of times(forgotten samples), but I've worked with humans less reliable...

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Sunday-Oct-28-2001 at 01:08

digital angel a professional user from usa writes:

are you people on glue? this thing is a piece of shit. i bought one so i could get some atmospheric noise samples because its portable and runs on batteries... two weeks after having it, it begins to break down, wont assign samples to the first three pads, and now the stereo outs wont register sound. i am not a budget musician, i know my shit, and this thing is worthless. the sample quality is horrible, so flat and lifeless, and the effects are garbage. the only remotefully useful effect is filter #2(yes, it is labeled as an effect on this thing), mabye on vox and white-noise based drum loops... that sounds sick. but other than that, this is a horrible piece. dont buy it. all of the music i write and produce is heavily electronic based, and i can somehow manage to bang on an oil drum and sample it, and make better use of it than i ever could do with this joke of a sampler. roland should be ashamed.

Rating: 1 out of 5 posted Tuesday-Sep-18-2001 at 23:48

Nick from NY, USA writes:

I just pick this up for $150 including a 4mb smartcard. This small sampler kicks ass for its price. Not a top professional piece of equipment, but it does the job!

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Tuesday-May-22-2001 at 23:55

Mr Miscreant from Hell writes:

Okay, first off we're talking about the SP202 Dr Sample...not to be confused with the Boss DR202 Dr Groove Drum Machine thingy. Close, but no cigar in her thingy.

Okay, here the real poop: It's a pretty decent sampler with a ton of capibilities, you just gotta be creative. Now this is the type of thing best used with other gear, definatly not on it's own. Now as far as the internal effects...they do leave a little bit to be desired. The time-stretch feature works well with vocals...but with beats, it tends to add to much noise and tremelo to the sound. The ring modulater is pretty generic. I rarely use this effect. As far as the filters..this is what I found: If you sample in lo-fi mode and run the sound through the filter, it gives it a real "warm/authentic" sort of sound. The hi-pass filter just sounds a bit too tweaky when you sample in normal mode. The delay effect is in my opinion is useless. It only repeats once and cuts out...I think Boss should have put a bit more effort into this area. The reverse feature is cool too, just too bad you can't apply any effects. Of course the pitch control is universal but deal with it....

Now if you think the effects are a real issue, I would simply suggest using an out-board effects processor (but I am sure y'all knew that anyway).

As far as the memory goes...it's not too terribly expensive (unless you work at McDonalds) but the only limitation is that if you allocate samples to the C/D banks, you cannot apply any sort of effects. The only major plus to the memory card is snatching long samples (great for sampling accapella tracks for remixes).

Here's another piece of advice...what I do is sample onto my SP202 and then sample back to my MS1 sampler and usually apply effects in between (like killing 2 birds with one fat crack rock). This feature comes in handy if you sample drum parts in lo-fi mode and send them to a seperate sampler and trigger the sounds from an external drum source. Viola...sorta old school 8-bit/SP1200 sound! Try it.

The built in mic is decent...useless in a real studio sorta enviroment except when it comes to sample burps and farts.

All and all, the Boss SP202 is a cool little piece of gear. Don't knock it just because you lack creativity and you're too lazy to experiment. With that in mind...I am off to jam.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Friday-Mar-02-2001 at 01:54

tweeker a part-time user from Oz writes:

i got on of these second hand, and it is excellent. i don't have a tb303, but i can use rebirth and my sp202 to quickly and easily load up acid basslines and go off.

also, on the timing factor, using the skills of counting from 1 to 4, i have managed to create numerous loops, all sampled at a perfect 140 bpm, all you have to do is count the beat. this thing is nuts!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Saturday-Feb-10-2001 at 18:32

Don a hobbyist user from chicago writes:

i agree...to many people dissing a great piece of equipment....you can sample loads of sounds via smart card...althought the limit on effects at once is a bit bunk....the rest make up for the small errors...this box is magic and im happy with it...as for looping sounds perfectly...u have to remeber ..it does depend on how the sound u want to loop begins and ends..thus not every sound can loop..simply because it doesnt go...regaurdless of the machine..i have looped dope instruments...barly any click...and a filter can hide that nicly....experiment..i did..and now im a HAPPY man...all i need now is a sp 1200, one maybe a asr x pro or other workstaion and i got sum open doors...as will you...peace out and make what u love

posted Monday-Jan-22-2001 at 21:55

sarge a professional user from UK writes:

Had mine for a couple of weeks. Not bad for 70 ukp's. Complements my S2000 and PC nicely. Its not perfect but there again the TB303 wasn't a perfect bass clone. Shame about the exspense of 5 volt smartmedia cards though there are ways round it ie record to minidisc. Its fun to use and easy to loop samples. Good to treat external sound sources through the filters and ring mod. This would partner a s20 very well. I think back to when the ensoniq mirage came out in the eighties and what that cost for a 8 bit sampler and look at this....I think wow technology is great and affordable. I wonder what an sp303 will be like?

Rating: 3 out of 5 posted Monday-Jan-15-2001 at 15:28

b boy a hobbyist user from Melbourne, Australia writes:

As a UK DJ far away from my decks & vinyl, I bought an SP202 because it was extremely portable, pretty cheap ($A700) & enabled me to make music in the absence of a PC or turntable. (I'm now using it for an instrumental project with 2 guitarists.) As per some of the other postings, I love lo-fi, weird kit & hip-hop, so a lot of the common gripes about this unit just don't concern me. However, I have found an excellent way to work around some of the SP202's limitations; using a recordable mini-disc player as the sampler's 'memory'. I set it up like this: Run the line-out from the SP202 to an A/B switch box, send the A output to your monitor, the B output to the mini-disc line-in, and the mini-disc line-out to the SP202 line-in. nice...

