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

Here is a comment from a respected mc909 list member, talking about some of
the apparent shortcomings of the mc909. If Sean and others are reading, then
these comments can be useful for the upcoming o.s. HINT HINT

> - There is a Song Mode and it will record mutes separately from the
patterns.
> They weren't sure about controller sweeps, but you can always use a long
> pattern for this.
>

I wonder if this is what I at least am looking for.  The MC505 song mode
allowed mutes separate from patterns.  But it was not a real-time recorder
of patterns or mutes.  You had a list of patterns and to each you could
assign various starting conditions, including mutes.  So  you programmed it
as opposed to playing it while recording, and the mute and other changes
where quantized to occur on only pattern boundaries.  useful but not what is
needed from my point of view.

What Roland needs is a song-long control track(s) that allow any controller
change, including synth parameters, mutes, pattern-triggers, and yes even
RPS's, to be recorded.  It should be thought of as a "log" of what the
performer did to the machine while song-mode was recording.  In this way all
the actions are captured so that they can be played back faithfully in the
future, and possibly edited (though I would settle for just selective erase,
overdub passes, and punch-in style editing).

The lack of this feature annoys me! The need should be obvious.  Quasimidi
had this in the Ravolutiopn 309 for goodness sake four years ago!  The SU700
does this for everything it can do, including effects changes.  Even Emu has
started to figure this out with the Command Stations (though its full
implementation awaits their upcoming new release.