Roger Linn gives a close-up demo of LinnStrument, to benefit those who are interested in it but don't have an opportunity to play one before buying, To learn more about LinnStrument, visit rogerlinndesign.com.
Thanks for all for your very kind comments. To learn that an instrument I’ve made has brought a little musical joy into people’s lives is the best part of what I do.
Looks like you got all the right bits from current midi tech out there. If the functionality and how it integrates with software is solid then it’ll be another iconic digital instrument.
That's actually amazing you say you test each linnstrument yourself! That means every owner can say that thier unit was personally touched and played by its inventor (and a legend)! Incredible! 👍✌️
I purchased a LinnStrument 2 years ago and it changed my life. I've been a guitarist for 25 years, but I've always enjoyed synths and electronic sounds. Until my purchase, I had always considered the 2 worlds to be separate. But this instrument allows me to translate my guitar playing skills seamlessly into the electronic/synth world. I play the LinnStrument in an unusual upright position, resting on my chest while seated. This allows me to use my left hand for lead playing (because of my guitar background, the guitar fingerings will be the same this way), and my right hand for bass parts. My hands come over the playing surface from both sides, and it allows the fingerings to be the same in both hands. I am currently trying to design a custom stand so that I can rest the Linnstrument on it instead of my body. I am proud to say that the Linnstrument is now my main instrument over the guitar! I get the polyphonic capability of a keyboard instrument, the expressive versatility of a guitar, and the sonic diversity of a synth, all rolled into one. This is truly the instrument of the future!
I've just received my Linnstrument 128 and I'm over the moon with it. The build quality is fantastic. The thing that got me was just how smooth the note surface is. It's like playing silk. Your fingers glide so effortlessly over the top. I was a Bass player for many years until my shoulder was permanently dislocated 17 years ago. This Linnstrument has now got me back playing again. So happy with it. Roger, you are a genius, my friend.
That's awesome to hear! I love hearing stories like this. It's great when a different medium let's people overcome their injuries. How have you found the proprioception of this device though? That's one thing... With a keyboard or guitar you can blindfold yourself and feel exactly where it is. But how about this? Surely that would impact how good you could get with it? Especially for complex and fast chords Also, how do you have it hooked up? I don't really wanna go down a software rabbit hole, mostly just want plug and play so I can focus on practice ya know?
Love to see that you're still innovating. Thank you for your contribution to music and technology - your work has enabled so much musical expression that has redefined musical possibilities. Without you so much iconic music wouldn't exist. We are better for you and your work.
Thanks again for all the kind comments! But I’m wondering why this video has gotten 54,000 views so far, while my videos normally get around 5k views. I can’t find many big press stories about it. I’m curious- how did you learn about it and what made this video more interesting to you than my others?
It's simply the whims of the youtube algorithm, Roger. Sometimes the multitudes of variables feeding it converge with the viewing habits of the teeming masses and a video you never expected makes it big.
I searched 'linnstrument' on youtube after I was recommended a video of someone improvising on one! Even just the first second and first note I heard had piqued my interest ❤
I'm amazed and instantly intrigued by this new musical instrument, this video I've stumbled on is the first time I've heard of a "linnstrument" which is strange as I'm a multi instrumentalist and I've always gravitated toward things that are unconventional or a but avant garde...that said, I'm like most artists who do it for purely creative intentions...broke and in poverty....I would imagine this beautifully crafted piece of equipment is as expensive as it is boutique....but alas I will attempt to look for any deals wherever used ones might be available right now....these should be more popular! This is the first viable new option for instruments of the future since the theremin or the keytar!