This gives u easy access to some handy techniques:

1. In a live setting where you're sampling on the fly: when the sample banks r full, flick the switch to B (routing the output away from the main out & into the mini-disc). Record samples you want to keep to MD (monitoring on headphones). U can free-up memory without having to lose material or disrupt performance. (I've found that there's a negligible lose of quality when re-sampling back from MD).

2. FX: as suggested in another posting, record effected samples to MD & re-sample them back to free up polyphony. The A/B configuration just means u can do this quickly, with having to re-patch leads, etc.

3. Bounce-Down: record 2-4 samples playing together onto MD, then re-sample back to 1 pad. If you can get the levels right (ie. no difference in volume between the individual samples played together & the 'bounced-down' sample playing on 1 pad) this gives you 'extra polyphony' when creating songs.

4. Archiving: once I've finished a 'song' I record the 'sample-set' to MD & use the mini-disc Track Name function to make a note of the BPMs, sample rate & record level for each sample. You need to check the record level required for a balanced mix by sampling each sample back to the SP202- this is a pain & the most time-consuming part of the process. However, once I've got it right, I've found that I can 'load-up' a perfectly mixed set of 8 samples from MD in about 2 mins. I can arrive at rehearsal with 2 songs already loaded up, then clear the memory & have another 2 songs ready to go in the time it's taken the rest of the band to have a smoke break.

So anyway, if you're thinking about buying one of these, it definately helps if u have an MD.

(I haven't been able to find any (cheap) 5 volt Smart Media cards in Oz - in their main area of use (digital cameras) they've been superseded by 3.3 volt cards...)

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Monday-Jan-15-2001 at 01:03

damian a hobbyist user from usa writes:

I reccomend this sampler to anyone who has an imagination,and knows what they want accomplish musically. easy to use,fun,runs on batteries,and portable. what else can you ask for?

posted Sunday-Dec-17-2000 at 01:52

JB a part-time user from Canada writes:

This unit is indeed fun to use but is'nt very practical. It's a cool toy. It is especially useful as a notebook to play stuff you're working on and try new structures. It's nice to own if it's not your main tool.Kinda big and weird looking (orange?! what the...). Note: i use smart media cards for digital camera, they cost almost half of the roland smartmedia cards (same thing). I did experience weird white noise that was created on the 4th,7th and 8th pads in the 7th and 8th banks. I had to resample those sounds.

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Saturday-Dec-02-2000 at 01:06

Rick a part-time user from CA writes:

Hook this baby up to a DR202 and watch out. Lotta fun and both of em can run on batteries. Cool. Very portable and easy to use set up. Dont listen to the whiners. Just play and have fun with this.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Nov-15-2000 at 21:57

Metalshop a hobbyist user from SF Bay, USA writes:

Anyone who bitches about this unit either thought they were buying an Akai something-thousand (um, for 200 USD?) or is just plain a wimp. Hi-fi is too short, whatchou talking 'bout Willis, why oh god would you be using hi-fi? I use 'Lo-Fi 1' almost exclusively, the grittiness is just awesome. If you have a little difficulty cutting-up your loops perfectly (with the 'mark' button) than you just need practice - if you have a lot of difficulty than you got no riddim white boy - better buy an Akai. And think : It runs on batteries, has MIDI in and you can monitor the audio in with the 'source mix' switch - get you a little battery-run unit (ala Yammy QY-70 or the like), 8" cables and you've got complete attack force that fits in a backpack - um, talent, imagination and effort are not included kiddies - you'll have to provide your own. Anyone who doesn't want theirs can sell it to me for $50! 8-)

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Saturday-Oct-21-2000 at 14:55

gregkuhl a hobbyist user from utah writes:

This is my first sampler and I got the floor model for $200.00. I had a fuck of time trying to get it to sample for more than 5 seconds, then I realized that every bank was filled. Walla, delete and I was off.... Very fun machine. This little bugger is very capable. Just do your homework. The effects are just ok, but what can you expect for the money. You can easily edit your loops, crop etc in merely no time. The lo fi sounds have a twangy type of ping which will make them tough to sample. The memory cards are expensive, but I'm defenitly buying a few. But in three hours of fucking around this machine is well worth the money. Now I just need a lil drum machine. For value and ease 5/5, sound is about a 3.5/5.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Friday-Oct-06-2000 at 13:02

verse01 a professional user from US writes:

This unit is cool. Best combo is DR-202 midi out to SP-202. I usually compress my drum sounds while sampling them individually to the SP-202's pads then sequence them with the DR-202. Then I add in little samples, usually sampling them on 2-3 pads at different pitches...you can see where I'm going with this. With ingenuity, you can make the most out of 32 seconds sampling time and create nice beats.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Sep-13-2000 at 13:18

DP a part-time user from Deep South writes:

Yes, the Boss is cheap and limited, but it's fun, and forces U 2 be creative, unlike other (more expensive) sampler/workstations out there. U most definitely CAN loop tight beats-but owning this will not make U Sasha or Digweed-or even Fatboy Slim (though he owns one-look the liner pic in U've come a long way). It works for hip-hop-not electro or trance or drum'n'bass or anything, (though DJ's could make it fresh) but i'd think u know that if you're into that. I think most everyone knows what this thing is capable of anyway. MUCH more importantly, Does anybody know where I could download the manual? i bought mine used (DO NOT PAY MORE THAN $200!!!!) and it didn't come with one. Thanks!

