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

Oh brother . . .
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: steve_the_composer 
  To: xl7@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2003 10:49 AM
  Subject: [xl7] Re: polyphony


  --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, Aaron Eppolito <synthesis77@y...> wrote:
  > *NO ONE* that I know of in the ROMpler/sampler world counts layered
  > presets as one "voice".  Stereo sounds use two voices.  
  > Layered sounds use at least one voice per layer.  This is not
  > deceiving on the part of
  > every synth manufacturer, it's just what the terminology is.
  > 
  > By the way, I forgot to mention that 12th order filters use 2 
  voices.


  When you consider how much bulk E-Mu puts into its manuals and how 
  prominently the "128-voice" capability is promoted, it is absurd that 
  E-Mu doesn't come out and say what other manufacturers have freely 
  admitted.

  Please show me in which manual or addenda there is any explanation of 
  how anything other than chorus reduces polyphony (number of playable 
  voices).  Do the manuals say that stereo samples use two audio 
  streams?  Perhaps I missed that.  Do the manuals say that 12th order 
  filters use two audio streams?  What else eats up audio streams?  And 
  where are audio streams explicitly equated with layers?

  BTW, I am comfortable saying current E-Mu gear has 128 audio streams. 

  Will we also find out that multi-samples also use multiple audio 
  streams--that (for example), an E-Mu instrument [ROM sample] that has 
  28 drum different samples (a kit) uses 28 audio streams?

  Why can't E-Mu just do what other manufacturers have done in the past 
  and be up front (as my previous posts from Casio and Roland manuals 
  show)?

  Read the E-Mu manuals, please:

  INTRODUCTION:  Ultra Powerful Synthesizer

  "The extremely flexible yet easy to use 4-layer synthesizer voices 
  make it easy . . . ."

  "128 voice polyphony ensures that you can play and sequence the most 
  complex material."

  The first sentence clearly refers to a 4-layer structure as a voice. 

  Two sentences later, the reader/user/consumer/potential buyer has no 
  reason to believe that 128 voice polyphony is not 128 4-layer 
  synthesizer voices. 

  It would be very easy to say, "The extremely flexible yet easy to use 
  4-layer synthesizer presets make it easy . . . ." and "Up to 128 
  voice polyphony ensures that you can play and sequence the most 
  complex material" or even "E-Mu's unique 128 audio stream 
  architechture ensures that you can create, play and sequence the most 
  complex material."

  In order to demonstrate that the hype in the intro is not intended to 
  be misleading, it would be nice to see in future manuals and addenda 
  a note referring to a brief section summarizing 128 audio stream 
  architecture as it rleates to layers, number of simultaneous notes 
  that can be triggered, polyphony, etc.  E.g., "(See page 12 for an 
  overview of E-Mu's unique 128 audio stream sound engine.)"

  BTW, how does an E-Mu user know which samples [aka ROM instruments] 
  are stereo and which aren't?

  Please don't misunderstand, I like the E-Mu architecture and am very 
  pleased with the flexibility it has.  In fact on this board and 
  others when users have had problems/complaints, I have been very 
  liberal with my praise of the architecture's flexibility (so much so 
  that when someone asked if the big data knob can be used to send 
  program changes to external gear and someone else said they didn't 
  think so, I wrote a utility pattern that demonstrated two ways that 
  it could be done.)

  Also, having worked with real patchcords extensively on the original 
  Moog, I appreciate E-Mu's virtual patchcord architecture, 
  terminology, and flexibility.  I have openly praised them when others 
  have questioned them, and I have created sample patchcord solutions 
  to posted problems to show how flexible they are.

  However, I did not like finding out after several months that I do 
  not have an "Ultra Powerful Synthesizer" with 128 4-layer voices and 
  I certainly did not appreciate the way in which I found this out.

  > *NO ONE* that I know of in the ROMpler/sampler world counts layered
  > presets as one "voice". 

  Huh?  "The extremely flexible yet easy to use 4-layer synthesizer 
  voices make it easy . . . ."

  E-Mu clealy refers to "4-layer synthesizer voices."  The gear has 4-
  layer presets.  [presets = voices]  Thus, in every introuduction of 
  every manual that has this line E-Mu is counting a 4-layer preset as 
  a 4-layer voice. 

  If other manufacturers also equate the number of layers with 
  polyphony (number of triggerable voices) without describing how the 
  architecture uses, reduces, chews ups, eats, robs, etc. 
  voices/polyphony, I would also claim they should improve their 
  manuals.

  8-)
  Steve



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