Roland SPD-S Sample Pad

Hi, After leaving the above note, I was able to figure out how to create a patch, and assign the 9 waves I want to one patch.
2 things I still have questions about:
-I want to name this new patch, but can’t figure out how. The instructions seem to be missing a step, so any help would be appreciated.
-When I create a new patch, can I assign more than one wave sound to one pad (so that they both play when struck)…and, if so, how?
Thanks!

John
jmlc2020@msn.com

François Tadros

Hi John,

To name the patch:
– Make sure the Patch button is lit (patch mode),
– Press the Edit button,
– Press on the Right Page button until “PATCH COMMON” gets displayed,
– Press Enter,
– Press on the Right Page button until “Name [NewPatch]” gets displayed.

Now you can rename the patch:
– Use the RIGHT or LEFT page button to move the cursor to the next or previous char position,
– Use the + or – button to change the char at the cursor position
– Press the EDIT button to save the name.

TIP… if you hold down the <> button while pressing the + or – button, you will jump between character groups (lower case, capital, numeric or special chars).

—————————–

You can assign a second wave to each pad of a patch but setting WAVE B. However, this will not cause the SPD-S to play both of them at the same time. Only one of them will be played:
– If the VELO (velocity) has been selected WAVE A will play if you hit the pad softly and WAVE B if you hit it hard.
– If FOOTSW (foot switch) has been selected, then WAVE A will play if the foot switch is released and WAVE B if the foot switch is pressed.

Read Page 34 (Wave B) of you manual to see how to set it up.

—————————–

To play 2 Waves at once, you need to create a new wave using the ones you want. This is called re-sampling. This allows you to mix multiples waves together and/or to apply effects (in this case, effect are save permanently with the new Wave)

Please read Chapter 4 (starting at page 59) of your manual to understand how to do this.

Good luck!

François Tadros

Oups… I missed a word in the previous e-mail

TIP… if you hold down the button…

François Tadros

Take 3

TIP… if you hold down the SHIFT button…

John Michaels

November 12, 2009

Merci, Francois!

I was able to re-name patches, which has been very helpful. Can’t wait to try the re-sampling, too. Thanks so much for your step-by-step help – it’s just what I needed!

All the best,

John

sonor06

November 13, 2009

Hello thanks you all for all of ur comments its been a great help..
I took d spd-s a week back and its jst awesome i hav sorted out everythng jst 1 thning to ask, when i play sampled tone or loop the tones sound gets cut of when i hit other pads and a loop stops, all my mute groups are off can u plz tell me the reason i am facing only dis problem and its a big probs.. So plz help me out with these i tried jst evrythng bt the problem remains…
PLZZ HELP ME OUT..

François Tadros

November 17, 2009

Hello sonor06,

I can’t think of any reason that the SPD-S is behaving this way… so I’ll need a little more details to help you.

Please send me an-email at FRANK.STEVEWEISS@VIDEOTRON.CA

I’ll do my best to help you!

François Tadros

November 17, 2009

Hello sonor06,

I just remembered… I bet the Trigger parameter of your WAVE is set to Alternate which is the default value for a Phrase.

Change it to Shot and it will keep playing even when you hit another PAD (page 45 of your manual).

Ciao!

François Tadros

November 17, 2009

I’m full of it!!!

Sonor06, please ignore my last e-mail (alternate vs. shot).

I sent an other email requesting you to contact me, but it’s awaiting moderation (probably because I included an email address).

Sorry about that!

Gavin

November 21, 2009

I have the SPD-S unit and love it. It is saying my memory is full. How do I reduce that so that I can sample more stuff?

Gavin

Mark Addison

November 27, 2009

I have a 512 mem cf card. Q memory is the brand name 150x xpress turbo. I imported files from a 256 cf to the 512 and when I insert the 512, I have the samples and they play but after I go through a few, the system freezes and I have to shut down to get response from the unit. I have used the 256 k cf for a while and never had a problem. Is it the 512 cf card or the way I’m transfering files from my computer. Have no problem tranfering files from computer to 256 cf
please help
Mark

Shawn

November 29, 2009

OK – I am new to the SPD-S. I am trying to figure out what happened to a loop of mine. I recorded a drum loop and want to be able to use another pad as a trigger to play another sound bite as i need to. But instead it seems that every pad has the loop on it so if I hit another pad the loop stops instead. Suggestions?

François Tadros

December 2, 2009

Hi Shawn,

All pads are playing the same sound because you’re in WAVE mode. The WAVE mode is good to create and edit sounds.

You’re now at the next step which is to create a PATCH. A PATCH is a group of WAVEs assigned to different pads (or external triggers).

Switch to the PATCH mode to create a patch, to modify one or to play one.

Read page 30 to 40 of the user’s manual, it explains pretty well how it’s done.

François Tadros

December 2, 2009

Hi Gavin,

The SPD-S has a very limited internal memory. If you want to load more sounds you’ll need to load them to a Type I Compact Flash card (not a type II).

The card can be up to 4 gb but the Operating System of your SPD-S must be version 1.20. Note that only a maximum of 512mb of it will be usable.

Please read the previous posts concerning CF Cards to understand why that is.

John Michaels

December 3, 2009

Hi, all.

A couple of issues with storage space on the SPDS.

How much ‘extra’ space is on the unit’s internal memory? I just tried to sample my first sound from an outside source, and got the ‘memory full’ message. Is it already full with the factory-loaded sounds? I bought my unit used, but I don’t think the previous owner added any extra sounds on there (at least, I haven’t found any).

If it IS full, can I create space by individualy deleting factory wav’s that I don’t think I’ll ever need?…and, if I do that, can I assume that I can add roughly an equal number of wavs to the ones I delete?

Thanks! This is a great resource.

Kirk

December 3, 2009

Hi guys – Just found this forum. Long-time SPDS user and I love it. It’s nothing short of amazing. I play in a successful Minneapolis area cover band and I use it for everything from percussion sounds, to electronic drums, to loops, to sound effects. Can’t say enough good things about it.

Anyway… I’d like to be able to attach more than two external Roland trigger pads. I’ve used two for a long time, but was wondering if pads work when plugged into the foot-switch plug. I guess I could try it myself, but thought I’d just ask.

I will say that using the SPDS on a regular basis, editing WAV files on your PC, importing, creating Patches, etc. is the best way to get comfortable with how everything works.

Andy

December 4, 2009

Hi guys!

I would really need some information regarding the SPD-S.

For example if i use Reason 4.0 software for producing music, then is it possible to transport my own full song or parts of it from my laptop into the SPD-S?
So when i hit the pad 1, the desired part or the full song starts to play (synth, bass and some strings for example, no drums) and i play drums myself along with them live? (i have Roland TD4 kit).
And if i hit pad 2 on SPD-S, then some other part of my owh song starts to play (only bass or keys).
Is this even possible or is it just my dream? 🙂

Kirk

December 5, 2009

Andy – Yes! Think of your SPDS as Windows Media Player on your computer. It plays .WAV files. You save your file as a .WAV on your PC, copy to the Compact Flash drive, pop the Compact Flash drive into the SPDS, import the file, and there you have it.

Andy

Thanks Kirk, i`m gonna try it!

François Tadros

Hi Kirk,

A pad won’t work if plugged into the foot-switch channel.

Technically this is because, for the SPD-S, the foot-switch is used only to open (off) or close (on) a circuit. On the other hand, a pad sends a piezoelectric pulse when hit.

So the foot-switch plug will not be able to interpret the signal of a pad.

François Tadros

Hi Andy,

Kirk is right. However, if you are mainly using MIDI tracks (not Audio Tracks) then your software may not have the ability to publish a WAVE file out of your project (I might be wrong but the old sequencing software I’m using doesn’t allow it).

If you can’t publish a WAVE file… don’t worry. You’ll just have to use the Sampling (recording) capability of your SPD-S. Just plug the audio Output of your PC to the Input of the SPD-S. Then, play the sequence on your computer while the SPD-S records it.

Ciao!

John Michaels

What kind of cord is best to use when going from my PC to my SPDS?…and which PC outputs work best? Can I go from my PC’s USB to the SPDS?

Also, still hoping for an answer to my memory question a few entries above, if anyone can help. Thanks!

François Tadros

http://www.facebook.com/#/video/video.php?v=1283866106219&ref=mf

Hi John,

The only inputs for sound on the SPD-S are two 1/4″ TS jacks (mono); 1 for the left channel and 1 for the right channel. You cannot directly connect the SPD-S to your PC via a USB cable.

