LinnStrument 128

Meet LinnStrument, an expressive MIDI controller for musical performance.
Unlike the simple on/off switches of a standard MIDI keyboard, LinnStrument’s RGB-backlit note pads sense each finger’s subtle movements in five ways, enabling musical performance expression rivaling that of fine acoustic instruments.

LinnStrument sends standard MIDI messages over its USB or MIDI output jacks, and is configured by default to work out-of-the-box with every MIDI sound generator in existence, with the advantages over a MIDI keyboard of performed vibrato, note-to-note pitch slides, full pressure sensing from lightest to heaviest touch, and forward/backward movement sensing.

For fully independent 3D control of all simultaneously touches, you’ll need a synth that’s compatible with MPE (Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression), a new industry-wide MIDI standard that uses a separate MIDI channel for each touch.

Step Sequencer – Use LinnStrument’s RGB note pads as a powerful 2-track step sequencer with per-note velocity/duration/bend/y-axis values, any time signature, independent track step sizes and loop lengths, scales/drums/notes views, reverse play, live play while sequence plays, swing timing and more.

Expressive Swing Arpeggiator – LinnStrument’s built-in Arpeggiator responds to all dimensions of movement for entirely new ways of beat-synced play. The Replay All mode creates chordal rhythms merely by varying chord pressure, and makes LinnStrument the world’s only MPE beatbox.

Split Keyboard / Strum / CC Faders– You can split the keyboard to play two different sounds, and adjust the split point as you like. You can use one split to strum notes fingered on the other split as like a guitar. Or use either split as eight horizontal Control Change Faders to adjust 8 sound parameters in real time as you play.

Low Row – The lowest row of note pads can be reassigned to act as a Sustain Pedal, a Modulation or Bend strip, to momentarily enable the Arpeggiator (sliding your thumb to vary its rate), to restrike a fingered chord, or even as a 3D control strip, modulating three parameters at once.

Play on a table or standing – you can play it on a table like a keyboard, but at only 5 pounds (large model) and 1″ thin, you can also use the included guitar strap pins to play it standing up like a guitar.

Single or Dual Foot Switch Input – Connect a standard single or dual foot switch for foot control of sustain, Arpeggiator, octaves, Tap Tempo, Control Change messages and more.

All Settings on front panel / Open Source software – All of LinnStrument’s settings are available on the front panel so there’s no need to fumble with computer editing software. And even with all of LinnStrument’s versatility, we didn’t want to limit how people would use it. So we released the software as open source, allowing you to customize everything.