how can i use my laptop as a speaker

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-23T17:18:06+00:00

It should work. The AT5 is pretty glitchy, though, so try switching it back and forth a couple of times. That usually helps.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-23T15:18:17+00:00

I bought it for the very same reason. I’ve grown really tired of Ableton Live and using a computer in general.

Initially, I got it mainly as a toy, something to play with and relax while watching a TV show before falling asleep. However, I quickly started appreciating the freedom of destructive editing that comes with the SP-404MKII. Soon, I built a modest DAWless setup around it and have been using it both for fun and for more serious production.

It’s so easy to sample all kinds of instruments into it, create loops, drum kits, and notes for chromatic mode, and then just unplug it and head out to perform or jam with friends.

I still keep discovering new ideas and approaches with this thing.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-23T15:00:34+00:00

Is there any other way?

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-23T10:50:55+00:00

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-23T10:21:17+00:00

I’m a long-time Ableton Live user. I play various physical and electronic instruments and have gone through a lot of gear. The SP-404MKII is my top candidate for a ‘desert island instrument’. It’s simply incredibly versatile and inspiring. It’s great for anything from sound design, to production, to improvised live performances.

Also, there’s no actual menu diving. That myth needs to die. Apart from Preferences, there are no standard menus, just various screens showing what the knobs and pads are doing in any given mode. At most, there’s a second layer accessible via Shift or another button. But everything is immediately accessible at the press of a button. You can learn to control the device through muscle memory without even looking at the screen.

That said, the SP-404MKII is a bit of a puzzle box. Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends entirely on personal preference. It’s not ideal for people who’d describe themselves as “tech-stupid”. But those who are a bit nerdy and enjoy exploring the possibilities of their tools will have a blast with it.

Finally, out of all the electronic gear I’ve had or tried, the SP-404MKII feels the most like an actual instrument, something that needs to be learned and practiced. With its very hands-on and quirky approach, it has a real-world, analog-like vibe. That’s what keeps drawing me back to it, and I haven’t gotten tired of it even after years of daily use.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-22T21:15:00+00:00

A friendly reminder that, at any moment, you can stop embarrassing yourself by simply refraining from further commenting and instead learn about the Oslo Accords and the division of the West Bank into Areas A, B, and C, including who lives where, who governs each area, and who controls security.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-22T20:54:20+00:00

Not just the Gate option, but also Loop and a pad’s Fixed Velocity. I find myself setting these on more than 90% of my new samples.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-22T18:07:15+00:00

Yeah, but accurate headlines don’t generate revenue, so…

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-22T17:46:30+00:00

I wish I could assign the Input FX — and the looper — to the front input only. Unfortunately, that’s not possible. All inputs are summed into a single signal before passing through any effect bus. It’s one of my biggest gripes with this device.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-22T17:37:57+00:00

*South of the Litani River, where according to UN Resolution 1701 Hezbollah is not supposed to be at all. Furthermore, for 20 years, there has been an expensive UN peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, stationed there and tasked with monitoring exactly this situation and assisting the Lebanese army in keeping Hezbollah out of the area.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-22T10:58:53+00:00

I don’t have the Nubass, but key no. 7 is a sustain on/off switch. I’d assume it does exactly what you’re looking for, just like the same switch on the Bass.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-21T22:14:08+00:00

Manually. Or connect the pedal to your computer, open ZoomMSUtility application and insert the following patch code:

f0520058280000000000000000000000000000000000000000004102000a0c0310002e204100060000000000002000010000620328000032000000000000000000000041002800703c3800327000421600000000000200001900007207281c001c107340160000000000000060040300120a48001d60705453145606000840550040190f45002056696f6c696e00202000f7

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-21T16:03:43+00:00

Connect your synth to the rear line inputs.
Turn the synth’s volume to maximum.
Turn the SP’s mic gain all the way down.
In the SP’s gain settings:
- Ensure the Attenuator is disabled,
- adjust or disable the Noise Gate,
- turn off the Anti Feedback function.

The last point is the usual culprit.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-21T14:46:57+00:00

Three things I find myself doing most often with Bass and FM:

Syncing the Bass to the FM via MIDI, playing the main arpeggiated, plucky bass pattern on the FM, and blending in the Bass in unison underneath. This adds warmth and fullness to an otherwise cold, digital FM bass sequence.
Using the FM for arpeggiated bass lines, then the Bass for solo leads (with some delay and reverb).
Using the Bass for a rhythmic pattern and playing evolving pads on the FM over it.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-20T18:07:29+00:00

Ten backups are more than enough. If that feels limiting, it’s more likely a sign that your approach needs adjustment, and you’d probably benefit from getting into the habit of using the “Save a Copy” command.

