Imagine someone at a modern music convention, showing off a revolutionary new effects pedal in a cardboard casing. That something, as it turns out, came out of the gate before a proper chassis was even ready. So I knew I was on to something." - Roger Linn They were amazed to hear the sound of a real drum when they hit a button. So I knew I was on to something." When I would do demos of the early LM–1 prototype, people’s jaws would drop. "They were amazed to hear the sound of a real drum when they hit a button. "When I would do demos of the early LM–1 prototype, people’s jaws would drop," Linn says. But what began as something personal and artistic soon called out for a wider audience. And like any good inventor, Linn began with necessity: having an always on–call "drummer" to play on his demos. "My idea was that by storing only a single short sample of each of a few drums, the total required memory wasn’t so much."Ī skilled guitarist and songwriter, Linn had already toured with Leon Russell when he was 21 (and would later write the 1979 song "Promises" for Eric Clapton). "I was aware of sampling technology in the years leading up, but computer memory and parts were very expensive," Linn recalls. And the result wasn’t a toy by any means, rather, the first drum machine in history to employ samples. Remarkably, Roger Linn was all of 24 years old when he announced the LM–1, having started work on it when he was just 22. Respected news outlets such as The Guardian have taken some smart guesses (including Jeff Porcaro of Toto), but we’ve got the real answer here. In our interview with Linn, he goes deep into the history of his ultra–pioneering instrument, which includes setting the record straight once and for all about who the Linn "drummer" was who provided those first 8–bit samples. In fact, Prince is said to have run the LM–1 through Boss effects pedals to get the "Doves" sound. He didn’t just select a stock beat and press ‘play,’ but rather used it in unusual and creative ways, from detuning the drums to no longer sound like drums to the unusual beats he programmed to how he featured it in the mix." And yet, "I tried to contact Prince a couple of times but never heard back," Linn tells Reverb. Prince so loved Linn’s machines that he owned several (including the next generation LinnDrum).
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