Interview With Roger Linn

MPC-Tutor wrote:
There's approximately 10 people here who quite frankly need to shape up or **** off.

This quote alone may restore my faith in this forum, which genuinely used to be one of the best on the net.
More people on this forum = more laughs and more related products (tutorials etc.) purchased.
To the "experts" out there, if I want a Ren, I'll buy one - if I want a Maschine, I will buy one.
im all for an occasional ruck, but let's not waste too much time treating people like idiots.

clint246clint wrote:
Back to the topic, I wonder if Roger will ever allow a biography to be published and clear up a few myths?
... 1977-1997, which for me is the most interesting period of his story.

I'd like to read something like this - but just get the feeling it'd be all about a large corporation screwing someone over (once again).
The mpc60 idea would (probably) be a more 'fun' read - although I'd be selfish and suggest the 3000 was included as well.
Even the whole Valixi episode is at least some sort of interesting story (from what little we know of the situation).

zippertafari wrote:

clint246clint wrote:
Back to the topic, I wonder if Roger will ever allow a biography to be published and clear up a few myths?
... 1977-1997, which for me is the most interesting period of his story.

I'd like to read something like this - but just get the feeling it'd be all about a large corporation screwing someone over (once again).
The mpc60 idea would (probably) be a more 'fun' read - although I'd be selfish and suggest the 3000 was included as well.
Even the whole Valixi episode is at least some sort of interesting story (from what little we know of the situation).

Would be an interesting read....

But still it would be only one side of the story. I would want to hear the other side as well. The truth would most likely fall some where in between.

JAH wrote:

zippertafari wrote:

clint246clint wrote:
Back to the topic, I wonder if Roger will ever allow a biography to be published and clear up a few myths?
... 1977-1997, which for me is the most interesting period of his story.

I'd like to read something like this - but just get the feeling it'd be all about a large corporation screwing someone over (once again).
The mpc60 idea would (probably) be a more 'fun' read - although I'd be selfish and suggest the 3000 was included as well.
Even the whole Valixi episode is at least some sort of interesting story (from what little we know of the situation).

Would be an interesting read....

But still it would be only one side of the story. I would want to hear the other side as well. The truth would most likely fall some where in between.

Yeah!!! let's read about the manufacturing chain issues, and sales margin from the akai end of the spectrum... let that take priority over roger's design section of the book. Why not have a "where was jack in '88" section while we're at it.

^ LMAO

psr wrote:just a thought... Isnt it interesting that while we debate, fall in/out love with, cry, kick and scream all about the MPC (what ever flavor) Roger himself thinks its a totally antiquated way to create music now a days? Meanwhile, the tempest and linn drum 2 dont sample and thats what we are all about.

please don't spread more ignorance... Roger is very proud of his legacy which obviously includes the 60/3000. same goes for the LM1 & Linndrum (which he included the samples in Tempest btw). I'll also bet you more hits have been made and sold on those 4 legacy units then any of the 8 MPCs that have followed. and FYI, the Linn Drum II will sample..

daftmunk wrote:^ LMAO

psr wrote:just a thought... Isnt it interesting that while we debate, fall in/out love with, cry, kick and scream all about the MPC (what ever flavor) Roger himself thinks its a totally antiquated way to create music now a days? Meanwhile, the tempest and linn drum 2 dont sample and thats what we are all about.

please don't spread more ignorance... Roger is very proud of his legacy which obviously includes the 60/3000. same goes for the LM1 & Linndrum (which he included the samples in Tempest btw). I'll also bet you more hits have been made and sold on those 4 legacy units then any of the 8 MPCs that have followed. and FYI, the Linn Drum II will sample..

He may be proud but he did imply that what Akai is simply doing is releasing the same product, rearranged, and that people today is looking for a more modern approach...for a lack of better words.

That is why I believe he doesn't know what his core users want. Everybody loves the old designs. An MPC 3000 with updated CPU, RAM, Storage, and a modern operating system would be a beast. But it wouldn't be cheap...and would initially cost upwards of $4000...don't get it twisted.

But he would still need the resources of a corp like InMusic to pull it off.....Deja Vu

^ read above, LDII will be done with the resources of Dave Smith Instruments which is a quality boutique company making fine made in the USA instruments for the past 30 years.. they will spare no cost rest assured..

JAH wrote:he doesn't know what his core users want

i think what makes him a great designer is that he goes beyond what 'core users want' and delivers products that leave room to explore new territory.

folks back in the day didnt say 'we need a mpc60' and he developed it. he developed a pretty revolutionary instrument with what he knew were useful features and guess what, it caught on because of this insight. then hip hop took this very intelligent design and pushed it to its limits (nobody saw this coming).

if you listen to users all day you end up with something designed to reach the lowest common denominator, often with very little forward thinking - just look at nukai mpcs. the same old design with beefed up specs and almost nothing changed in regards to usability.

the brilliance of guys like roger and jj is that they took it a step beyond what was asked for, and provided new instruments able to surpass all the preconceived 'this is how you use it right' nonsense.

tapedeck wrote:the brilliance of guys like roger and jj is that they took it a step beyond what was asked for, and provided new instruments able to surpass all the preconceived 'this is how you use it right' nonsense.

word.


they actually are GAME CHANGERS. unlike those who merely market themselves and their partially developed products as such...

mr_debauch wrote:Yeah!!! let's read about the manufacturing chain issues, and sales margin from the akai end of the spectrum... let that take priority over roger's design section of the book. Why not have a "where was jack in '88" section while we're at it.

bahahhahahahhahahhaha


this post is instantly legendary.

daftmunk wrote:^ read above, LDII will be done with the resources of Dave Smith Instruments which is a quality boutique company making fine made in the USA instruments for the past 30 years.. they will spare no cost rest assured..

very good point. he doesnt need inMusic for anything.

