Roger Linn Design

Big thumbs up.

Out of the box the Linnstrument with its various modes/layouts is very satisfying to play, and you will start developing your own technique quickly. Some virtual instruments/presets work well without any quantization, others will definitely benefit from it. I am treating this as a versatile instrument, where nuance can be expressed in various ways.

The Linnstrument also works great under Linux and Pipewire/Jack, along with the Reaper in my case. Vital and Surge XT are two great free synths with which to get started.

I also think there is a _lot_ of untapped potential with this controller, especially when you consider the well documented User Firmware Mode, which makes (as far as I can tell) all of the expected sensor data and the firmware's smarter-calculations available via normal MIDI.

I can imagine (and might even write) a program to support custom layouts with multiple Virtual MIDI port outputs, allowing a single Linnstrument to more easily control several instruments at once with custom routing and layouts that could be quickly switched between.

As always with MPE, it is a little frustrating to find good synths and presets, and it's even harder to find any pre-configured for the Linnstrument (specifically it's short MPE Slide, aka CC 74, aka the vertical motion within a single square). As a result, most MPE presets will require a little bit of tweaking. I look forward to a growing collection of Linnstrument-specific presets in the future.

Hardware-wise, it looks and feels great. The FAQ covers the most common hardware issues and how to fix them painlessly yourself. After watching Roger's disassembly video, I'm confident that I could self-repair most issues I'm likely to encounter in the coming years.

-- Rob T.

I've had my Linnstrument for about a week.

I've really enjoyed getting into it and learning to customize some settings, etc.

Here's my quick, initial response:

Great design, craftsmanship and overall layout. Roger's customer service is unprecedented.

I found it's been a great instrument to help push me into new directions, especially because I can't just rely on habits and chops.

The more challenging side is trying to learn and perform music I have already learned. Not so much because of the places my hands want to go by default, but primarily because the Linnstrument doesn't have physical references like a traditional music keyboard, and because the pads are quite small.

I've noticed that so far, I've never seen a video where the performer is just playing without looking at the instrument. On other instruments, I can quite easily play with my eyes closed. This controller requires more attention.

I'm not saying that as a negative, just an observation...

Will Chapman.