Description
The Roland SPD-SX SE (Special Edition) is a professional-grade sampling percussion pad that has become an industry standard for drummers, percussionists, and producers. It’s the “Special Edition” of the original SPD-SX, featuring significant upgrades that make it a powerful tool for live performance and studio work.
Key Features and Highlights:
- Massive Internal Memory: This is the primary upgrade of the Special Edition. While the standard SPD-SX had 4 GB of memory, the SPD-SX SE comes with a huge 16 GB of internal memory. This allows you to store approximately 50 hours of mono audio, eliminating the need to carry external USB flash drives to every gig.
- Nine Velocity-Sensitive Pads: The unit features nine highly responsive, velocity-sensitive pads that feel great to play. Each pad has a dedicated LED indicator that lights up when played, making it easy to see which pad you’re hitting in a dimly lit environment.
- Multi-Pad Sampling: The SPD-SX SE makes it incredibly easy to sample audio. You can connect an external mic or a line-level device, hit the “Multi-Pad Sampling” button, and then simply strike the pads to automatically create and assign samples. This is a very intuitive and fast way to capture sounds on the fly.
- Professional I/O and Connectivity: The pad is built for professional use. It includes:
- Audio Inputs: Two 1/4″ stereo/mono inputs with gain control for sampling external audio sources.
- Audio Outputs: Stereo main outputs and two assignable sub outputs, allowing you to route different pads to separate channels on a mixing console.
- External Trigger Inputs: Two external dual-trigger inputs let you connect up to four additional pads, expanding your playing surface.
- USB Audio/MIDI: The unit can connect to a computer via USB to act as an audio interface or a MIDI controller.
- Onboard Effects: The SPD-SX SE has three powerful multi-effects engines: one master processor and two that are assignable per kit. You can apply effects like filter, delay, and a short looper in real-time using the dedicated front-panel controls.
- Ableton Live Lite Included: The Special Edition includes a license for Ableton Live Lite, a popular digital audio workstation (DAW). This is a great bonus for users who want to create and edit their samples and use the SPD-SX SE as a controller for Ableton.
- Distinctive Red Finish: The SPD-SX SE stands out with its eye-catching sparkling red finish, making it easily recognizable on stage.