The easiest and cheapest way to connect your SPD-S to your PC is by using a cord with a 1/8″ TRS jack (stereo) on one side and with two 1/4″ TS jack (mono) at the other end. Connect the 1/8″ TRS jack into the phones output of your PC and the two 1/4″ TS jack on the SPD-S. (By the way, TRS stands for “Tip Ring Sleeve” and TS for “Tip Sleeve”.) If your PC is relatively recent, the sound should be pretty good but with an older PC there might be some humm. If you have a stereo line out on your PC, then use it instead.

You can also buy a cheap External USB Audio Interface and connect it to your SPD-S.

These ways of connecting is only when you play the sound on your computer and you’re recording (sampling) it at the same time on your SPD-S. This is not to download a wave file directly to the SPD-S.

Really, the best way is to edit the sounds on your PC with a Sound Editing Software then to write it on a Compact Flash card. Then put that CF card into the SPD-S.

This brings me to your previous post. The internal memory has only a few seconds of sampling time available. Even if you delete all factory loaded sounds, you end up with about 4 or 5 minutes of available sampling time. Really, everyone with a SPD-S should have at least one 512mb Compact Flash card to store their waves.

Please read all posts from the beginning. You’ll see, most of them relate to this topic.

John Michaels

December 8, 2009

Is that Kirk Stallings? 🙂
I’ve seen you play – I’m also with a band in Mpls: Playback. Just starting to incorporate the SPDS into my playing, and looking forward to what it will add to the band’s sound.

John Michaels
jmlc2020@msn.com

Ray J

December 10, 2009

I’ve owned the SPD-S for years and love it, but a problem has developed recently I’m hoping you can help me with.

In the “Acoustic” patch (011 factory setting) – or any other drum kit patch I try to set up on an open number – it works and respond fine for a while… then eventually I’ll hit the snare (pad #8 – bottom middle) and it doesn’t sound. I may hit it two or three more times without it sounding.

At this point one of two things happens. Either (a) it sounds after I hit a different pad, or (b) it just sounds on it’s own regardless of what I do – and plays the snare sound once for each time I hot it until it “catches up”.

I’ve run through the manual and checked the settings but no luck. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Any thoughts?

sebowebo

December 12, 2009

Hey, i was wondering if you or anyone here knew if you can record your own sounds onto the SPD-20, not record something you play on it, but say record your voice onto the device so you can attach it to a pad and play it later? I really like the SPD-S, but i dont like that its not touch sensitive, and the SPD-20 would be perfect for me, if it can record sounds you want like stupid monty python phrases or something!
Or if anyone knew of anyway, if the SPD-20 can’t record sounds onto it, if there was a way to get a small device that does that i could hook up to the SPD-20 and trigger the sounds with the pads!

François Tadros

December 15, 2009

Hi sebowebo,

The SPD-20 is not a sampler, therefore you cannot import your own sounds into it. If you already own a SPD-20 then you could buy a separate sampler module that has a MIDI interface (most of them have one). You could then trigger the sounds from the SPD-20 via a MIDI connection.

If you don’t already have a SPD-20, then I strongly suggest you consider buying the SPD-S. By the way, the SPD-S is touch sensitive… The thing is, you have the option of enabling or disabling the pad sensitivity response (useful when playing a sound that should always be played at the same volume) so I suspect the one you tried was set to not-sensitive.

You may also want to consider the Yamaha DTX-Multi 12. The problem is that there is on 64 MB of internal memory and I haven’t seen any way of adding memory such as a SD or CF card (which could be a huge issue). It is also a lot more expensive than the SPD-S.

Hope this helps!

Mr Hodge

December 24, 2009

Hey dudes… big respect to you knowledgeable folk – I can’t believe the stuff that some of you seem to know!!

I have a question that is similar to what Andrew Polt asked back in March which I don’t think anyone responded to (it was his 2nd question). Apologies if it was covered.

I have a kick trigger and another dual-zone trigger that I’d like to plug in to the SPD-S. Can it trigger 3 external pads?

I can get the dual zone pad working in the Trig input (1/2) (nicely get the 2 sounds working… no problem), but can I get the other kick pad in somewhere?

Francois made it clear in a post to Kirk that the Control Switch insert are not for triggering pads… so is there any way around this? What is cheapest easiest solution, if any?

Blessings, and Merry Christmas all!

Tom

December 28, 2009

Hi everyone,

Hope you’ve all had a lovely Christmas!

I have a question: can one use a latched footswitch (e.g. BOSS FS-5L) with the SPD-S?

In the manual they recommend a FS-5U, but I want latched, not momentary.

The ‘connecting external devices’ diagram in the manual (p.20 in mine) shows a Y cable connected to the footswitch jack with two identical unlatched footswitches.

Cheers,
Tom

François Tadros

December 29, 2009

Hi Mr Hodge,

Unfortunately with the SPD-S you can only connect 2 external pads. Furthermore, a dual zone pad is interpreted as being 2 pads by the SPD-S.

However, you can connect your kick pad and your other pad by using a Y cable (2 mono female merging into 1 stereo male) but this will disable the secondary zone of your dual zone pad (the rim of a pad or the edge of a cymbal). That’s what I suggest if your kick pad is what’s really important for you.

If you absolutely need both zones of your dual zone pad as well as your kick pad… there is an expensive and a more complicated alternative. You’ll have to connect the kick pad to a “Trigger to MIDI Converter” (such as the Alesis Trigger|iO). Then connect the converter to the SPD-S using a midi cable. You will then have to program the converter to play a specific midi note when you hit the kick pad. Then, on the SPD-S you’ll have to assign that same MIDI note to one of the SPD-S pads as well as a WAVE file to that same PAD. So now, when you’ll hit your kick pad, the converter will send a MIDI signal ( “Note ON” ) to the SPD-S which will play the sound of the SPD-S pad that was assigned the same MIDI note.

Note sure if I was clear but if you understood what I wrote you’ll realized this will not give you an additional pad. This will simply give you the ability to trigger one of your SPD-S pad remotely (using an external device).

I wrote that second part only to show that this is feasible but since you’re not gaining any additional pad, I don’t think it’s worth the money and the trouble. Go with the first solution and sacrifice the secondary zone of your dual zone pad.

Hope I helped a bit!
Ciao!

Kirk

December 29, 2009

Hi guys – Recently put together a collage of some recent video of my band. Lots of SPDS activity. Drum loops and lots of samples. If you’re bored or kinda interested, feel free to have a look. –

Kirk

December 29, 2009

Here’s the LINK

Hi John! Wow,what a coincidence! I’ll have to look you guys up. My wife and I always try to see a band or two when I’m not playing.

Kirk

Tom

December 30, 2009

Hi Francois,

I was really interested by your post yesterday about how to trigger the on-board pads of the SPD-S remotely. I’ll say now I am very new to this business of adding electronics to my kit. But am I right in thinking that by extension there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have three or four of your SPD-S’s pads triggered remotely? (I know you’re not actually gaining sounds by doing this, but the capability to spread my pads out around my acoustic kit would be worth a lot to me).

What would be the limiting factor? I see the Alesis Trigger iO has ten trigger inputs – would there be any reason why I couldn’t replace several of the SPD’s onboard pads with external ones? That would beat having one PD8 and one KD7 through the trigger inputs!

Cheers, and happy new year!
Tom :o)

François Tadros

December 30, 2009

Hi Tom,

I did not reply to your first question (footswitch) because I’m not sure of the answer. I think a latched footswitch might work ONLY for the WAVE A and WAVE B control. If you already have a latched footswitch, please try it and let us know if it works. By the way, the Y cable is needed only if you need more than 1 footswitch. You can plug a single switch directly into the footswitch input. In this case, you will be controlling FOOT SW 1 on the SPD-S.

As for the SPD-S MIDI interface, you’re absolutely right. You can trigger all nine pads remotely via a MIDI signal. Even the 2 external triggers and both footswitches can be triggered remotely. I have a few pads spread out around my kit. They’re all connected to an Alesis Trigger IO and it works really well.

By the way, you asked “would there be any reason why I couldn’t REPLACE several of the SPD’s onboard pads with external ones?”. Assigning a MIDI note to trigger a pad does not disable (REPLACE) the pad locally… it will still be playable on the SPD-S. The MIDI connection simply gives you an alternate way to trigger the pads.

A few tips…
Make sure you set the global MIDI parameters of the SPD-S (page 84) as followed:

– MIDI Ch = 10 (Midi channel). 10 is the standard MIDI channel for drums (and it is the default channel for the Alesis Trigger IO).

– PC Tx/Rx = OFF (Program Change). If you leave it ON, changing a patch on the SPD-S will change the drum kit on the Alesis module and vice-versa.

The MIDI note assignments are done at the PATCH level. That is to say, when you assign a MIDI note to a pad, it is valid only for the patch you’re in (unless you use the default Note Number values). The parameter is called “Note#” and is located under the PAD CONTROL option in patch EDIT mode (page 36).

Good luck!