BTW... sorry I must have missed the fact that Linndrum 2 will sample. he did elude to that (i guess) in comparing linndrum 2 and tempest

but he did pretty much say the mpc way of creating music is antiquated. I thought it was an interesting part of the interview.

RL wrote:"By comparison, my new Tempest is a truly unique drum machine created for the way people make music today instead of how it was made 20 years ago."

JAH wrote:

daftmunk wrote:^ LMAO

psr wrote:just a thought... Isnt it interesting that while we debate, fall in/out love with, cry, kick and scream all about the MPC (what ever flavor) Roger himself thinks its a totally antiquated way to create music now a days? Meanwhile, the tempest and linn drum 2 dont sample and thats what we are all about.

please don't spread more ignorance... Roger is very proud of his legacy which obviously includes the 60/3000. same goes for the LM1 & Linndrum (which he included the samples in Tempest btw). I'll also bet you more hits have been made and sold on those 4 legacy units then any of the 8 MPCs that have followed. and FYI, the Linn Drum II will sample..

He may be proud but he did imply that what Akai is simply doing is releasing the same product, rearranged, and that people today is looking for a more modern approach...for a lack of better words.

That is why I believe he doesn't know what his core users want. Everybody loves the old designs. An MPC 3000 with updated CPU, RAM, Storage, and a modern operating system would be a beast. But it wouldn't be cheap...and would initially cost upwards of $4000...don't get it twisted.

But he would still need the resources of a corp like InMusic to pull it off.....Deja Vu

When I saw him speak it seemed to fall between what users wants now, and what they might want once someone puts something new in front of them. He used arrabmuzik as an example for why the tempest is 2 x 8. Because it allowed for more expression and multifinger playing, taking the idea of a drum machine as an instrument even farther. I think he is proud of his legacy, but not hyped that his design hasn't moved forward and is just be regurgitated by Nukai for $$$ over and over after giving him the brush off.

Infact the part of the lecture he was most animated & excited was when he talked about seeing MPC users like us using the machine in such creative and expressive ways. He's definitely not sick of the 60/3000 and I got the feeling he looked on his past fondly.

I think he knows what his core users want, but that dosnt mean in any sense he wants to just recreate the 3000 over and over just because we might want that. It may be fun for us, but where's the fun that for him? It's the benefit of not being part of Nukai.. He can make what he wants and dosnt have to have focus groups to cast a wide net over the market.

JAH wrote:But still it would be only one side of the story. I would want to hear the other side as well. The truth would most likely fall some where in between.

Well of course it bloody would - that's kinda the point of a biography of Roger Linn - it'd be about him

I'm not one of the JAH bashers who jumps on everything you say, but this one's really dumb ... someone says "I'd like to read Roger's Linn's story" and you have to comment to say basically "that would be Roger's Linn's story" ... statement of the bleeding obvious, eh? did that really need to be said?

This thread is nine pages of
"Roger is the man"
"no, you're wrong, he's rubbish"
"no, you're wrong, he's the man"
"no, he's nothing special"
"he's a pioneer and you're wrong"
"he did nothing special so you're wrong"
...
...
...

I feel like I've been bukkaked with stupid

psr wrote:

daftmunk wrote:^ read above, LDII will be done with the resources of Dave Smith Instruments which is a quality boutique company making fine made in the USA instruments for the past 30 years.. they will spare no cost rest assured..

very good point. he doesnt need inMusic for anything.

BTW... sorry I must have missed the fact that Linndrum 2 will sample. he did elude to that (i guess) in comparing linndrum 2 and tempest

but he did pretty much say the mpc way of creating music is antiquated. I thought it was an interesting part of the interview.

RL wrote:"By comparison, my new Tempest is a truly unique drum machine created for the way people make music today instead of how it was made 20 years ago."

Whether it's InMusic, Dave Smith, Roland, Yamaha, etc....he needs someone as it is apparent he can't pull off the Linn Drum II alone.

But he needs to release something more than just the Tempest with sampling. Roger Linn has certainly never used any of these MPCs if he believes 'his design' hasn't moved forward. It doesn't matter if he is excited about the new MPCs as no one outside of this forum is looking for his stamp of approval on them.

Numerous forum members has a vision of what the ideal MPC is. I don't believe Roger Linn's vision is remotely siniliar. I don't think everyone will buy his vision just because....

roger said he put a lot of his linndrum II sequencer ideas in the tempest...


how do these sequencer ideas contrast with the traditional mpc sequencer? and how do they contrast if at all with the ren's sequencer?