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

I've been following the release of the XL-7 with
considerable interest, since I'm very frustrated by
the flaws of other hardware sequencers and it looked
like the XL-7 might finally get it right. The dual
MIDI outs, the array of realtime controls, and the
excellent implementation of grid record mode are all
very attractive. But I'm concerned by a glaring
omission in the XL-7's feature set, namely that there
is no way to perform random-access pattern switches.
The MC-505, RM1x, and Electribes all have the ability
to jump to a pattern by pressing one of 16 assignable
buttons, so it's surprising that the XL-7 doesn't do
this. Dialing from pattern to pattern is fine if
you're working at home, but I don't consider it an
acceptable way to switch patterns while playing live
and I doubt very much that I'm the only one.  

Perhaps it's too late to incorporate this into the
design, but it would be nice if for example you could
hold PATTERN and press one of the trigger keys to
queue up the next pattern (and, say, SONG EDIT and a
trigger key to switch sets of pattern assignments). If
this isn't possible then is there any way to select
patterns remotely, via sysex or program changes? I
could live with this, since I could then build my own
pattern selector with Max or my PC-1600, but the sysex
specification doesn't appear to be on the website.

There are some other things that would be welcome
additions - groove quantize, some way to skip over
empty notes in grid edit, blinking mutes to show track
content, mute groups, etc. (and I can't tell if it's
possible to playback sysex), but direct pattern
selection is a dealbreaker - without it the XL-7,
attractive as it is, is useless to me. I'm encouraged
to see that E-mu is accepting input from users
(something that I think plays a big part in the
success of the European synth manufacturers) and have
already improved the original product with bug fixes
and interface improvements - so is there any chance
this feature will turn up in a future OS update?

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I must heartily SECOND this notion!

I am a newcomer to the world of synths and MIDI - a studio 
owner/engineer who is interested in a MIDI sequencer to begin 
writing and composition.  I love the portability aspect of the XL-7, 
and the feature set really encompasses a good deal of what I 
need.

However, with just a few hours logged on competitive 
sequencer/workstations, I immediately bonded with the idea of 
random access pattern switching as an ability to experiment in 
real time with song arranging.  Seems invaluable to me, 
especially in the world of  dance/electronic music these 
machines are targeted at.

If someone from E-Mu could chime in, I would be much obliged,  
as the holidays are coming and I am in the market for an item 
such as the XL-7, but this particular feature is essential to me. 


Thanks for a great product nonetheless! 



--- In xl7@y..., Robert Tygers <robotchas@y...> wrote:
> I've been following the release of the XL-7 with
> considerable interest, since I'm very frustrated by
> the flaws of other hardware sequencers and it looked
> like the XL-7 might finally get it right. The dual
> MIDI outs, the array of realtime controls, and the
> excellent implementation of grid record mode are all
> very attractive. But I'm concerned by a glaring
> omission in the XL-7's feature set, namely that there
> is no way to perform random-access pattern switches.
> The MC-505, RM1x, and Electribes all have the ability
> to jump to a pattern by pressing one of 16 assignable
> buttons, so it's surprising that the XL-7 doesn't do
> this. Dialing from pattern to pattern is fine if
> you're working at home, but I don't consider it an
> acceptable way to switch patterns while playing live
> and I doubt very much that I'm the only one.  
> 
> Perhaps it's too late to incorporate this into the
> design, but it would be nice if for example you could
> hold PATTERN and press one of the trigger keys to
> queue up the next pattern (and, say, SONG EDIT and a
> trigger key to switch sets of pattern assignments). If
> this isn't possible then is there any way to select
> patterns remotely, via sysex or program changes? I
> could live with this, since I could then build my own
> pattern selector with Max or my PC-1600, but the sysex
> specification doesn't appear to be on the website.
> 
> There are some other things that would be welcome
> additions - groove quantize, some way to skip over
> empty notes in grid edit, blinking mutes to show track
> content, mute groups, etc. (and I can't tell if it's
> possible to playback sysex), but direct pattern
> selection is a dealbreaker - without it the XL-7,
> attractive as it is, is useless to me. I'm encouraged
> to see that E-mu is accepting input from users
> (something that I think plays a big part in the
> success of the European synth manufacturers) and have
> already improved the original product with bug fixes
> and interface improvements - so is there any chance
> this feature will turn up in a future OS update?
> 
> 
__________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Send your FREE holiday greetings online!
> http://greetings.yahoo.com