Reprinted from Tech TV

AdrenaLinn: Not Just for Rock
By Mark Fahey

See what's new from drum-machine guru Roger Linn Thursday, March 14 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
Also airs Saturday 3/16 at 10:30 a.m., 6 p.m., 11 p.m.; Sunday 3/17 at 3:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., Monday 3/18 at 2:30 a.m., and Thursday 3/21 at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 6 p.m.

By Mark Fahey
March 14, 2002 Return to Regular View

Roger Linn Design is the latest corporate incarnation of electronic gear guru Roger Linn. The music world embraced Linn's contributions to the electronic musician, starting with his creation of the LM-1 drum computer of 1979 and even more so with the Akai MPC-60 sampling drum machine of 1988.

His latest contribution reflects his notable history. Linn has always considered himself a guitar player and has sought to design a piece of gear that would explicitly address a guitar or bass player's needs. Enter the AdrenaLinn, which lists at $395.

The AdrenaLinn boasts an entire suite of user effects (including stereo rotation, flange, phase, tremolo, chorus, and reverb) and a great set of classic amplifier emulations.
Couple that with the internal drum machine, and you've got a powerful tool for songwriting. But Linn takes it even further.

The AdrenaLinn sports some hefty filters that have a classic analog sound. You can sequence their modulation and synch them (along with effects like delay) to the internal drumbeat or to MIDI.

For producers, the included beats are open to an array of manipulation, making the AdrenaLinn perfect for many genres, including rap and electronica. The AdrenaLinn can also interface between turntables. With its filters and effects working with its internal beat it can augment any performance.

The size of the AdrenaLinn is close to that of a standard stomp box, which is great for portability. The AdrenaLinn is valuable because of its feature set, which no gear solution has yet packed within such a small space. Use it live or for digital recording.

Some of the amp models included are Vox AC 30 Top Boost, Soldano, Classic Marshall, and Fender Deluxe, to name a few. Though amplifier simulation is a nice addition, especially for digital recording, the AdrenaLinn's strong suit is its effect and filter possibilities. It's a great tool for songwriters, and its specialty -- time-related effects linking to an internal drumbeat -- is unique.

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