The new 2023 Push adds MPE 3D-expressive touch control to its 8 by 8 matrix of play pads, and is an excellent design. This is great news for LinnStrument because it will introduce a large group of musicians to expressive touch control who wouldn’t otherwise have considered it.
The 2023 Push and LinnStrument cater to different types of musicians. The new Push has 64 pads of larger size, arranged in an 8 by 8 matrix, so it’s more focused on Live’s primary market of clip launchers, beatmakers, sequencing/looping, and simple musical play. By comparison, LinnStrument is more focused on being a quality expressive musical instrument with a large playing surface of either 128 or 200 pads.
LinnStrument's larger number of pads means that you won’t frequently bump into the edges of the playing surface during chord or solo play. And the smaller pads— the same spacing as human fingers— permit fingering of more complex chords in one hand, as well as easier and faster play of solo lines.
One analogy is a comparison to guitar. In both the new Push and LinnStrument, the primary tuning is rows of chromatics tuned in fourths, like a stringed instrument. So an 8x8 matrix is like 8 strings of 7 frets each plus open string. Just as guitarists would find it limiting to play a guitar with only 7 frets, many players of the new Push will find more complex musical parts difficult to play on an 8 x 8 pad matrix. And for those wishing to split the keyboard into two zones with two different sounds, 8 columns is impractically small.
This difference is illustrated in the videos of each product. The new Push’s videos focus on playing simple solo lines and Push’s traditional strength of arranging clips, whereas LinnStrument’s videos focus on skilled play of chords and solo lines, including two-handed play.
For some people considering the new Push primarily for skilled chord and solo play, they may consider LinnStrument 128’s 128 pads at $1099 to be more attractive than the 64 pads of the controller version of Push at $999.
I (Roger) thank Ableton for legitimatizing the entire product category of expressive MPE controllers, thereby raising the tide for all boats in the category.
A:
A:
* 2 years if you buy direct from my online store.
* 2 years if you buy from dealer and register your purchase (from the link at top of this page) within 60 days.
* 1 year if you buy from dealer and don’t register your purchase within 60 days.
A: If you play a stringed instrument, it's surprisingly easy to transfer your skills to LinnStrument's stringed-instrument note layout, which is like an 8-stringed bass guitar with each row consisting of consecutive semitones, and with the rows tuned to fourths intervals. This isomorphic layout is both easier to learn and play than a piano keyboard note arrangement, and is much better suited to expressive performance. Here's why. And here's a page showing the location of popular chords and scales.
A: You can see our current dealer list by clicking the Store/Dealers menu -> Dealer List. If there's no dealer near you with you to try out, email me (Roger) at sales@rogerlinndesign.com and there's a good chance of a LinnStrument owner in your area who would be willing to show you his. Or you can buy one from my online store and return it for a refund within 60 days.
If your local local dealer doesn't carry LinnStrument, please tell him that I would welcome an order from them.
A: In the default fourths tuning and default transposition, LinnStrument 128 has a pitch range of 51 semitones (F#0 to G#4), a little over 4 octaves; and the large LinnStrument model has a pitch range of 60 semitones (F#0 to F5) or 5 octaves. See here for a picture of the pitch locations on both models.
The larger model gives you more flexibility for two-handed and split-keyboard play, as well as more space to continue chords or single lines up into higher registers without switching to other rows. A good analogy is the difference between playing a 24-fret and 15-fret guitar. (The large LinnStrument has 25 columns, like 24 frets plus open string. The LinnStrument 128 has 16 columns, like 15 frets plus open string.) On a 15-fret guitar, you'd probably find it more difficult to perform solos because you'd often need to switch to other strings.
Also, if you're interested in using the Step Sequencer, the sequence view area on LinnStrument 128 shows only 8 steps (columns) of the sequence at a time, compared to 16 steps at a time on the large model. And the printed Sequencer parameters are easier to read and use on the large model because they are printed directly above the columns, whereas on the 128 they are printed to the right of the rows.