Hi Roger, I‘ve been playing mine for many years now (going on 8) and it’s the only music thing I never even considered selling despite major financial troubles. It’s really beautiful the kind of intimacy I developed with it throughout the years and the versatility I found designing sounds for it (I even used it as a lighting or combined sound/light controller). I‘m forever grateful to you for bringing this into my life :)
I've had mine for around 18 months. It's revolutionary. Can't see life without it. Can't remember life before it. Been learning as many MPE synths as I can afford, differences, similarities, the limitations, or lack of limitations, each synth presents. I firmly believe that Linnstrument is a new way of creative expression, that which we musicians dreamed of but never realized.
You have given so much to the world Roger I often remember my early beginning with the MPC and am so thankful for the opportunity to work on such an innovative machine for its time. This Linnstrument is just simply beautiful Perhaps one day our future producers will look back with the same admiration and respect for this wonderful tool
This instrument is beautiful, but I want to thank Mr. Linn for creating the MPC 60, I bought it as soon as it came out and it was my main tool of work and joy for 14 years. Thank you genius.
I can vouch for the quality of the Linnstrument. It’s one of the best made things I own, musical instrument or otherwise. One of the best things is that it’s been designed to be easily and practically serviced, like a traditional acoustic instrument, so I consider it a lifetime purchase. It is not a replacement for a piano keyboard - it’s a whole new interface and it encourages different styles of playing and different musical ideas accordingly. If I had to get rid of all my instruments but one, this is the one I’d keep. Roger, thanks for literally opening up a whole world of musical inspiration.
This is amazing! Glad to see one of the greatest of all time still doing things only befitting of the greatest! This is a beautiful instrument. Never stop doing what you love!
I had the distinction of having interviewed with Mr. Linn many years ago. I also had the pleasure of being told by Tom Oberheim, with some humor, that he had trouble “keeping these guys busy” as it was, never mind interviewing with him. Aerospace was king back then and engineering positions paid about 1/3 less than audio/music companies, and I had been poor for too many years while getting my EE. So my fate was sealed, but I stayed in the field I loved by writing and publishing an electronic music book and a bunch of magazine articles. And I’ve always wondered what life what had been like if I had stayed with music/sound/audio companies. It is a pleasure to see Roger still very much active and still innovating. The LinnStrument is currently beyond my means, and I kick myself for not getting my YT channel going so I might ask for a review loaner, but I can see the industry will eventually take this route as witnessed by the Exquis instrument gaining a bit of traction. So bravo Mr Linn!
How awesome to live in a time where the inventor of a major new musical instrument can demonstrate it to a planetwide audience. So thank you Roger Linn. And thank you guys who invented RU-vid.
Thank you so much, Roger! For not only creating a unique and expressive instrument, but taking the time to give us a detailed walk through of the experience.
I recently watched an interview with guitarist Mike Campbell, who wrote Boys of Summer when Roger Linn was a roommate of a friend of his - using the prototype drum machine for the drums on that song. I always wished I could have visited that home workshop, I love those kinds of spaces. It's wonderful to see your creative mind still at work, Mr. Linn.
...the legend himself introduces his controller. Thanks Roger for all you have done, and do, for us music and midi enthusiasts. My love of midi grows as my own knowledge of it grows. It is brilliant technology. Not sure how i missed this tech, but the Linnstrument peaks my interest. And your attention to pad sensitivity, and the overall touch of the playing surface is remarkable. The best (perc) pad controller i have ever used is the Korg PadKontrol (suberb expressiveness). Your surface has a similar look, and the response to the slightest contact is, again, remarkable. Dynamics in midi musical construction is generally overlooked, i think. The midi universe still largely awaits its explorers imho. You have created a worthy vessel. Expression is at the core. The investment looks worthy. The 128 model would be enough for me. Thanks again.
Great expressive MPE midi controller! Excellent customer support, intelligent software design, and fantastic build quality. I highly recommend this product!
