Roger Linn .... confirms he's still working on a new drum machine.

[Daags]

From recent Roger Linn newsletter I signed up to many moons ago....

Hello from Roger Linn--

Thank you for having signed up for my Drum Machines email list in past and sorry for the lack of news. Though I'm still working on a new drum machine, I'm writing to tell you about another instrument I've created called LinnStrument, which has interesting uses for beat makers.

He then goes on to talk about the LinnStrument, how he invented the note-repeat (roll) feature we know in drum machines, and how the pressure sensitivity in LinnStrument takes this further ... etc etc

All very well and good for LinnStrument people, but what tickled me was the confirmation that he's still working on that drum machine he started developing back when the DSI Tempest was the 'Boomchik' (Dave Smith & Roger Linn were to co-develop their own respective drum machines, starting with the Boomchik/Tempest)... and I reckon it validates my theory that the reason DSI so doggedly refuse(d) to allow user editing of Tempest samples is owing to the fact it would encroach on Roger Linn's (sampling) drum machine when it eventually comes out ... (the fact Roger is taking a lifetime to develop said drum machine notwithstanding)

Anyway, not much more to it than that, but nevertheless I am happy to receive the confirmation that he's still working on it even after all this time when it would have been easy to let the idea fade into distant memory if it were not something he was still working towards.

[bayouland]

Great news!

David

[sqigls]

Tempest thumbs up.JPG

...

[dark water]

Frankly anyone would be a fool to buy anything from Roger Linn after the way in which he completely screwed his software customers over and now refuses to communicate with them.

[pdxindy]

Frankly anyone would be a fool to buy anything from Roger Linn after the way in which he completely screwed his software customers over and now refuses to communicate with them.

I'm a happy fool then... cause the Linnstrument is freakin awesome! One of the best purchases I ever made which has opened up a whole new world of expressive playing. I'm gonna buy a second one just cause I like it so much!

[Stupid American Pig]

Maybe its just me, but for what a Roger Linn Drum machine will cost, you can get an electron octatrack mkii or 2 digitakts or possibly an analog rhythm and digitakt. I dont know that the value proposition is there...

[sqigls]

that's true, but the solid analog sounds from the Tempest are pretty awesome, and out of all the recent analog drum synth offerings, none of them really sound as good or are as flexible as the T.
horses for courses
i think a Tempest and an Octatrack would be a great team personally.
I'd like a digitakt too actually.

The Tempest is pretty awesome, and I'd like to own a Linnstrument too, but i can see how some people would be put off by the issues here and there. The journey with the Tempest has been quite frustrating at times, and I think every Tempest owner wishes for features that so easily could have been included, but it just sounds so good. Sucks that many features were omitted, and some of the onboard features are implemented poorly. It's just a matter of - it is what it is, an eternal love / hate relationship. All things considered, it's a solid drum machine that is also in fact a pretty versatile 6-voice analog poly-synth. Designed and built by old dudes

Not sure I'd buy the next one, but I'm sure Roger learned a shitload from doing the Tempest, and I'm keen to see the results. I'm sure he could design a nice digital drum synth / workstation type of thang. Don't skimp on the onboard EFFECTS next time eh!? MIDI delay, pffft.

[Daags]

Maybe its just me, but for what a Roger Linn Drum machine will cost, you can get an electron octatrack mkii or 2 digitakts or possibly an analog rhythm and digitakt. I dont know that the value proposition is there...

do you know something we don't ? how much will it cost ?

back when the DSI & Roger Linn drum machine pairing was first announced, the Roger Linn drum machine was pitched as the unit that was going to be considerably cheaper. Whether that still applies, who knows, but since you seem to think it's going to cost more than it's worth, well it's worth noting they happened to specifically state it would be a considerably cheap(er) than DSI's offering ... (which, granted, may or may not be saying much since the Tempest is a top-tier intstrument with a price to match, but worth noting the Tempest launched cheaper than it costs today)

I have 3 elektron drum machines myself, and they're not the final answer in drum machines. And if Elektron are going to keep making drum machines, and Akai are going to keep making drum machines, and whoever else is going to keep making drum machines, why on earth wouldn't we be optimistic about what Roger Linn will do with a 21st century drum machine ? The godfather himself ? If you need to be sold on the excitement it's probably 'just you' and a pointless endeavour to try and sway your interest from where it is currently. For the cost of a yadda yadda ... why stop there ... for the cost of an octatrack you can buy 10 volca samples ... these are asinine comparisons.

What he's achieved with the LinnStrument bodes well as far as his current day hardware chops.

And another thing about the pre-boomchik DSI & Roger Linn pairing announcement days, back when it was just concept art ... they were taking feature requests directly (for each machine), and the Tempest delivered a heaving chunk of those requests. That is also an exciting concept .... especially when you consider Elektron's piece-meal business model.

[stonestreet]

How recent is recent...I thought that the LinnStrument has been out quite a while.

[Daags]

How recent is recent...I thought that the LinnStrument has been out quite a while.

I guess you're refering to :

From recent Roger Linn newsletter I signed up to many moons ago....

Assuming you are, that's recent as in a couple of weeks ago ... the second week of September, 2017.


As I said in the OP, he used the email to talk about Note-repeat (Roll) in drum machines, how he invented it, and then went on to detail how the LinnStrument is taking the Note-repeat concept to new levels with three dimensions of expression ...and posted a few example videos. Possibly a stretch using the drum machine mailing list like this, but I don't mind ... the main thing I took from the email was confirmation he's still working on his drum machine ... after that piece of info, he's welcome to remind me about the LinnStrument and its uses for beats ...

here's some more of the newsletter:

Hello from Roger Linn--

Thank you for having signed up for my Drum Machines email list in past and sorry for the lack of news. Though I'm still working on a new drum machine, I'm writing to tell you about another instrument I've created called LinnStrument, which has interesting uses for beat makers.

LinnStrument is a large MIDI pad controller with either 200 or 128 finger-sized pads. But what makes it unique is that each of the pads sense three dimensions of finger movement:

1) Velocity and pressure

2) left/right finger position

3) forward/backward finger position

It's main use is for playing tuned notes as on a MIDI keyboard, but adding the ability to perform electronic sounds with the vibratos, bends and other expressive performance gestures of guitar, violin, sax and other acoustic instruments.

However, it turns out this same 3D expression is useful for making beats. You're probably aware of the Note Repeat feature on MPC, also called Roll on some drum machines, which I invented back in 1984 on my Linn 9000 before designing it into the MPC. When Note Repeat is on, varying the pad pressure produces repeated drum notes of varying loudness, for example making it easy to play natural-sounding hihat grooves. Well, LinnStrument does this same thing but expands it to 3D, sort of like Note Repeat on steroids. Here's a video of me playing beats live on LinnStrument with only one hand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHWrSs8o1V4