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Friday-Aug-25-2000 at 10:30

Kjel a hobbyist user from u s a writes:

hmm let's see: "Limited effects use on multiple samples": i sidestepped this by going to my friends house and simply recording the effected version of a sample onto minidisc, then resampling the new version. not that tough, guys. no need to cry about it. "Poor sound quality": although its only 32 sec on hi-fi, the quality is quite good in my opinion (my sp202 handles everything from electric bass to my juno6 to field noises exceptionally, and with a small internal mic to boot)*added bonus, the external mic comes in even more handy because the sp202 can be run on batteries. genius. "Small sampling time in hi-fi mode": wah. buy a flash card from a photography store on the cheap. "It cant loop drum beats": obviously anyone saying this hasnt read their owners manual. the sp202 comes with a mark feature which completely encourages trial&error and i've got every sample ive ever played with to loop smoothly w.out click with a little practice. instead of crying when i first heard my sample loops clicking, i recalled that the preset had a drumbeat that was seamless and i knew anything was possible. This sampler is a steal loaded with possibilities so long as you have creativity and are not limited by a crybaby attitude to own the most expensive, feature-laden gear. what's more, if you have gear that nice you should be on the level where you will find as many bugs in that nice stuff as you so effortlessly find in the sp202. if everything is hunky dory with the features on your gear then youre just not being creative

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Monday-Jul-24-2000 at 14:23

bob a part-time user from USA writes:

I love this thing. It doesnt have much in the way of FX so I just use external FX. No sweat. I have several other more capable samplers, but I love the simplicity of the SP-202 and the fact that it can run on batteries. I use rechargeable ones so thats no problem either. Its great to take this puppy out into the "world" and get some really strange samples. Its small and portable and that makes it all possible. AND it can store samples on SmartMedia disks which is really cool.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Thursday-Jul-06-2000 at 20:47

Ron Bradley a hobbyist user writes:

Someone once told me that it's not what you use, but how you use it.

Then there's the SP-202. You'll find that it's easy to use, but loses its flavor after one hour. Effects are limited to two filters, delay, time stretch, pitch bend and ring mod.

I haven't even bothered to try and connect it to any midi devices since it only has one midi in port.

I find it useful for only real-time recording or live performance, but in either case, the sample playback quality is sub-par.

It can also be useful because it's rather portable...if you like spending money on 6 AA batteries. Yes, it runs on batteries.

But, whatever samples that I'd snag from where ever or whomever through the SP-202 would eventually end up on my PC.

However, if you remove the aforementioned AA batteries from the unit, it's buh-bye samples (until you find the appropiate power adaptor which is not included).

If you do buy this sampler, use for the purpose of learning to use samples in the structure of your music or as a portable sampling device for capturing ambient sounds.

All-in-all: You're better off just bleching into your old Casio keyboard that you got when you were 10 years old and pushing the demo button.

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Thursday-Jul-06-2000 at 15:50

michael a part-time user from USA writes:

Not a review, but a helpful tip... the memory cards (2MB or 4MB) used are 5v, not the 3v commonly seen. Buy them for $10-15 from photography stores online!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Monday-May-01-2000 at 17:10

john a part-time user from USA writes:

Killer machine!! Gets the job done for me very nicely without any hassles. Sure it has limits as all devices do, but you work within the limits and create magic. This puppy cooks!!! Get one!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Apr-05-2000 at 00:05

zebra_meat a part-time user from USA writes:

This thing is fun. Its a tall little box with buttons that light up. you can get it used for 200 bucks. you can carrie it around! Its really easy to use. I am going to get another one. people that dis on this are comparing it to samplers that are 1200$. they need to check themselfs. with the right mind you can really use this machine. if you suck and you think its hard to edit because your weak, I have 2 words 'trial and error'. it works well with midi because the pads light up and you know where they are.

I think its a work of art. a classic. for 200 bucks damn. in 5 years every body will use 4 of these, becuase youl be able to get them for 100 bucks. cheap equipment is what electronic music was founded on.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Mar-15-2000 at 20:47

Dr Funk a hobbyist user from japan writes:

i had one of these and used as a dj tool. i sold and i kick myself in the nuts for it everday. im going to buy another one soon.

posted Tuesday-Mar-07-2000 at 22:10

Charles a hobbyist user from Canada writes:

Consider it as a loop generator. You sample anything and you loop it. It will sound the same as the original. Of course, you can choose between loop and 1 time, gate and trigger depending of the style of the sample. You cannot play the sample at different pitches with a keyboard like the classic samplers. You can also use low pass filter on some samples or reverse it, but don't use these effects too much because it uses polyphony. I have an sp-202. Right now, I'm using it for the album I'm working on. However, it is almost finished. Once it will be done, I might have to sell it with a stereo enhancer that fill the sound very nicely and a flash rom card (4 M -about 2 minutes of sampling hi-fi stereo or 4 minutes stereo on 8 different banks). I used it mostly for beats, noise, fx and keyboard or vocal loops to fill the tracks.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Monday-Mar-06-2000 at 23:54

Rabid a hobbyist user from USA writes:

I think the main reason why people are so down on this sampler is that they're not aware of what it's really capable of:

-It's easy to get the sampler to set automatic loop points... they just neglect to explain how in the manual (OOPS!). Check out Roland's Groove Site (FAQ section) for this little hidden feature...

