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

alright hi... i've been a lurker on the list for over a year now... 
don't often chip in... but i'm kinda stuck here...

i'm doing this collaboration with a friend.. and he sent me a midi 
file... it's a full song, and i would like to chop it up into pattern 
sized chunks so i can go over it (i work a little better in pattern 
mode)... i'm used to programming everything out on hardware and am not 
too familiar with the computer end of things... i have digital 
performer 3 and reason 2 for the mac. so now my questions...

is digital performer adequate for this kind of editing? i have clumsily 
nosed my way around before, and i would have problems when i would trim 
a song into pattern chunks.. especially cause i think i would cut off 
the note off midi msgs..
this song that i am working on has a lot of long pads, and i am worried 
about this...

also, what is the correct way to change instrument patches so that when 
i upload them to the xx-7, they are the correct instrument that i want? 
  i have uploaded stuff before, and i always get weird bugs that change 
my presets back to the original version after i change presets on the 
xx-7...

is there anything else that would help me with this? my methods are a 
lil bit on the ghetto side, but it works pretty well for me...