Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

> Re: [xl7] Re: Let's have some opinions!I got my A4000 on ebay for
> $799 fully loaded with ram, 250 zip drive, and scsi hard drive.
> Can't beat that!!!  It's a great machine

It doesn't seem (correct me if I'm wrong) that many people have
arrived here as synthesists. My experience with E-mu gear includes
total disinterest in the original Proteus units, regardless of the
sound ROM's, because the ability to create new sounds was always
pretty limited.

The first E-mu unit I bought was the UltraProteus, and that was
because it's a Morpheus synth with additional filter cubes; the ROM
sample set didn't matter so much as the modulation
architecture. (Until then I'd been doing most of my work on a couple
of Korg Wavestation racks, and doing a lot of modulation programming -
if you're interested, the CD tracks at http://www.mp3.com/cassiel/ are
mostly combinations of Wavestation and UltraPro.)

I bought an Audity 2000 shortly after reviewing one for Recording
magazine - I was really impressed by the clock-based modulation
architecture and arpeggiator integration, and the fact that the
filters had more bite and presence compared to the Morpheus/UltraPro
generation; but I detested the user interface, and didn't have the
time to knock up an editor/librarian for it.

I came at the XL-7 as an Audity 2000 with an accessible, fast access
interface to the synthesis architecture. The onboard sequencer was, to
some extent, a bonus, and I might even have gone for the unit without
that. The sequencer's useful for working out ideas in a hurry, and I'm
really glad to have it, but it's underpowered for real, heavy-duty
interactive live sequencing. (For my last gig I had some stuff running
out of the XL-7 as backing, but most of the sequencing was
software-based algorithmic stuff.)

What I'm basically saying is: if you're going to judge the XL-7/MP-7
against other beat-boxes, keep in mind that you're getting a
tremendously powerful (and high-polyphony) synthesis architecture in
the box; don't just judge the ROM sets, the factory presets, the (lack
of) sampling, or the sequencer features.

-- 

  nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http://www.cassiel.com