E-MU XL-7 Loop Noodle (Synthesis on a groove box ?)

[@RedMeansRecording]

this is a beautiful demo and i don't need one i dont need one but i want one

[@100ThingsIDo]

Hey there Jeremy! Everyone should have at least one E-MU Rompler. If you see one for a good price... do it!... they are a lot of fun and sound very different to most other kit with the unique filter types :D

[@Netm8kr]

100 Things I Do Is it bad that I own almost all of them??? I just need to collect the Morpheus, and Ultra Proteus. I have all the ROMs otherwise. It’s been called the #EMUseum Good video for sure. ✌🏾👍🏾

[@audiolego]

@@100ThingsIDo I have the Proteus 1 and 1 sampler the E6400 ultra emulator sampler. No filters on Proteus 1 but good

[@ugustrnar]

man this sounds beautiful coming from a rompler.

[@DaveDaves]

Wow! I'd stupidly ignored this video in search results because the yellow color = techno soundset, and while I adore much electronic music I really despise overly-brash, boring, super-agressive synthy sounds with no expression; this video is quite the opposite, you took just the simple sine wave and were so incredibly expressive with it! I owned the EMU PK-6, PX-7, and Proteus /1, I'm genuinely surprised to hear this come out of the XL-7! I am planning to buy one of the Emulator IV series samplers just to get those Z-plane filters which were my favorite aspect of the proteus 2k-family type units I had and maybe my favorite digital resonant filters ever. But you show how much you can do synthesis-wise with just the samples in the EMU ROMs, yeah totally nobody would think you could 'do virtual analog' without it being advertised as such but you demonstrate that it has a nice character when working that way. When those units came out and I bought them and sold them several years after I was way too young to know that most ROMplers don't have nearly that depth of programming, and they usually never have filters you WANT to employ!

[@aramis844]

this sounds great. no matter what they say

[@100ThingsIDo]

Its a little mad to use the sequencer but does sound amazing :D

[@aramis844]

@@100ThingsIDoI believe that, can just hook it to a modern sequencer like digitakt, mpc, or ableton and you got fantastic desktop synth

[@worldofmuu]

I have one on the way along with a PHATT rom. Pretty excited

[@100ThingsIDo]

Super dope box man! hope you enjoy :D

[@RaquelFoster]

Damn I didn't realize it was so big LOL. I never need to see another person jamming with an Elektron box. I've seen plenty of that. But this thing is awesome.

[@100ThingsIDo]

Thanks, indeed its a fun box just to play around with :D

[@brokemanmusic2587]

Amazing

[@100ThingsIDo]

Thanks man :D

[@MrSwisstoful]

Very nice mate

[@100ThingsIDo]

Thanks Antzzz Pantzz :D

[@proutkipu8157]

i need this now!

[@100ThingsIDo]

Yeh , its a nice box indeed even though the sequencer is a little wonkey :D

[@JasonOzolins]

Great vibe, and a nifty demo of the gear! Many thanks :^)

[@100ThingsIDo]

Thanks Jason! Good little box that one :D

[@chenguefer156]

E-MU instruments from 1996 to 2001 had a lot of potential (E-Mu ULtra, Orbit 9090, Planet Phatt, Ultra, Proteus, Vingage Keys, MO Phatt, Xtreme), I can not understand why they don't suceed.

[@100ThingsIDo]

They were doing OK but both E-MU and Ensoniq were the victims of corporate takeover by Creative Inc. Creative Inc. took the IP and decided they did not want to be part of the instrument business. This is of course a very simple rendition of what happened :D

[@reviewerman9786]

I really dislike corporate takeovers where they just wreck or ignore the business acquired.

[@TheMrFraud]

@@reviewerman9786 Capitalism...

[@goddem123]

⁠@@100ThingsIDo Creative acquired E-mu in 1993.

[@SenorTropiCat]

@@TheMrFraud E-Mu itself was a product of capitalism. Or did you see great synth-successes in the 80s from the communist side of the iron curtain? Blaming capitalism for everything is boring

[@MIDERA]

Welcome to my most despised groovebox. Lol. Good work on it. Sounds great, but I always really hated mine!

[@100ThingsIDo]

Why do you hate it so much ?

