E-mu MP7 Command Station
The MP7 was E-mu's drum-and-bass oriented entry in the early-2000s Command Station line. It was a keyboardless groovebox that sat alongside its sibling, the more synth-focused XL-7. Sound on Sound (2001, p.89) introduced the pair with a wink at E-mu's SP1200 heritage and described the Command Stations as the company's bid to "funk you all over again."
The MP7 is built around a sample-based sound engine with 64-voice polyphony, 512 presets, and 64MB of ROM. The sequencer has 32 tracks, with patterns up to 32 bars, a 128-song song mode, and 256 patterns. You get 13 velocity-sensitive pads for triggering and 40 assignable knobs and buttons for tweaking. Sequencing works in real time or on a grid/step basis. Per voice, there are ADSR envelopes, two LFOs, and a choice of eight filter types. Effects come from four stereo processors.
Connectivity is generous for a groovebox: MIDI in/out/thru, two main outs plus eight individual outs, a stereo pair of inputs, a headphone output, and USB. Two expansion slots take E-mu's Proteus/Optical ROM boards, so the MP7 can draw on the same sound libraries as the Proteus 2000 and 2500 modules. The unit is 19 inches wide and rack-mountable, weighs 11 lbs, and has an LCD display.
One caveat. The MP7 shipped in both standard and "Turbo" configurations, and period sources don't always tell them apart. The Turbo upgrade doubled the ROM to 128MB and polyphony to 128 voices. That's usually the reason for conflicting specs on forums. The figures listed above are for the base unit.
Collector interest in the MP7 has held up reasonably well. Used units typically sell in the $300 - $600 range. The usual failure points are the main encoder (prone to wear), the internal memory-backup battery (an easy replacement), and occasionally the power supply.
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