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

Hi,

I have been slowly building a studio for a while. Right now, I am 
realizing that I have some pieces that I don't use, and I would like 
to sell those and buy a nice all-in-one box. I have a very good pro 
sampler that I will be keeping so I do not need the box to sample.

I was at the store the other day and tested out the PX-7. I was VERY 
impressed by its sounds, and the amount of instant control one has 
over them. The pads also felt very nice. I liked it a lot. BUT, I am 
concerned with the screen size. Right now, I use a RM1x strictly as 
sequencer, and that has a nice size screen that allows you to see 
many parameters at once.

Anyway. I'd like to hear from folks out there that use the Command 
station, and have also used something else like the RM1x or RS7 
maybe. I'd like to hear your opinion on whether the small screen on 
the Emu limits you, and whether you like the Emu's sequencer and its 
power, ease of use, etc. I may still keep the RM1x as sequencer for 
a couple of thers boxes, but I do not want to buy the PX-7 unless I 
know its sequencer will match its sounds, and that the screen will 
not be a pain. Thank you in advance.

OK I use an RS7000 + an Emu MP-7 .
Yammie DAW, Micro Q ,MS2000R ,Elevata ,ER-1 ,K4R + K5R etc etc ...
All rack gear bar the Micro Q is driven of the MP-7 also .
So I'm probably in a good position to answer this one.
Both unit's are operationally quite different - I used to use an RM 
but upgraded to the RS which has far superior XOX modes etc than the 
RM.
IN use the sequencers do operate in radically different ways.
The screen size really isn't much of a hinderence either.
It takes a while to get used to a new method of sequencer operation 
but the sequencer can definately cut the mustard in an MP/XL/PX -7.
Things I still like on the RS/Yam sequencer is phrase/pattern style 
relationship and the fact that any track and any phrase can be any 
length from 1 bar to 256 bars at any time sig + the midi delays + 
play effects. The step sequencer is truly the shit bomb in the RS7K 
also .
That said the Emu's have some damn funky shuffle ,quantise and post 
sequencer note shifting functions.
XOX on the EMU is FAR superior to the RM1X (more on par with the 
RS7000 though).
The layout is fairly logical and easy to navigate.
The arps are absolute killer as are the triggers and midi routing 
options - the reverbs absolutely poo all over Yamaha's.
The synth engine is the dog's proverbials :P .
I use the MP-7 for all the back bone pattern seq work and the RS 
syncronised in linear song mode using samples only (with the odd 
internal voicing).
If you're doing straight dance stuff I don't feel you'd miss the RM1X 
all that much myself. I still prefer the Yammie for more IDM styled 
rythmic workouts simply because the XOX goes from 1/8 + triplets to 
1/128 + triplet divisions which give a lot of scope.
Although the EMU has a dead cool MPC style note repeat function per 
step which pretty much negates this and programming velocity etc per 
step is far more intuitive on the EMU.
The Emu's swing feels far more natural almost MPC like and can sound 
dead lazy in a funky kind of way .
The sequencer oddly enough also sounds less robotic and hard 
quantised than the RM (which is a good thing IMHO) ,it also holds 
it's own better in down beat and slow tempo compositions.
That said I could quite easily have gone from an RM to an Emu Command 
Station and skipped the RS7K altogther and still been perfectly happy 
with my purchase.
To me the EMU feels half way between an MPC2000XL and an RS7K/RM1X.
Which is pretty good territory to be in.
The design team have worked the OS2.0 out extremely well and the 
interface is exceptional intuitive (deceptively so considering the 
screen size).
What you will love is the non stop work flow , from step to realtime 
to replace to grid ,to overdub record to voice tweeks etc etc etc all 
this can be done without hitting STOP once (not an RM1X luxury) and 
can help you capture inspiration when it strikes you fast.
This is the BIG feather in the EMU cap to me.
The fluid workflow is spot on the money once you've sussed the 
machine layout and takes little more than a day or two to feel 
comfortable with.
Hope that helps you some.
Look at it his way if I could get an E6400 Ultra + RFX board I could 
happily live without the RS7000 and that in itself is saying a hell 
of a lot !!!!!!!!

I have been using the mp-7 with just a 16 mb of rom and I have sequenced 
several drum tracks and I have owned several sequencer and beat boxes and I 
too have been buildin a studio, but now that I have the mp-7 My entire setup 
will be sequenced by the mp7 even my software based sampler. I have never 
used the lcd screen on the mp-7 for sequencing instead I do almost 
everything in real time and sometimes I use the tr style 16 beat sequencer 
buttons for hip hop tracks. But if its song sequencing your concerened about 
thats another thing menu navigation on this thing is in my opinion not bad 
at all but it is one the only hard things there is to be coming acustomed to 
until you cane be subconciously doing what your conciously trying to do. but 
lets not forget the features of this machine are geared towards that of a 
sequencer first and then a synth so I think you should be somewhat happy by 
what the fine folks at emu have done for us.


>From: "_5ht" <_5ht@...>
>Reply-To: xl7@yahoogroups.com
>To: xl7@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [xl7] Screen size and sequencer
>Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2003 03:22:53 -0000
>
>Hi,
>
>I have been slowly building a studio for a while. Right now, I am
>realizing that I have some pieces that I don't use, and I would like
>to sell those and buy a nice all-in-one box. I have a very good pro
>sampler that I will be keeping so I do not need the box to sample.
>
>I was at the store the other day and tested out the PX-7. I was VERY
>impressed by its sounds, and the amount of instant control one has
>over them. The pads also felt very nice. I liked it a lot. BUT, I am
>concerned with the screen size. Right now, I use a RM1x strictly as
>sequencer, and that has a nice size screen that allows you to see
>many parameters at once.
>
>Anyway. I'd like to hear from folks out there that use the Command
>station, and have also used something else like the RM1x or RS7
>maybe. I'd like to hear your opinion on whether the small screen on
>the Emu limits you, and whether you like the Emu's sequencer and its
>power, ease of use, etc. I may still keep the RM1x as sequencer for
>a couple of thers boxes, but I do not want to buy the PX-7 unless I
>know its sequencer will match its sounds, and that the screen will
>not be a pain. Thank you in advance.
>

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I think that larger screens CAN be nice, but too often people think a 
piece of gear HAS to have this gigantic screen in order to function 
correctly and easily.  The Command Stations are so well organized IMO, 
that the screen rarely is needed for most operations once you get the hang 
of it.  When you do need to look at it, everything is laid out logically, 
and in most cases I can't see how a bigger screen would even help.  You 
may not see a lot of parameters at once, but it's very easy to navigate to 
the ones you want to see.

rEalm



I liked it a lot. BUT, I am concerned with the screen size. Right now, I 
use a RM1x strictly as sequencer, and that has a nice size screen that 
allows you to see many parameters at once.









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> When you do need to look at it, everything is laid out logically, 
> and in most cases I can't see how a bigger screen would even help.

The obvious exception is sound programming, for which there are no
actual controls. Certainly for the sequencer/pattern/song functions,
the small screen and dedicated controls are pretty much fine.

-- 

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