-The sampler has time-stretching, not to mention pitch control... try finding THAT for under $400...

-If you stay away from the lo-fi settings, it actually sounds pretty damn good - plus it has expandable memory (albeit the cards are a tad pricey)

-The filters suck, but the delay and ringmod fx are pretty decent...

-Don't forget that it's controllable via MIDI using simple note on-off meggages.

In short, this thing has its quirks but is an absolute steal considering you can find them new for as low as $300. I own two myself, and I use one to resample effected/timestreched bits from the other, then load up the samples into both and control them via simple MIDI signals.

If you're just starting out or need a budget sampler, IT'S AWESOME.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Tuesday-Jan-25-2000 at 00:34

Mike Miller a professional user from So-Cal writes:

Yes, the unit has limited polyphony. Yes, the unit has limited editing. But look at the price point, and think about what you are using the unit for.

As a professional sound designer, I have found that this unit does very well as a live trigger unit. A show I did featuring anamatronic dragons triggers all the show sounds exclusivly from 202's, and for live theatre work, it's a lot easier to put short, repeated sounds on the 202's pads, than to fill up a miniDisc that my operator has to scroll through.

As a musician, I like having a portable, battery-powered sampler to play with on my lunch breaks. It goes nicely with my QY-70.

The main limitation of the unit for me, is being unable to back samples up (even via SDS) to anything other than those memory cards. (Dumping to DAT and resampling later doesn't count.) However, I think those Flash Ram drives intended for Digital camera's MAY allow one to read the 202's cards to PC, but I haven't tried this yet.

No, it won't compete with an Akai S200, Roland S-750, Emu IV or Yamaha A3000. It's not meant to.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Monday-Jan-17-2000 at 04:41

a professional user from LA writes:

I never understood why anyone bashed this thing after I used one for just a couple days. Within 4 hours of usage I could make perfect loops and edit. As far as the sound quality its fair not great but one trick to make it great is called external effects. I made all the sounds very crisp and clean with a little reverd and delay here and there. If you don't have an external effects you are not a "professional" musician and shouldn't care that much about sound quality anyways. I got mine used for 200$ with 2 sample cds, a 4mb card, 6 batteries, and in the original box. If you can make that kind of deal pick one up asap!

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Friday-Dec-31-1999 at 17:06

Milkish a professional user from New York City,USA writes:

Hey!!! Stop trashing the little bugger. If you want to hear what an SP-202 and a couple of synths doin' the nasty sound like, listen to these two tracks:

www.mp3.com/milkish

Until I get that Emu, this is my one and only sampler.

Rating: 3 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Dec-29-1999 at 10:57

gamn a hobbyist user from san jose, ca, u.s.a. writes:

This sampler is pretty good compared to other samplers its price. If you are an emcee, dj, or just someone who likes to create pretty bumpable beats, I recommend this piece of equipment. Although the effects can't play while too many voices are on, it's possible to go around those limitations. Too many people are dissing it because it's not "pro," but the fact of the matter is, it's not really trying to be for professional use. And if you do get this sampler, it's great help if you happen to have a four-track. And those people who are having trouble with it, your probably just lacking some rhythm.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Dec-22-1999 at 00:22

DJ Monacle a hobbyist user from United Kingdom writes:

I place myself as a hobbyist but hopefully I will soon be getting pro DJ gigs (if my agent comes up with the goods!!).

This little box ain't all bad...

Sure - it's not a patch on Roland's other sampler the SP808, which rocks (and I can't afford yet!!!) but for grabbing breakbeats from my DJ decks and using them to extend my mixes it's great.

It also fairs fairly well in the production set up - by linking an MC303 or 505 to it via MIDI and playing samples with the sounds found there. It's also quite smart to send one of those aforementioned grooveboxes through the 202s (albeit limited) filters.

If you are looking for a studio set up save your pennies, but for a DJ and for small scale production it does the job. Me? I bought mine as a stop gap till I can afford that Roland SP808...

Keep it REAL!

DJ MONACLE

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Tuesday-Dec-21-1999 at 03:45

Jake a hobbyist user from US writes:

Picked one up second hand for $150 @ a week ago. Great little unit.

Been said before but if you expect this thing to work as either a conventional sampler or a phrase sampler you can build tracks on....well, you'll be sorely dissapointed. If on the other hand you are covered from that perspective (own both a high end module sampler and phrase sampler) and need something to add vocal lines and breakbeats to a Dj set up...this is the one to get. Tiny, great effects (realtime control ocer delay on coice samples is really nice for such a cheap unit)...sound isn;t all that bad at all really.

Don't take my word for it....just open up the sleeve on Fatboy SLims "You've come a long way" and you'll see one smack in the middle of his set up.. In all honesty, look at it as a sampling extension of your DJ mixer.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Monday-Nov-08-1999 at 23:19

Galaxion a hobbyist user from USA writes:

At one time i was pretty sure i was going to buy this machine. I came to this site and read the reviews and decided i would buy one off ebay. My opinion changed after i played with a brand new one in the store. I remembered how everyone complained about the noise but i decided i didnt care that much. Well i didnt realize how bad it actually was. This peice of shit has terrible sound quality and is not even worth your time. These things tend to sell so much since people love to buy lower-end equipment. I wouldnt pay more than 200 for one. If you care about quality at all then dont buy this machine. Buy the low-end Akai sampler. There's less demand for them and you can get them for a better deal.

