How To Use SP-404 MKII As External Effect In Ableton Live

Maaan thank you for making this. 2 questions, do you prefer using the actual SP404 this way or using your fx rack plugin? Also, can this process be used in session mode to record sp404 fx onto clips?

Thanks again for this and the fx rack plugin video!!!

Will it work if you use 2 1/4 inch cords that convert to mxl for the input?

what about the clock?
how do you sync both in the second method?

It's a shame that so few applications allow to use more than one USB device. I don't believe it's a technical difficulty, probably just a bad mindset. In VirtualDJ for example, I can use as many different usb devices as I want. I can sen my prelisten to Babyface Pro headphones, my separate channels to my mixer, and the send effect to SP404mk2 simultaneously. Same for the inputs: microphone from Babyface Pro, fx return from Sp404mk2 and the master from the mixer for recording. So easy and natural

I’ve been having issues with no signal from “audio from” in external audio effect… please help.

Hey dude. Love the vids! struggling to get the second method working. I have 8 inputs and 8 outs on my interface. Is there something i should be routing on focusrire Mix control to get it to work?

I have done the exact setup. but dont seem to get any signal back.

Please help!

so why didn't you play the clip you recorded?

I have a feedback noise i did everything right for the second method

Hiiii Man Thanks for the great video ! But I have a problem, I still have feedback when doing all the steps correctly. I have a sp404 mkII , focusrite clarett 4pre, and Ableton Live suite

Im following all the steps but there is no sound comming when ext audio pluging is on the track. I can se the meters blinks, but there is no audio. HELP

Knocking it out of the park between this vid and the SP404 Ableton Rack Vid. This has been super helpful and has made creating soooooo much more easier and fun. Thanks for this, man!

Great video! I've been using the second method with interface for last couple years and it's great.
But now i have a macbook for music on the sofa and i was going to plug my sp in and do the first method for fun.

I just was wondering about the signal flow using the first method. Say i wanted to use the mkii 303 compressor on the master. Would the first method basically just be ableton mix>ableton master fx> spmkii?
Would there be no way to have the spmkii compressor before Ableton master effects? Such as eq and limiter?


Thank you for any help, i appreciate this is a little older video!

it doesn´t seem to work on windows whatever drivers you use...

Ty man! I'm a FL user but it's basicly the same for the outputs and inputs theory, ty!

That beat is fire is it on any platforms to listen to?

Please sir help me.. please... the second method can work with ¿¿ MOTU M2 ?? + 404 sp Mk2, need record Efx on the complete track.

please sir

The first option doesn´t work me, i dont know for what!

Man, your vids are so dope! I have only one issue, would you happen to know how I’d accomplish this same work flow but using Logic Pro instead of Ableton? This is the perfect set up. But I am new to Logic and don’t use Ableton Live. 😅

Bro the beat you are effecting is amazing!!! 👏👏👏

Does this workflow work with the SP-404sx as well? Or do I have to use an SD card with that device? Debating if the 404 mk2 is worth it if I just want the fx capabilities… seems like it for the workflow

using the 404 in a dawless config: can the line input fe.e. an ext. Synth use the inbuild effects of the sp404.

I also cannot get this to work. MacOS, Ableton 1.13.x, firmware is v3.x, input bus is 1 (neither 1 or 2 work). Enabling/disabling Ext Source makes no difference, it's as if whatever I do it just bypasses all the internal FX and mixes straight out :(

I'm thinking of doing a whole factory reset because I must have changed some setting somewhere. So frustrating, lol.

Edit: I did a factory reset - then noticed I had Ableton Master Out set to 3&4 which appears to be the line out from the SP, not the mix out (which has the fx busses). Lol. Pretty sure I tried this before the factory reset, but now I am happy!

cc. @interpol8994

im on the second method but when i do the effects on my sp404, i hear the effects being processed but i still hear the original track playing through it

Odd, I can't seem to figure out how to get the fx to work. The audio is routed through my 404 via usb and out to a speaker using the line out ports, and audio comes through but the effects don't do anything when pressed

I have tried hella times to get this to work. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing wrong.

Just about to finally do this, haven’t used Ableton in over a year (computer related burnout) been trying DAWless. Thanks for this video bro !

thanks for this, as there's not a lot of tutorials on using the 404mk2 with daws. if you wanted to just run your drums through the fx of the sp isn't there a way to use the busses in the sp to achieve this? i think blezz did a tutorial on how to do it with maschine+

This is so dope thank u for sharing this

Thanks...

hey man thanks for this tutorial! Great work. Question which is slightly offtopic but perhaps you can help out:

When playing sounds through the 404 via an audiointerface & speakers, I have quite a big input delay (when tapping pads on the 404 i get slow response from speakers). Close to half a second. Do you know any ways to solve this?

very useful thanks

Sorry I don't know if I missed the part where you talk about the pros and cons of each method, can't find it in the video. So far I've been using the first method since it's an easier setup and it's been awesome.

As a windows user I recommend FlexAsio. You can also stream easily with it