I May Have To Switch Instruments.

[TapperMike]

I've been watching the development of the Linnstrument for a few years now.  It's expected out in the fall of this year. I find it the perfect balance between the ztar and eigenharps.

 

 

It is a poly-pressure 8x25 grid surface (almost 5 octaves when tuned to fourths) with up/down and left/fright control for pitch and modulation, not something you could do with your average touch screen surface.

 

[john]

Is it simply a control surface, or is it a sampler or synth? Ie can it generate it's own sounds?

[EJB]

That's pretty cool all the way up to the part when the attack got to percussive and had a piano like sound.

[TapperMike]

It's simply a midi controller however it does receive midi also which means you can do a little light chow and change tunings.

 

Egad I thought I linked to a different video for the second one.

 

I've since noticed some things that may be quibbles.

 

Do to the precise need for center attack (placing the finger smack dab in the center or the light.  It is very easy to get out of tune chords.  There are a lot of techniques I've developed for the ztar which could not be applied to the linnstrument. Many are "finger painting" maneuvers like rakes / sweeps. think of them as vertical rather then horizontal slides.  I've also noticed in one video where Roger Linn is standing with the instrument... It needs a brace / bracket to move the instrument which is essentially a neck of a guitar but not the rest..away from a persons body so you can put your thumb behind it. As you'll notice in the video below Roger Linn doesn't move his under (left) hand very up the neck at all.  Another thing is "key size. The squareds are larger then your average or even wide string guitars to accomodate for up/down/ left/right technice in the square. A mini12 which has a twelve row (string) or a z board which also is a 12/24 layout has less distance because it uses smaller keys.  The linnstrument is 8x12 

 

 

If given the chance I could come up with many more things that a ztar can do of which a linnstrument can't..  That being said the things that a linnstrument can do of which a ztar can't make it an interesting proposition.  Current (not in development) keyboards with what they consider full aftertouch pale in comparison to the linnstrument, Usually the type of responsiveness is only available on the very top end workstations. It's very cost prohibitive to try and get all that aftertouch range of motion onto each key onfo the keybed such as per key poly pressure sensitivity which is continuous where as velocity which is only initial attack.  Even units today (save ztars) which to have pressure sensitivity are channel wide not on a per key basis.

 

 

The Linnstrument is expected to cost between 1 and 2k USD.  Which for the control it offers would be more then worth the price.

What's funny is back in 2007 when I got my first ztar I was in regular communication with the starr labs crew.  I had proposed a concept which was a combination of their existing technology into a single component. Highly doable and smart was the response I got from Harvey Starr but he never implemented it.

 

Yep, that's me....

 

Before starr labs developed string triggers that were actual strings they had these "buttons" that are/were rubberized ridges.they are known as key triggers or string triggers and sit on the body where one would strum they are velocity sensitive but not pressure sensitive. Moving up the body there are 6 smaller ridges known as expression pads which are pressure sensitive. Underneath that is a touchstrip.

 

Imagine if you will string triggers with pressure sensitivity and touch strip for bend slide up down. and then a separate column of pressure sensitive pads before the neck.  That way you could get almost all the features of a Linnstrument  AND retain picking technique.

[Glenn Allen]

Has anyone seen Imogen Heap's midi gloves.  I want them yesterday! 

 

Also, not as cool as the linnstrument, but still fun is the Tenor-on, here's a flash version that I often find myself getting addicted to: http://tonematrix.audiotool.com/