The original Roland SP-808 GrooveSampler can play up to four stereo samples simultaneously, with the sample rates of 44.1 and 32 kHz. The maximum sample time allowed is 25 minutes of stereo at the rate of 44.1 kHz. Being an predecessor to more popular SPs, the sampler itself can hold over 1,000 samples, while 100MB Zip disks can store up to 1024 samples, roughly amounting to 64 minutes. Unlike some of the succeeding SP installments, the sampler has no USB or CompactFlash card option. Furthermore, audio samples can only be stored, read, and transferred directly from the zip drive rather than internal RAM. In an effort to maximize storage space on zip disks, Roland decided against the use of AIFF and WAV audio formats. D-Beam controller is also included.