François Tadros

December 30, 2009

Tom… one last thing,

You said ” I see the Alesis Trigger iO has ten trigger inputs…”.

Actually, there are 10 dual zone trigger inputs which in fact gives you 20 triggers.

This is more than enough for the 13 controlable triggers of the SPD-S.

Mr Hodge

December 31, 2009

Francois… you’re a legend. Thanks bud.

Tom

January 1, 2010

Seconded – thank you so much for your help! And happy new year!

I’ll let you know about the latched footswitch as soon as it arrives. Getting one second hand on eBay so if it isn’t useful I can just sell it again.

I’m not knowledgeable at all about trigger to MIDI convertors – does anyone know where I can go to learn about them, compare different ones and find out about what the different quality variables are – e.g. what makes a Roland TMC-6 superior to (or just more expensive than) an Alesis Trigger I/O. (E.g. I don’t actually need 20 trigger inputs and would rather spend the money on better sound quality or triggering accuracy etc. etc. etc.)

Cheers,
Tom

François Tadros

January 1, 2010

Hi guys,

Thanks for the compliments. Happy new year to you too as well as to Steve Weiss Music who’s kindly hosting this blog.

Tom I assume you must play with a guitarist. Make your test with his/her amplifier switch pedal. It should work as long as it doesn’t have more than 2 switches on it.

Concerning the TMC-6 versus the Alesis Trigger I/O here’s what I think. To start with, you’ll pay more for a Roland than for an Alesis because of its name. Usually, Roland is way ahead of Alesis concerning electronic drums (sounds, pad feel, response & durability). However, this specific piece of equipment does not require durability (you’re not hitting on it) nor does it produce a sound. So, in terms of what is supposed to be doing (converting a piezoelectric signal into a MIDI signal) I would not worry on the quality of either one. They both have the same important basic parameters: crosstalk, gain, sensitivity, threshold, trigger type, velocity curve.

I did not try the TMC-6 but it seems to be a little more compact, as well as a little easier to use (although I’ve seen reviews saying the opposite). Also, trigger #2 of the TMC-6 is a 3-way trigger for a CY cymbal (with an edge, a middle and a bell zone). Still, with the Alesis you could simply use 2 trigger inputs to plug in a CY cymbal. I also noticed that the GUI of the TMC-6 is an LCD display while the Alesis has only a very basic LED display (this might explain the price different right there).

Finally, the Alesis has a USB connection. It also comes with a program that allows you to play and record your drumming on your computer… but you might not need this.

So, if you are absolutely sure that you won’t need more than 6 trigger inputs and you want to go with a solid brand name, the Roland would be a good choice. On the other hand, the Alesis seems to be offering more for the money.

Ciao!

Micky Freestyle

January 3, 2010

hi,

My partner has just bought me a spd-s for christmas to run alongside my td 12.
I have ordered my sd card off ebay (type I) can i put sounds onto the card from my ipod when i plug into the back of my spd-s.
Any info would be appreciated as i only want to sample some parts of tracks to the spd-s to go along with my performance.

Cheers you lot

Mick

Tom

January 7, 2010

Hi Francois,

Thanks again! I think I’ll go for the Alesis. One more question though:

Having read different things in different places, I’m not too sure whether its HH pedal input actually offers continuous hat control with an FD-7 or 8, like that you’d find on a full electronic drum kit (as opposed to treating the HH control pedal like either a footswitch or an expression pedal, as the SPD-S seems to). I have no idea how electronic hi-hats work, having only ever owned the SPD-S. I assume if the Alesis Trigger IO does offer this, you’d have to be using it to trigger either a sound module with hi-hat sounds on it that go through the full range from open to closed, or a software hat with the full range of sounds on a laptop.

Most importantly, how possible is it to do the latter live, in terms of latency? I have an AMD Athlon 64 dual-core 1.9GHz with 3 GB DDR2, and an external Mixvibes U-mix 44 soundcard.

Cheers,
Tom

Oscar

January 11, 2010

this might be a stupid question, why can i only have 4 loops going at once? is this because they’re stereo? i really want to have 6-7 loops layered all going at once. thanks so much!

Kirk

January 26, 2010

Does anyone know if an updated or redesigned SPD-S might happen in the future? I love mine, but it would be neat to see how a future model might be improved. Technology changes and improves quickly…and the SPD-S has been around, unchanged for quite a while now.

Kirk

Jake

Hey, so this blog has really helped me and I was going to buy an CF card to transfer music but I found this video. It shows you how to do it much easier and faster in my opinion. Hopefeully this helps you guys out!

I also was wondering how to make more memory on to your spd-s. I have only put 2 samples on it and it already says its full. I would realy like to just delete everything on it and have all the memory for myself and not the preset junk.

Jake

heres the video
http://www.youtube.com/user/pae04b#p/u/1/XzXY2eiUkTA

François Tadros

Hi Oscar,

The maximum polyphony (number voices that can be played concurrently) of the SPD-S is 8 voices.

A WAVE created in mono mode uses only 1 voice while a WAVE created in Stereo mode uses 2 voices. So, you said it, this is exactly why you can only play up to 4 phrases (loops) using stereo waves.

If you resample your wave files in mono, you’ll be able to play up to 8 loops.

By the way, this is not only applicable to phrases but to shots as well. The thing is, phases has priority over shots when there are insufficient voices available. Page 45 of the manual briefly talks about this.

Ciao!

François Tadros

Hi Tom,

Concerning your computer, you should be in business. Unless you have a bunch of drivers loaded in memory, you should not notice any latency. If you do, it may be caused by the anti-virus.

For the HHC pedal I never tried it with the alesis so I don’t know yet.

Jake

January 29, 2010

Just wanted to repeat my question to make it more clear.

How would I make more memory on the spd-s without getting a CF card.

François Tadros

January 30, 2010

Hi Jake,

There is no way of adding internal memory on the SPD-S. This is why there is so many postings concerning the CF card. The SPD-S is pretty well useless without a CF card if you wish to use your own samples (which is the main purpose of the SPD-S).

You can delete all pre-loaded samples from the internal memory to free it up, but still you get only about 3 minutes of recording time.

Ciao!

mike

February 2, 2010

HI,my memory card is full..how can i let free the memory?
MIchele_

Alan Keillor

February 3, 2010

Hi, Ok i`ll get right to it. We`ve created a patch and went through all the steps. And it works. We have pad 2 assigned as a loop and assigned to ALT so it can be turned off with a second hit. The rest of the pads in this patch are assigned to simmons drums and set to SHOT so they can be played like a kit. Problem is the loop needs to stay on but when we do a fast roll on any of the pads it turns pad 2 off.But a slow roll & pad 2 keeps running the loop no problem. Any ideas how to fix this issue. We`ve tried Sensitivity adjustments and Mono & adjusting the Velocities.

Thanks

Alan

Seth

February 9, 2010

Hey all, great thread! I’ve used the spd-s live for years and love the portability and ease of use while playing live. I just send a 1/4 inch to a DI and use headphones for personal monitoring. Of course, at this point going nuts as far as the memory limitations. If they just could build an spd-s with an internal click and more memory…wow.

Anyway, in a pinch, can I bring 2 or 3 flash cards with different sounds and swap them live as time allows? In other words, will the spd-s pick up the different cards when swapped for separate patches?

Thanks so much, look forward to contributing to this forum. I basically bounce pro tools files in mono format to the flash card and trigger live. To keep things in time I usually have a short 2 bar loop when I’m not triggering many instruments. We call our spd-s harvey…he’s like a fourth member

Seth

February 9, 2010

One more question…I’m in need of a v120 update. However, I use mac’s. I suppose I could find somebody with a PC and work it out as the midi dump mode sounds a little hairy and I don’t have the cables. So…question…can I dedicate one new flash card to the update, backup another, and then load the update to the new OS, eject the card and use the other (with my wav’s) to load back in the files? Much appreciated

dave

February 14, 2010

problem. only recently my spds volume knob on the front (next to effects) does not work. it is just the same volume no matter where you turn it. the knobs on the back work but the front ones do not. ive only had the spds for less then a month.? i really hope its not broke already. any suggestions?

Frankie

March 2, 2010

I am so stuck at this..I am trying to use my SPD-S as a midi controller for Logic Pro..and ive been through forums but i am new to the terminology and midi world in general. So my question is:

When i select a drum kit in Logic or any other midi sound..how do i change notes in the pad?

I have always used a Korg mini keyboard as my midi controller and there was a simple octave button that allowed me to switch to different sounds. But i would like the versatility of being able to record midi instruments with my pad and drum sticks..can someone please point me in the right direction??

neil clan

March 8, 2010

couple of questions:
im sure ive seen the answer to this but cant find: how do i disable the “wave protected” facility to delete a wave?
secondly, in wave edit, how do you set the desired beat/measure or set a different one (via the empty fields i presume)? nothing changes whatever i select.
thanks in anticipation.

clannmann

March 9, 2010

have found answer to unprotecting waves but would still like response to tempo problem. ta

Ol

March 11, 2010

Hi experts!