Alot of people may say they love it but they probably have not had experience with anything better. If you can find one for under 200 then buy it. Try it out and then sell it to one of the idiots out there thats willing to pay 300 used for it.

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Monday-Nov-08-1999 at 21:14

zom a part-timer user from usa writes:

Yeah, thought I would see what happens months after I did a "review". Same lame complaints then the typical name dropping of gear. Well, I just played a show where my main source of rhythm was the sp202, and it was the most fun I have had for a while. It may be a toy, but so are the synsonics I use. Here I will name drop the fact that the other gear I use live is prophet600,EMS synthiAKS,jupiter8 etc, blah blah. sp202 is great product. is stable. is

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Monday-Nov-08-1999 at 19:23

@phexbeau a hobbyist user from the woods writes:

I don't think that the 202 is all that bad, but I suppose I'm a "bedroom geek"... I've had mine for more than a year, and I think it's pretty swell, for what it is. It's not, I repeat NOT A WORKSTATION. Anyone expecting a workstation for this price is being exceedingly foolish. It's a phrase sampler. It's a fun thing to mess around with. It would be great for a beginner, (and we all were beginners once.!) It's rather intuitive to play around with. With a little time and patience, you can work out some interesting thing on it. But I'm no "Grooveslut" myself either; I find a lot of those boxes quite uncreative. And I agree: the polyphony is a pain, true, and the bank C/D thing gets on my nerves, but I accept it's limitations. One thing for sure: but at least one 4MB Smartmedia Card. You can find 'em for 20$ or so online. I guess if you need a sampler and are really pressed for cash, it would be a great investment in building your studio. Especially used. However, if you already own any other samplers, Akai or whatever, you DEFINITELY shouldn't waste your time (or $$$). If you don't like, don't buy! Nobody is raping you with an SP-202 here... (?) For what it costs (used), for what it's for, it'sa good little box.

plus i'm just attracted to blinking lights...something about my experience in the womb or something....

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Friday-Oct-22-1999 at 12:16

Charles a hobbyist user from Canada writes:

2 advices to get the most from this cheap sampler. 1) Make sure your source level is the highest possible. It is very important. The sp-202 records, even when the record knob is at 0. Don't rise it above 1/3 because noise is going to be a REAL problem. Personally, I records some synth loops on minidiscs then I put it through my mixer at the maximum level (depending on the other samples level) to sample it. That's the way to get the clearest sound. 2) Put the output through an enhancer (like a Boss EH-50). You'll get back your lost high harmonics and you will sharpen the overall sound. I was a bit dissapointed when I bought it, but since I started to proceed like this (and I admit that it took me some time) my sp-202 sounds MUCH better.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Wednesday-May-26-1999 at 00:34

J.S. Rockit! a hobbyist user from NJ, USA writes:

2nd Review: I do want to add one thing that does suck about the SP-202....if you are using a smartmedia card to store samples on....you can only play one sample at a time off the C and D banks....This is Lame, but hey...you get what you pay for....so basically this machine is good if you sample stuff use it in a song and then dispose of it...Don't get me wrong....this thing still rules... I'm going to buy another this week...I think Three outta do it...Me and my man Futilitarian are going to be in the money when people need these in the future...cause these shits are gonna be CLASSIC!!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Thursday-Mar-04-1999 at 21:17

Digiphallus a hobbyist user from U.S.A. writes:

It's an okay phrase sampler. I spent some time with one at a music store, but I didn't care for it too much. If you like it and have found some tricks for it, more power to you! The thing I didn't like was the fact that if you used an effect like ringmod, it pulled down the polyphony a notch...and you can't use 2 good effects like ringmod and timestretch. I didn't like it's sound quality on lower khz either. All in all, I think the Roland Ms-1 is a better designed phrase sampler with less gimmicks like onboard fx...the Ms-1 has a good compression algorhythum, makes drum loops sound really tight. Plus it can do midi dump, which I may be wrong, but I don't think the Sp can do. Just manipulate and effect your samples via computer software, then dump them to the Ms1. Ms's cost about the same as 2nd hand Sp's.

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Mar-03-1999 at 12:35

marty a hobbyist user from the US writes:

okay, so this is my second review on the sp-202, some 3 or 4 months later. i just happened to stumble across a few folks seriously trashing the thing, so i'm totally down to defend it. first off, i think the thing these people really need to keep in mind is that the dr sample is not a workstation, it's a phrase sampler. still, you can actually make some decent stuff with it alone, if you're creative and not too ambitious. so truncating by ear is laborious, go get cool edit96 and crack the bitch. now you can cut and paste your samples, put effects, and send back in. so polyphony is a problem. buy another one. no, wait, nevermind, i'm just an groove-approvin' loser, and i love this thing, and i'm going to buy as many in my lifetime as i can, and nobody's going to stop me because the dr sample is such trash, and a groove approved toy that should be sold in radio shack or target. you see the guy outside your house digging thru your refuse? that's me. i'm looking for your dr sample. and i think i just found it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Mar-03-1999 at 07:49

J.S. ROCKIT a hobbyist user from USA writes:

This is the best machine for the money....HANDS DOWN.....fuck the Yamaha SU-10 (still a good machine for other reasons) and the MS-1 Roland model....If you can't figure out how to edit this thing....you might as well quit...cause the more expensive equipment is more of a headache... do you have any sense of timing? if you do, you can edit this machine....Ok, I admit it is limited, but If you break it...throw the thing in the trash and hand out a little more cash (used...$200 and below)...shit, this thing will be a classic...I will make it one...Don't cry about what this thing can't do....Use it for what it can do.... if you have an imagination,,,you can create a masterpiece with this thing...Do not buy this if you want a workstation....it isn't one...it is a simple PHRASE sampler....very simple...the ring modulator rules...the filter are decent.... the time function allows you to sync your samples together...and to a beat...hook this piece up to the DR-202 and fuck yeah>>>the cheapest workstation out...BAMM!!! The Built-In Mic is great....sample acoustic drums on lo-fi 1 or 2 and you'll see why this thing is great....but in all fairness....it depends on what quality you are looking for... can you handle lo-fidelity?, are you anal? Do you put a Glossy Sheen on your music like all the fake ass hip-hop on MTV?....etc....this machine is one of the funnest things to use also...I've seen Trans-Am, Buffalo Daughter, Takako Minekawa, Add N to X, and Cibo Matto all use it live...and they all rock...so you can too...I can't wait to get another one, and another one, and another one....I wish Boss would put out an even smaller, simpler model...like a real pocket sampler...like the size of a micro-cassette recorder....now we talkin some shit...!!! SO STOP CRYING and Sell me your SP-202 if you can't handle it...I'm going to build an Empire with the SP-202! and the DR-5, and the DR-202, and the VT-1, and all the other old boss boxes!!!

NOTE: I LOVE CHEAP EQUIPMENT and use BOSS because I want the very Worst/Best!!! Easy to Use, Virtually Disposable Machines!!!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Friday-Feb-26-1999 at 21:43

gerard a part-timer user from usa writes:

It certainly is a poor worker who blames the tool. Sure, I could throw around all sorts of nouveau-electronica lingo about my cool-ass equipment and tell you what I have that is better,but you would'nt care either. I like the 202 for what it is. Christ, If you think it sucks so much, why did you buy it? It is cheap. It is easy to use. It sounds good. it is fun.It has blinky lights on it, and if you cannot figure out how to integrate it into any kind of music, don't BUY one. .

Rating: 3 out of 5 posted Thursday-Feb-18-1999 at 20:13

W. David Marx a part-timer user from Cambridge, MA writes:

dig this thing for what it is: a realtime playable, DJ phrase sampler. I have seen both Buffalo Daughter and Cornelius use it live to play both breaks and loops on it. I have used it for voice/movie samples and drum beats. With the DR-202, the MIDI can do some cool sequencing. Both together are pretty fun. The media card is a must, but annoying. Problems: First, polyphony. Second, only the HIFI samples sound good. Filter 1 is great from eliminating noise from VCR samples. Ring Mod is fun. I like the thing because of the big orange buttons and I can play it like an instrument. I wouldn't pay more than $150 or $200, but that is a really low price. I got it in Japan at 145 exchange rate and it cost less than $200. have fun. if sample-laced non-electronica is your bag, go for it.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Friday-Jan-22-1999 at 13:33

DJDV from Canada writes:

This piece of equipment has been getting slagged quite a bit lately. Sure it's not a full blown sampler, but you could get 4 or 5 sp-202s for the price of a A3000 or an SP808 (Note: the SP-202 has the same number (4) of voices as the SP-808, which is admittedly restricting, but stick a couple 202's together and your laughing). If you have a computer to do all of your wav editing then the SP-202 is perfect for taking those sounds out live. It's portability makes it perfect for sampling obscure sounds in obsure places. For the money the SP-202 is a useful sampling tool. Don't pay more than $250US.

Rating: 3 out of 5 posted Sunday-Dec-06-1998 at 16:54

Joel a part-timer user from USE writes:

Truly, this sampler is no more than a high tech toy. There's virtually no RAM or polyphony, and it's completely unrealistic to use in any kind of live (or for that matter, studio) environment. If you want a sampler, save your money, and buy something that actually has RAM or polyphony, effects and filters.

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Friday-Nov-13-1998 at 13:27

T-Money a professional user from USA writes:

I'm a professional musician and I purchased the sp-202 as my first sampler. I plan on returning it. It's got some nice features, but in the end the polyphony is a real problem! I like the effects, the batteries, the mic, and the portability. But creating loops can be a bit of a chore. It might take one try, or it might take 15 to get a loop right. The "Auto Start" function is helpful. The Memory cards are b*llsh*t in my opinion. You can't even play two samples at the same time off of Bank C or D. Also, say you have a drum loop on Bank C or D and you want to match the tempo up with a bass loop on Bank A or B- you can't do it! You'd think you could use that cool "time" effect on the sample in Bank A or B to match up the BPM's, but what happens when you try to adjust BPM's? - the drum loop in Bank C or D stops..the dreaded lack polyphony! It makes it very hard to do anything more than use it for one sample at a time, since the internal memory is so limited as well. I could see how some people would really enjoy the 202, it can be kind of fun, but for me it's more frustrating. Imma get my $ back and put towards something more powerful.

