Linn LinnDrum (introduced 1982)

The LinnDrum followed the LM-1, and it's better documented than most gear in this archive, though the picture is still incomplete. Linn Electronics, Inc. introduced it in 1982. It's a programmable digital-sampling drum machine, the successor to the LM-1 that put Linn on the map.

The core specs agree across multiple sources: 8-bit AD/DA conversion, a 28 kHz sample rate, and 26 drum sounds. Many of them were sampled from acoustic instruments, including kick drums, snares, and percussion. The sound library was a major selling point. Linn advertised a "LinnDrum Sound Library" of over 200 user-changeable ROM chips, with most sounds costing around $40. A cassette tape demoing the full library was available for $5 from dealers or directly from the company. Mix magazine (March 1984, p.135) ran Linn's own advertising touting the LinnDrum's "long, deep" studio-quality sounds, claiming other drum machines "may try to compare their sound to the LinnDrum, but there is no comparison."

Outputs are where the record gets fuzzy. Sources describe "4 stereo outputs," "3 mono outputs and 1 stereo output," and "4 outputs (1 stereo, 3 individual)." The most commonly repeated configuration is four outputs, one stereo pair plus three individual mono outs, but given the conflict, treat that as approximate. Sample memory is sometimes cited as 6 seconds, though that figure appears in only one source.

A 1985 piece in Recording Engineer (February 1985, p.96) describes a studio trick. Engineers would use the LinnDrum's individual bass drum output to trigger a Simmons kick, blending the Linn's weight with the Simmons' snap and mid-range presence. The same article noted that external devices with slower microprocessors would sync to the Linn, provided you accounted for the timing.

Beyond that, surviving documentation is thin. Original pricing, detailed service information, and common failure points aren't well recorded in the sources available here.

Known specs, as documented:

- Programmable digital drum machine (successor to the LM-1)

- 8-bit AD/DA conversion

- 28 kHz sample rate

- 26 drum sounds (many sampled from acoustic instruments)

- User-changeable sound ROM chips (200+ library options, ~$40 each)

- Outputs: 4 (configuration varies by source - see above)