Roland SP-404 MkII adds cassette sim, new FX, leaked details reveal

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Roland’s popular SP-404 sampler has been a go-to for electronic music producers, especially those making lo-fi beats, since 2005. Leaked details of a MkII version appeared last week on Reddit – according to MusicTech – bringing with them rumours of a ‘cassette simulator’, velocity-sensitive pads, 32 voices of polyphony, an OLED screen and “upgrades under the hood” to improve boot-up times and load times. 

According to MusicTech the leak also detailed “an expanded effects section, which is said to keep the original’s library of processors and introduce fresh additions such as ‘Lo-fi, Cassette Simulator, and Resonator’ along with a vocoder, guitar cab simulator and auto-pitch function accessible via mic/instrument input.”

It’d be the first major update since 2017, to a product that continues to remain a popular choice for sampling musicians and performers, with the list of users including Four Tet, Flying Lotus, James Blake and Ellie Goulding.

Apparently, the MkII will cost $499 – more details forthcoming. Read more on the Reddit thread here.