The Beats: LM-1 and LinnDrum

I was trying to remember exactly when I saw my first LM-1.. I remember seeing it on a session that I was setting up for as an assistant, but I couldn't recall the artist.  I checked in with one of my engineering mentors, Greg Reilly, at the Disc ltd. in Detroit. Greg started out at Holland Dozier Holland when he was barely out of high school. He has an R&B history that is longer than the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit.  Anyway.. He informed me that the first sessions that were done with Linn drum at that time were with a group called One Way.  They were a local Detroit R&B band that came into the studio in late ’79 or ‘80..  I believe at this time there were only 40 of these LM-1s in existence.

Once the more compact LinnDrum was actually released we saw them more frequently and their popularity peaked around ‘84 when Prince did "When Dove's Cry."  Leave it to Prince to eliminate the bass line and still get a hit!

My early experiences with the Linn were with a group called RJ's Latest Arrival..

During this era it seemed like we were always trying to make it sound like anything but a Linn Drum!  Also, during this period, we were able to start buying chips to replace the sounds with more innovative sounds.  To put this into perspective for all you young guys.. In order to change a snare sound one had to physically unscrew the box and remove the chip that controlled the snare sample and replace it with a new chip... talk about time consuming!

The LM-1 was the first drum machine designed by Roger Linn and was the first drum machine that used digital samples.  That feature, along with functionality yet unrealized in drum machines, made the LM-1 quite popular after its 1980 release.  The LM-1 was programmable, not just playing back pre-set rhythms, included the ability to produce swing notes (the “Linn shuffle” has been widely recognized as the most natural sounding), had a 13 channel mixer and individual outputs for implementation into multi-track recording, and even had individual tuning pots on each channel.

The LM-1 made a huge impact.  It helped to legitimize the drum machine as a musical tool.  The quality and functionality of previous drum machines kept them more as a consumer toy or demo helper, but after the first Linn drum machine, professionals began using it and the TR-808 (talked about in last week’s blog) in quality productions.  The quality and sound was so good, in fact, that many session drummers were concerned for their jobs, and some, including Jeff Porcaro of Toto bought their own LM-1’s and began offering “programming services.”  The drum machine became more than an embellishment or accompaniment, it became the whole rhythm track in many ‘80s acts.  The LM-1’s characteristic sound is was a used prominently throughout the ‘80s. 

Linn was quick to make improvements to the LM-1 with his 1982 release of the LM-2, or more often called the LinnDrum.  This updated model came with more sounds including the addition of cymbals, introduced step programming, and had 5 inputs for external triggering.  It was also released with a price tag roughly half that of the LM-1 two years earlier.  Nevertheless, despite many upgrades and new features it never was as revered as the LM-1.  One of the reasons for this was the lack of tuning pots on each channel.  Additionally, it was simply made with less detail to keep the cost of production low.  As such, the LM-1 is much more highly sought after than the LinnDrum. 

By no means did Roger Linn lose his touch however.  Linn also designed the Akai MPC, a widely used sampler with MIDI sequencing and the ability to sample one’s own sounds.  Today, Linn Design produces a guitar pedal series called AdrenaLinn, used by such artists as John Mayer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, etc.  AdrenaLinn sparked M-Audio’s interest and together they partnered to develop the Black Box guitar multi-effect/recording unit.  He is also currently developing what he calls the LinnDrum II.