Looks like the Linndrum II is up on the DSI website. Click the image for the full size shot."Many of you have been anxiously awaiting news of BoomChik, the collaboration between Dave and Roger Linn announced at Winter NAMM 2007. As information becomes available, we'll be posting it to this page. The most obvious development over the last year is that it is no longer called BoomChik: it is now the LinnDrum II. There will be two models: the all-digital LinnDrum II and the LinnDrum II Analog, which adds a 4-voice analog synth and 27 dual-function voicing knobs. The LinnDrum II will be available from Roger Linn Design and the LinnDrum II Analog will be available from Dave Smith Instruments.
The operating system emphasizes real-time performance with the ability to drop in and out of record on different beats, play multiple beats simultaneously, switch in and out of song mode, and much more, all without stopping play. Both MPC-style real time and XOX-style step recording are provided, and the 16 velocity- and pressure-sensitive pads—backlit for visual sequence animation—can be assigned to sounds, tunings, beats, pad mutes, or sequence steps. Dedicated buttons exist for touch sensitivity, sound restart, real-time erase and pressure-sensitive note repeat or rolls. 16 megabytes of internal flash memory exist for sound storage, but because sound data is read directly from flash, expanding sound memory is accomplished merely by plugging a compact flash card into the rear panel slot. Inputs and outputs include four audio outs, two sampling/audio processing/drum trigger inputs, phones, USB, MIDI in/out, two expression pedal/foot switch inputs, and four additional direct voice outputs for the Analog model.
Sample playback is enhanced with 8-level velocity switching, dynamic filters and resonators, distortion and lo-fi algorithms, two complex modulation matrices and the ability to use sequence events as modulation sources. The Analog model enables significantly richer voice timbres with its four Curtis chip-based analog voices, analog feedback resonator paths, and dedicated voicing knobs. Performance enhancements include two programmable sliders and dedicated on/off buttons for filter, resonator, amp sim/compressor, EQ, delay and reverb effects.
We hope to be shipping by mid-2008."
Thanks to MG and J for sending this in.
Way back when I e-mailed DSI and said the BoomChik should have xox AND mpc style programming. I think they should at least send me a pizza for that.
ReplyDeleteOf course, my suggestion was probably filed under "Thanks for telling us something we thought of years ago."
Thanks for telling us something we thought of years ago.
ReplyDeleteWhyyyyyyy do they insist on using that cheap looking overlay for EVERY DSI product?? :(
ReplyDeleteIt's even in the render. Arghhh.
4 outs? that's it?
ReplyDeletemy Casio RZ-1 has more outs than that and it was made in the mid 80's.
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ReplyDeleteI'm very curious what can be sent over the usb connection. I really hope it can at least sent MIDI over it, because that would probably help with timing if you were trying to drive all the voices at once from a soft sequencer.
ReplyDelete@regend: I could be wrong, but, reading the blurb, it seems to me that the digital version has 4 outs and the digital+analog version has 8 outs.
I'm looking for a "wipe" function that will clear the entire pattern without having to go into any sort of menu or job function, or having to hold down the pads you want to remove while the whole pattern cycles around. For playing live when you just want to create stuff on the fly between machines, that is really an essential perk. Sure you can change to another blank pattern and start over, but the closest thing I've used that works well is the Function/pattern clear on the machinedrum for quick cleaning.
ReplyDelete-It's also unusual that the lower 8 pads are numbered 1-8 and then you'd move upward to 9-16 for your x0x grid entry. Seems more natural that the pattern would move down towards you.
Looking forward to more info dropping on this.
I REALLY hope they use a bigger display. That one looks really small and out of place
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be great if all music devices had a gigabit network connection instead of USB, supported osc, and had a textual command line that maps their ui.
ReplyDeletei hates usb. and midi too.
Kinda stinks that the digital version has no knobs!
ReplyDeleteMy $399 ESX has knobs!