[@MIDERA]

I wish I'd actually see these notifications! I hated it because: 1) The grid record mode (i.e., XoX) had the worst implementation of all grooveboxes I used (Perhaps because it was first and foremost supposed to be a workstation - not a groovebox I suppose). If your pattern is 16 steps, it works fine, because all steps are represented, but when you have longer sequences (or, even worse, increase the resolution, so each step is 1/32nd note or 1/64th note) the current 'view' would shift to the next 16 steps. Basically, you couldn't actually place the notes because it would move on, you'd have to wait until the sequence came back around, if you were lucky enough to be able to place the note that time around. You could slow it down, perhaps, or use the newest firmware to request it to repeat those 16 steps that you were on, but listening to the pattern within those 16 steps was awful. Most every other groovebox/sequencer works by allowing you to stay on the 16 steps, but would continue to play beyond them, so you just hear what you add afterwards. 2) Patches could not be saved per pattern. I want everything to be stored in a simple way - within patterns. So that when I load a pattern, my sounds would be there. Most grooveboxes (excluding the MC series beyond the MC-303) also worked this way. I can't stand it. I get that it's trying to separate the synthesizer part from the sequencer part - but I expect it in a groovebox (elektron does things differently though, where you save 'kits', but you don't have to save the sequence, it does it automatically, so it doesn't bother me the same way). 3) I found notes getting cut off way before I used all of the voices possible - I feel like FX really ate up more polyphony than you'd think. 4) Maneuvering in the voice editing area was awful. I didn't like how it was laid out or implemented. I also didn't like the 16 knobs on the left - they didn't seem to edit what they said they were meant to edit. Maybe I could have fixed this - I don't know. Needless to say, I had expectations that this would be good, but it was my least favorite. That said, it had really good preset sounds in there, and if you could get over the requirement that each patch needed to be saved separately, never had patterns longer than 1-bar 16 steps, or just recorded those in live-mode, not in grid mode, then I think it's a very capable groovebox.

[@100ThingsIDo]

Thanks for the response. Its good to see you used it enough to fully understand the limitations not just got a bout of G.A.S. and moved on :D

[@SeenfromSpace]

I guess it was pretty much a Proteus engine with a sequencer bolted on. Not really a mature groovebox, nor like my Analog 4 which saves kits and patterns together like you say. I used ROMplers (deep programming monsters!!) and hardware sequencers a lot in the 90s, and this seems like all that massive functionality but far more portable and tweakable. I think this is a great ambient demo.

[@woabeatz9717]

Use external sequencing...solved

[@geecen]

If they had made an emulator 4 version with the sequencer it would have been a stone cold classic.

[@100ThingsIDo]

Yeh, I think from memory at the time the Ensoniq and E-mu lines were getting combined. Ensoniq had the ASR line of samplers and E-mu did the rompler stuff. I hear the ASR boxes are plagued by poor firmware but I have never had access to one to see for myself :D

[@DaveDaves]

TOTALLY. No question about it. Or even if they'd rigged up some kind of device to put in the ROM slot that housed a CF or SD (or even SMC) reader.

[@markbruggeman274]

Can you use the USB port for sequencing MIDI?

[@MrPiha]

I have one of these complex boxes

[@MrPiha]

as the manual says, you can do anything

[@100ThingsIDo]

Its very good for quite unique sounds. The most important part for me is a very different filters. There are only so many SEM and Ladder filter clones you need :D

[@JeremiahTrue]

I got the RM1x and always wanted to pick one of these up as well. The prices are down to where I could now and not hurt too much for it. I love the sounds this has in it. The RM1x was a decent sequencer but the synths weren't very strong.

[@100ThingsIDo]

If you can afford one for sure get it. The sounds are very unique and you can do some pretty amazing things with it. Unfortunately the sequencer could of done with a few more revisions but still a very nice instrument :D

[@panacea.palace]

I love this patch so much!! Are softer, more organic sounds like this common on the Emu? I'm looking for a unique synth that excels in that realm and this vid makes the XL-7 seem promising

[@6581punk]

It was pretty annoying back then. RM1x = great screen, keys and sequencer, weak sounds and editing. Roland MC-505 = great sounds, less octaves than RM1x, smaller screen. Seems EMU's command station had a lot going for it. Powerful sound engine, good sequencer and controls. Just a shame there's not more octaves or a bigger screen.

[@midinerd]

fuckin sweet man

[@callactm14]

Your music is better than any aphex

[@100ThingsIDo]

Thanks Calla, thats a big call :D New release available soon! :D

[@kuggn]

hello dear, i have to solve a problem with a xl7. my question is: what do the box without all eproms. i have a xl-7 whithout all inlays, the box goin on , all led´s lightning, but no other funktions. is thith normal? is all what i need eproms ? -or is anykind defect ? spend i time and bugs in the yellow-submarine-contoller or is toolate? german regarts

[@100ThingsIDo]

Without the sound rom's unfortunately it won't make any sound! They look like PC memory like close to a PC14900 module if thats any help! :D

[@kuggn]

@@100ThingsIDo , ok, i can understand thith. no rom´s no sound. but all led´s and the display is lightning. you think its normal when all rom´s out? one rom - 150dollars is expensive for just a test. which specialist could help me there?

