Roland SPD-SX Sampling Pad

Sampling, Importing And Triggering Audio Files

The SPD-SX gives you an entire universe of sounds. Trigger a full track, a song section, an effect, a click track or a one-shot sound from a single pad. You also have full control over how audio files are played back. Whether you perform covers in clubs or reproduce your own studio productions on stage, the SPD-SX helps you give your live shows studio-level sound.

Velocity-Sensitive Pads

The SPD-SX features nine velocity-sensitive rubber pads that you can assign any sound to. Light taps produce quiet playback; harder strikes yield louder sounds. You can also set a pad to a fixed velocity when needed, so a sound always plays at the same level regardless of how hard you hit the pad.

LED Indicators

Each SPD-SX pad has red LED illumination for stage visibility and pad-status indication. Depending on your performance needs, you can choose how the LEDs behave — always on, always off, only lit when the sample on that pad plays, or dynamically reacting to the audio signal, similar to a channel meter on a mixing console.

Memory And Sounds

You can never have too many sounds, right? With 16 GB of memory the SPD-SX stores about 25 hours of stereo audio (50 hours mono) in 44.1 kHz/16-bit WAV/AIFF format. Out of the box the pad includes 210 preset samples — loops, one-shots and melodic phrases — and 100 kit memory slots for your own layouts. Sixteen preset kits are loaded at the factory. On Roland Cloud you’ll also find a huge, growing library of samples and loops for every musical style.

Powerful Sampling Capabilities

The SPD-SX’s deep sampling features let you create your own unique sounds quickly and easily. Connect a microphone or a mono/stereo line-level device to the analog inputs, or hook up your computer via USB. Use the Basic Sampling function to capture a sound and assign it to a single pad. Multi-Pad Sampling places audio samples across several pads and saves them. The SPD-SX even lets you re-sample a complete performance, including effects.

Playback Types

Once your sounds are recorded and stored, you control their playback with three customizable modes: Single, Phrase and Loop. Choose Single for simple percussion sounds like drum hits and claps. Phrase mode plays longer samples all the way to the end. Loop mode plays a file from start to finish and then seamlessly restarts playback.

Trigger Types

Need more control over how your audio plays back? No problem. The trigger type determines how a sample behaves when a pad is hit. "Shot" plays the sample as soon as the pad is struck. "Alt" toggles playback on and off with each pad hit. For maximum flexibility you can combine trigger and playback types. The lightning-fast trigger response ensures you stay locked to the beat without distraction.

Built-In Audio Editing

Life on the road can be hectic. Sometimes you need to tweak sounds quickly and easily. The SPD-SX’s integrated editing tools let you edit samples without a DAW. Trim samples, set start/stop points, adjust volume and pitch, and more. You can also trim multiple samples at once or split a single sample into several and distribute them across different pads.

Adding Effects

The SPD-SX gives you the power of three effect engines. You can run two effect engines at once: a master effect and kit effects. The master engine affects all kits and offers 21 effect types to drive your performance. The three general master-effect presets on the front panel include Filter, Delay and Short Loop and apply to all audio playing through the pad at that moment. The two assignable kit effects only take effect when you hit a pad within a selected kit patch, and you can switch the kit effects on and off.

Ins And Outs

Live players need plenty of connection options. With the SPD-SX it’s easy to get sounds into and out of the pad. Explore the many outputs for simple mixing and monitoring. Use the USB connection with the SPD-SX Wave Manager software to import, organize and record sounds. You can also expand your rig with up to four external pads, two footswitches and other accessories.

USB Audio/MIDI

Connect your SPD-SX to a computer via USB to record your sounds and performances into a DAW. The USB connection also carries MIDI data. The standard MIDI In/Out lets you control software instruments, additional stage gear and automation software like Ableton.

Easy Sound Import

There are two quick ways to load audio files into the SPD-SX. You can copy files to a USB flash drive and transfer them to the pad, or use the free SPD-SX Wave Manager to drag and drop audio files from your computer onto individual pads. The software also includes intuitive tools for backups and organizing kits for different gigs.

Handy Accessories

The SPD-SX works great with a range of accessories. On stage, PDS-20 or PDS-10 stands provide a secure mount. With an APC-33 clamp and mounting plate you can attach the SPD-SX to a cymbal stand. Expand your trigger options with up to four external pads and two footswitches. On the road, protect your unit with a CB-BSPDSX carrying bag.