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Oct-21-1998 at 01:25

snuffles10 a part-timer user from us writes:

okay....some chump in the colleges up the street was cleaning out his room and he found this thing under a pile of clothes. he said that he hadn't used it for months. he offered it for $200, but i thought it was probably worth $175, so that's what i paid.

frankly, i had a lot of fun with it for the first month, taking it with me wherever i went and sampling outside. went to a party and sampled a girl throwing up and put it thru effects. sampled crowd noises, car sounds, etc. found a tom jones record in the trash outside of a record store. sampled it. wennt to record stores with listening stations and sampled used vinyl.

the condenser mic on it is great. a lot of the time, i just use the mic when recording piano or drums. real drums sound great thru it. you can even run yourself playing drums thru it's 2 filters or ring modulation. not bad.

still waiting for an orchestral recital so i can sample some strings.

i've been impressed and disappointed with this thing.

polyphony is the primary complaint. the cards are another. i'm just too damn poor to be able to buy them. i end up trashing my samples anyway, after recording. it's also really hard to accurately truncate a sample completely by ear. you get a little better at it, but it's still really hard. still, you can just send it to computer, chop it up and send it back in.

oh, and eventhough the bpm meter may tell you that two samples are the same tempo. they will almost inevitably be a little off. it's not a big deal if you take the samples off and put them back on later in the track.

still, it's amazing for it's price, and if you can get it used, this thing can come in really handy. i've even made entire songs on it alone, with the use of a four track.

sure, i'm salivating over other real samplers, but i love this thing for what it is. a phrase sampler, with really handy features.

definitely get it if you find it used. and you probably will.

i think i really would have paid $200. maybe slightly more.

not bad.

Rating: 3 out of 5 posted Tuesday-Sep-22-1998 at 21:00

dvd a part-timer user from nj writes:

Got the sp-202 week or so ago. Hooked it up w/ my 505 and used the arpregiator and triggered some of the samples. Some of it sounded really cool. I really wanted to by the sp-808 but that sh*t's too expensive for me rite now. Anyway its true (unless someone can tell me different) u cant use the time stretch or delay in banks c and d (memory card banks) that kinda sucks also sampling loops ain't THAT easy (at least not for me) but I plan to sample all my sh*t on my friends computer using Cooledit where I can see the God damn waves. Also IS there anyway to sync the BPM w/ the mc-505 or does that have to be done manually? Someone let me know. Bottom line a good phrase sampler but if u got the money get the 808. Zip disks r cheaper than those damn sh*tty smartmedia cards anyway and hold 25 times more stuff!!!!!!

posted Friday-Sep-18-1998 at 15:00

Jaco a part-timer user from U.S.A writes:

The Sp-202, for it's price, is a really interesting piece of equipment. It has some really cool effects and for it's price it can be a powerful, and cheap installment to your little quartet. Don't expect to be Wowed by the sound, for it's sound is not top notch(30 somethingkhz) but it's best for PRE-RECORDED drum beats. Reason why i say pre-recorded is because is to fucking difficult, to get the timing, and loops all matched up. That's my biggest complaint about the machine. Wait their's also the memory problem, which is a pain in the ass. But other then those things, it's really a cool little piece of equipment. I think Tommy B has the right idea to use this as a side piece of equipment, and not the center piece. It's most certainly the best sampler for it's price.

Rating: 3 out of 5 posted Friday-Sep-11-1998 at 03:15

TwEEk a hobbyist user from usa writes:

Nice nice nice sampler.... kicks the SU10's ass... very simple to use but i wish it had a longer review. Polyphony is a little limited but if u already have a big sampler u can go from SP202 with neat real time effects over to your digital monster... but i still wish u could sample from 3 pads to one pad god damnit! why dont samplers do that??? The smart media cards r frikking expensive though... i hate that... and i wish u could make MIDI dumps with it but for 300 bux IT KIX ASS!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:35

dj pez a professional user from the thrill chapel hill writes:

Yo, the world is a much better place with the "Dr.Sample" SP202 in hand. And that's the phat SH@#! The Sp202 is compact and is also battery operated. Now I can take my samples anywhere and work on new tracks-- on the train, bus or deep in the country or what we call the stix...The only thing I need now is a carrying case for the SP202 and the Mb Smart cards. If you are deciding...definitly go for it, and another pointer...GET THE 4Mb SMARTCARD for the best sampling time...its a splurge, but its worth every penny and you'll thank the Pezmaster. Happy sampling and be on the look out for the "ignorant scratch stylist" dj pez...

Rating: 0 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:35

GhoStfaced Killjoy a hobbyist user from USA writes:

This is an absoultely magnificent peice of machinery. The most practical sampler on the market. It has many great features like the time stretch (lets you alter the b.p.m. without altering the pitch). As well as quck-and-easy editing capabilities (start and stop on one button). It also has an auto-sampling function that lets you automatically start sampling as soon as the CD starts. If you are a DJ that needs a few samples really good in his act THIS IS THE SAMPLER FOR THAT. The only thing I do not like is the max polyphony is 4 but only 2 with an effect on. But if you are just using it to play samples in your act (as opposed to composing with it) then it is indeed the best.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:35

Tom Beek a professional user from the Netherlands writes:

Sounds excellent, very easy to use. Don't expect full-featured professional sampling, it's worth your money if you like to work quick. Very versatile, runs on batteries! Intelligent RAM Expansion (via Smart Media Cards). Big fun to work with - believe me, you'll like it from the first second.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:35

Gavin S. a professional user from 0 writes:

The SP-202 is a very nice sampler for the money. I have not really used any other samplers, but compared to the specs of the SU-10 the SP-202 can kick its ass. Smart Media cards are getting much cheaper, I think I have heard of them for about $30 for a 4MB card. The polyphony does get to be a bit of a problem sometimes but if you can live with it then this sampler is ace. The ring mod is very nice and can be applied to external stuff like your voice in realtime as you talk through the mic or an instrument (There is a ring mod guitar on The Downward Spiral by NIN for an example). The filters are nice in my opinion. I don't know why everyone is bitching about getting samples in right, just read the manual...if you know the BPM you can get it in fine. If you don't it just takes a few trys. Big Hint: Use Hammerhead to make loops to put in the 202!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:35