I spent a little time reading here – wow, what a great knowledge base, thanx a lot!

Since I built my own pads I realized I cannot adjust the SPD-S’ pads (via Pad Control only)
in the much more efficient way its “Trigger Input” handles my selfmade ones;
and I’m a little dissatisfied now because my own pads are much more sensitive.

So I’m thinking about MIDI-connecting more external pads via “Alesis Trigger IO”,
the way it’s been described here so well before.

Maybe anybody can tell about two things concerning the Alesis Trigger IO’s
behaviour working together with the SPD-S = its quality in practice:

— Will I be able to adjust my pads parameters (threshold, times, retrig, xtalk etc…)
with the Alesis at least as sensitive as the SPD-S’ “Trigger Input” does?
This would be most important to me.

— And are there any disturbing latencies recognized betweenAlesis and SPD-S
(like it usually happens with MIDI-connections to smaller home-computers)?

… Thanx for patience with my ing-lish 😉
Ol

Mike

April 6, 2010

Hi Legs, can you tell me how you got the click/backing track thing working on the SPD-S? I’ve almost got it working like grahamo87 describes here: http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43497

but the click is still bleeding onto the backing track going to the house mix. It’s only slight but is quite loud once it’s put through a big PA. Please help, I’m pulling my hair out!

Thanks very much in advance,

Mike

Marc

April 11, 2010

Hi,

I bought the spd-s a couple of weeks ago and just have one thing I don’t understand.

When I play a cf imported loop on pad x and during that loop hit pad y 3 times, the loop stops playing.
Strange thing is this only happens when the sound on pad y is one of my own. When I hit a factory sound a couple of times the loop on pad x does keep playing.
I’ve checked all mute group settings and they are all disabled.

Does anybody have an idea?

Marc

April 11, 2010

I just solved the issue by setting the waves to mono instead of poly. I guess the spd-s has a limited amount of voices. Now everything works fine.

Mike

April 12, 2010

Doesn’t matter, I solved it by turning ‘ambience’ off on the SPD-S… Don’t know why it was on in the first place (default setting?) but never mind, I’m very glad it works now. Cheers

thea

April 12, 2010

Hi all,

I’ve got a question about transferring phrases to the computer. I’ve been saving my samples as waves and did successfully create .wav files which i could open on the comp but now when i make new samples an save to card my files only read as .spd files and i can’t access the audio files. been following the manual and steps mentioned above but can’t get round it.

sure i’m doing something stupid! any tips would be great. cheers

Steven

April 14, 2010

I have the SPD-s for some years now. I wan’t to import some tracks I made with Cubase. I took a flashcard of 256MB, put al the wav files on it in the root folder (about 180MB of them). Then, I put the card in the SPD-s and started importing…It ran for a whole night and still is not finished. It stays at “Processing”. Does anyone know if this means the device is hanging or should I let it import for some more time ? Maybe I should play the wave files directly to the input via a cable between PC and SPDS whilst sampling but I’m afraid I will get qualityloss as it goes from digital (PC) to audio (PC output) and then stored digitally on the SPDS and then back to audio for play-back.

thea

April 14, 2010

Hi all,

I’ve been using my SPDS to record keys and vocals lately but I’m having problems creating .wav files when I record directly onto the memory card. I understand that when you export from the internal memory and export to the card you get to export the files as wav or aiff which are readable on the computer. But when I record directly onto the card and try to access the audio files all I only get .spd files and I can’t find the wav version to edit them on the computer.

Can anyone give me any tips on recording directly onto the card so this doesn’t happen?

Many thanks in advance!!

Nimbus

April 14, 2010

Hi All!

Can anyone help me out or tell me how to assign a specific WAVE from a PATCH to an external trigger that is hooked up to the “Trig In” input? I can get to the “Trigger parameters menu”, but I can’t figure this one thing out.

Any help would be extremely appreciated.

-N

enddie

April 16, 2010

my spds display is broken, got hit by drum stick. how to fix it and how much is the price of spd-s display…thank you for your attention

enddie

April 16, 2010

My display broke out, could see through your pc whether? or there may be other solutions

chris

April 20, 2010

Hello all,

I am having a problem with one of my samples cutting off randomly when playing. It’s probably a 3-5 s. sample, as is the kick drum sample. When playing individually the whole sample plays back. It’s only when I start playing a beat that the end of the sample gets truncated. sometimes it barely plays at all before stopping short. The only hypothesis I can come up with is that I am reaching some sort of internal buffer under-run because of the length of the 2 samples simultaneously loading into memory. Please advise asap (gig tonight!)

thanks,
Chris

François Tadros

Hi Thea,

When recording a sound with the SPD-S directly to the CF card it creates the file as a .spd.

As silly as it may sound, even if your file is already on the CF card, you still need to export it. In essence, the export function will create a .wav version of the file onto the ROOT DIRECTORY of your CF card.

Please refer to the FILE EXPORT section of SPD-S guide (p. 71).

Ciao!

François Tadros

Hi Steven,

When the SPD-S imports a wave file, it creates a .spd file which is about the same size of the wave file.

You said you were importing 180mb of data using a 258mb CF card. The problem is 180mb + 180mb = 360mb which is > 256mb. You don’t have enough space on your CF card. I would have expected an “CF card Full” error message but it may explain why you’re SPD-S has been running forever.

Try importing no more than 60 or 80mb at the time and delete the wave files immediately after there imported.

Good luck!

François Tadros

Hi Chris,

Too late for your gig but… your problem has to do with the priority of sound elimination when there are insufficient voices available. The SPD-S can only handle up to 8 voices. When more than eight voices are requested, SINGLE waves drop out earlier than PHRASE waves.

For a sound you always wish to ear completely, make sure to mark it as type PHRASE. You’ll then need to change the value of its following wave parameters:
• Loop = OFF
• Trigger = SHOT

Please refer to section Wave Edit Parameters (p. 45) of your SPD-S guide.

Ciao!

François Tadros

Hi Nimbus,

Assigning a WAVE to an external trigger is done in 2 parts:
1) First, setup the External Trigger. Please read the Trigger Input section (p. 80) of the SPD-S guide.

2) Then simply assign a wave to that external trigger the same way you would do for any built-in pad. Refer to the Patch Edit Parameters section (p. 34).

Good luck!

chris

April 30, 2010

Thanks for the answer on my previous query. I managed to make it through my gig. Now for another head-scratcher: Can you please give me/us a very simple workflow rundown on how to assign and trigger .wav files that are on the CF? I have sounds there, but I cannot figure out how the heck to assign them to a pad in a way as simple as sampling.

chris

April 30, 2010

just realizing that your answer to Nimbus may be the answer to my last question.

Dean

May 12, 2010

Hello! is it possible to run triggers off the foot switch/hh control inputs ?? thanks Dean

Laurierocs

May 25, 2010

Ok, guys, haven’t seen many females on this board, so give a girl a break. Here we go, I purchased the spd-s a week ago, getting frustrating now because what I’m trying to do is play a rhythm from a wave I exported so I can trigger this rhythm live during a performance. I don’t want a loop, just a 3 measure sample. Just when I thought I had it during the phrase mode, I have the memory card in and it says full. Once I get this rhythm, I want to assign it to a patch. Please help!!!

ivan

May 31, 2010

dear musician-friends
i have a serious problem with the spd-s. perhaps somebody can help me….

i have a bagpipe sound (drone) on pad 1.
i want that this sound stopps, as soon i hit another pad.

is it possible and how?

sincerly: ivan

Hiral

June 8, 2010

Hello,
I am a new owner of the SPD-S and have run into the common problem – ‘Memory Full’ message.
I have some samples on the CF card that I would like to use.
Do I HAVE to import the .wav files from the CF card or can I use the wav file directly from the CF card?
Also, is there a way to easily restore the factory defaults if I delete all the factory samples ?

Thanks
Hiral

mike

June 12, 2010

PLS HELP ME-Hi.I have been using spds for around 8 months.The problem i am facing is that i cant play or loop three sounds together at the same time.I tried the phrase ,poly thing. went into all the depthtried everything from system pad control..etc. but i dont know why it is happening.When i try to play three sounds together only two are played and the other sounds gets cut off.it plays only two at a time and not three or more. when i made a patch and took pre set loops from the internal bank like the moon ,the bass and drums and put them in a patch and then looped them .the three were playing simultaneously and no sound was cut with no problem .I plaedy them to gether and the three pads lit and they were playing at the same time and looping but when i chose three individual effects from the memory card only 2 effects were looping and when i went to hit the 3rd pad one of the 2 sounds stopped and played only 2 sounds together and not three.when i transfer or record something in the internal memory and play the sounds together the don’t cut out each other and loop at the same time.I think the problem is with my memory card but i am not sure of this.i am using a Verbatin(cf)compact flash card of 4 gb.I will try it out with the 512 mb card also.I had earlier ultra II sandisk card which 512 mb.it was working fine but had the same problem.pls help me out.

