E-mu MP-7 Command Station

Price Paid: US $650

Ease of Use: 10
1.32, I guess I am waiting for 2.0... PHATT sounds!!! As easy as turning a knob... You may not need one... Big, but use the PDF, it makes for easy searching.

Features: 10
Lots of features, and expandable... still trying to figure things out, I like how portable this thing is. If it ran on batteries, that would make it PHATTER... for real... I can't believe this thing has pressure sensitive keys. It also has a 32track sequencer, and can control the internal and external modules... as the above statement says, Very Easy to use... I can make this thing sound like almost any of the other E-mu sound modules out there. It will take up to 3 more expansion modules.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
WOW!!! PHATT... nice warm sounds... go listen to it, don't take my word for it... effects processor is pretty good.

Reliability: 10
so far so good... I have taken it to 6 different places, and it fires up every time...

Customer Support: 6
Called E-mu up, no toll free number, so it gets a low score here, but they did help me out...

Overall Rating: 10
I would definitely replace it, and this would be the center of music production.

Submitted by DJ_vgrep at 03/21/2003 22:09

Price Paid: US $1000

Ease of Use: 8
I'm currently using version 1.32, but EMU promised to release a much-improved version 2.0 sometime in early 2003. Users are eagerly waiting. Not that the current one is buggy, but the EMU people, wehich are very active in the user forums btw, said there are a number of improvements to be made in the sequencer.

The MP-7 should not be difficult to learn if you have any experience with synths/drum machines. But reading the huge manual helps A LOT. BTW it's not that clear, though it still is a lot better than the ones translated from Japanese. Anyway, take your time. There's a lot you can do only tweaking the knobs on the panel, but there's much more under the hood.

The sounds are good. Some of them are very good, some a very thin. For a hip hop/rnb machine I was expecting some more beefy drum sounds. If you layer them they might get a little better. But don't expect sp1200 crunchy drum hits from it. There are a lot of bass and synth sounds and endless editing possibilities. I've owned it for five months now and only now I am starting to master the sound creation possibilities.

Features: 7
Polyphony is 128, should be more than enough (if not, hire an orchestra).
Effects are a minus. There are only two of them aboard, and to my ears they sound way too digital. There's no expansion here, so the only good news here is that you can use three sub outs to route your sounds to external processors.

Preset/wise, it does take expansion cards, but they are expensive. I've purchased Techno Synth. Some of the sounds are the same, but in general both cards (mp-7's own and techno synth) go along very well.

MIDI is prety good, though there are some complicated workarounds to be learned when controlling external gear. I've never used an MPC, but they say in this department the akai wins hands down. Still, I control a couple of synths from the MP7 and it's been fine so far. Those 16 knobs are sweet both for hardware and softsynths. To the best of my knowledge, timing is tight on the sequencer, provided you stick to some rules: the most reliable channels timing-wise are the lower numbered ones.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 8
The sounds are good. Compare to other grooveboxes, they are awesome. Compared to analog/virtual analog/fm synths they are not so good. And, as I said, the drum sounds disappointed me. Anyway, what do you expect for a machine in this price range. And then, remember you have almost endless editing/modulations possibilities. Take your time to learn how to program this thing. It's worth it.

For playing drums / percussion the pads are good, if a bit small. There are 8 response curves, but I really couldn't tell the difference among some of them. Maybe it's my playing (or my ears).
For playing chords they are not ideal. Get a cheap midi controller and you're set.

Reliability: 10
It looks and feel very solid. The knobs and the pads can take a beating.. BUT the value dial can't. Many people complain that the dial gets erratic after some time. Mine hasn't -- and I hope it doesn't, as the closest technical support is thousands of miles away. :)
I any case, be gentle with your dial.

I'd use it on a gig without backup, no problem. Mine never crashed.

Customer Support: 8
Never had to contact the customer support, but as I said, EMU people take part on the mailing lists and are very receptive to suggestions and forthcoming when users have doubts. That was a big surprise to me. They seem to be nice people.
Upgrading the OS is a breeze.

