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

I see a lot of people shifting back towards hardware to a limited 
extent. You can pay $200 for a used Roland MKS-70 or D550, or you can 
pay $100 for a piece of software that tries unsuccessfully to 
replicate these units and may or may not work after the next OS 
upgrade. I have a full software setup, but I get tired of having to 
watch the CPU meter. A single complex patch can bring my P4 to the 
edge of failure. I don't have that problem with my Command Station or 
Nord Modular. That is why I choose to buy a used Wavestation SR for 
$250 instead of spending $200 on software that sounds like a 
Wavestation. Software does still have a place in my heart, but that 
place has changed. No longer do I expect to create a full mix with 24 
tracks of VSTi's. Instead I create my tracks with hardware, then look 
for software instruments to use in the recording process. Software 
has made me happy with the B3 sounds in my Vintage ROM because I know 
when it comes time to record, I can change over to NI's B4. I guess 
software has created a market for cheap hardware. But, I will not be 
spending $3000 for a ROMpler again.

Robert