Summer Camp

June 29, 2010

Hey there,
Anyone know what the exact specifications of fine/standard sampling modes are? How come it’s only Fine that uses two voices – is “standard” not stereo? Is “standard” 44.1, 16-bit, stereo & “fine” 44.1. 16 bit stereo, or is there some other difference?

xxx sc

François Tadros

@SummerCamp and @Mike,

The SPD-S WAVE rate is always 44.1 KHz. The WAVE mode (Stereo or Mono) is set independently from the WAVE grade (Long, Standard or Fine). The SPD-S bus works at a maximum of 16 bits and manages up to 8 voices simultaneously.

The WAVE grade works like this:
– Long: one 8 bits voice
– Standard: one 16 bits voice
– Fine: two 16 bits voice (to emulate a 32 bits voice).

Mono mode will use only the number of voices defined by the WAVE grade while Stereo mode will double it.

A Stereo WAVE recorded at FINE grade will use 4 voices.
A Mono WAVE recorded at FINE grade will use 2 voices.
A Stereo WAVE recorded at Standard or Long grade will use 2 voices.
A Mono WAVE recorded at Standard or Long grade will use 1 voice.

Mike, I believe your problem is that you are using Stereo WAVEs recorded at FINE grade (4 voices). In this case you will be able to play only 2 waves simultaneously.

Ciao!

François Tadros

@ Hiral,

You’ll find your answer in the comment I posted on “January 18, 2009 at 1:02 pm”.

François Tadros

@Ivan,

In order to setup a Patch so a WAVE stops playing when another one starts you have to use the MUTE GROUP parameter from the PAD CONTROL option (in PATCH edit mode).

Select the same MUTE GROUP value for all pads that must be mutually exclusive (starting one stops the others).

Refer to page 36 of the user guide.

Hope this helps!

François Tadros

@ Hiral,

To restore the factory defaults look at the comment posted by ” SweepsMcGee” on “June 27, 2009 at 3:44 pm”.

Dusty

July 7, 2010

My SPD-S headphone volume is EXTREMELY low. I’ve tried different headphones and its still low. There is also a buzz in the signal. The volume knob on the back just adjusts it from EXTREMELY low to OFF. Any idea what is causing this?

Thanks
Dusty

tont

July 8, 2010

please help spd-s lights flashing says memory damage. thanks tony

Shawn Day

July 9, 2010

Hi Francois,

You seem to know what you’re talking about~

I’d like to trigger a 3 min sequence on pad 6 while playing the snare on pad 8. My problem is when I begin playing the snare the sequence gets cut off.

I sampled the sequence into the SPD-S using Logic by running out of my stereo L & R on my Apogee duet. The sequence contains around 9 tracks.

Is it a memory problem?

Thanks in advance.

All the best,

Shawn

François Tadros

July 13, 2010

@Tont,

As stated in page 130 (Message List) of the User Guide:
Press any button on the panel to display “[ENTER] to init.” Press [ENTER] to initialize the internal memory. If
the problem cannot be solved, contact your retailer or the nearest Roland Service Center.

Good luck!

François Tadros

July 13, 2010

@Dusty,

Maybe the levels (volumes) of your PATCHes and/or WAVEs are too low. If they are in the range of +0 to 50, then raise them up (the maximum is 127).

If the level for both (PATCHes and WAVEs) we’re already pretty high (something like 90 to 127) then I’m afraid your SPD-S may be damaged.

PS. Make sure you try this with the built in sounds as we know these samples are of good quality. If you only tried your own samples then maybe your WAVE files were not recorded loud enough!

Good luck!

François Tadros

July 13, 2010

@Shawn,

First, make sure that the “Mute Group” parameter of your snare PAD is set to OFF or to a different number than your long sequence PAD. The “Mute Groups” are used specifically to determine which PAD can cancel another one that is already playing.

If this wasn’t the problem then I’m pretty sure it has to do with the priority of sound elimination when there are insufficient voices available. Like I already wrote before, the SPD-S can only handle up to 8 voices. When more than eight voices are requested, SINGLE waves drop out earlier than PHRASE waves.

For your long sequence, make sure to mark it as type PHRASE. You’ll then need to change the value of its following wave parameters:
• Loop = OFF (unless you want the loop to always loop until you cancel it)
• Trigger = ALTERNATE (for long sequences it’s usually the right trigger type as you may want to stop the sequence if something goes wrong)

Also, for the snare sound, make sure it’s set as type SINGLE.

Please refer to section Wave Edit Parameters (p. 45) of your SPD-S guide.

Ciao!

TonyWaade

July 15, 2010

Can somebody tell me how to program start and stop on a loop on the same pad?
I use it to play along on my livegigs and I start the loop by hitting the pad , but aloso want to stop it on the same pad at the end of each song.

Scott Lewis

July 21, 2010

Just sampled seven of nine pads with no problems. When I sampled pad 8 , the sampled wave recorded also showed up on pad 1 overwriting the wave that used to occupy pad 1.

I tried deleting, initializing and still I have a situation where both pads are somehow connected to each other as one (clone of sorts).

Any ideas how I can stop this from happening, Thanks!

Lassi

July 29, 2010

Hi!

I’m considering purhasing an SPD-S and I have a simple question concerning MIDI and SPD-S’s external pads. My aim is to record my playing as MIDI on Cubase. So, if I connect an external kick pad (KD-8) to SPD-S, is also the signal from this pad transmitted to Cubase as its own separate MIDI note? And how does the hi-hat controller affect the MIDI output?

Thanks in advance! 🙂

François Tadros

August 3, 2010

Hi Lassi,

All SPD-S pads, external triggers and foot switch are assigned to a specific MIDI Note#. Therefore, the KD-8 would work fine but the hi-hat controller will not act as you’d wish to. It will simply send a note# message when pressed (instead of changing the note# of the pad or ext. trigger you’re hitting).

If what you described is the only usage you wish to do with the SPD-S, instead you should consider buying:
– Alesis Control Pad: Cheaper than the SPD-S and built for what you need.
– Alesis Trigger I/O: With or without the Drum Kit (so you could buy used pads and build your own).

For both products, the foot switch will act as you want.

François Tadros

August 3, 2010

Scott… look at my comment made on February 5, 2009 at 12:15 pm.

François Tadros

August 3, 2010

TonyWaade…

Look at page 46 (Wave Editing) of the user guide and make sure that:
– LOOP = ON… this will make the wave to repeat continuously),
– TRIGGER = ALTERNATE… this will alternate between starting or stoping the WAVE when you hit the pad

Jeremy Pady

August 7, 2010

HI
i play in a metal band and i use the spds for sampling various sounds and intros for live performances. the problem is i also want to trigger my bass drum, and possibly snare drum, but i cant figure out how to trigger them and still be able to sample at the same time. is this even posssible or am i doing something wrong?

Jeremy Pady

August 7, 2010

sorry yeah just maybe to clarify a little more, i either have to be on WAVE mode with the selected bassdrum that i am triggering selected, or i have to be on PATCH mode to have all the samples i use available. what i want to know is how do i do both at the same time. im thinking i have to load my bassdrum trigger sound onto the PATCH im using with my samples somehow but not sure if that is right.

Mike

August 16, 2010

U are a true musician.thanx alot for answering my problem.I have read and will set the settings which u have told me.When i import my files in my spds it ask for fine ,standard mode. i selct fine becoz it has gud quality.so should i set it on fine or standard mode.Thanx for helping me. God bless u and this blog.I will revert back to u .

Mike

August 19, 2010

I have converted my files into this format .
bit rate 705kbps
audio sample rate 16bit
channels 1 (mono)
audio sample rate 44 khz
audio format pcm

I imported them into spds in fine mode.4 voices were playing simultaneously .THEN WHAT I DID IS THAT I IMPORTED THE SAME FILES AGAIN IN STANDARD MODE AND 7 TO 8 VOICES WERE BEING PLAYED simultaneously now and sumtimes the spds displayed `busy’.now i can loop more than 2 voices simultaneaously.Pls give me any suggection if u want to.
My waves were in stereo mode earlier and i imported them in fine mode but now i converted the files in mono and in standard mode.thanx François Tadros u are the best.

jeremy

August 25, 2010

Why does my cf say I have 400 mb avail, yet it won’t let me put anything else on it? not even a 1mb, wav or aiff.
this was a problem for me on the first card I had, so i bought another, now this one is doing it too, I only have 50 samples on it. They are outside the Roland folder, and in alphabetical order.