Also, LinnStrument 128 has no power supply input, which very few people ever use on the large model because nearly everyone uses USB power. If using the round MIDI jacks, you can power LinnStrument from a USB power adapter. And if connecting to an iPad and you don't want to power LinnStrument from the iPad, you can use a USB Y-adapter cable to provide USB power from a USB power adapter while connecting to the iPad for data.
Finally, LinnStrument 128 is more portable and easy to fit into a backpack. And the larger model's folding, padded zippered soft carrying case is thicker than the small model's minimal neoprene sleeve case, which is like a laptop sleeve case. And although the total length of the large LinnStrument in its soft case is two inches more than the normal airline carry-on length limit, I (Roger) have traveled many times with my large LinnStrument and have never been prevented from carrying it on the plane in economy.
Lastly, it may be helpful to know that the large LinnStrument model is twice as popular as the LinnStrument 128, suggesting that people generally prefer the larger playing surface.
A: Seaboard is a fine and well-designed instrument. For many, it is a choice between the familiarity of the traditional piano pitch layout, and the advantages for pitch gestures of evenly-spaced semitones as described on the LinnStrument Product page. For an unbiased answer, we suggest you search the web for "LinnStrument vs. Seaboard". You will find a number of helpful postings from owners of both instruments.
A: Yes. When you order from our online store, you are charged only the product cost and shipping cost. Before delivering the package, the shipper will collect your country's VAT and duty. To learn your country's VAT and duty, click here and enter "9207.10.00" for the "HS Code". Also, if LinnStrument does not meet your expectations and you choose to return it within 60 days for a refund, you will be responsible for applying to your country's tax service for VAT/duty reimbursement, as well as the shipping cost to return it to the U.S. For these reasons, it is usually better to buy from a dealer in your country, or if you're in the EU's Schengen Zone to buy from Thomann.
A: Just connect to your computer via USB and play any software instrument on your computer. LinnStrument sends standard MIDI messages, just like with any other MIDI controller keyboard. You can learn more on our Getting Started page, accessed from the LinnStrument Support page.
A: Contact me (Roger) at support@rogerlinndesign.com so I can understand what's wrong. If it does need repair, every problem in LinnStrument can be solved by sending you a part that you can replace yourself in 10 to 30 minutes by following a video, using only a screwdriver. Please don't send it back to us or to the dealer unless I ask you to because the dealer usually doesn't know what to do and will likely take a long time to fix it and return it to you. If you don't speak English, then it's still best to contact me because I can contact the dealer for help in translating. Most importantly, don't worry-- I want to help you.
A: We understand that our LinnStrument isn't in stores everywhere, so our 60-day money-back guarantee is our way of letting you try it out at no risk. If you find that LinnStrument doesn't meet your needs, then after receiving the shipment, simply send it back (at your shipping expense) within approximately 60 days of receiving it, and we'll refund the entire product cost within two days. To make sure we get it, contact us first so we'll watch for it, and use a low-cost method like UPS or Fedex Ground with tracking and insurance for the product value.
A: A power supply is not included with LinnStrument because LinnStrument is nearly always USB bus-powered, even from any Lightning iPad or iPhone, and when using the MIDI jacks any USB power adaptor can be used. For those rare cases where a power supply might be preferred, we sell a power supply separately. Or any power supply can be used that has a standard 5.5mm outside diameter / 2.1mm inside diameter round connector, 7.5 to 15 volts DC center-positive or center-negative, or AC 9 to 15 volts, with least 300 milliamperes of supply current. In fact, so few people use LinnStrument's power input that we didn't include it on LinnStrument 128.
A: LinnStrument's manual and all other support documentation are online and no printed manual is included. Why?
1) Printed manuals can't have video, animations or hypertext, and printed FAQs should more accurately be called "Questions that were frequently asked when this manual was published a few years ago".
2) Printed manuals always go out of date because they represent a single point in time. For this reason, printed manuals are often a cause of support inquiries. Instead, LinnStrument's online manual is always up to date, reflecting the correct information for the latest software update.
