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

--- In xl7@y..., "fjork_duf" <fjork_duf@y...> wrote:

> Does the xl-7 send nrpn messages to external gear?

no, just controller messages to CC#95. so you wouldn't be able to 
control your ea-1, dx200 or es-1 with the xl-7.
 
> Do the strings and pads sound good in the XL-7?

sweet. and you have much more control over sounds than on the rm1x.
 
> How are the drums in the XL-7?

analog drums are good, but i prefer using the es-1 to sample "real" 
drum hits and loops to create patterns that have a live feel. at any 
rate, the xl-7's drums are better than the rm1x's.
 
> Is it really easy and fast to use creatively?

figuring it out was tricky for me (your mileage may vary). i thought i 
was saving one thing, but was saving something else, so my edits wound 
up being lost sometimes. gets better with practice, i imagine, but i 
got so frustrated with mine that i've had it on the shelf for over a 
month. i want to love the box -- killer effects, tons of modulation 
options, the ability to change recording modes on the fly. but i think 
the rm1x was easier to learn. and it's not like i'm stupid: i can 
program a kawai k5000 and a nord modular. and it's not like i'm the 
only one having problems, either, judging by the posts here.
 
> How you you guys usually back up your song information? Do you do a 
> midi dump into a PC or what? (The rm1x has the convenient floppy 
> drive)

dump to pc. great if you have a software sequencer, which i don't.
 
> The rest of my setup is as follows:
> 
> DX200 fm Synth
> ea-1 
> es-1 (I just ordered it because it looked cool)
 
i have the same gear, including the rm1x. you will need a sequencer to 
control the dx200, treating it more as a sound module than an all-in-
one workstation (it kills me how the DX's sequencer chokes off the 
first note of a pattern, although i LOVE how much real-time control the 
DX gives you. quasimidi's polymorph is the only synth with a better 
real-time sequencer, imho).
 
> I was hoping the xl-7 could fill in the holes as far as strings and 
> other general synth stuff people use in dance music.

owning an xl-7, i suggest you look elsewhere. you need something that 
does nrpns in real time, which the xl-7 can't do now (maybe in a later 
upgrade, but doubtful). if you can scrape together the cash, get the 
rs7000, even if it means selling the es-1. 

why? because the rs7000's soundset is improved over the rm1x's, and 
that's before adding the rs7k's sweet-sounding effects. the rs7k can 
sample. the xl-7 can't. the rs7k can do nrpns, the xl-7 can't. your 
knowledge of how the rm1x works will transfer more readily to the rs7k 
than the xl-7. the rs7k lets you save stuff on board, the xl-7 does 
not.

xl-7's a good machine, but it sounds like the rs7000 has more of what 
you need...

e