| LinnDrum | |
|---|---|
 Front panel | |
| Manufacturer | Linn Electronics |
| Dates | 1982–1985 |
| Price | US$2,995 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | polyphonic 12 voices |
| Timbrality | multitimbral 15 parts |
| Synthesis type | 8-bitdigital samples, 28–35 kHz |
| Storage memory | 56 user patterns, 42 preset drum patterns, 49 songs |
| Effects | Individual level and pan for all sounds, tuning for snare, tom and conga only |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 15 hard plastic "pads" |
| External control | DIN sync (pre-MIDI), third-partyMIDI Retrofit Kit, trigger inputs x5 |
TheLinnDrum, often erroneously referred to as theLM-2,[1] is adrum machine manufactured byLinn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold.[2][3]
The LinnDrum was designed by the American engineerRoger Linn.[4] It was cheaper and more widely produced than his first drum machine, theLinn LM-1, which was affordable only to wealthy musicians and studios.[4][5]
The LinnDrum sold far more units than the Linn LM-1 and its successor, theLinn 9000, combined.[3] It was used by artists and producers includingTrevor Horn,[6]Mark Knopfler,Naked Eyes,Stock Aitken Waterman,[7]Sandy Vee,[8]Justin Hayward,[9] andMichael Jackson.[10] When Linn Electronics closed in 1986,Forat Electronics purchased its assets and offered service, sounds, and modifications for the LinnDrum.[11][12]
The models also had some teething issues, but those were addressed with two revisions of the LM-1, before a cheaper successor, the LinnDrum – not the LM-2, as it is commonly mis-titled – was introduced in 1982.