3) LinnStrument owners generally prefer the online manual because they are accustomed to reading on tablets, phones or computers.
4) If you want to print any part of LinnStrument's online manual, simply print it from your browser.
A: No and no. Computer driver software is not needed because LinnStrument's MIDI-over-USB is fully USB Class Complaint, using the standard Mac, Windows and Linux drivers. A computer editing application is not needed because all settings can be accessed on the front panel, and are printed on the panel for ease-of-use. However, a license for Bitwig Studio 8-Track music software is included with each LinnStrument.
A: It's actually not expensive for what it does. Often people think that because it resembles a simple button-matrix controller like a clip launcher or drum pad controller, it should cost the same as one. But it's far more than a button matrix controller, sensing three continuous dimensions of very light touch, plus velocity and release velocity, all polyphonically and with low latency, on a large playing surface, with a translucent sensing technology that permits scale lighting. That is a very difficult engineering challenge that makes it expensive to manufacture, but which is necessary in order to make LinnStrument the highly sensitive and fine musical instrument that it is.
It's possible that LinnStrument will be less expensive in years to come as its popularity increases and more people buy it. This is because if more people buy something, the cost for each one decreases. Or another manufacturer might license LinnStrument's patented sensing technology and produce a lower-cost but similar instrument. So you might be able to save money by waiting a few years. It depends on how important LinnStrument's expressive touch control is to your music-making process, or if playing music with on/off switches, knobs and sliders is good enough for you.
A: That's a legitimate question. First, I'm not the type of person to retire because I enjoy what I do too much, and I have enough time to enjoy other life pursuits. But if I semi-retire someday, I'd make sure that someone continues to make LinnStruments and LinnStrument replacement parts. If needed, I'd open-source the hardware, just as I open-sourced the software. The most important thing to me is that people are able to continue to get LinnStruments and replacement parts forever.
A: It is fundamental to LinnStrument’s design that each of the eight rows always contain only chromatic scales. While it is true that some controllers (like our Tempest drum machine) permit you to set consecutive pads to play only scale notes (for example, only major scale notes, skipping accidentals), this is really only useful for controllers with few pads like drum pad controllers or Ableton Push. However, LinnStrument has 200 or 128 note pads so it is not necessary to delete any notes of the chromatic scale. The problem with removing the notes outside of the scale is that you can't play them, so you are limited to very simple music. There are other problems with non-chromatic scales:
1) you must always change the scales to play in different musical modes so you never get a chance to develop any playing skills because the notes are always moving.
2) Pitch slides will no longer be consistent, with larger jumps between note pads that are a whole tone apart than between those that are a semitone apart.
3) Vibratos on a pad with a semitone interval on one side and a whole tone interval on the other will be asymmetrical, bending twice as much on the whole tone side than on the semitone side.
Instead of preventing you from playing accidentals, LinnStrument borrows an idea similar to the piano keyboard's black and white keys: it provides access to all the notes but highlights the naturals. So if you don't want to play the accidentals (sharps and flats), simply play the lit notes and don't play the unlit notes. By default, LinnStrument lights the natural notes (C, D, E, F, G, A and B, with all “C” notes in light blue and the rest in green, but you can change it to highlight any scale and in any of 10 colors (red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, yellow, white, orange, lime or pink). This is done in Global Settings / Note Lights.
If it's important to you that you never play any sharps or flats, then simply press pads that are lit and don't press any pads that aren't lit, just as you can play only white keys and not black keys on a piano.
If you feel it is important to remove all accidentals and have LinnStrument's rows consist of only consecutive scale notes, LinnStrumentalist Rick Burnett has created a Mac application and Max/MSP patch that does that, though pitch slides will no longer work correctly.
A: LinnStrument is a MIDI controller, sending standard MIDI messages. MIDI defines note numbers as consecutive semitones. To achieve any non-standard scales, you would simply define the frequency of each MIDI note number however you wish in your external sound generator.
