Saturday Synth Porn: Pioneering electronic instrument designer Roger Linn this week released a collection of renderings for instrument designs that never made it into production.
Above, Linn’s LinnDrum controller - a drum-oriented control surface for use with computers.
While these designs, for various reasons, never made it into production, Linn’s rejected designs manage to be cooler than most gear that actually does make it into production.
Below, the LinnDrum controller built into a Windows-based computer system:
Next up is Linn’s design for a Modular Control Surface. Modules could be mixed and matched and rearranged to create your ultimate MIDI controller:
Linn also created designs for a Modular Guitar Amp & Effects System. The system would have been made up of:
- a tabletop effects processor;
- a floorboard effects processor and
- a portable integrated guitar amplifier.
The MetroGnome is a lost drum machine design:
Finally, here’s an early design for his LinnStrument control surface:
Did some of Linn’s ‘lost’ gear designs deserve to make it into production? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!
LINNSTRUMENT.
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absolutely, I really hope that linstrument, which still is in the works, will not turn into vaporware
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All please.
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My thoughts too!
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So did Nukai jack the idea of the touch sliders from the Linn Drum controller? I wish RL would make a new Sampler/Midi Production Center with 4×4 Pad setup and integrate the synth engine of the Tempest.
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did he send these on to livid, perchance?
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i really liked the linstrument. too bad apple bought the tech and did nothing with it
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what do you mean apple bought it? any proof or source where you get this information? cheers
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Actually, Amazon has lots of patents on that technology. Roger Linn even published an open letter to Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon) asking his permission to get some parts for the LinnStrument. It’s somewhere on Roger’s site. (rogerlinndesign.com)
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It wasn’t Apple. It was Amazon. http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/03/amazon-buys-touchscreen-startup-touchco-merging-with-kindle-div/
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Linnstrument is my vote. Looks a bit like the eigenharp, but unique, I’m sure.
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All of the above.
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Sick ass beautiful looking controllers
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The metrognome seemed very compelling to me.
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Definitely the MetroGnome…
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I think there would be room for an ipad drum controller by Linn
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Modular Control Surface looks like something I’ve been asking a company to make for years now. Hopefully this makes it into full production, as we need a better way to build our own MIDI controllers.
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