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

Hi Guys...

I spent some time on the box yesterday at my local MARS.

I love the patches, kits, fx, and arps.  They are great!

The sales person gave me a bit of a tour sequencer.  Seemed pretty straight forward.

I was a little concerned because it semed difficult to tell which tracks had material on them and which did not when muting and "building up" and "breaking down" on the fly.

Can you guys tell me about using the XL-7 live?

Do you use SONG mode or Pattern mode?

What do you guys typically do to prepare for live work?

Also...what's the USB port going to be used for?

Oh yeah....why would I use the Trigger buttons?  Can I use them in conjunction with the repeat button, arps, and touch strip?

Thanks...

Alex