Roland SP-303
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The Roland / Boss Dr.Sample SP-303 is a digital sampler based upon the Roland MS-1 Digital Sampler & Boss SP-202 Dr.Sample. The SP-303 was in 2005 revamped and redesigned and released as the SP-404.
The SP-303 itself provides up to three minutes and twelve seconds of sampling. The sample time can be expanded by the use of SmartMedia cards (8MB-64MB supported). The SP-303 features twenty-six internal effects that can be applied to samples and external sources as well. It also has a built-in sequencer.
While the Sp-303 Dr Sample may lack some of the features seen on other hip hop production samplers such as the Ensoniq ASR10 and the Akai MPC it also has many features of its own that make it essential to any self respecting hip hop producer. Having been used to create classic hip hop albums by artists such as Madlib, Jay Dee and Clouddead it is obvious after only 5 minutes of use that this is one rad rap machine. The SP-303 has a pattern sequencer, where loops and patterns can be easily programmed including loops, stabs, and funky drums. There is no real ability to multi track (with only one output on the sampler) however when producing quick beats this does not hinder the process. Because the sampler is so ridiculously easy and fun to use you can adopt a more live approach to your productions. You can sequence a drum pattern, and then while that plays experiment with loops and samples over the top. When combined with a computer or multitrack recording equipment you can get the beat going and when ready to lay it down you can work on each individual piece, taking advantage of its 26 in built DSP (Digital Signal Processing) effects.
These effects are where the Dr really shines. These effects cover anything you could need, from delay and reverb, tape echo, fuzz, distortion, wah, all the way to ring modulation, voice transformer, radio tuning, noise generator, slicer... all of these effects are of a high quality and sound phat (having both a KP2 kaoss pad and a dr sample i stand by the dr sample effects bing top of the line). These effects can twist, warp and transform your sounds to be usable for any type of music, from hip hop to glitch to metal. Using the Wah effect you can turn a pretty flute sound into cosmic weeping beautiful sounding space noise. OR by using the Filter+Drive effect you can create a screaming abomination from the bowels of hell.
The dr sample accepts both RCA line input and also a microphone input. The Dr Sample is an extremely versatile sampler, and in honesty is not only a sampler. The 26 DSP effects in the dr sample can be used to alter input sounds in real time, allowing the dr sample to be used as an extraordinary effects unit for anything -- vocals, guitar, drums, synths -- that can be routed through either a microphone or into the RCA input. Even better is that the Dr Sample can be used as both at the same time. While processing effects on your vocals you can bash out samples and drum patterns all while still utilising the effects.
The one big downside of the Dr Sample is that only one effect can be utilised at the one time. This is not really a big issue considering the price of the unit -- seing it would need several effects processors to process several erffects at once. However with the resample function you can record a guitar sample direct from vinyl using the wah effect, then resample it to an other pad using flanger, then resample that to another pad using fuzz, then resample that to another pad using etc etc... another great function is the "reverse" button, which will instantly reverse the sample. Other functions that are slightly lacking on the dr sample are its time stretching/BPM functions. You can alter the BPM of a sample to anything, i believe the range is as low as 40bpm, and as high as 200bpm. This can be applied to any sample. This feature is not too bad, however when compared to modern products such as ableton live, the sample can sometimes sound rather crunchy when stretched out. HOWEVER this is not always a bad thing, if producing glitch or noise style music this can really obliterate a sample when combined with the effects, and even when applying a little wah to the crunchy time stretched piece it ends up sounding quite nice. The only other feature i find the Sp-303 lacks is polyphony, having only 8 voices (this has been amended in the SP 404 having 12 voices as well as 12 pads not 8, and 10 banks for samples).
This slight paragraph of negatives aside though the Dr Sample is one mean brother. The effects are top notch, the drum programming is easy and fun, and the way this unit can be utilised live is like no other sampler i have used. Now a lot of people think that the Akai MPC is the ONLY hip hop production unit, but look at the above mentioned hip hop artists who would swear by their 303 as I would. To make things even better a Dr Sample can be picked up off Ebay second hand dirt cheap (in Australia usually around $300 compared to over a thousand for an mpc or asr 10, unsure as to US prices etc) and is readilly available, and with the new SP 404 being available for a reasonable price brand new (the 404 has an extra 3 effects -- wicked ones -- more polyphony, more pads, more banks, more programming abilities and the ability to take a 1gig compact flash card) this unit is a must have for all psycho effects sample based musicians.