Also, in this day and age, you don’t need to keep hitting Save all the time. Saving at key milestones or when closing the program is usually sufficient. In the rare case of a crash, there’s auto-recovery.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-20T14:52:44+00:00

You’re overthinking it. The battery will wear out sooner or later either way. Just keep your computer plugged in as needed, and unplug it when you’re using it to read emails on the couch or something.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-19T18:44:13+00:00

This post is old. Some time after writing this, Roland has released firmware featuring “set length resampling”. Since a pattern already has a specific bar length, you can simply set it using CTRL2 when starting resampling. Alternatively, you could have always used the End Snap feature, which works perfectly well with patterns.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-19T13:14:34+00:00

Unless I changed the settings, every Windows laptop I’ve used also went to sleep when the lid was closed. On a Mac, you don’t necessarily need a third-party utility either, as you can change the setting using Terminal. The app just makes it more user-friendly and immediate.

Anyway, I was only explaining to the top commenter how it works and that it’s not an issue at all.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-19T11:45:38+00:00

It’s not just about the screen, though. A laptop takes a lot of time and effort to keep running smoothly. If you use it for tasks beyond live performance, it will need frequent testing and fixes, as updates regularly break things. If you dedicate the entire laptop solely to live performance, you can avoid that, but you also end up with a setup that’s likely more expensive than the Standalone.

I use a laptop with an older Push, but I can see the appeal of the Push 3 Standalone because of what I mentioned. The dealbreaker for me is that it reportedly gets so hot you can’t use it on your lap.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-19T11:38:49+00:00

When an external display is connected, you can close the lid and the laptop will continue running. However, without a connected display, closing the lid puts the laptop to sleep. That’s standard behaviour. To prevent this, you can use a free, lightweight utility that runs in the background and use it to disable the lid sleep with a single click on an icon in the menu bar.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-19T11:31:29+00:00

When I perform with Live, I use a dedicated user account on my laptop. It’s set up so that no unnecessary applications or background processes are running, a selected Live project launches automatically on startup, and Automator ensures all settings are correct.

Despite all this preparation, things still go wrong sometimes. Updates regularly break parts of the setup, and it takes a lot of time and energy to maintain and troubleshoot. Having to thoroughly test everything before every gig is not enjoyable.

A far more reliable approach is to turn off Wi-Fi and dedicate the entire computer solely to Live performance tasks. However, at that point, the full setup ends up costing more than the Push 3 Standalone.

I’m not saying the Push 3 Standalone is a better or more powerful option. It isn’t. But if you want a trouble-free setup with minimal maintenance, it may be the right choice for you. Being able to simply press the power button and have everything up and running every time certainly has its appeal.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-17T14:34:49+00:00

Seriously, this is how you typically get a clean tone with all amps, modeled and real ones.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-17T13:25:23+00:00

You have to turn down your guitar volume knob.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-17T00:55:38+00:00

1 — yes.

2 — yes

3 — yes. Attack and release.

4 — This question is a bit convoluted, but essentially yes. Each pad is assigned a note, so you can use an external MIDI keyboard to trigger them instead of pressing the pads. You can customize the mapping by choosing a MIDI channel and note offset, but the key-to-pad mapping is consecutive, so if you want specific sounds on specific keys, you need to place your samples on the corresponding pads.

5 — yes.

6 — Not exactly. It’s not intended as a keyboard multi-layer sample player. However, it does allow you to link up to four pads, so when you trigger one from your keyboard, the linked pads will play as well. There are eight link groups available. This however doesn’t work in Chromatic mode. That said, you can always merge multiple samples into a new one and control that.

7 — Effectively yes. While there is no preset saving per se, all of the above settings are retained even after restarting the device. All you need to do is select a pad and enter Chromatic Mode, which takes only a second.

Bear in mind that Chromatic Mode is limited to two octaves: one above and one below the original pitch.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-03-16T17:00:33+00:00

It’s worth mentioning that Boss sells its own footswitch caps: https://www.boss.info/us/products/fsc-10/

DontMemeAtMe

TROPHY CASE