I played my Linnsturment again today at a weekly improv music session, continuing to be impressed by the brilliance of the design and ease of playing it. It was a special joy to introduce a young friend to the Linnstrument by letting them sit down and perform on it for a while (with some Ableton Live patches). Though they have little formal music training, they were instantly able to make interesting note patterns and chords and blend into the mix. Over the past year, I've found the logical, isomorphic note layout and tactile consistency have let me rapidly expand my performance proficiency and create interesting, coherent music more easily and quickly than any of the many instruments I have tinkered with or seriously tried to learn.
If anyone would like to learn more about LinnStrument, please visit rogerlinndesign.com. Or you’re welcome to ask me directly in my monthly “All Things LinnStrument” zoom call, which is this morning (March 5, 2024) at 10 am California time: www.rogerlinndesign.com/support/zoom-call
The best description of this fantastic instrument’s top quality production had to come from its creator himself. Roger you are a genius and your work betters human kind.
I heartily recommend Linnstrument. I tried and liked fifths tuning better than the default fourths (I'm not a guitarist). It's a matter of taste, but the resulting chord shapes are more comfortable for me. I also created my own lighting scheme that lets me more easily see the major, minor, pentatonic, and blues scales. The configurability of Linnstrument is unmatched!
FYI, I offer a 20% for musicians with a physical disability that impedes their ability to play a musical instrument. On my web site, click the Where To Buy menu > Discounts.
From engineering for, and playing with, Leon Russell… to creating the first commercially viable drum machine (and way more)… you have made an indelible mark on the music world and creation of music. I once worked with Roger Nichols who told me that you both took a machine code programming course together… both for the purpose of creating a drum machine. My hat is off to you!
I’ve never heard of this instrument, but delighted to find this video. I don’t know if I’m ever gonna buy but: what a great instrument and what a GREAT video!! So peaceful, inspiring it got my attention till the end. Also the assurance of quality is so good, I hope more companies will follow. All the best Roger Linn company
Wonderful demo. Thank You 🙏. Reference for people who aren’t cross referencing: this is a device from the company that made the Linn Drum. Currently the biggest example of the Linn Drum I know is Phil Collins’ drums at the beginning of “Mama” by Genesis. Major rock bands and Rock Stars have trusted this company and their equipment for over 35 years. 🙏🙏🙏 ~ stefan
Samples from the Linn Drum and LM, and MPC swing, are 2 of the iconic sounds you hear in pop and hip-hop from that era. There isn't such a monoculture now, so I doubt the Linnstrument can make as much of an impact. But yeah, this designer knows what he's doing - so much cleverness went into the Linnstrument, clearly. There are other small companies making some similar things, but nothing just like it. I talk to people who are into MPE instruments and controllers, and I never hear complaints about bugs or something not working, or any fatal gotchas, with the Linnstrument. That's not always the case with the less mature products out there. For people who are guitar players first, it seems to be a more intuitive note layout than a typical keyboard, because the default layout is like a fretboard in standard tuning. For microtonal accuracy, a hex controller like Lumatone probably is more suitable. For polyphonic sliding around in multiple dimensions (pitch, timbre and volume simultaneously) I think the Continuum is best. However, the hex controllers tend to sacrifice some expressivity, and it's hard to make wide, in-tune chords on the Continuum, especially with faster rhythm. That's my impression.
I implied it, but I should spell it out - AFAIK, the designer of the Linnstrument is the guy who came up with the first implementation for adding swing to drum machines. That's why I mentioned the iconic MPC swing - he's the one who designed that, which is pretty cool.
@@GizzyDillespee Thank you. My invention of Swing (which I called “Shuffle”) on my first drum machine in 1979 was a result of having worked in my late teens for the musician Leon Russell, who taught me that different drummers use different degrees of swing timing instead of strictly even 16ths of triplet swing 16ths. So when I was designing that drum machine in the late 70s, it dawned on me that I could permit the selection of any degree of swing merely by delaying the odd-numbered 16ths in software. Together with my invention of timing quantization (which I called Timing Correct), this made it fairly easy for musicians to create drumbeats that came very close to the desired human feel.