Overall Rating: 8
It's a nive piece of gear. I use it with an MS2000r and an SP505. I think I'd get another one, as I can't bear sitting in front of a PC to do music.

Submitted by Sergio at 01/20/2003 11:53

Price Paid: US $1000 new

Ease of Use: 10
The MP-7 is very easy to use.
Editing patches is also where the power of the Proteus 2500 engine comes to life. The patching possibilities are endless, reminds me of an Oberheim Matrix-12 for it's flexibility. The coolest programming feature is the Random Patch Generation!!
Manual is very clear.

Features: 10
The MP-7 has 128 voice polyphony and is built like a tank!
The 40 assignable knobs and buttons are very durable.It can really take a beating on stage, like the MPC's.
Expandibility is huge on the MP-7. I added the excellent BeatGarden ROM and Techno ROM. Great sounds!

I also added the 32meg FLASHRAM to it. This allowed me to take 32 megs of my own stereo drum samples from my Emu e-6400 Ultra and use them in my MP-7. So I can have all of my own drums and sounds in the MP-7.

Having the e-6400 sampling hardware in an MP-7 would of been great though... perhaps in the future? the E-Mu SP-2400???

The Real-time/Grid/Step sequencer is as easy to program as a TR-909 or DMX. Speaking of Sequencing, the timing of the sequencer surpasses the MPC2000xl/MPC60.
Has Groove/Swing Quantize too. You have 32 internal midi channels and 32 external midi channels. So 64 channels in all, within the 1 sequencer, which is great.
It has 6 outputs and a Spdif out too...

Expressiveness/Sounds: 8
Sounds for the stock MP-7 model are ok.
But once you add in the expansion cards, it really shines!
Great sounding synth!! It has 50 different!! 6/12th pole Filters!
With the Techno/BeatGarden ROMS... this box can easily do Down-Tempo, Hip-Hop, RnB, Techno and more...

Once you add in your own samples, it becomes even better!, via the FlashRAM and E-mu Samplers.

The 13 velocity-sensitive pads with aftertouch are excellent. Same as the MPC's.
Oh yeah, it has 16 syncable arpeggiators too...

Reliability: 10
100% reliable hardware. The software is also rock solid, version 1.31.

Customer Support: 9
friendly fast detailed response

Overall Rating: 10
If it was stolen, I'd buy another for sure!
I sold my MPC 2000xl becuase the MP-7 gave me everything my MPC had, in conjunction with my Emu e-6400 sampler!
No need for an MPC...

There is no other box out there that gives me the flexibility to compose music as fast the the MP-7. Having a 3rd midi OUT would of been nice though...

Submitted by Anonymous at 10/22/2002 13:16

Price Paid: 1400 euro

Ease of Use: 8
I find the presets sound great (must say I work in combination with the proteus sounds built into the MP-7). Editing patches is very easy, especially the filtering with all those controller knobs.The manual is quite clear, of course you need creativity to use what is explained in the manual

Features: 8
128 note polyphony. I'm very satisfied with the keyboard actions, enough possibilties. Also there's enough room for expansion, 4 expansion slots. Though the expansions are quite expensive, I believe emu's sounds are of quality. The onboard sequencer is easy to use. Though I still prefer sequencing in Cubase, just gives more options and control.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
the instruments are very realistic. Combining the MP-7 sounds and the proteus, you can make some great hiphop/RnB music. I like the effects to, some of them give a special touch especially on the beats

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 8
I would buy it again if my house were to be burnt down. I paid a lot, but in europe instruments are more expensive then in US anyways.

Submitted by Anonymous at 10/21/2002 02:26

Price Paid: US $600 used

Ease of Use: 10
Don't be fooled. This is a PRO instrument. Learning to use it can be difficult. But once you figure out how to get around on it, it's powerful features will dust any "groovebox" toy on the market. The preset editing is phenominal!

Features: 9
128 Polyphany never get's overrun. The built in effects are nice, but i did hope to see compressors. The sounds are good, but I would like to see more/better drum kits. It's MIDI capability is awesome. I've noticed a slight lag sometimes, but it's very tiny. The Sequencer is nice too, but there are some more features i would like to see. Word from EMU is that they are going to update the OS soon

Expressiveness/Sounds: 8
Sounds in it are ok. As far as building your own presets/sounds, this is what I bought the machine for overall. The capability is great. My only complaint is the drum sets. they are good, but there needs to be more variety...

