Is there a way to use linnstrument as a huge step sequencer?
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 55 posts since 21 Nov, 2006
Hello all, i`d like to know is there a way to program some stuff on reaktor f.example and use linnstrument as a graphical step sequencer. I`d like it to program with ability to switch between normal functioning and sequenser mode programmed with reaktor. Is it possible for now somehow?
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- KVRAF
- 25421 posts since 3 Feb, 2005 from in the wilds
That would be really handy... as well as working as a sequencer, would be great if Linnstrument could work as a clip launcher. Especially since Bitwig supports note expression, they could end up a great combination
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- KVRist
- 312 posts since 30 Jun, 2003
Can you use Midi note on messages to launch clips? I haven't checked in Live but I thought it was possible. If it is, well, there ya go! 
I was thinking it would be pretty cool to have Linnstrument in split mode...standard note-per-channel on the right side and row-per-channel on the left and then assign clips to the various notes/channels on the left. Maybe even just assign each row/channel to a different vsti. Something I need to play around with...
I was thinking it would be pretty cool to have Linnstrument in split mode...standard note-per-channel on the right side and row-per-channel on the left and then assign clips to the various notes/channels on the left. Maybe even just assign each row/channel to a different vsti. Something I need to play around with...
Dave
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- KVRAF
- 2490 posts since 8 Jun, 2010
- Roger Linn Design
If your external software (such as Reaktor) permits selecting or enabling/disabling sequencer steps by MIDI Note Numbers, then the Note On/Off messages that LinnStrument sends can be used for this.
To remove the duplication of MIDI note numbers from row to row on LinnStrument, you can set Row Offset to No Overlap. Then setting one split to 16 columns, for example, will give the lowest row note numbers 0-15, the 2nd row 16-31, the 3rd row 32-47, etc.
However, I suspect you're looking for a more complete solution that will light LinnStrument's lights to indicate the presence of a note on each step, plus animation when it plays. This would be more difficult, though the MIDI hooks do exist to permit implementing such a remote to your step sequencer by writing external software.
The reason we haven't created such a feature is that for many, it seems a waste of money to pay $1500 for a LinnStrument then use its expensive 3D-note pads as cheap on/off switches, especially considering that any cheap $200 grid on/off switch controller can what you want. That said, we're considering adding a simple step sequencer feature to LinnStrument in future that would compliment LinnStrument's real-time performance focus.
To remove the duplication of MIDI note numbers from row to row on LinnStrument, you can set Row Offset to No Overlap. Then setting one split to 16 columns, for example, will give the lowest row note numbers 0-15, the 2nd row 16-31, the 3rd row 32-47, etc.
However, I suspect you're looking for a more complete solution that will light LinnStrument's lights to indicate the presence of a note on each step, plus animation when it plays. This would be more difficult, though the MIDI hooks do exist to permit implementing such a remote to your step sequencer by writing external software.
The reason we haven't created such a feature is that for many, it seems a waste of money to pay $1500 for a LinnStrument then use its expensive 3D-note pads as cheap on/off switches, especially considering that any cheap $200 grid on/off switch controller can what you want. That said, we're considering adding a simple step sequencer feature to LinnStrument in future that would compliment LinnStrument's real-time performance focus.
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- KVRist
- 59 posts since 13 May, 2016
But once you have a LinnStrument, you don't want any more cheap $200 controllers in your setup! And also, there are only few such controllers that offer rows with more than 8 notes. To have a split mode between 16-column step sequencer rows and 9-column faders, for example, would be very useful.
Any chance we might see this in the next firmware?
Any chance we might see this in the next firmware?
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- KVRAF
- 2490 posts since 8 Jun, 2010
- Roger Linn Design
I must admit that the idea of using LinnStrument an an on/off switch controller is less interesting to me, given that I made it in order to rid the world of music made with in/off switches. But it's possible.
But it's possible.-
- KVRist
- 59 posts since 13 May, 2016
Well, of course it doesn't make use of MPE expression and a lot of great features of the LinnStrument. But using an organ sound without velocity sensitivity and X-axis pitch mode does neither, and it still plays great and can be used for complex music. The same goes for percussion.