As an alternative, you can use MIDI scale translation software such as CSE or Universal Tuning Editor between LinnStrument and your sound generator.
Also, LinnStrument owner Ben Fuhrman has created a free patch for Cycling 74's Max that sets each of LinnStrument's rows to play an octave of any EDO from 2 to 24, with each row an octave higher than the one below it. If you don't have Max, Max patches can run on the free demo version of Max.
Here are a few other helpful things:
A: There's a list on our "Recommended Sounds" page, accessed from the LinnStrument Support page.
A: No. By default, LinnStrument uses it's One Channel MIDI mode, thereby making it compatible with every MIDI synth in existence. MPE (Channel Per Note mode) is only needed if you need to play polyphonic pitch bends or polyphonic Y-axis, which are fairly rare in most types of music. And note you can get polyphonic pressure with one-channel synths because of MIDI's Polyphonic Pressure (aftertouch) messages. Also, LinnStrument's smart MIDI One Channel mode transparently works around MIDI's limitations for polyphonic expression over a single MIDI channel.
So if you don't have an MPE synth, you may never notice any limitations when playing LinnStrument in One Channel mode. In fact, most LinnStrument owners use standard one-channel synths, and one of our main demo videos for LinnStrument doesn't use any MPE sounds at all. And note that all of Audio Modeling's superb wind and bowed-string software instruments are monophonic and therefore can't take any advantage of MPE (MIDI polyphonic expression).
A: Yes, it has a built-in step sequencer. You can learn about it on the Panel Settings page, "Sequencer" tab.
A: LinnStrument has a very full feature set, which you can see in the Panel Settings page, accessed from the LinnStrument Support page.
However, the flexible nature of LinnStrument inspires many different people to want to make it into many different instruments. Geert (LinnStrument programmer) and I (Roger) realized early on that:
1) We don’t have the resources to make a LinnStrument that meets everyone’s individual desires,
2) we didn’t want to make it so complex that it scares away non-techy musicians, and
3) we wanted to keep it compact without adding space for an alphanumeric display.
So we intentionally chose parameters that focused on its core purpose as an expressive musical performance instrument and printed them on the panel, and other than the sequencer settings, I only printed parameters in the first 16 columns in order to maintain compatibility with LinnStrument 128. And for all of the many different features that individual users desire, we:
1) released the software as open-source, permitting everything to be customized,
2) put in lots of remote MIDI commads so that external computer applications can control nearly everything, and
3) created a User Firmware Mode that allows LinnStrument to act as a smart terminal for external computer applications.
Given that the upper and lower printed panel parameters through column 16 are all used, any new features must be fairly simple and carefully considered to be important to many users for LinnStrument's core purpose as an expressive musical performance instrument.
A: I (Roger) tried a variety of materials and thicknesses. Here is why I finally decided on LinnStrument's 2mm thick, slightly soft 40 durometer silicone rubber surface:
1) Adding more thickness spreads out the force of your touch onto the sensor below it, reducing the sensitivity to light touches.
2) Foam rubber as used in the Continuum or Seaboard surfaces cannot be translucent and therefore can't be used for LinnStrument, which requires that the LED light shine through.
3) While soft surfaces provide useful force feedback for pressure-based sounds, a harder surface is often more desirable for fast rhythmic play. For example, imagine playing rhythmic clavinet part on a sponge.
A: The main reason is lack of customer interest. You certainly can convert the MIDI output to OSC by using a converter utility on your computer. The problem with OSC is that the creators intentionally didn't include any standard messages like MIDI's Note On, Note Off, Pitch Bend, etc., so plug-and-play operation is difficult. The peak of OSC's popularity was in the early iPhone days, when it was the only way to get musical control out of an iPhone. But since Apple implemented MIDI control in iOS, the popularity of OSC has diminished. Note also that because LinnStrument's software is open-source, anyone can write an OSC implementation.
