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Latest News, Product Listings and Discussion for Roger Linn Design.

Products by Roger Linn Design

Latest reviews of Roger Linn Design products

LinnStrument

Reviewed By sirrmt [all]
July 9th, 2022
Version reviewed: 1.0 on Any OS

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.

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LinnStrument

Reviewed By arcane [all]
May 16th, 2017
Version reviewed: V2.10 on Any OS

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.

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Timeline of Latest Product Changes [view all]

Latest News from Roger Linn Design

Latest Videos from Roger Linn Design

Latest Forum Posts in the Roger Linn Design forum @ KVR

Surge XT MPE sound design tutorials
by shutterdownmax at 26 Mar 2024, 16:05
Weekly Jitsi Meet Video Conference
by FranklyFlawless at 26 Mar 2024, 11:59
Note On Pitch "yip" with quantize off
by FranklyFlawless at 26 Mar 2024, 03:14
Re: Configure Y-axis Range?
by drake-n at 25 Mar 2024, 16:21
List of MPE Hardware Controllers (and More)
by FranklyFlawless at 22 Mar 2024, 13:57
List of MPE Hardware Synthesizers
by FranklyFlawless at 22 Mar 2024, 05:01
LinnStrument Darker Mod
by FranklyFlawless at 21 Mar 2024, 23:24
New MPE synths...
by Tj Shredder at 20 Mar 2024, 23:39
Looking for a hardware synth
by FranklyFlawless at 14 Mar 2024, 17:30
LinnStrument community wiki
by FranklyFlawless at 5 Mar 2024, 04:13
Synthesia Light Guide for LinnStrument
by Fannon at 29 Feb 2024, 06:03
Linnstrument stopped working, no lights or power
by Roger_Linn at 28 Feb 2024, 03:28
A glitch in the Linnstrument? Help requested.
by John the Savage at 26 Feb 2024, 20:42
Web app to set and save LinnStrument colors
by FranklyFlawless at 24 Feb 2024, 01:04
Played mode SAME with splits
by Roger_Linn at 23 Feb 2024, 21:44
Programming Switch 1 & 2.
by Rune_7s at 23 Feb 2024, 21:22
dynamics
by Roger_Linn at 22 Feb 2024, 18:49