Any help in this matter is greatly appreciated.

thanks

François Tadros

September 3, 2010

Hi Jeremy,

Let me guess… you have a 1 GB CF card. You computer tells you that there is still 400 MB available on it… but your SPD-S will no longer save anything on it.

The reason is that the SPD-S can only manage up to 512 MB on your CF card.

Initially, the SPD-S would only accept CF cards with 512 MB or less. It was getting pretty hard to find a CF card on the market under 1 GB. So last year, Roland came up with a firmware update that allows your SPD-S to use CF cards up to 4 GB.

However, the real memory usage of these cards can only be up to 512 MB.

The update was only done to make it easier to find compatible CF cards but the SPD-S still uses them as if they were 512 MB cards.

Tip: Once, you’re done importing your WAVE/AIFF files, delete them from the root of your CF card. This will free up some memory!

Sugath

September 4, 2010

Hi,
Please kindly advice me how do i can use SPD S tone to SPD 20 via MIDI cabale

Mark

September 13, 2010

Hi,
I just purchased a New SPD-s, am currently awaiting delivery of it, any ideas if the new SPD-s has the latest OS?

Swagman9203

September 23, 2010

Hey guys, not sure if someone has posted about this or not but I have purchased a second hand SPD-S and it has no sampling CD. I’ve downloaded the factory restore file (not used it yet) but was wondering if anybody knows where I can download the actual Sampling CD. Or am I not missing anything by not having it?
Cheers.

Mathew

September 29, 2010

I have problem.

Every Pad is working without Pad 5.

I can record sound , choose the pad ( everything is ok with that ) but when I want to play this pad it’s silence.

Please help good man 🙂

maurice jackson

October 3, 2010

I just got a spds and couldnt find a card. I took it back to the store. I cant believe roland hasn`t found a soloution or at least included a card with the unit. I suggest we all start calling roland direct and tell anyone who wants an spds don`t buy it. I sure am

toby badaman

October 11, 2010

hello, just got the spd-s basically i use logic want to use my own sounds on the spds im buying a cf card how do i plug in to my mac book laptop. ?

also does any one know were to buy cf cards in the uk.

thanks alot

Llewop

October 12, 2010

Hey guys, thanks for all of the helpful info. I have a question about backing up the Spd-s. I play in a touring band that uses back line instruments sometimes. I usually fly with my Spd-s and have my cf cards with me. If for some reason I had to use an Spd-s from a local back line company will the saved back up on my cf card have the sample files And the Patches with my resamples and everything? Also would the back up include the sounds saved on the internal memory as well as the samples on the cf card, and will the shortened samples still be the same edited length?
Thanks,
Llewop

Chloe

October 14, 2010

Hi, Ive had my SPDS for a few years and have never had this problem before. A sample from a Roland Keyboard wont play all the way through while i hit other samples simultaneously.
I don’t understand because i always play simultaneous samples and have had no problems. But with this new sample; as soon as i start hitting other patches the sample flickers off.
Thanks, i’m really stressing about this because i have a show the 19th and need this sample!
Chloe

François Tadros

October 27, 2010

@ Mark… Yes it should have the latest OS

@ Swagman9203… the factory restore file has everything you would get from the CD.

@Mathew… Can you see the light corresponding to pad #5 turning on when you play pad #5? Look at the volume of the pad or the volume of the selected wave.

@toby badaman… You will need to buy an “all in one card reader” such as this one http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1187796&CatId=956

@Llewop… The backup will save the:
– SPD-S System setup
– Only the WAVEs of the internal memory
– The Patch Setup. If one of the PAD points to an external WAVE, the reference will be saved.
If you have enough room, I suggest you do the backup on the same CF card as where your external WAVE resides. Then, make sure you make a copy of the CF card to another card or to your PC.

@Chloe… You’ll find the answer in the comments I posted on ” January 28, 2010 at 2:00 pm”, “April 26, 2010 at 12:38 pm” and also on “July 2, 2010 at 8:54 am”.

Milsson

November 28, 2010

This week I’ve Imported some Wav. files, assigned them to a Patch and to the different Pads.
Sample rate 44,1Khz, Mono files, I think 16 Bit, and I also set some parameters via de Patch Edit, like Single etc.
To be sure I’ll have to look back and check ! A few months ago, first time I’ve did all this things, I had no problem !
Now, when playing back the Wav.files, they give a distorded sound, and not one, but all of the Wav.files at the 4 different Patches. What did I do wrong ? Please help because we have a gig next saturday !
By the way, fantastic blog, it helped me out a lot, already.
Hope somebody can solve this problem, it would be extremely appreciated.
Greetz

Pascal Braem

November 29, 2010

I got the SPD-S a few months ago. I already spent many hours learning and playing with it. And I already Imported some Wave Files that I’ve put on the root of the CF card, put them on patches and put all the Wave files on the different pads. I also made some edits to the wave Files (Shot/Single/Alternated etc., to be sure wich settings I would have to check !) Everything worked fine.
This week I did the same, but when I now play the samples on the diiferent Patches and Pads, they all sound distorted ?
What went wrong ? Can somebody please help me, because I have a gig next saturday 4 December, so this is a stressy situation !
I have converted my files into this format .
audio sample rate 16bit
channels 1 (mono)
audio sample rate 44 khz
audio format pcm
Thanks in advance !
Pascal,
Belgium

François Tadros

December 1, 2010

@Milsson & Pascal Braem (looks like the same case sent twice):

According to what you’ve described, you did everything correctly. I suspect the problem might be related to the WAVE editor on your PC.

Have you tried playing your WAVE files outside of your editor? You should try them with a player such as Windows Media Player, iTune, etc…

Milsson

December 1, 2010

@François Tadros;
yes, sorry for that, same case twice send, because I’m desperate and didn’t know what I did wrong.
First time a few months ago everything worked reaaly well, and I did just the same.

What do you mean by the Wave editor ? I make my samples with Wavelab or Cubase.
I’m gonna check tommrow morning, because now I’m still at work.
Do you have a mailadres, should make things easier and faster. And I saw on this blog, that you know almost everything conceirning the SPDS.
Thanks already for your reaction.
Pascal,
Belgium

Milsson

December 2, 2010

@François Tadros;
Did some check ups this morning;
My samples are in a folder on my pc, and I open them outside Cubase or Wavelab with “Media Player Classic”, without any problem.
– In Wavelab I save them this way: Save as => Save as type: Wave(*.wav)
– Audio file format: Type => Wave Microsoft; Attributes & Preset: Untitled
– Wave set up: Single/Mono/Loop:Off/Reverse:Off/Trigger:Alt
– I have converted my files into this format .
Bit rate 705kbps
audio sample size 16bit
channels 1 (mono)
audio sample rate 44 khz
audio format pcm

What more can I do ? Very strange, because the first time I imported some files, I did it the same way and everything worked fine. Frustrating..
Hope we can solve this !
Pascal

Trevor

December 9, 2010

I’m trying to import some waves I’ve downloaded from sites like Wave Alchemy, GoldBaby, Sample Swap, etc. When I do an “import all” using my CF card and SPDs, why do only a few of the waves import correctly? I don’t get any error messages. Most of the waves just don’t show up on my SPDs. Any suggestions? Do I need to format the waves that aren’t working? How do I do that?

Thank you much!

Justin Sharbono

December 16, 2010

Hello François-

On December 30, 2009 at 9:15 pm you wrote:

“As for the SPD-S MIDI interface, you’re absolutely right. You can trigger all nine pads remotely via a MIDI signal.”

Could you explain this a little more. Do I need to send Midi Notes to do this? I am setting up a Logic Pro session to play with live and would love to send some Midi to the SPD-S to trigger the pads remotely. I know that each pad has a Midi Note assigned to it…I just haven’t been able to get Logic to “talk” to the SPD-S.

Any help would be so wonderful!

Thanks,

Justin

Justin Sharbono

December 16, 2010

Disregard my question. I figured it out.

Both the Axiom and Logic trigger from an octave below.

Example:

SPD-S Pad 7 is set for F#(4)
Axiom or Logic send a F#(3)

Clayton

December 19, 2010

Hello! I have learned a bunch from this site. Thanks!

I have a problem. I want to resample a keyboard part over an existing wave that I made. When attempting to resample the keyboard part over the existing wave I can not hear the keyboard. I can hear the keyboard through my spd-s when sampling a new wave by itself but not when resampling. Why can’t I hear it? It doesn’t seem to be reading the signal when in resampling. Can you not resample over an existing wave from an external source (keyboard)? Any help?

