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

You can go pretty far with the XL-7 as a pseudo-analog synth.  What you'll miss: hard sync, ring mod, FM, really fast LFOs, self-resonant filters, live input.  You can get PWM in the XL-7 by messing with the SLoop parameter, sorta do hard sync (albeit at a pretty slow rate) with SRetrig, and the realtime Q you can do with enough layers as I described a long time ago (one layer with low Q, one with high, RT control is via volume on the high-Q layer).

People who dismiss the P2k engine as a "ROMpler" are missing out on some of the really cool stuff you can do in the patchcord section.  (not dissing you in any way; on the contrary, I applaud you for thinking to use it in a more synth fashion!)

The Virus is a cool synth and does have features that you simply won't get in the XL-7.  That said, you can get pretty close (not necessarily worse, mind you, just different) for a majority of sounds and will certainly be able to make a ton of sounds a VA simply can't.

It's a tough choice.  I don't think you can go wrong with a Virus, but you might want to spend some time programming a patch or two in a VA style in the XL-7 before you decide to drop coin!

-Aaron


----- Original Message ----
From: Atom Smasher <atom@...>
To: xl7@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2008 9:54:21 AM
Subject: [xl7] virus vs xl7?

i have an empty space in my rack, and it's calling to me... one of the 
things that i though about filling it with is a virus-rack.

i haven't yet explored the synth engine of the xl7, and it'll be a few 
weeks at least before i have a chance to dig around in it, so.... is 
anyone here a current or former virus owner? how does the xl7 compare?

right off the top, the virus is ostensibly a virtual analog synth, and the 
xl7 seems more like a rompler. but i'm wondering if i could use some 
"basic" waveforms, a few layers, some virtual patch-cords, and some midi 
CC controllers and roll my own virtual analog patches...? i'm confident 
that i can get good sounds out of it, but can it compete with a virus on 
the the merits of the virus?

i only have one ROM slot in my xl7 filled, and i think it's the XL ROM.


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         ...atom