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

After owning the XL and Techno ROM's I eagerly purchased the Beat 
Garden. This ROM has some of the best sounds available on an Emu ROM, 
yet it is also one of the most disappointing compilations. 

As demonstrated by the mp3's posted on the Emu site, the Beat Garden 
ROM is aimed at the techno market. It is meant to compliment the 
Techno ROM and is included in the Orbit 3 module. As you explore the 
patches the ROM starts out very strong. Rob Papin did a good job at 
creating some unique sounds from the versatile Emu engine. There are 
loads of kits and I assume this is why it is named "Beat Garden". My 
dissatisfaction is with the balance of the included sounds. While it 
has some of the best synth patches, the primary focus is on 
percussion. The ethnic percussion patches to not quite match up to 
those available on the World Expedition, Sounds of the ZR, or Ensoniq 
Project ROM. Some of the full kits are nice and the synth percussion 
sounds are great, but then you get into what seems to be a flood of 
bass drum and snare patches. A few people may like the variety of 
bass drum and snares. If you are very picky about these sounds and 
searching for a lot of variety then Beat Garden is a must. 

To me this ROM seems to be rushed into production. Testing the 
presets brings a lot of excitement and satisfaction, and then the 
bottom suddenly drops out. It is almost like the sound designer ran 
out of ideas. Patch after patch of bass drums and snares made me feel 
like I had purchased half of a ROM. Maybe this is why the price 
dropped on Beat Garden before any other ROM. For value I place it 
behind the XL, Techno, Mo Phatt and Ensoniq Project when considering 
ROM's based on techno or hip-hop sound sets.

Pros – Some of the best synth patches and synth kits on any ROM.
Cons – Way too many junk patches and way too many bass drum and snare 
sounds. Once you use the signature sounds on the ROM there is not 
much left.

Robert