For example, I was jamming with a bass player yesterday and controlled some African drum sounds with the arpeggiator. This ended up being a polyrhythmic adventure, because each time you add a note, this note also adds one more 8th or 16th to the measure. The bass player loved it, but sometimes you just want to play straight time signatures. It would just be easier to do that with an on/off grid mode. Which not necessarily means only 16 steps, but also odd meters, if you define the column number accordingly. Which other controller allows to do such things? I don't have to explain this to you, but I'm just imagining what one could do, maybe it's interesting to other people as well.
For example, I was jamming with a bass player yesterday and controlled some African drum sounds with the arpeggiator. This ended up being a polyrhythmic adventure, because each time you add a note, this note also adds one more 8th or 16th to the measure. The bass player loved it, but sometimes you just want to play straight time signatures. It would just be easier to do that with an on/off grid mode. Which not necessarily means only 16 steps, but also odd meters, if you define the column number accordingly. Which other controller allows to do such things? I don't have to explain this to you, but I'm just imagining what one could do, maybe it's interesting to other people as well.
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- KVRAF
- 2490 posts since 8 Jun, 2010
- Roger Linn Design
I have some ideas and we'll have something, but it's difficult to say what or when at this point.
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- KVRer
- 24 posts since 18 Aug, 2011
I do get Linn's argument that he wants this product to get people away from playing On/Off music, but anything that helps people motivate to buy a product like this, is a way to get them closer to playing MPE.
Even if one can complement the LinnStrument with a 200 dollar clip-launcher, those interested in both could see that 200 dollar they don't have to pay for a clip-launcher as a 200 dollar discount on the LinnStrument. I suspect that the quality feel of the Linnstrument, would be more like what you could expect from a 500+ dollar premium clip-launcher.
Also, with a Linninstrument in ones collections, those clip/steps that are launched may very well been created on a Linnstrument and have 2D or even 3D expression.
For people that do not already know how to play the keys, this could be a main-controller. And not needing to move the unit when switching between playing melodies and chords, and then producing, could be a nice thing (but strangely the industry seems a bit too focused on black and white keys, and don’t offer products like the Kontrol or the Advance in configuration without a key-bed, so often you have to pay in desk-space for a key-bed, even if you already have a great key-bed you might need to give up desk-space for an additional key-bed just to get the controller you need).
I do fully understand that Linn may not have the time needed to program it to work as a complex clip-launcher and complex step sequencer.
And the time needed may not equate to enough extra units sold to make up for the time spent on it. But who knows, there might be enough Hip-Hop/beat/EDM producers out there that think Linnstrument would be the coolest clip-launcher money could buy and make it trendy so that Linn could shift a lot of extra units.
I do think it's well specified as it is.
Sure, it's a lot of money for a relatively small feature set, but good instruments are generally quite expensive, and there is some tech inside that actually costs.
Initially a high price could be just the thing that makes sure that the actual buyers take their time to learn to play it, so it’s not just money down the drain.
Motivation to get people to actually learn it, could also be an argument for Linn not to turn it in to a sequencer/clip-launcher as well, because then there is a risk that buyers end up just using it that way, rather than investing the time to learn to play it, as soon as they realize that learning it will actually take some time.
But at its price, even if you can deduct a certain amount that you would have otherwise spent on a clip-launcher, it’s still a bit too expensive, to forget about the MPE and not try to get in to that.
It seems that Linn spent a lot of time thinking this one through. The layout, the functions.
(Perhaps there could have been at least one pianoish layout in there; with the same size of all keys, lit in two colors with keys outside of the current scale unlit, but with chromatic as default, so you start with all the “white” and “black” keys. A piano layout would not make it any less 3D capable, even though the layout would lack the improvements of the layout Linn chose)
(In my head I see three lines of “piano” keys, two pads high, with a single unlit row under the first row of keys and another unlit row of keys under the second line, in my head each line would start over at C, even if that wastes a key per line, but that way it could also in theory be used as a 3 x 25-key set-up sending to different midi channels)
I'm not sure I can motivate spending that much money in my current situation.
Or learn how to play it, but since I never properly learned to play the piano this would perhaps make more sense to me and my brain, who knows.