A: Because LinnStrument can be tuned like a guitar, it would seem easy to make a version with a thinner neck optimized for guitar-style play. But much more is required for guitar-style play: a picking surface that feels natural, the ability to bend rows (strings) laterally, the ability to play bar chords and other string-focused fingering techniques, reducing the side margins around the neck to zero, changing the chassis to a something closer to a sculpted neck, and much more. Plus, Y-axis control wouldn't work on the very thin rows required for a guitar-like neck. And even if I (Roger) did all that work, the history of guitar controllers would suggest that it wouldn't be well-received because guitarists--a notoriously conservative lot--would judge if first on whether it can do everything a guitar can do, and only then explore its added possibilities.
Instead, I choose for LinnStrument to be an entirely new instrument, standing on its own merits and unchained from the biases of players of existing acoustic instruments. My view is that the guitar represents the best instrument-design technology that was available a few centuries ago, but that is no longer the case.
A: Of all the ways to lose huge amounts of money, making a prototype of your idea is one of the most effective. First, there's a very good chance that others (and possibly many others) have thought of your product idea before, and the reason it isn't already on the market is either 1) others don't find it as valuable as you do, or 2) the necessary engineering or material costs would make it sufficiently expensive that few would buy it.
The first thing to do is to learn the true value of your product idea in the marketplace. One of the biggest mistakes people make is to think that everyone will value their idea as much as they do. First document your product idea, including a clear text description, drawings (or 3D renderings using the free Google Sketchup software) and a realistic customer price. To arrive at the realistic customer price, don't use a price you'd like it to sell for, but rather what it must sell for considering the total parts cost, development cost, manufacturer profit and distributor/retailer profit. Then take an objective survey of people you know and don't know, asking them not if they like it but rather would they definitely buy it at the realistic price you've given. To insure they aren't just telling you what you want to hear, tell them it's someone else's idea, not yours, and don't appear to like or dislike it.
If you still want to make a prototype, try to find a way to make it for no more than $1000 and ideally for free. If you're not technical and you have some friends who are, get them excited about it and ask for free help in exchange for future payment if you make any money later. Important: do everything you can to avoid designing new circuit boards, embedded software (software that runs on the small computers inside self-contained products) and metal/plastic mechanical housings. Very commonly, people start doing this thinking they'll spend only a few thousand dollars then later find they've drained their relatives' savings only to teach themselves how difficult it is.
For many music product ideas, it's possible to--by yourself--create a functional prototype by connecting and reconfiguring a variety of existing low-cost hardware and software music/audio products. It won't be pretty but will be functional and therefore allow you to prove your concept at low cost and therefore give a better demonstration of its usefulness. For hardware and human interface (buttons, knobs, sliders, drum pads, etc.), use existing Midi controllers such as Korg's inexpensive Nano line. Or design your desired control panel on an iPad using cheap iPad apps like MIDIPad or TouchOSC. For foot control, use a cheap midi foot pedal board like a Behringer FCB1010. For the software, it's often possible to prototype your product idea by configuring Ableton Live or other music software. If you like Live and want to dig deeper into functionality, use Ableton's Max For Live add-on. To dig even deeper, learn one of the simple graphical audio/music programming environments like Max/MSP, PD or Reaktor, or learn to program an iPad app.
Regarding presenting your idea to a music products company so they will pay you a royalty and design/manufacturer it for you, this is a highly unlikely scenario. While companies are always interested in their customers' free suggestions, it's very unlikely that they will pay anybody for anything unless they absolutely have no choice. Often they will politely decline to hear your idea because 1) customers' products ideas are rarely unique, and 2) if they were already planning the same idea, they don't want you to later accuse them of stealing your idea. However, if they truly feel it's worth spending their money to make your idea into a product and they feel you have the necessary skills to help them, probably the best scenario is that they may offer you a job.
Regarding how to patent your idea, you can't patent an idea but rather only the implementation of an idea. Getting a patent is another great way to lose lots of money. Plus, having a patent doesn't prevent anyone from stealing your idea but rather simply gives you a better case for infringement if and when you must hire an expensive lawyer to sue them. Again, don't spend any money until you've objectively proven that lots of people would buy your product at its realistic customer price.