NEED YOUR ADVICE a hobbyist user from LOS ANGELES writes:

THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FIRST USE OF A SAMPLER AND TO BE HONEST, THE SP 202 WAS QUITE SIMPLE TO USE. I ENJOY THE COMPACTNESS AS WELL AS THE BATTERY FEATURE (SAMPLE FROM JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE.....EVEN WHILE YOUR TAKING A DUMP). FOR $285 (PLUS $100, IF YOUR USING THE 4 BYTE MEMORY CARD), IT'S SURE GOOD TO KNOW THAT EVERYONE CAN BE A "PUFF DADDY WANABE" (EVEN THOUGH HE SUCKS). MY ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT, HOW CAN YOU USE YOUR TIME STRETCH FEATURE FROM SLOTS C-D TO SLOTS A-B? IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN I TRY TO ALTER THE "TIME" STRETCH FROM SLOT C-D WITH SAMPLES FROM A-B IT DOESN'T WORK AT ALL. INFACT, THE "TIME" STRETCH FEATURE ONLY WORKS FOR SAMPLES IN SLOTS A-B (INTERNAL MEMORY) AND NOT FOR C-D. IS THIS NORMAL??? OR AM I DOING SOMETHING WRONG?? I PURCHASED THE MEMORY CARD THINKING THAT THIS WAS A WISE INVESTMENT. BUT IF IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO ALTER THE "TIME FEATURE" FROM SLOTS C-D, THAN I GUESS THIS PEACE OF SAMPLING MACHINE ISN'T WHAT IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE......PLEASE POST YOUR INPUT ON WHETHER OR NOT IT IS POSSIBLE TO TUNE THE "TIME" FEATURE FROM SLOTS C-D (MEMORY CARD).....THANK YOU..

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:35

Brent a hobbyist user from US writes:

Do NOT buy this piece. ALthough you supposedly get 4 voices, in reality you have a lot less to work with. The processor is so poor that when playing a mono sample from the smart media card (yes 1 voice) you can't even timestretch. What is Roland thinking?

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:35

Tommy B a part time user from South Florida writes:

Although the SP202 is a piece that is geared for the novice or first-time sample freak, it is well worth the money. I found a "floor model" for only $250. Looping that "perfect" loop takes some time and practice since there is no graphic read out of your sample. Don't plan on getting much use out of the "long" sampling times because the distortion is extremely harsh. Not useless, just un-desirable. As with most phrase samplers (SU10,MS1, etc.) the polyphony and note priority becomes a problem. What the sales people won't tell you is that as you add effects, you lose a note (or two) of polyphony. The reverse function cannot be used with any effects either. Another minor disappointment is that you have no control over the sample's volume once it's been sampled. This can be overcome by applying either of the SP202's on-board filters to the sample. The best feature in my opinion is the time-stretch function which is best used to match breaks and loops and/or applied to vocal phrases to virtually match it to any beat of nearly any speed. Even if you're a pro (or even if you THINK you are) the SP202 is great for catching sounds "on-the-fly" with it's built-in mic. In other words...the Roland SP202 is the shit to have in your rig...not the center...just somewhere on the side!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:35

James a hobbyist user from US writes:

I have had this sampler for about a month and I like it. One of the good things about it is that it can be run on batteries. THat feature with the built-in-mic allows you to go out and sample things in the world. It is also very compact. There is about 4 minutes and 20 seconds of sampling time on the lowest quality and 32 seconds on the highest I think. Which can be expanded by smartmedia disks. Which run from $50 to about $100 as I am told. Though I ahvent been able to locate any.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:35

Mr. Boombalistic a part time user from Jungle Groove USA writes:

This is a cute little sample box, portable and easy to use with neat built in effects w real time control. I use it for break beats. It has an interesting sound that's all it's own. It's cool sounding, because you can use the pitch setting to control all the samples at once. Cut them up and sequence with an external sequencer and adjust the pitch for a cool effect, or assign filters to a drum loop, a ring modulator on your voice... etc. Will run for a week on the same batteries. Bad things: Hard to pin-point edit samples (unless you're good at sound-cutting like analog tape with the pitch control). No way to change pitch/speed of loops without loosing way too much polyphony or effecting all samples. Other than that, awesome, easy to use, very portable and portably functional (won't eat your batteries in an hour, hint: Yamaha Qy-Series!!) Fun to mess around with on bus, etc, good for moments of lyrical inspiration or sampling grooves off that portable CD player... Hook up the headfone out to a tape player input for CDs and play around in your car... BTW, the internal mic is actually pretty good sounding.

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:35

Frec a part-timer user from Frec writes:

The hippa to the hoppa you just don't stopa. I use the Boss SP 202 for beinning production. I loop drums off of it breaks and create collages. The effects are nice. The filters help adjust the volume of samples since there is no volume control for each sample. I wish it could sample from one pad to another than it be the deluxe meal.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Thursday-Jul-30-1998 at 11:34

Add your post to the boss sp-202 thread

You can post reviews, comments or questions here and SUBSCRIBE to the thread via email.
Comments are moderated by humans, please be patient.

Add your post to the boss sp-202 thread

Want Our Newsletter?

More...

Name
Email - not published - required for subscription.	Notify me when this page updates (requires valid email address)