Even if one can complement the LinnStrument with a 200 dollar clip-launcher, those interested in both could see that 200 dollar they don't have to pay for a clip-launcher as a 200 dollar discount on the LinnStrument. I suspect that the quality feel of the Linnstrument, would be more like what you could expect from a 500+ dollar premium clip-launcher.
Also, with a Linninstrument in ones collections, those clip/steps that are launched may very well been created on a Linnstrument and have 2D or even 3D expression.
For people that do not already know how to play the keys, this could be a main-controller. And not needing to move the unit when switching between playing melodies and chords, and then producing, could be a nice thing (but strangely the industry seems a bit too focused on black and white keys, and don’t offer products like the Kontrol or the Advance in configuration without a key-bed, so often you have to pay in desk-space for a key-bed, even if you already have a great key-bed you might need to give up desk-space for an additional key-bed just to get the controller you need).
I do fully understand that Linn may not have the time needed to program it to work as a complex clip-launcher and complex step sequencer.
And the time needed may not equate to enough extra units sold to make up for the time spent on it. But who knows, there might be enough Hip-Hop/beat/EDM producers out there that think Linnstrument would be the coolest clip-launcher money could buy and make it trendy so that Linn could shift a lot of extra units.
I do think it's well specified as it is.
Sure, it's a lot of money for a relatively small feature set, but good instruments are generally quite expensive, and there is some tech inside that actually costs.
Initially a high price could be just the thing that makes sure that the actual buyers take their time to learn to play it, so it’s not just money down the drain.
Motivation to get people to actually learn it, could also be an argument for Linn not to turn it in to a sequencer/clip-launcher as well, because then there is a risk that buyers end up just using it that way, rather than investing the time to learn to play it, as soon as they realize that learning it will actually take some time.
But at its price, even if you can deduct a certain amount that you would have otherwise spent on a clip-launcher, it’s still a bit too expensive, to forget about the MPE and not try to get in to that.
It seems that Linn spent a lot of time thinking this one through. The layout, the functions.
(Perhaps there could have been at least one pianoish layout in there; with the same size of all keys, lit in two colors with keys outside of the current scale unlit, but with chromatic as default, so you start with all the “white” and “black” keys. A piano layout would not make it any less 3D capable, even though the layout would lack the improvements of the layout Linn chose)
(In my head I see three lines of “piano” keys, two pads high, with a single unlit row under the first row of keys and another unlit row of keys under the second line, in my head each line would start over at C, even if that wastes a key per line, but that way it could also in theory be used as a 3 x 25-key set-up sending to different midi channels)
I'm not sure I can motivate spending that much money in my current situation.
Or learn how to play it, but since I never properly learned to play the piano this would perhaps make more sense to me and my brain, who knows.
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- KVRAF
- 2490 posts since 8 Jun, 2010
- Roger Linn Design
Hi Jon,
I agree. We've currently working on a step sequencer for LinnStrument, which I think you'll like.
I agree. We've currently working on a step sequencer for LinnStrument, which I think you'll like.
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- KVRist
- 135 posts since 4 Apr, 2013
Jon, I've been there as well. Never learned the piano properly, never went deeper into music theory than theoretical level. It's the Linnstrument that finaly pushed me over that barrier that classical piano layout represents for some of us. Isomorphic layouts FTW! Add the expressivness and you'll fall in love with music like never before. (sorry, pure emotions hereJonHolstein wrote:I'm not sure I can motivate spending that much money in my current situation.
Or learn how to play it, but since I never properly learned to play the piano this would perhaps make more sense to me and my brain, who knows.
)Two months with LS and I learned and understood the stuff I was trying to crack for years.
That's great news!Roger_Linn wrote:Hi Jon,
I agree. We've currently working on a step sequencer for LinnStrument, which I think you'll like.
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- KVRAF
- 1551 posts since 2 Apr, 2015
Roger_Linn wrote:Hi Jon,
I agree. We've currently working on a step sequencer for LinnStrument, which I think you'll like.
Oooh.
Is it going to be implemented in the LS firmware or as an app running on a computer?
Bitwig, against the constitution.
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- KVRAF
- 2490 posts since 8 Jun, 2010
- Roger Linn Design
Yes, it will be in the firmware.