Having written the above, it is also true that there are few things more personally gratifying than the exhilaration of creating and using a product that came from your own idea. The good news is that, armed with a willingness to learn some of the inexpensive tools I've described above as well as a little self-honesty, you stand a better chance than ever before of turning your idea into a functioning prototype. If people like it, maybe make a few more, place an ad and sell them yourself while you figure out how to make it cheaper and prettier. Regardless of whether it makes you money or not, you will have taken a fascinating journey, learned valuable new skills, influenced the art of music-making and made a personal contribution to the world of ideas.
A: Regarding reissuing my old drum machines, I appreciate the value that some people place on these old products and the famous songs that they were used to create. However, I'm not currently working on a reissue of my earlier products, and though I had been working an a new drum machine called "LinnDrum II", I have suspended development. Here's why:
A: Try the following:
A: Try the following:
A: This means that LinnStrument's Bend Range (in Per-Split Settings) is different than the Pitch Bend Range in your synth. They must always be set to the same value or you'll get this problem.
Also, be sure to set LinnStrument's MIDI Mode (in Per-Split Settings) to One Channel for use with one-channel synths, and to Channel Per Note for MPE synths. The reason is that the latter sends Pitch Bend messages over the per-note channels, and MPE synths often have different Bend Range settings for the Main channel and Per-Note channels.
A: If you've just received your new LinnStrument from a hot delivery truck, or if the temperature around your LinnStrument is unusually high, its silicone playing surface may expand slightly and become loose, causing it to lift slightly from the flat surface below it.
This occurs because LinnStrument's large, thin playing surface is made from soft silicone, which expands slight under heat. It is impossible to prevent such expansion without gluing it down to the touch sensor below it, which I (Roger) feel is unnecessary because the problem is rare and because such gluing would prevent independent replacement of the playing surface and touch sensor.
The fix is simple: put your LinnStrument in the refrigerator for 20 minutes (really!), and the touch surface will shrink back to normal size. Then avoid placing LinnStrument in direct hot sun or near a heater or other source of heat.
If this doesn't work, remove the top panel by following this video, which tells how to remove and replace the top panel:
After removing the top panel, stretch the playing surface (a flexible silicone sheet) slightly to the front and back, tightening each panel screw as you do. When attaching the panel screws, be careful to not under-tighten or over-tighten them. This is because they also press the sensor’s contacts against the mating contacts on the circuit board. So if too loose, they may not make contact, so Y-axis won’t work on the nearby column. Here’ s a guideline for tightening them correctly:
Insert the screw and turn the screwdriver clockwise until the screw head is level with the top panel and you start to feel the increased resistance of the screw being fully seated in the hole. Then tighten an additional 1/4 turn only and no more. Note that the panel screws can be tightened within a very wide range and still work fine; there is only a problem if a screw is very tight or loose.
After reassembling, test Y-axis output on one pad within each column. If a column doesn’t send CC74 (default) in response, tighten the screw(s) above or below that column 1/4 or if needed 1/2 turn until the Y-axis works on that column. Don’t overtighten or the silicone playing surface will bulge out and look bad. Also, don't over-tighten the screws near the Per-Split Settings or Global Settings buttons or they may stick in the ON state. And the 2 screws on the left and right edges of the panel don't really do anything, so just tighten them enough to be flush with the top panel and no more.
A: This usually indicates that a panel screw is slightly loose, perhaps due to insufficient tightening after replacing the top panel. This is because the screws also press the sensor’s contacts against the mating contacts on the circuit board. So if too loose, they may not make contact, so Y-axis won’t work on the nearby column. Here’ s a guideline for tightening them correctly:
Loosen the screw, then while pressing down with one hand on the top panel near the screw, turn the screwdriver clockwise with your other hand until the screw head is level with the top panel and you start to feel the increased resistance of the screw being fully seated in the hole. Then tighten an additional 1/4 turn only and no more. Note that the panel screws can be tightened within a very wide range and still work fine; there is only a problem if a screw is very tight or loose.
