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| LinnDrum Midistudio | |
|---|---|
 LinnDrum Midistudio integrated digitaldrum machine and MIDI keyboard recorder. | |
| Manufacturer | Linn Electronics |
| Dates | 1986 |
| Price | US $5,990 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | Polyphonic 13 voices |
| Timbrality | Multitimbral 16 voices |
| Synthesis type | 8 bitDigital Samples / 10 kHz - 50kHz |
| Storage memory | 50 Drum Sequences, 50MIDI Sequences - 10,490 notes |
| Effects | Individual level, pan, tuning for all sounds |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 16 large (1.25 inch square)velocity andpressure sensitive rubber pads |
| External control | MIDI In/Out/Thru, Foot Switch x2, Foot Controller x1 (hi-hat), Sync Tone In/Out, trigger outputs x2, trigger inputs x16 |
TheLinnDrum Midistudio (also known as theMidistudio) was going to be anelectronic musical instrument produced byLinn Electronics as the successor to the ill-fatedLinn 9000, which was an integrated digitalsamplingdrum machine andMIDIsequencer. The Midistudio is essentially a rack-mount version of theLinn 9000 with some improvements.[1] It was revealed at the 1986 WinterNAMM Show in January[2] for a list price of $5,990.[1] However, it never went into production becauseLinn Electronics went out of business in February 1986.[3]
One prototype is in existence and was placed up for auction in 2008.[4][5]
The LinnDrum Midistudio and theLinnSequencer used the same flawed operating system used in the ill-fatedLinn 9000,[6] released in 1984. Chronic software bugs[7][8] led to a reputation for unreliability and contributed to the eventual demise ofLinn Electronics.[9][10]
The similarities between the LinnDrum Midistudio and theAkai MPC series, starting with theAkai MPC60, leads many to perceive afamily resemblance.[11][12][13] From a strictly chronological standpoint, the LinnDrum Midistudio did come after theLinn 9000 and before theAkai MPC60 and might well be called a step in the evolution of theMusic Production Controllers of today.
At the time of writing (2015), many products, mostly software, bear the name "Midistudio". But in 1986, the LinnDrum Midistudio was, perhaps, one of the first to brandish that moniker.
The LinnDrum Midistudio has sixteen 8-bit 10 kHz ~ 50 kHz digitally sampled drum sounds: bass, snare, cross stick, hihat, two crash symbols, two ride symbols, four toms, cabasa, tambourine, cowbell and clap. The Midistudio has virtuallyall the same features as the Linn 9000. Also, many optional9000 features (like digitalsampling capability and a floppy disk drive) are standard on the Midistudio.[1]
Both machines have large (1.25-inch-square)velocity- andpressure-sensitive rubber performance pads. But the9000 has 18 pads in a three-high by six-wide pattern, where the Midistudio has 16 pads in the distinctive, four-by-four pattern, that would become the hallmark of theAkai MPC series ofMusic Production Centers, starting with theAkai MPC60.
The Midistudio has some improvements, including asampling rate of 10 kHz - 50 kHz (the9000 is 11 kHz - 37 kHz) and (optionally) 16 trigger inputs (6 standard, optionally 12 maximum on the9000).
The most distinctive difference between the machines is that the Midistudio has a rack-mountable chassis with a separate "lap pad" control panel that doubles as a protective cover for front panel in the rack-mount unit. The9000 is a more traditional, one-piecedrum machine chassis. They both feature an onboard mixer section providing real-time control over volume and pan. On the Midistudio, the sliders are in the rack, whereas on the9000, they are on the one-piece, conventionaldrum machine control panel.