Reliability: 10
Very reliable...

Customer Support: 10
Excellent

Overall Rating: 9
THIS IS A PRO UNIT, NOT A TOY.

Submitted by David DeciBel at 10/15/2002 12:44

Price Paid: US $800 used

Ease of Use: 8
Easy to use? Not really. I'm on version 1.31 of this box, and it's very powerful, but there is a lot to learn. Once you learn it, moving around is quite easy

Features: 8
So many features to mention. There are a lot of really creative ideas in this machine. The ability to expand sequences is very powerful. The ability to sequence up to 64 MIDI channels is AMAZING (throw away those mmt-8's) - The sequencer is pretty nice, though there are some features i hope they add. The "pads" are a bit tricky to figure out, but they do help in drumming as you can kind of "hit them" instead of "play them) Even for scaling, its' pretty easy to use. I haven't used the MID import function yet, but Its a great idea. I do wish the USB port doubled as a midi port so I wouldn'thave to use up a port to sequence with... ah well...
In song mode, you can't mute tracks in the middle of a pattern. Which is slightly annoying. You do however have 2 tracks to play with for solos, fills, and all sorts of other goodies....

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
The pure phat rom is cool, but there really just aren't enough sounds in it in my opinion. This may be just for my case. The drums are kind of thin.... But thats why they offer expansion slots, right?

Reliability: 10
seems pretty stable, though i'd heat to see the thing over heat.

Customer Support: 10
Great!

Overall Rating: 9
overal this unit is awesome. it's a pro piece and can replace a lot in a person's studio. The FX leave a little bit to be desired, but they're alright. There are some routing issues that i'd like to take up with emu as well.

Submitted by david jones at 07/24/2002 07:34

Price Paid: US $1299

Ease of Use: 9
MP-7 is a blast to use. The only real annoying thing is when you are working on a pattern in the sequencer, you MUST save it all the time. Because if you don't, you can accidentally lose all your changes if you switch patterns. Which in the heat of creativity can happen.

Overall I think there are TOO many features and you can easily get overwhelmed by them.
The only real qualm i have is that it is heavy and is uncomfortable to hold in your lab! LOL

Features: 10
As above, there is a huge list of features. The best are the built in keyboard/drum pads. Very espressive, too bad they dont have two octaves!
There is a s/pdif out that is great. I plug mine into my ezbus and get great sound, with no noise.
The fact that you can easily grab a knob and edit almost anything is spectacular.
Another great feature is the expandibility. You can stick in ROM boards and double the sounds. I added the XL board and it rocks.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
the sounds are great right out of the box. They are aimed at the R&B or hiphop makret. Overall they are fantastic. They are easy to manipulate and by using categories, easy to find.

Reliability: 8
So far great

Customer Support: N/A
Not dealt with them

Overall Rating: 9
I have this with along with a LOT of stuff and it is great. It's as easy as fruity loops for laying down quick tracks.

Submitted by Anonymous at 07/04/2002 12:49

Price Paid: US $999

Ease of Use: 9
OS Version 1.31 (came with 1.17 I think). I have only had the MP7 for a few days and so far it seems very easy to use. Other sequencers I have used - Logic, Fruity Loops, Cakewalk. While Logic is way more configurable the MP7 gives me what I need in a sequencer wihout the hassle of using a computer. The manual seems ok so far, but their are many addendums due to the OS upgrades. If you know how to use other sequencers and want to check it out, play with it in a music store for a bit. I was amazed at the simplicity of the system. I cannot compare it to the RM1X as I have not used it however, it sounds much better than the RM1X and the current $999 price tag (as opposed to the $500 - $600 tag on the RM1X) is justified.