After tightening the screws, test Y-axis output on one pad within each column. If a column doesn’t send CC74 (default) in response, tighten the screw(s) above or below that column 1/4 or if needed 1/2 turn. To learn whether the loose screw is above or below the column, press on the panel above or below the column while testing Y-axis; if this makes Y-axis start working, tighten the screw nearest to where you pressed. Don’t overtighten or the silicone playing surface will bulge out and not look pretty. Also, don't over-tighten the screws near the Per-Split Settings or Global Settings buttons or they may stick in the ON state. And the 2 screws on the left and right edges of the panel don't really do anything, so just tighten them enough to be flush with the top panel and no more.
A: If all pads are red when you power on, then then the Per-Split Settings buttons is stuck in the pressed state, probably as aresult of high temperatures during shipping or in your environment, causing the silicone playing surface to expand around the 2 nearby screws, thereby forcing this button to stick in the ON state and when powered on, enter LinnStrument's Manufacturing Test Mode. Or if all lights turn green or blue at power-on, this is due to the Preset or Volume buttons also being stuck in the pressed state.
The solution is to loosen both of these screws nearest the Per-Split Settings button by 1/4 turn and reconnect power. If you see the normal scale lights, you've solved the problem. If not, try another 1/4 turn.
Or if you see "FWUP" in large letters when you connect power, then one of the 2 panel screws nearest to the GLOBAL SETTINGS button is too tight, forcing this button to stick in the ON state, causing LinnStrument to enter a special FirmWare UPdate mode that is only used during software development. The solution is to loosen both of these screws by 1/4 turn and reconnect power. If you see the normal scale lights, you've solved the problem. If not, try another 1/4 turn.
Here’ s a guideline for tightening these screws correctly:
Loosen the screw, then while pressing down with one hand on the top panel near the screw, turn the screwdriver clockwise with your other hand until the screw head is level with the top panel and you start to feel the increased resistance of the screw being fully seated in the hole. Then tighten an additional 1/4 turn only and no more. Note that the panel screws can be tightened within a very wide range and still work fine; there is only a problem if a screw is very tight or loose.
A: These are all symptoms of your computer or sound generator being overloaded by the large volume of continuous MIDI messages generated by LinnStrument for its expression data. A standard MIDI keyboard sends only two continuous streams-- Pitch Bend (only when the bend wheel is moved) and Channel Pressure (only when turned on and only when keys are pressed hard). By comparison, LinnStrument's default One Channel mode sends at least 3 streams of continuous data -- Pitch Bend for X-axis movements, CC74 for Y-axis movements and a Poly Pressure stream for each note pad pressed. In typical playing, that's around 6 continuous streams of MIDI messages, which is a lot more than a standard MIDI keyboard. And if you select LinnStrument's Channel Per Note mode, it sends 3 continuous streams (X, Y and Z) for each touch. While relatively new computers, DAWs and sound generators handle this fine, older computers or software and some hardware sound generators may not.
Here are a few solutions to try:
A: I'm sorry to report that these are both fundamental electrical limitations of LinnStrument's touch sensing technology. They are stated on this FAQ page under the Pre-Sales Tab, first FAQ. Fortunately, LinnStrument's string-like note layout provides multiple locations for each pitch, so if either of these problems occurs when playing a speicific chord fingering, there is always an alternate fingering that doesn't have this problem.
A: Your LinnStrument may need a Calibration of its touch sensor, which you can do yourself in about two minutes. Go to the Panel Settings page, Global Settings tab, then scroll down to the Actions section and read about the "Calibrate" action. Follow the linked video to calibrate your LinnStrument.
If this doesn't fix the problem, contact me (Roger) and I'll figure out what's wrong.
A: LinnStrument's thin sheet metal chassis can be slightly misaligned during shipping or movement. The solution is simple: place your LinnStrument on a flat surface then press down on the two elevated corners. This won't hurt it.