Absolutely undeniable quality and ingenuity! I'm blown away by this, honestly. Really goes to show what sort of innovation is possible in a world where so many brands are cutting corners on innovation and quality. Thank you for your continued passion and ingenuity!
A remarkable device and very well conceived and executed. It’s important to add new voices to the existing sound library and here you have a perfect example. Well done - good job !
Great to hear about LinnStrument again! It affords an evocative, immediate, and intuitive experience, plus all its other features you don't highlight here e.g., a sequencer for both splits. Mine is still going strong, and the build quality is exceptional.
Wonderful to see this. I JUST spoke about your instrument one day ago ! Such a wonderful device, such a lovely man too ! Lovely to see you again Roger, we met at the last Synthplex.
It is amazing, you have designed a midi marvel. It is so expressive it even can rival the real instrument. I would hope it helps disabled people to play at a very high level as well.
Thank you for your kind words. LinnStrument is helpful to disabled musicians because of its highly efficient use of finger gestures. In fact, the UK’s One Handed Musical Instrument Trust gave it their “Best Playable Instrument” award. To make it easier, I offer a 20% discount for musicians with a physical disability that significantly impedes their ability to play a traditional musical instrument.
Hmm pretty cool, but I worry that the poly finish on the cherry will strangle the tone.. sorry haha just some guitar snob humor. I've been eying one of these for years, and I need to pull the trigger. Thanks for the great demo and all the contributions you've made to music!
"Isomorphic keyboard": THIS is really the future. II wish the big piano companies and keyboard manufacturers would have the courage to start making a keyboard where each key is the same size, so that only TWO fingerings are used for all the scales instead of TWELVE different ones... I wish someone had that kind of courage. There's an excellent article on the internet detailing the history of the keyboard (what we know today wasn't always the norm!): type in "symmetrical keyboard" or "revolution of the new keyboard", and you'll see what I mean. Thank you, Mr Linn!
Thanks! Actually, only one fingering is required on LinnStrument for any given chord or scale. The Whole Tone Piano (black, white, black, white, all the way up and down the keyboard) is an example of a pitch arrangement that requires 2 fingerings.
Great video Roger. Thanks for still working on the future of music. I am sure that I would have bought a LinnStrument, if I hadn’t been working on my own isomorphic Janko style universal keyboard adapter project for the last few years. And I am still tempted! 😁
Thank-you for this. I have just had the experience of buying a piece of musical equipment online that I was very disappointed with in person. Two minutes in a hands on store would have shown me what I needed to know. Despite watching many videos none were informative in the way yours is. I've often considered the LinnStrument but not having a firm idea of the playing experience has been a reason for doubt. This video goes a long way in helping remedy that.
I bought a Linnstrument 128 used (in min condition) last summer. It's been my main controller since then even though I sometimes use my Nord Stage 3 when a regular keyboard is just better suited. I just love this fabulous instrument that you have made. You have a big legacy already, mr Linn, but sometimes I really wish that this instruments usage would explode and alot more synth players would find it. And sometimes I wish I stay among the "few" that gets to experience this to feel a bit more special! ;-) Anyway, thanks for bringing us the Linnstrument! ❤
I ❤ my LinnStrument! There are a lot of selling points for me that made it a must-have, but programmability of the playing surface sold me. I play a lot of micro-tonal music, so the ability to reconfigure the lights to make custom scales and octaves was a real game changer for me.
Wonderful demo video, Mr. Linn! Such a cool thing to see your innovative contributions to electronic music continue to this day! I hope I can add one to my arsenal soon!
I love mine! When paired with an expressive MPE capable synth, it's a wonderful, hugely expressive interface. I got the big one but I think the smaller one would have been just fine.
I’d read on the website that it’s in fourths like a bass, so I already kinda knew. But actually _seeing,_ in video, a scale fingering I would know in my sleep across a surface that large made me go Oh. Oh.