François Tadros

January 19, 2011

Hi Clayton,

The word “resampling” is a little misleading. For the SPD-S resampling mainly means to:
– Merge up to 4 different WAVEs into a new one (PATCH mode),
– Apply Effects to an existing WAVE resulting in a new WAVE (PATCH mode),
– Changing the volume to create a new WAVE (WAVE Mode),
– Changing the mode or the grade to create a new WAVE (WAVE Mode).

So you cannot record over an existing WAVE. What you need to do is to record all your different sounds as separate WAVEs then resample (merge) them into a new one.

A quick word concerning resampling a WAVE to apply effects. This adds the effects as part of the WAVE itself. This can be really usefull if you wish to have multiple effects for a WAVE or if you want to have different effects within the same PATCH.

François Tadros

January 19, 2011

Hi Trevor,

If you are using a CF CARD bigger than 512 MB then make sure you don’t load more than 512 MB worth of data.

If that was not the problem, then maybe the audio sample rate of your files are NOT 44 khz. If so, you’ll need a WAVE editor or an audio converter to convert them into the proper rate. I bought NERO for my VIDEOs and it came with a WAVE editor so I never had to go shopping for one or to look for a free one (if any).

François Tadros

January 21, 2011

Hi Trevor,

I just though of something else… make sure the extension (.wav or .aif) is provided with your files name. Also, the IMPORT ALL function can only process 100 files at once. Finally, all file must be at the root level of the CF card (not under sub directories).

Ivan Torres

February 16, 2011

I want to buy a Roland SPDs Sampling to play live drum music . Does I can connect this Roland SPD to an external clock tempo controller of an external secuencer, across MIDI IN and run this Roland SPD ? If this machine do that, next week I will buy one .

Percy

March 11, 2011

I have a 1gb transcend Cf card and my spds tells me its unsuppported? help!

Joe Steeb

March 21, 2011

HELP!!! All of a sudden my SPD-S won’t let me edit individual pads within a certain patch…..

Give you a setup here…..I have created all my own patches….already assigned them to pads (Did this months ago) there have been instances within the performance process that I needed to raise or lower the volume on an individual sample…..I always did this by choosing the patch….push edit….then striking the pad I needed to edit…..everything from then on was a peice of cake…..

Now however…..I choose my patch…..I hit edit…..and no matter what pad I touch….it will only allow me to edit pad one….

all the pads are functioning…..if I strike pad 5…the correct sound comes out, and the light will even light that I just struck pad 5….but as soon as I hit that edit button, it immediately jumps to pad 1…..PLEASE HELP….I have a HUGE gig coming up and need to get this figured out!

François Tadros

March 23, 2011

Hi Joe,

I believe the Operating System may have become corrupted for some reason. My recommendation would be to reinstall it. First, make sure you take a backup of your settings (PATCH and internal WAVES) on a CF Card. Once the reinstallation is complete, restore your settings.

Here’s the link where you can get the latest operating system: http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=537

If it doesn’t work… I have no more suggestion.

Good luck!

François Tadros

March 23, 2011

Hi Percy,

You need to get the latest Operating System (1.20). Do the same as Joe (the post just above this one).

François Tadros

March 23, 2011

Hi Joe,

I believe the Operating System may have become corrupted for some reason. My recommendation would be to reinstall it. First, make sure you take a backup of your settings (PATCH and internal WAVES) on a CF Card. Once the reinstallation is complete, restore your settings.

Go at the SPD-S page of the Roland site, then select the Download tab. (I sent the link via a previous post but it’s awaiting moderation because of the link… since it seems urgent, I’m sending the same post without the link).

If this doesn’t fix your problem… I’m sorry but I have no more suggestion.

Good luck!

akithedrum

April 28, 2011

hello,
i exidantly deleted all my files on my spd-s :(( i mean everything (sounds ,wawes ,paches )

how can i get it back ???
Can I ???
thx.

Dan

May 24, 2011

I am experiencing the same problems Dusty said above (very low volume). Outside of the one suggestion to look into patch volume, has anyone see this, and do they have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Dan

dimpy

May 26, 2011

i have spds i ve lots of waves . i coundnt understand how to open or tell me where can i get it on which i can get it? please help out. or please sort out my prob.

Patrick Law

June 2, 2011

Hi,

I got a 2nd hand SPDS few days ago, and I’ve found that pad 4 does not have any response, the seller said he muted pad 4, does anyone know the way to muted an individual pad and enable it again?
Thank you

Patrick

george

July 2, 2011

hiii
my roland spds was reading my flash card which is sandisk 512mb compactflash for 2 years ago but today is not working when i got it out to add some sounds in card and when put it back my spds was unable to read (no card) this what was showing when tried to format it…how can i fix it and where is the problem in this case?by the way my computer can read my flashcard.

Luca S.

July 21, 2011

hi! I’ve tried to import some sounds from computer to spd-s. I have a flashcard (512 MB), and it’s emptied, but when I try to import, the display says me “memory full”. Can you halp me please!? thank you very much from Italy 🙂

Matt Sherman

August 5, 2011

Hey, i am trying to import some new files onto my spds pad, but it says my memory is full, how do i delede old files to make way for new ones? Please email me at asshadowscollapse@yahoo.com
Thanks for your time!

Grant

September 3, 2011

How can I rename a patch instead of having “001: Join Us” ?

Chad

September 15, 2011

What an amazing blog! So much info on the SPD-S. I am trying to import a 20 sec music sample to make it loop when I hit the pad and stop when I hit the pad again. Is this possible? Thanks to anyone who can help me with this.

Andres

September 16, 2011

Hello, could it be possible that my spd-s memory got full with only 4MB imported? Where can I find the real SPD-S space? Thanks!

mukesh

September 22, 2011

i need roland spds pad ka spd file player on computer pls help

Chad

September 22, 2011

After much tinkering, and reading the manual, I figured it out. Love it!

Thierry Arsenault

September 24, 2011

Hey guys. I’ve been adding samples to my spd-s for years and recently encountered a new problem… When trying to backup I got a ‘Memory full!’ message. I typically only keep one backup to try to leave space for sounds, but that wasn’t enough. So I proceeded with deleting old and large samples I no longer need.
Then I tried to do a backup again and now I’m getting a ‘No Data!’ message.
What’s scary is that I can no longer hear any of the files I’ve saved on the memory card. I can still listen to the ones on the internal memory though (the factory sounds that come with the machine).
So after all this I decided to try the Backup Load function to at least get my samples back, but that also gets me a ‘No Data!’ message.
Now I’m scared to shut down. But I am out of ideas. How can I still listen to the samples I did not delete?!?
Thanks in advance for the tips! I have a lot of sound on that card and I’m not sure I have copied elsewhere!

Matt Becks

October 5, 2011

I hit a pad and another one is playing simultaneously. I think it’s broken :-/
Nothing to do with “Wave A Wave B”.
I have a gig on friday…
Help please!!

Ammar

October 14, 2011

Hi,
I got yesterday a spds but i do not know what happened..when i hit the 7th pad the patch changes to the next patch as i pressed (+) botton…please help me.. Thanx in advance..

Thomas

October 14, 2011

Hi guys,
i hope that you can help me..i got yestersday a spds from a friend of mine.i have a small problem and maybe you are going to help me with it.When i hit the pad number 7 the patch change to the next one.
For example. i play witn new patch 55 and when i hit pad 7 with the stick it moves me to patch 56..
Thank you in advance and best regards.

kissfrenchy

October 18, 2011

Hello SPD-S-ers,

I have scanned the entire forum and have a question. I am a Reason 5 user and am hoping to use my Reason rig to create samples and loops to then bring into the SPD-S for live performance. I have almost got this dialed in, but to make the creation of these “performances” in Reason easier, I would like to now use my SPD-S as a control surface with in Kong (Reason’s Drum Designer) to perform drum takes. I have a MIDI to USB converter … that’s where I’m stuck in the mud. Any assistance to this endeavor would be greatly appreciated. As I look towards the new SPD-SX I feel I first must master the predecessor before doling out the $$ for the updated release. Thank you.

Clayton J

October 30, 2011

Say, I have two pads assigned that have individual sounds that sound as just a single hit. At the same time I want a third pad to be a continuous sample. When I hit one of the two individual pads the pad that I want to play the continuous sample stops. Is there a way to have two, or more pads, have individual sounds and have one, or more, keep playing even though other pads are being struck?
Thanks for your help!
Clayton

Tony walters

November 10, 2011

Hi, great forum!