Features: 10
128 note polyphony, 32 midi channels, 2 midi outs and 1 in, ability to store 16 channels per track, 3 free emu sound rom slots (current rebate for a free rom!), 6 analog outs and digital out, 2 pedal jacks, USB (I have not used USB yet), records CC data easily, sends knob CC data to other midi gear, arps galore, knobs galore, filters galore, effects, too much to mention...read the manual online at emu.com - The price vs feature raio is excellent.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
The Mo Phatt soundset contains mostly persussion sounds and these are excellent. Some of the voice samples suck and the sounds were not designed to accurately represent real instruments however with the extensive sound molding capabilities in this box you get out what you put in. I use this box with a sampler, a Yamaha DX200, and a Korg EA1, mixers and effects. Adding other cards will help greatly of course I am adding the free composer rom and the world expedition rom.
For hip hop/rap the Mo Phatt sounds are excellent compared to other things I have heard and the rating I give is based on what they were designed for. I am currently using the MP7 with a sampler, DX200, EA-1, and guitar and bass. It is quickly replacing the software sequencers I use.

Reliability: N/A
I have not owned the MP7 long enough to have an opinion on the reliability. It feels solid though.

Customer Support: N/A
I have not dealt with customer service and hopefully I will never have the need to call.

Overall Rating: 10
It is well worth the price. If I had known the MP7 was as versatile as it is I would have bought it previously for a much higher price. Right now, I would buy it again if it was lost or stolen.

Submitted by Cris at 05/04/2002 15:18

Price Paid: US $999.99

Ease of Use: 7
Took me a little longer than the MC-505 to learn but the sounds and features dust it....a more sophisticated piece of gear.

Not for children.

Features: 8
No other groovebox can touch it......all those arpegiators and filters?!?!....not to mention the fresh sounds!

Sampling expansion way to pricey:(

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
Wicked sounds.
Very cool for liveness now that the initial sequencer bug is fixed in the new OS....you can trigger on and off 16 arpeggiators!!
Effects so so.

Reliability: 6
Still noticing minor bugs in 1.18 OS but when they get it together completely I'll probably have to start sleeping with it.

Physically solid as a tank.

Customer Support: 7
Support is good.........everyone in QA (Quality Assurance) should be fired however....big time.....all the inital bugs.....absolutely inexcusable.

Course I never experienced the sequencer bug because the first thing I did was check for updates.

Overall Rating: 9
When a solid OS comes out I'm gonna take the thing to Vegas and marry it.

Submitted by Bobby LeMat at 01/03/2002 01:43

Price Paid: US $1000.00

Ease of Use: 9
Ultra intuitive..Instant satisfaction within minute out of the box.

The thing about this unit is that it is so deep in its features. The stuff on the surface is just mind blowing and that will sedate you for a long time.
I have been using this for almost a month now and have decided to post a review.
The manual is very thick, but intuitive, easy to read.
Presets are very informative in showing the dynamic range of this machine.

Features: 9
This is basically a 16 track sequencer with proteus sounds. Amazing drum tones and bass tones.
The 'key' tones are limited but you can get several beautiful 24 bit rom cards of most any sounds you want.
All of the typical midi capabilities plus WAY more midi flexiblities in it's routing functions.
Touch sensitive,
Massive filters, and surprisingly tranparent 24bit effects.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
I was searching for a cool sequencer and had just returned the Yamaha RMx-1 because it was such a pain to program and because the sounds were terrible (which seems to be the consensus)
The MP-7 sounds sold me on it in seconds. Pure, clean, polished and very professional. It makes the RMX-1 sound like a toy. Of course you pay for it.

Reliability: 9
Hard to say, only had it for a month but it is built well. Big rubber pads, typical of EMU. Nice products.

Customer Support: N/A
N/A haven't need it yet.

Overall Rating: 9
Well it replaced all of my drum machines, instantly.
I would indeed buy it again if I lost it or it was stolen, It has literally changed the way I produce.It has made my life in the studio absolutely awesome.
I think I only hate is the fact that it is purple and seemingly aimed towards a hip-hop 'crowd' in its design.
It is a major step up from anything in it's class.
If it had sampling it would be the end-all.
I don't do hip-hop but love the tones

Submitted by Anonymous at 12/04/2001 11:34