A: Unfortunately the venerable USB jack was originally designed for stationary computer peripherals like printers or modems, and not for musicians. If you pull hard sideways on a USB cable, it can damage LinnStrument's USB jack, especially if playing LinnStrument in the standing position. Such damage due to a cable pull is unfortunately not covered under your warranty. If your USB jack is damaged, you have two options:
1) If you have a LinnStrument 128 or a large LinnStrument with serial number 700 or higher, you can have a local electronics repair shop replace your USB jack on LinnStrument's main circuit board. (Large LinnStruments below serial number 700 use a surface-mount USB jack that requires option #2 below.) Don't try this yourself unless you are skilled in desoldering multi-pin jacks like the USB jack. The difficulty is in unsoldering all 6 pins enough to remove the old jack, which is tricky and if done incorrectly, could damage the traces under the USB jack, requiring replacement of the entire main circuit board in LinnStrument, which costs $460 for the large model or $300 for the LinnStrument 128. the USB jack is a Molex 0670688001, which you can buy here. Or any USB jack with the same industry-standard pin location will work. Or I (Roger) can sell you one of the same USB jacks for my minimum parts charge of $20 + shipping. To disassemble your LinnStrument in order to give the main circuit board to the repair shop, follow this video.
2) I (Roger) can send you a new main circuit board on condition of the subsequent return of your circuit board with the damaged USB jack. The cost for the exchange depends on your LinnStrument model and circuit board version, plus the shipping cost. You can exchange the main circuit board by yourself in about 30 minutes by following this video. After installing the new board, you would send the damaged board back. Contact me (Roger) with your serial number to learn the cost of the replacement board.
Even with a broken USB jack, you can probably still play your LinnStrument. If you have the large LinnStrument model, you can use the round MIDI jacks and a power supply. Or if you have LinnStrument 128 (without the power jack) and the USB jack is working for power but not data, you can use the USB jack for power and the round MIDI jacks for data.
In future, damage to the USB jack can be avoided by tying the USB cable around the nearest guitar strap button as a strain relief, as shown at the bottom of the Hooking It Up page. This is a trick that guitarists commonly use to avoid similar damage from pulled guitar cables.
A: This indicates that you are powering LinnStrument from an inadequate power source, perhaps an iPad with a non-Apple Lightning adapter or a USB hub that doesn't supply LinnStrument's required 300 mA minimum current. See the Hooking It Up page for more information.
A: This usually indicates that you have been powering LinnStrument from an inadequate power source, perhaps an iPad with a non-Apple Lightning adapter or a USB hub that doesn't supply LinnStrument's required 300 mA minimum current. You may have seen its note pad lights flash unexpectedly, an early indication of poor power. In this case, the power has dipped below the required minimum many times during internal writes to flash memory, and eventually LinnStrument was unable to recover.
The solution is simple: connect LinnStrument directly to your computer's USB port and update it to the current OS version, using the "Updating Software" link at left/above. It will still accept an OS update in this state and will return the LinnStrument to full function. Once you have completed the OS update, you'll also need to Calibrate your LinnStrument. To learn how to do this, open the Panel Settings page, Global Settings tab, then scroll down near the bottom of the page to the "Actions" section.
To avoid this problem in future, it is important to provide LinnStrument with adequate power. Click the "Hooking It Up" link at left/above to learn how to insure you are providing adequate power.
A: I’m sorry to say that faint acoustic noise is normal and also cannot be changed. It as a common artifact of high speed electronics, sometimes called “coil whine” or “singing capacitors” and is usually made quieter by enclosing the electronics in a metal chassis or other acoustic damping materials. However, this cannot be done in LinnStrument because the high-speed sensing electronics must be located directly below the playing surface in order to minimize noise signals, and the playing surface cannot be covered with a metal cage or acoustic damping materials because that's where you play. Fortunately, the noise is so quiet that it is easily masked by the sound of the played synthesizer.
A: Yes. They are all avaiable at McMaster.com:
1) Top panel screws
2) Guitar strap button screws
3) Wood side screws
4) Wood side washers
