A Beat In Time: (Limited edition hardback)

'A Beat In Time: A History Of Linn Electronics' (limited edition hardback) features the innovations of Roger Linn, who designed the LM-1; the first programmable drum computer to use digitally recorded 'real drum' samples stored internally on EPROM chips. The LM-1 first became commercially available in 1980, and soon after many records in music charts worldwide would feature the sequenced sounds of the LM-1. Following up on the success of the LM-1 (which achieved sales of just over 500 units) Linn revised his design, and released the less expensive LinnDrum in mid-1982 – achieving sales of 5000 units over a three year period - and established his company Linn Electronics as being at the forefront of drum machine design. Drummers in recording studios soon found themselves competing against not just the LinnDrum but also other programmable drum units released by Roland, Oberheim, E-mu Systems, Sequential, and others. The Linn9000 model released in the last quarter of 1984 was a highly innovative design combining a programmable (sample-capable) drum machine with an advanced onboard sequencer for recording of notes triggered from keyboards and other MIDI-equipped instruments. With such a complex design, the unit’s sales were hampered by early hardware problems, along with operating software containing bugs that would take several months to sort out, and - coupled with a move away from using digital drum sounds within the recording industry - Linn Electronics Inc. closed down in early 1986. 'A Beat In Time' covers all the products commercially released by Linn Electronics, along with information on the designs left on the 'drawing board' that never made it into production. The book features contributions from ex-Linn Electronics staff and also from some notable people in the music industry that have successfully used or tested the products. This limited-edition hardback book is printed in deluxe colour, packed with over 200 pages and over 250 photos and diagrams, including a breakdown of all the cards available for the Linn9000 and contained within the LinnSequencer and LinnDrum Midistudio.