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

For the aux envelope mapped to pitch, you can get much steeper attack/decay by using the 4xGain processor (i.e Aux env-4xgain, 4xgain-pitch). You can even get bell-ish tones this way using only a sine wave.

Pads - for me the best pads are those that are simple but played well. One-finger swirling atmospheres are fine and easy to do, but rarely usable in a musical context.

For general patch design it helps me to consider the XL-7 as standard 4-oscillator synth. I might put a sine on layer(Osc) one and a saw on layer two - blending betweeen them for a little bite (remember - knob movements are recorded - almost like making your own custom LFO's). Maybe put a string sample on layer 3, and blend that with something in layer 4. Try out the different filters - even different filters on different layers - and modulate the cutoff, etc. There are a ridiculous amount of possibilities. 

Experimentation is wonderful, but it really helps to map out with pen and paper the kind of sound you are going for, and what you want it to do, and in the context of the e-mu architecture. That way you can approach patch editing with more purpose, rather than just sitting in front of a zillion parameters and hoping for inspiration. If you know what you want, there is a good chance the e-mu will get there, or close enough, but it requires some forward planning. 

Go for a walk - conceptualise your sound, capture the main points on paper, then dive-in.

Cheers,
J




--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, Bruno <brunorc@...> wrote:
>
> Hello,
> 
> 2011/1/7 Mauricio Balma <balmaproducer@...>
> > In fact that's the best way to program user patches on the CS, not just kicks.
> >
> > creating patch templates.
> 
> Must do the same for pads... any hints in this area?
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Bruno
>