| Linn 9000 | |
|---|---|
 Linn 9000 integrated digital drum machine and MIDI keyboard recorder. | |
| Manufacturer | Linn Electronics |
| Dates | 1984-1986 |
| Price | $5,000 US ($7,000 fully expanded) |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | polyphonic 13 voices |
| Timbrality | multitimbral 18 voices |
| Synthesis type | 8 bit Digital Samples / 11 kHz - 37kHz |
| Storage memory | 100 Drum Sequences, 100 MIDI Sequences - 10,490 notes |
| Effects | Individual level, pan, tuning for all sounds |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 18 large (1.25 inch square) velocity and pressure sensitive rubber pads |
| External control | MIDI In, out and thru, Foot Switch x2, Foot Controller x1 (hi-hat), Sync Tone In/Out, trigger outputs x2, trigger inputs x6 |
The Linn 9000 is an electronic musical instrument manufactured by Linn Electronics as the successor to the LinnDrum. It was introduced in 1984 at a list price of $5,000, ($7,000 fully expanded) and about 1,100 units were produced.[1]
It combined MIDI sequencing and audio sampling (optional) with a set of 18 velocity and pressure sensitive performance pads, to produce an instrument optimized for use as a drum machine. It featured programmable hi-hat decay, 18 digital drum sounds, a mixer section, 18 individual 1/4" outputs, an LCD display, 6 external trigger inputs and an internal floppy disk drive (optional).[2] Despite possessing innovative and groundbreaking features[3] and influencing many future drum machine designs,[4] chronic software bugs[5][6] led to a reputation for unreliability, and ultimately contributed to the eventual demise of Linn Electronics.[7][8]
The Linn 9000 was used on many recordings throughout the 1980s, including international hits such as Stacey Q's "Two of Hearts", Divine's "You Think You're a Man", "Give It Up", "I'm So Beautiful", "Show Me Around" and "T Shirts and Tight Blue Jeans" and Rick Astley's "Together Forever". Michael Lloyd also used in videos from the hit children's video series Kidsongs in 1986 and 1987.
The Linn 9000 would get a new lease on life when Forat Music and Electronics purchased Linn's remaining assets,[9] fixed all of the bugs,[10] added new features[11] and dubbed it the Forat F9000.
- ^ "Past Products Museum". Roger Linn Design.
- ^ "Specifications". Total Trash. The Linn 9000 Home Page.
- ^ "...the Linn 9000 remains one of the true innovative designs of it's [sic] decade". Total Trash. The Linn 9000 Home Page.
- ^ "Brothers, Sisters, and Cousins: Similar Drum Machines". Total Trash. The Linn 9000 Home Page.
- ^ "...but bugged by many OS troubles and technical issues". Polynominal.
- ^ "...it was plagued with operating system bugs..." Total Trash. The Linn 9000 Home Page.
- ^ Linn, Roger. "What Happened to The Linn 9000". Bobby Nathan's Keyboard Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
What happened? We simply ran out of money and were unable to get more. Why? There were a number of reasons. The 9000 had technical problems early on and was expensive to re-engineer, manufacturer and service; we had strong competition; we had no investment financing; and we were experiencing all the classic 'growing pains' of a new business.
- ^ "one the most unreliable and buggy machine ever made, in fact this ground-breaking and expensive project bankrupted the Linn company". Polynominal.
- ^ "Then in 1986 Forat Electronics Corporation was born after purchasing Linn's remaining assets..." Forat Electronics - History.
- ^ "In the F-9000, all old software bugs of the old Linn 9000 are fixed,..." Vintage Synth Explorer.
- ^ "They [Forat Electronics] have since re-invented the Linn 9000 themselves and released the Forat F9000". Vintage Synth Explorer.