Boss SP-303 Dr. Sample

simple to use for sample recording, playback, sequencing, effects, etc... more complex things like resampling, copying samples, loop point editing, etc. require a glance at the well written manual. Many of these features require a combination button push, which is not labelled on the device.

Tons of effects, most are actually useful. The slicer effect is an easy way to get any patch to sound like it was arpeggiated. Each pad can have it's own effect, but only one per pad. Midi implementation is ok, I've sequenced using Logic Audio with no problems. I can sync the sequencer to midi clock, and use MMC for start/stop of pattern playback.

I'm using a 64m smartmedia card for expansion. I bought a floppy disk adapter to be able to load samples I create on the pc directly into the sp-303. It works flawlessly, even calculates the proper bpm from the sample length. Loading long samples this way can take 10's of minutes though, so changing your samples betweens songs at a gig may be out of the question.

I wish the pads were velocity sensitive like the MPC's are, but for $299, it's probably too much to ask.

The first thing I did was to dump the factory samples.

I started having a problem with the SP-303 last night. Intermittantly, I'll get an obvious glitch in the sound after a few seconds of sample playback. It sounds like the machine is self-oscillating because it's just noise. After I turn it off and back on, everything's fine for a while. I'll be returning this unit for another, hopefully perfect, one.

I have the old SP-202, which has worked flawlessly for years, both on AC and on batteries. It's built a little more rugged than the newer SP-303, though.

Never had to deal with these guys before.

I have the SP-202, the younger sister to this model. I love the ease at which I can grab a sample during a performance and play it right back immediately. The SP-303 should be able to do this also, even locking in the sample length based on the (preset) bpm. I haven't tried it yet, so we'll see.

I love the little BOSS samplers. Even though they look like toys, they're really not. I route a send from my board to the little beasts to use them for effects. I love the lo-fi stuff especially when I route a drum loop through them.

I bought the SP-303 to be able to sequence samples along with midi clock. I create the samples for it on the PC (or Mac) and transfer them to the SP-303 via smartmedia. I looked at the MPC's but they were way too expensive, only have 32meg, and offered a ton of features I really didn't need.

Even though I'm having a problem with this particular unit, I'm certain an exchange with another one will correct it. I'm giving the SP-303 an overall rating of 10, becuase there's nothing I've found that can compare, feature for feature.

Presets are pretty lame, but who wants a load of cheesy samples from someone else??It kind of defeats the purpose
I tried this out in the shop and could almost work everything out without looking at the manual. Having had some
experience with other sampler this was a revelation. It's such a user friendly, intuitive machine. Loading samples
and putting effects on them and sequencing them is as easy as pie!!!The manual is also - shock horror- well written.
You can read the whole thing cover to cover without having the feeling that you're deciphering ancient sanskrit text.
All in all it seems Boss have learnt from mistakes of most companies, and got a human/normal musician to design the
thing and write the manual. Yehaaaaaaaa!!!

8 not polyphony(mono) 4 (stereo) O.k. if you're the chemical brothers maybe this is n't enough. But for me
it's plenty!!! For me the more options the more counter-productive. The built-in effects are often brilliant,
especially the filter, isolator, tape echo reverb and ring modulator. Some effects are a bit iffy like the
vinyl simulator, but certain effects work better with certain sampled sounds so i'm sure evrything could
be used. Effect usage is piss easy. Even my girlfriend could work it out. The effects can only be used one
at a time, but you can resample shit, so it's not really a problem. I also have external effects boxes!! It
accepts smart media cards which are a bit pricey but that's o.k.
The midi capabilities are a bit limited but I'm not so interested
in elaborate midi shit. I play in a guitar band and want something which i can trigger simply like an effects
pedal. The keys are perfect size and sturdy enough. Beautfiul design. Very similar to the korg es1 which came
out also recently. Sequencer very easy. Okay, it's not that expansive but I don't want to make pre-programmed
shit which is planned to the last quaver note!!!The sequencer is a lot simpler and handy than the es-1 sequencer
which is like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

It samples at cd quality(44hz) which is great. The es-1 by korg only samples at 33hz and costs more.
The sound is not noisy at all and as far as I can hear flawless. The coolest thing about this piece
of kit is that it's inspiring especially if like me you're not a dance musician. It's like an instrument,
not like one of those horrible akai rack samplers, which are about as spontaneous as my senile grandma.
This thing could really bring inspiration to musicians of any genre. I think it's actually more inspring and
useful precisely if you're not just a dance act, because it encourages improvisation and 'cos of the limitations
with sequencing and memory. I play rock/rootsy stuff and I'm already drooling at the mouth at the thought of sticking
some backward loops and fucked up sounds through my music.
This machine reacts like an instrument because you don't have to go
through complex banks to adjust things on the fly. You can us this machine like an instrument. Exciting shit for any musician!!

