If anyone considers the EMU XL7 or MP7 a toy I have to wonder just what they are comparing it to. As far as being sample based, that is true however EMU's zplane filters and modultion options can make any of the samples unique, interesting, and very usable. It took me about 4 months of daily operation to get comfortable on the box because their are so many options. The sequencer is very usable, although not as user friendly as the RM1X. Emu is about to release a major OS upgrade which I am looking forward to - especially since recordable track mutes are supposed to be included! The effects section is usable for those that do not have good outboard effects gear (I personally use the ouputs as outputs for further processing). It has crashed on me twice in hundreds of hours of abuse. Once, it lost some patterns and once it lost all patterns and songs (shame on EMU as that should NEVER happen short of physical damage). Other than that it has been outstanding. Some minor complaints - I see no way to back up user arps which just sucks. BTW the arps are very flexible and you can many, many at a time. The real time controls are great - the track buttons work well but you have to be careful how you push them if you want them to engage/disengage :) Mine is loaded with the orginal MP7 rom, the custom proteus, and the world expedition soundset. If you want instant gratification - get the RM1X (although it has many drawbacks as well). If you want a decent sequencer with a mature and highly editable sound generation system get the MP7/XL7 (in hindsight, I probably should have purhased the XL7 as I am more into dance music than hip hop). If you have questions about the box before you buy, and you should go to emu's site and download the manual. Then go to the XL7 yahoo newsgroup (link available from emu's site in the XL7/MP7 section). Some of their techs hang out in the newsgroup and are very helpful. Getting through to them on the phone is a different story. Email support turn around takes about a week - which is enitrely unacceptable. The box, however, rocks.

Remines me of the studio 440 of old ease to use with the ability to create of the fly with no brakes in your creative flow switch from mode to mode without stopping the sequence. anyone rating this low hasn't givin in a chance, mpc feel and more and function of the studio 440 a dream come true and less i forget sounds. and if you have external gear like a triton and i do samplings not an issue. Great Job EMU Peace

I bought the unit brand new after playing with it in the store a few times. I have owned several other rythem machines, but I became bored with those almost right away, as well as frustrated. The soundz on these are fat, fat, fat, as you might hear from the website. I suggest you listen to plethora of demo's befor you buy to see if it fits your style of music. I will certainly enjoy this after dealing the Rolands and the Yamahas of this world.

'nuff said. This has got to be the best piece of gear that I have owned. The only thing I would do different is make this a Keyboard version, with sequencer, the MK-7 does not have a sequencer, and almost forgot, a sampler built in would have been awesome, but you can't expect everything. Ease of use, blows away the MC-909 as far as ease of use.

Saw "The Rizza" the producer of the Wu Tang Clan with it in magazine. Went and test drove it and was blown away. I was only using my trusty ASR-10 and was afraid to try and unit that wasn't a keyboard. I am very happy with this unit and I sold tracks "for hip hop CD's" the first week I had it. Don't let the "playful look" fool you....

I was surprised to see negative comments referring to this as a toy for the amatuers, I believe you need to spend some time with this machine rather than just playing with it at the store to get the full spectrum of what this box can do. Although I don't have any idea of what gear these other people are working with. I think the sounds overall are amazing. There are always some cheese included with every module I've used. The Brass could be better. As far as this box not being able to cut CD quality tones and beats, I disagree. I would never recommend limiting yourself to only using the one piece of gear for all of your sounds, but It can definetly be used for a good foundation.

Features run DEEP, Tones are pure Professional.
Not like the Yamaha RMX-1 which is kind of a toy and which was impossible to program. The EMU stuff is top notch top quality and EASY TO USE!
I am a producer/songrwriter and do nearly all of my work in the studio. This unit was designed for both studio and live work though maybe primarily for live.
It has 6 outs!! That is Pro.
I would buy it again if it were stolen.

Feature:
i love the sixteen level and pan knobs feature which lets me instantly change volumes and pans without complicated menu scrolling.

Quality:
I've had mine for three years and the play and a couple of mute buttons are worn a little and takes a some pressing.

Value:
I defenitly think mine was worth the $500 I payedfor it.

Desirability:
I'm acctually about to sell mine and get a motif es6 keyboard. I mean i like it but it does not fit in my setup.

Sound:
The sound of the mp-7 are good. They definently fit my music style which is hip-hop and r&b. i use it in the studio with the mpc and the micro korg. In the studio it is a beast with 6 outputs it handle and stituation.

Ease of Use:
The interface gives you instant access to internal sounds. I did find modifying sounds a bit complicated.

Support:
I cant get any support from e-mu for my product.

Overall:
Like I said I'm about get rid of mine. But I do love the sounds.

The EMU MP7 , inspiring sound and features, well build and very handy for live situations. I like it!!!

Feature:
It came with software but it would be a bonus if it had sampling so you can just blow your mind with your own sounds.

Quality:
It is built very well and has become a favorite in my studio. It is not too heavy but weighted enough to let you know you're dealing with a real tool not a toy. The cosmetics are not exactly for me with the purple and lilac colors but it gets the job done.

Value:
When I purchased mines the price dropped after 3 months of me learning it.

Desirability:
The aesthetics is good but the color was just not my thing but it would work if it was only 3 colors and perhaps masculine colors or what not an option in color schemes?

Sound:
I am impressed with the sound of this instrument and I especially enjoy the fact that it is user-friendly. It may sound contradictory but it is as difficult as you want it to be but also you can get great sound if you were to use it for the first time. The versatility of this product is great . The only thing that I could possibly suggest to make it better is to add some type of loadable media for extra sounds but that would be long after you have exhausted your millions of options already offered when you consider that you can alter the sounds. Sampling capability would probably be a nice extra too.

Support:
I have not needed any support for this product so my score is neutral.

Overall:
I am totally satisfied with my purchase of this item and my only complaint is that I wish it had more memory but isn't that the complaint with everyone who creates music daily?