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

I might recommend, if possible, putting the link for the iuma site on the
pole page...    If you think it's logical =)

d.dB
----- Original Message -----
From: <erik_magrini@...>
To: <xl7@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 12:32 PM
Subject: Re: [xl7] Beat matching (MicroSync - long)


> I posted a review of the Red Sound to the this list awhile back, so I'm
> just going to copy that:
>
> "Most of the time (90%) it's pretty good about finding the tempo correctly
> and tracking it nicely.  However it's not something you can just hit Start
> on and forget about.  Drops in the song can cause it to fluctuate
> slightly, and your midi playback DOES stutter a bit when this happens.
>  You can put it into "free-wheeling" mode however, so it won't try and
> find the tempo during quiet parts and that helps.  It also has Nudge
> buttons too, which you'll need to use occasionally to keep it synced up,
> as it's quicker than letting it catch up automatically sometimes.  Also,
> sometimes the tempo will be right, but the first beat will be off, so
> you'll need to nudge it for that reason too.  It's not hard to do, and
> once you get the hang of it it's pretty easy to use.  Mostly it's
> reliability comes down to the records you spin.  Surprisingly my 4/4
> trance records threw it off more than any of my breaks or DnB tracks, so
> you'll need to play around a bit to get a feel for how it will react to
> different styles.
>
> How do I use it live?  Well I took off one of the end caps on my XL-7 and
> mounted it to that using the included hardware (took some creative
> bending, but it works fine).  The tricky part is taking the audio feed
> from your DJ mixer and routing it to the Micro Sync.  Technically you're
> not supposed to route the sound modules outputs back into the same mixer
> as the tables, but I found that EXTREMELY impractical for real world DJ
> use (who wants to hook up an extra mixer?  Most clubs wouldn't let you
> anyway).  The issue, is that you don't want the Micro sync to be analyzing
> the signal from the XL-7, as that causes a feedback loop (not an audible
> one, but in terms of calculating tempo).  The Micro Sync will be
> calculating the same tempo it's sending out, so it won't work right.  What
> I did (depends on the mixer) is to use the effects sends to send the audio
> signal to the Micro Sync.  I just leave the effect send on the channel the
> XL-7 is plugged into always off, so that audio never gets routed to the
> micro sync.  That way, you just select the channel you're trying to sync
> to, and route it to the FX sends.  BTW the input level for the Micro Sync
> is extremely finicky, it seems to overload very easily (and then stops
> calculating).  Another reason to use effects sends is so you can control
> the send amount.  On say a DJM500 or 600 (what I typically request for
> live use), this works too, but you lose the ability to use the effects at
> the same time, so you'd need to make sure the micro sync is free-wheeling
> before disengaging the effects sends on the mixer."
> ----------------------------------------------
> That was right after I got it, and I've had a year to play with it, so
> here's my thoughts now.  It really does a pretty good job of doing what
> it's supposed to, provided you don't mind getting a little 'hands on' with
> it.  You may need to spend a lot of time nudging it forward or backward
> slightly if you want it to be ultra-tight timing wise, and don't we all.
> The biggest issues are:
>
> 1. The fact that they ideally want you to hook up your XL-7 and the
> turntable mixer to another seperate mixer.  You can read the review above
> or the free instructions (download) for the reason why this is.  If your
> DJ mixer has FX sends, it's typically ok to use those, but there's been
> few times I didn't have that option and was left high and dry.
> 2. During quiet passages with no drums, the Microsync just stays at the
> current tempo, which is nice.  However, sometimes the beat kicks back in
> and the Microsync needs to adjust itself, and that causes some timing
> hiccups occasionally for a few seconds, it's not as smooth as it could be.
>  This is rare, but it sounds bad when you're working up that huge drop and
> then the XL-7 is out of sync slightly with the record.
>
> While the fact that the BPM display on the XL-7 only goes to whole numbers
> in terms of resolution, I REALLY wish the display read tenths too.  If
> that was the case, I'd probably just use the Micro Sync to get me pretty
> darn close, and then fine tune it manually (and ride it) via the XL-7's
> tempo control/entry wheel.  When my girlfriend spins, sometimes I'll add
> XL-7 parts over her mix and I just do it that way, seems to work better.
>
> Currently, the Red Sound line is still the only gear that accurately
> detects tempo information from an audio source AND generates a MIDI clock
> to use with your external gear.  So there's not any other options out
> there if this doesn't work for you.  I hope this doesn't sound TOO
> negative, because 90% of the time it works great and performs like you'd
> expect.  It's that other 10% that makes you really need to know how to use
> the Red Sound before you take it live.  If you know it's limitations and
> how to deal with them, then it's really not a big deal.  Most of the time
> I use it just to transition from tables to the Xl-7, and in those cases,
> it works great.  (Oh, it's got a HUGE wallwart too, I'm still trying to
> find a smaller one myself).
>
> I'd give it a 8/10.
>
> rEalm
>
>
>
>
>
> Hello,
> I have been dying to ask about beat-matching using an xl-7 and decks. I
> sold my 1200s in order to pay for the xl-7 (I know, how could I? They were
> old but mint and I got top dollar on eBay). Don't worry I didn't sell the
> vinyl.
> Can you effectively match the beat of the record using that Red Sound
> Microsync device you mentioned with your xx-7? I found that a Numark
> beatkeeper, which rounds to the nearest whole beat per minute, is
> virtually useless for beatmatching two records. How does the xx-7 manage
> the sync if the Red Sound carries a decimal point? Thanks a bunch for your
> thoughts on this!!!!
>
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