Give the DJS-1000 a look. Not recommending it over the SP-16, but just another idea.
I really like the DJS though
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Oh dear, thatās quite annoying. Thanks for pointing that out. I suppose if itās using the Send FX then that helps, but I think there might only be a single effect and it doubles as the master effect?
I canāt really tell the difference (right now) with the DJS-1000 aside from the DJ Deck format and the pitch slider, but no doubt there are some subtle differences Iāll need to explore.
Also according to someone else on the forum, i think check Conforce post, the effects of the SP16 suck
Hello! I got a secondhand SP-16 in spring this year.
On the mixer page you have access to the Send or Master effects so youāre right in thinking itās one or the other. Reverb is only available as a send/master and I havenāt been able to get a decent sound out of it, though thatās possibly my lack of skill but pretty sure Iāve read elsewhere others have found the same.
There are no stand out digi effects to my ears though I havenāt really gone in deep using them. That said, the master compressor (which has a few settings the insert compressor doesnāt have) sounds quite tasty to me. Iām not sure they suck (though the reverb as mentioned above might) but theyāre unremarkable. I really like the DS drive and filter though. There are some sweet spots to be found!
Iād definitely keep reading around about it as there are some things that might frustrate you and some things that donāt work well (using it slaved to something via midi is shaky for example).
Iāve had a lot of fun with mine so far though and in terms of actually finishing tracks itās suited me more than Maschine ever did. The SP-16 arranger is a bit clunky to me but workable and I never got my head around how Maschine did it for some reason.
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A couple of corrections to the above off the top of my head, unit isnāt in front of meā¦
You can turn off tracks vs. muting to let samples and effects decay naturally.
You can resample individual tracks and the main mixā¦ you can also bounce and export the mix and import it as a stereo sample.
A way to get around patterns not saving the mute state is just make a bunch of copies of that pattern/scene, deleteing the tracks youāre not usingā¦ or have their volume at zero to āfade inā.
And also, each scene (which can be seen as a ākitā) can be assigned to any pattern, and can have the same or different settings per sound/track, so itās not that different from a DT.
The effects (except the reverb and ducker) absolutely rule in the SP-16. I only wish there were more of them.
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Hello and thanks for the input.
I had a Maschine Mk3 briefly and although I thought the build quality was great I didnāt like the sequencer at all. It really sucked as a step sequencer and it was really awkward to edit anything after the fact.
One thing that appeals to me about the SP-16 is that it seems very simple and straightforward. Lots of voices here seem to support that.
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Thanks for confirming
I did not buy the Sp 16 because of the comment on the effects and I sticked with the Rytm
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Yeah I love the Mk3 as a physical device and it can do some neat things but found sequencing and arranging not good at all.
I had the Rytm before the SPā¦ apples and oranges but I generally just prefer Pioneerās UI and workflow for dedicated sampling. But IMO it needs at least one Elektron machine to compliment it, especially in the sequencer department.
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Id say it is very easy to resample internally. You can record live to one of the 16 pads/tracks or bounce to the internal memory. Or maybe Im not understanding that question.
It is very easy and fun to use.
I think the insert FX are mostly useable. Though they may not be anything special.
I find arrangement mode quick and intuitive and then you can simply bounce the whole arrangementā¦either master or all 16 tracks separately to either internal memory or a usb stick. There are a lot of rendering options actually.
I mostly bought it bc it uses Pioneerās DJ Link and connects w my CDJs but have found I love it for sketching out tracks to finish in my DAW. Probably selling my DT because the SP 16 is all I need. If it is confirmed it is discontinued Im buying another one just in case.
It is probably worth checking out the DJS 1000 though. I agonized over the two for years but never was willing to drop the coin. After I noticed the price drop it was a no brainer for me.
Where did you see a price reduction?
In UK it is still Ā£849
They used to cost twice as much. Like $1500 USD The price reduction is a bit dated. By some years I believe.
I probably just havenāt realised the price drop because I wasnāt looking, but in some places now (and when I last seriously looked) It was way up over a grand.
Irrespective of timing, Ā£849 seems like decent value compared to similar groovebox units.
Itās a steal tbh
Itās no Octatrack or MPC, but itās the one piece of gear Iāll never sell. Donāt know why. I just like it.
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The one thing the SP16 does hands down better than other boxes is live sampling. The fact you can adjust your loop after itās recorded, but prior to it being permanently saved is a awesome.
Can you elaborate on what this entails? This is news to me 
As to FX quality, my favorite is the lofi as you have the sample and bit reduction along with filters that are, IMHO, as good as whatās in the filter effect itself. The reverb can be usable with some short decay times and careful tuning. Its good enough to bring sounds into the same āroomā but itās nothing that youād want to feature as a shimmer or anything.
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Itās worth keeping an eye on eBay and Reverb as they pop up at around Ā£600 - Ā£650.
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Howās the midi sync, have they resolved the sync issues most people were having?
You CAN group the channels by output (mixer > output settings > choose output per channel) and use it for sends / bus mixes that way. The device has a bunch of physical outputs which is great.
I love that it has lots of analog outputs AND all the file rendering capabilities. I understand the limitations some people donāt like about the SP-16 but on the other hand it offers interesting combinations. MPC style pads + step sequencer being another.
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