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

Say I have a 16 bar pattern. Often times when sequncing into a song, 
I will loop only 1, 4, or 8 bars before playing out the 16. The 
problem is on some loops  it appears to cut off the first note. ie 
when using an arp, it will not play back on some loops. I assume 
this is because it is not playing the first not which is the only 
note triggering the arp for the track. There seems to be no problem 
in pattern mode.
Has anyone else encountered this?
Confession: only running os 1.38, but I have ordered a midi/usb 
interface to upgrade. Will this still be a problem in 2.0? ALso can 
you use x-mix in song mode or is it just for pattern mode?