Don't know yet , but Boss stuff tends to last

Don't know, never had to deal with them

What an inspiring piece of kit, and the price is staggering. This thing is going to put some
other budget samplers like the Korg es-1 , yamaha su200 and zoom sampletrax into a lonely limbo.
This thing has sooooo many features for the price. For instance the es-1 costs almost twice the price
and has half the effects , a maddening sequencer lower sampling rate and you can't play samples on loop
or at the same time cos of a stupid banks system. This machine blows everything in it's price range out
of the water. I was looking for a while for a basic sampler which i could use to fuck up sounds, sequence
and bring inspiration, and also use a sketch pad for songwriting. This machine does all that and more!!!
All the other samplers have major drawbacks, but this machine's drawbacks(midi, rca inputs/outputs) are far
outweighed by it's stunning plus points and almost zen simplicity of use. I mean Yamaha must be burning their
su 200 model now, which costs more and has 20 less effects and so much less functions( eg effects can only be used
at 22hz sampling rate)) This machine avoids all the traps which made me stay clear of samplers, the complex interfaces
which can make samplers so uncreative. If you're looking for something to get the creative juices flowing buy this thing.
You won't regret it!!!

Very sweet indeed !
manual is a bit cryptic, but logical..........

8 note poly in mono !
effects are sweet ! 26 in all, only one can sound at a time though
Luckily there is resampling avaliable on board !
~~Would be nice to record knob movements...
~~rca ins and outs arent the best, but for the price..............
~~Man I wish this thing took batteries like the 202 !
~~Headphone out a bit noisy....

REALLY FUN AND EASY TO USE SEQUENCER !
I CANT BELIEVE THIS THING IS ONLY LIKE 300 BUCKS!!!!

very good sampling grade........
DSP effects are great for the price !
BIG chunky pads , feels like an instrument !

JUST GOT IT !

this rocks, almost bought an mpc for 10 times the price, But I dont need that much sampling power.........
For this price, you can compose entire songs on it !
~~ Although I program all beats manually on drum machines, I will be using it for vocals and sax/piano/guitar riffs .....

MIDI IS A BIT TRICKY which is my only gripe......
cant control recording start with beatbox, only play....

The prestes are ok but i won't use them. Very, very easy to use, very friendly features like the Loop one, that allows you to perfect the length of your sample in real time. I'm having problems midi-wise though, for some reason i just can trigger anything from Cubase, but i'm sure i'll figure it out.

Polyphony of 8 or 4 stereo is plenty enough for me. Effects are great to me, memory through Smart Media cards allow you to store up to 33 minutes or even more! Like i said before, I'm not quite sure about Midi yet, and that's important to me, i am not a dj...

Very good recording quality, good for any type of music i'd say.

Don't know yet.

Usually the tech support guys at Roland-Boss are really cool and helpful.

If the Midi issue stops being an issue, i'll give it a 10 overall because of its size, features, effects, sound quality, memory capacity via cards.

Software version isn't listed. The preset samples are pretty weak, so I deleted them immediatly. Patch editing seems staightforward although get samples looped properly is painful if possible at all. Manual seems typical for Roland, but its a bit thin which is unusual

8 voice polyphony, so you can play 8 mono or 4 stereo samples at a time. The effects aren't stellar but good for destroying sounds. Accepts 8 to 64 mb smartmedia which i haven't tried yet. The cool thing is that you can load wav or aiff samples on the card and import into the 303 provided you have a card reader and a pc. MIDI in only for sync so don't look for any advanced stuff there. Onboard pattern sequencer, not very promising. You can also route external audio through the efx which is cool. Giving it a 10 due to the fact that for $300 new you get quite a lot of features.

Seems to be a tiny bit noisy but since its being marketed for djs Roland probably thought they could get away with it.

Just got it, but the knobs are a little flimsy but other than that looks reliable.

Have never dealt with Roland, and I own several pieces of their gear so thats a good sign.

I looked at the Korg ES-1 which has much better presets and 1/4" outs but it also cost $200 more than the 303. I like the fact that you can trigger all 8 samples in memory at once without switching banks. The bottom line is that it has a lot of bang for the buck.