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

> After this though, they 
> stopped IMPROVING on that base, and instead began releasing cutdown 
> versions based on the same technology.

This is not a new phenomenon. They did it with the D-50 back in 1987 -
it was the flagship, but was followed by the MT-32, D-10, D-20, D-110,
and so on. (The D-70 was a different technology - based on the
U-series - rebranded a D-series by marketing.) Similarly with Yamaha:
first the groundbreaking DX7, then the DX9, DX21, DX27, DX100 and so
on. (OK, so there's the DX1 and DX5 in there as well, but those were
early models.)

I suspect that this is the way the market works: get the flagship out
first, get the reviewers and the early adopters onboard, and then see
what features actually work as opposed to those which turn out not to
be important; slim down, get the manufacturing costs as low as
possible, and push for volume.

> It's frustrating to me, in that the larger companies seem to think that 
> just because you are into ELECTRONIC music, you can't figure out a piece 
> of gear, or will never use it in a pro-oriented situation.

Of course, they might just be right, at least in terms of market
segment. It's a small proportion of users who really delve into gear,
and it's also a small (and possibly increasing) proportion of *buyers*
who work professionally.

I wonder how many people on this list actually (i) create and program
their own sounds from scratch, and (ii) actually work professionally
with this gear. I suspect it's a minority; and this mailing list
probably represents the tech-savvy end of the market, since mailing
lists tend to be self-selecting. No judgement intended, it's just the
way the market breaks down these days.

Then again, the equipment manufacturers catering for the electronic
music market in particular (and the softsynth vendors, for that
matter) don't seem particularly prone to patronising their customers;
are you thinking of anyone in particular?

> Suddenly if 
> you're a DJ and you write music, you have to use gear that looks like 
> Sesame Street exploded (sorry Emu guys!), and has a cut down feature set, 
> because you're not smart enough to use a 'real' sampler, sequencer, or 
> synth.  Bummer!

I don't understand this comment. DJ's are free to use whatever they
wish, and there is enough interesting stuff on the market for them to
do so (moreso than a decade ago, for instance). Anyone who finds the
XL-7 too simple (or too complicated) is free to buy something else
instead. And it's possible to be creative with the simplest of tools
as well as the most sophisticated: I'm using everything from a Kaoss
pad (a real no-brainer) to an OasysPCI DSP farm driven via ASIO from
the Max/MSP toolkit, and I've also used kick-ass ProTools rigs (under
protest, I have to say). Get the creative process right, and all else
will follow.

> The funny thing is, it's probably the opposite 
> as I wager electronic musicians releasing their own tunes are responsible 
> not only for writing and creating, but producing, recording, even 
> mastering it all themselves!

Actually, I've resolved never to do my own mastering - I always want a
second pair of ears on the job at that stage, and mastering is a
discipline unto itself.

-- 

  nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http://www.cassiel.com