Sequential Circuits Studio 440

The Studio 440 was a sampler, sequencer, and 32 sound drum machine manufactured by Dave Smith's Sequential Circuits (SCI) and released in 1986. The sampler's core is similar to that of the Prophet 2000 and Prophet 2002. There is a 3.5" floppy disk drive to ^[2] store samples and data.

Studio 440
Studio 440
Manufacturer	Sequential Circuits
Dates	1986-1987
Price	US$5,000 (approx.)
Technical specifications
Polyphony	8 voices
Timbrality	8 parts[1]
Oscillator	2
LFO	1 (saw up, saw down, square, triangle)
Synthesis type	Sampler Subtractive
Filter	Analog Low pass non-resonant filter with envelope
Attenuator	Attack-decay-sustain-release
Velocity expression	Yes
Storage memory	768 KB
Effects	None
Input/output
Keyboard	8 pads
External control	MIDI

Sample rate

The 440 also made it easier to access the full 768 KB of memory available, to create 12-bit samples from 12.5 to 33.5 seconds and up to 41.667 kHz.^[3]

• 15.625 kHz rate : 33.5 seconds  —  6 kHz bandwidth ^[4]
• 31.250 kHz rate : 16.7 seconds  —  12 kHz bandwidth
• 41.667 kHz rate : 12.5 seconds  —  18 kHz bandwidth

Sequencer

• 8 tracks^[5]
• 40,000 note capacity^[6]
• 999 measures per sequence
• 99 sequences
• Two discrete MIDI outs with up to 32 channels of MIDI

Notable users

• Aphex Twin^[7]
• The Beatmasters^[8]
• Dan the Automator^[9]
• Simon Harris^[10][11]
• King Tech
• Mantronix^[12]
• Rod Modell^[13][14]
• The Orb^[15]
• Prince Paul
• Three Times Dope