[@bryantwalley]

@@kuggn Find someone with a command station or a rack module and test it out.

[@gaarakabuto1]

Just because i am confused, didn't Emu made a rompler/groovebox version of some rack modulars? If i recall correctly the MP-7 had sounds from mo phatt,planet phatt and stuff like that.Or do i have messed things up?

[@100ThingsIDo]

They had the MP-7 which was more aimed at Hiphop artists and the XL-7 for the Eletronica artists. It seems its just the ROM voice boards inside that they changed so you could run either sound sets (or both) inside the box! :D

[@gaarakabuto1]

@@100ThingsIDo Yeah but most of the sounds of the command station are coming from rack machines of E-mu or did they had original sounds too?

[@bryantwalley]

@@gaarakabuto1 The roms that came in the command stations have an extra bank in them

[@mikebloom4796]

Hi, thanks for the video. been working on incorporating this into my live performance set up, and this is exactly how i want to use it, any way i cna message you? would love to pick your brain quick, having some trouble working this out... Thanks!

[@100ThingsIDo]

Sure Mike, if you go into the main 100thingsido youtube page kzbin.info and then click About you can get my email address :D I'm by no means even proficient on the XL-7 but happy to try and help :D

[@robsinHL]

If nothing more than a midi controller / scratch pad as he used it here to build the song... dump the midi into DAW if nothing else.

[@elcasho]

Different looking unit. Where's the Loon? :P

[@100ThingsIDo]

Only you can play the Loon :D

[@elliotramsay1]

How much do these sell for second hand?

[@100ThingsIDo]

I think i paid around $400usd for this about 2 years ago! I don't think prices have changed much but always beware that the EMU sound modules inside also need to be included in the sale. They look like PC ram sticks and many have been swapped for other sounds over the years

[@elliotramsay1]

@@100ThingsIDo thanks mate

[@2f126]

hey! i'm after one of these... if you're selling... i wanna buy!

[@100ThingsIDo]

Hey thanks but nope! Keeping mine :D

[@2f126]

@@100ThingsIDo don't blame you! wicked machine

[@raycastillo6446]

Can be used with a synth?

[@100ThingsIDo]

a keyboard ? Yes it has midi ports also! :D

[@raycastillo6446]

@@100ThingsIDo 👍👍thanks!

[@danizm78]

hey Mike do you have a facebook page?

[@100ThingsIDo]

Only a personal one at the moment. I should really create a group or page for 100thingsIdo! I have also been thinking about maybe setting up Discord :D

[@danizm78]

cool! where in australia are you?

[@100ThingsIDo]

Based in Melbourne :D Yourself ?

[@danizm78]

brisbane mate, i have a few old romplers etc, the creamware minimax, e-mu proteus, planet phatt, mo phatt, and ensoniq mr rack, and the new mpc x :)

[@TheRealDirtySkillz]

@@100ThingsIDo they sold these in Australia. That's cool. Let me know im in sydney.

[@robsinHL]

I have one that I have in storage if someone is looking one. It's perfectly new for a 20 year old machine.

[@100ThingsIDo]

Depending on where you are in the world Jeremy @ RedMeansRecording was potentially looking for one a while back, not sure if he's still looking or now!

[@johnb2044]

Rob do you still have it? or has it moved on? John

[@reviewerman9786]

Embrace the clip, it’s part of the modern music landscape.

[@100ThingsIDo]

One of the few ways to get paid these days :D

[@MIDERA]

@@100ThingsIDo When I was listening again (a friend sent me this clip), I wasn't watching, just listening. I heard the 'clipping' and was like, "Oh I like that..." and tabbed back and saw you complaining of clipping. I thought it sounded good in there!

[@bringlightothedark]

you are wrong, this has not the same filters as the morpheus.

[@100ThingsIDo]

My understanding is it shares some of the same Z-Plane filters ? Not all .. but some ?

[@bringlightothedark]

@@100ThingsIDo the z planes on the morpheus are 3D on the Command Station only 2D

[@jameshamilton5849]

@@100ThingsIDo Here are the details of exactly how the filters differ from the Morpheus to the P2000 series: www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/1041307-e-mu-sound-modules-z-plane-filters-presets.html#post11453454. Basically 14 pole vs 12 pole, 3 control points vs 2. It's all in the thread.

[@CanadianAidan85]

Didn't the Proteus 2500 use the Z-plane 3D?