I have just got my Spd s and am getting on great with it (once I deleted all the rubbish….”you got the groove” , “yeahh” type stuff lol)
I am the drummer in a band and intend to use the unit a musical instrument rather than a purcussion instrument. I want to have each of the 9 pads assigned with a different keyboard note or chord and then whilst playing my acoustic kit, hit a pad to trigger a note/chord, then hit another to build the sound up etc.
I have recorded and imported some sounds to do this, having it set at the moment so that each sample loops, and then when the same pad is struck, the sound stops…fine. (I have also set one of the rim pads to stop all sounds globally…in case it sounds a right mess)
The problem I am having is this, I want to be able to adjust/create some attack and release, so the sound fades in a bit when hit, and fades out when hit again, rather than full On or Off.
I can of course record a sampled note/chord with a fade in, but I won’t be able to loop that of course. And for the sound to fade out with a second hit?
I know i can put the “fade in” sample on say pad 3, and the “fade out” on pad 4 (set to kill the sound on pad 3 when hit, but this will be complicated whilst playing live and reduce the number of pads I can assign different notes/chords to.
Any ideas how to achieve this?
Thanks
Tony

Mike

November 13, 2011

It says “WAVE PROTECTED” when i try to delete the waves…any help?

MARK WHITE

November 28, 2011

How do I transfer spd-s samples to the new Spd-sx?

Thanks
Mark

jayaprakash

December 2, 2011

my SPD-S does’nt response the memory card suddenly. pad unit only working. how can i troubleshoot the problem.

Kevin M

I have recorded some samples on my SPD-S through a microphone. The samples sound OK but my issue is that when I trigger the samples they are not instantaneous. There is a pause before the sound actually plays. Is there any way to edit the dead space at the beginning of the sample? Thanks.

François Tadros

@Tony

I had the same problem and my only way out was what you described (different fade-in and fade-out waves on separate pads).

However, there is an alternate solution that I couldn’t use but… if you can leave your hi-hat pedal for the time of the fade in and fade out then you could use a volume pedal.

You simply connect your SPD-S output into the input of a volume pedal then the output of the pedal into the console (or amp). However make sure to use a real volume pedal (a potentiometer with input and output jack) and not an expression pedal (which is often used to control the volume of a midi keyboard).

Ciao!

François Tadros

@Kevin
In wave edit mode, set a START and END POINT (page 48 of the SPD-S guide). Once you are sure it starts and ends at the desired location you can Truncate the WAVE (page 49).

François Tadros

@Mark,

You need to export the waves onto your CF memory card. Simply follow the EXPORT FILE instructions in page 71 of the SPD-S user guide.

Then, load them to your computer because I don’t believe the new SPD-SX can read a CF Card. However, you’ll be able to connect it to your computer via a USB cable. At that point, follow the IMPORT FILE instructions of your SPD-SX user guide.

François Tadros

@Mike… look at the “Disabling wave protect” instructions at page 88 of your user guide.

François Tadros

@ Clayton J,

Your problem has to do with the Mute Group of you PADs. Pads with the same Mute Group number will are mutually exclusive (they stop each other). Therefore, make sure the Mute Group of the PADs with a single are different (or set to off) than the ones with loops.

This is explained in the PAD Control Options at page 36 of the user guide.

François Tadros

@Thomas,

Your problem has to do with the global settings. The Control Switch option of your pad #7 is set to PATCH +. So, regardless of the patch you are in, pad #7 has been assigned the duty to jump to the next patch when hit.

To fix the problem do the following:
– Press the SETUP button (SPD-S should display SYSTEM),
– Press twice on the PAGE right button (►) (until the SPD-S display CONTROL SW)
– Press on the ENTER button
– Strike on PAD #7 (the SPD-S should display CtrlSW PATCH+)
– Press the – button to set the CtrlSW option to OFF
– Press the SETUP button to save and exit setup.

It should now be OK.

Stephen

December 7, 2011

Hey I dont have a manual could some1 inform me of how to format my cf in spd-s?
Also I made a few bad click tracks and it has the wave protected phrase pop up. I read some1s post to power on spd-s holding down wave and setup buttons. If I do this will all my internal memory get deleted. Just curious before I try it?

François Tadros

December 8, 2011

@Stephen,

Here’s the link for the SPD-S manual (simply add all 3 “w” at the beginning of the following string):
.roland.com/support/article/?q=manuals&p=SPD-S&id=1811550

Sean

January 4, 2012

my memory is full how do i clean it out?

Jason

January 19, 2012

I have run into an issue lately. I have an acoustic kick trigger I use for an 808 sample. I also have a tambourine loop setup. They are both fine by themselves, but when played together the tambourine loop stops. It stops in random places, but pretty soon into the song. Anyone had this problem?

The 808 wave for the kick was imported as standard quality, and is set to default settings.

The tambourine loop is one measure of 4/4 of a recorded tambourine. It was imported as standard quality, and I have to use ALT to trigger so I can stop it at certain points. It’s set to single, alt, loop on.

Jason

January 19, 2012

Oh and it’s not mute groups because it shuts off the continous sample at random times.

GJ

March 19, 2012

Hi, I have a question on the new SPD-SX. Compared to a SPD-30 it has very little built in sounds. I understand it is a sampling device but what if I want some of the sounds off SPD-30. How can I get that? Is there a sound bank from where I can download all the sounds from? Latin percussion/Indian… etc etc..

jason

March 24, 2012

some samples are stopped when kick trigger is used at the same time. any clues to why this happens? thanks!

SethÆnimus

March 27, 2012

Our drummer uses the SPDS for backing tracks, 808s and to sample his kick drum live. Everything works great except when he hits the pad to do an 808 the 808 gets cut off after four kick drum hits. Does anyone know how to turn this off so that the 808 sample will finish instead of getting cut off?

Pete

April 29, 2012

So I have a few questions about backing up the data on an SPDS.

As far as I know, right now a lot of our WAV loops are in the Card memory, but we want to back them up (and also back up the patches for each of our songs) just we are protected in case anything happens to device or the card. basically each song of ours has a custom patch that consists of 2-3 different loops that we trigger…the volumes have all been adjusted, tempos synched, etc. My sense is the WAVs are on the card, but the patch info is in internal memory?

Basically, it seems like a catch 22: how can we backup to a compactflash card if all our samples are on another compact flash card that is sitting in the card slot!?

should we:

a. cut/paste all of our WAV samples from the card memory into internal memory using the copy WAV utlity, then back up using the standard procedure? Will this screw up our patches if the WAV locations are moved from Card to internal memory? Or will the patches stay intact even if the WAVs get moved around within the memory?

b. acquire two extra compactflash cards; then pull out our current card that has all the WAVs, duplicate its contents via our home computers onto the second card, then run the backup proceedure onto the 3rd card? That way if something bad happened to the internal memory, we’d import the backup data from the 3rd card, pull it out; then insert the 2nd card which has all the WAVs. But then my final question is: if the compact-flash card has been formatted for use with SPDS, is it even readable+duplicable by a home computer?

JPF

May 6, 2012

Are there any videos on how to connect an extra pad to a SPDs

Henrik Lynge

June 23, 2012

Anyone have Info ón the naming strukturen of the files in the ROLAND folder ón the cf card.
I am looking into the options of making a librarian applikation for the spds. It is a great devise but the user Interface could be Better.
The names of samples are in a info file but i cant link this to the .spd files.
I have verified that the samples on the card are stored in RDAC format and can decode them now. But need the link between info file and sample filenames. Any info would be great.

thilina

June 28, 2012

i have lost my sample cd. please can you help me to find it.thanks.

Joshua

November 19, 2012

Memory card Problems/ memory detecting problem

I insert the correct Memory card… All the machine will do is say welcome to spd-s and flashes every like 4 seconds. It’ll do this for as long as I let it! while getting frustrated I’ll push random buttons, The only response from the machine is when I push the patch button. When I do this the “patch” and the”phrase maker” buttons flash on and off and the screen reads “Verify test” and will continue to do so as long as I will let it!!! Help please? is this fricken thing broken or what?

Thanushka Dassana

January 15, 2013

Hi,
Please let me know how can I copy all the data, tones and settings form one SPD S to another SPD S.

Many thanks

Ed

Hi Steve,

Wondering if you might be able to help me with a problem.

I have 426 (15.3MB) .wav / .aif samples on my computer (Mac Osx.8) which I cannot transfer to any of 4 CF cards (Type I, 512MB, formatted in SPD-S and Mac Osx then SPD-S). When I try and drag the samples from the desktop to the CF card folder I ALWAYS get the following message: “The item “KiAn002.aif” can’t be copied because there isn’t enough free space.” The item in question is 29KB in size. This happens with multiple cards.

I’d appreciate any help anyone can give.

Many thanks,

Ed.

Ed

Is it possible that an SPD-S formatted CF card can only hold 100 files at a time?

That’s the best guess I can make at answering my own question at the moment.

Ed

The Plot thickens…

I am completely unable to get more than 63 mono, 16bit, 44.1KHz .aif files on a 512MB card.

HELP!!!

Sincerely,

Ed.

Ed