Hello from Roger Linn-- 



Here are a few items of possible interest to LinnStrument owners or enthusiasts. Normally the newsletters go out on the first of the month, but this one's a little early due to the urgency of items 2 and 3.

1) Tutorial videos for learning Surge XT

LinnStrument's official synthesizer, Surge XT, is amazingly versatile and deep. But it can be daunting to learn at first. Fortunately, LinnStrumentalist Max Bajzek ("shutterdownmax" on the LinnStrument forum), has created a series of tutorial videos about learning Surge XT for creating MPE sounds with LinnStrument.

If you don't know Max, he created many excellent sounds for Surge's "LinnStrument MPE" library under the author name "thoughtForm". He is also highly skilled in expressive solo performance on LinnStrument, and is featured in "The LinnStrumentalists" video compilations volume 2 and 3. Plus, he's a tech guy and good at explaining complex topics.

Max's first tutorial video is called "MPE Sound Design in Surge XT: Initial Patch":

His second video is "MPE Sound Design in Surge XT: Cello":

The third video is his series is "MPE Sound Design in Surge XT: Plucks and Envelopes":

And the fourth video in the series is "MPE Sound Design in Surge XT: Physical Modeling Demystified":

2) LinnStrument Meetup at Superbooth

I regret that I won't be exhibiting at the upcoming Superbooth show in Berlin, but I really like the show and the people who put it on.

However, there will be a LinnStrument meetup at SchneidersLaden (the store that puts on the Superbooth show) on Sunday evening, May 11, from 7 to 10 pm. This is the day after Superbooth. It will be hosted by LinnStrumentalist Stefan Tiedje, who is "TJ Shredder" on the LinnStrument forum.

It's a free event with no need to register, so you're welcome to just show up. SchneidersLaden's address is:

SchneidersLaden GmbH

Karl-Marx-Straße 186

12043 Berlin, Germany

www.SchneidersLaden.de   

It will be a great opportunity to meet other LinnStrumentalists, and to play LinnStrument with the many Eurorack modules at SchneidersLaden. There are around 45 LinnStrument owners in Berlin, plus others who will fly in for Superbooth, and it's open to anyone, even those who don't own a LinnStrument. So it may be a pretty big event.

3) "Speedbumpy" alternate playing surface is shipping!

"Speedbumpy", the alternate playing surface for LinnStrument 128 from Chris Guichet's company Sound Workshop, is now shipping. As described on the Sound Workshop site:

"Our LinnStrument Speedbumpy Surface helps your fingers feel their position on each note, making it easier to play with closed eyes or play multiple notes at once:

• Each row is shaped like a long speedbump. This helps fingers stay on track during pitch slides by riding along the crest of the bump.
• Grooves are centered over the top of each note instead of on the boundary, that way each finger can feel the correct position to play in tune
• Removed the root note dots for players using alternate tunings

We found a few surprising benefits after playing with the prototypes

• The speedbumps provide confident tactile feedback when performing a double stop or shifting a finger between rows
• The speedbumps also make Y expression easier, you can feel the front, back, or crest of the bump to express maximum, minimum, or middle Y values

The Speedbumpy LinnStrument Surface is made by the same vendor as the factory surface, with the same material, pigment, curing, and low friction urethane coating. We also added a black color for a darker look. The black paint is applied under the urethane coating for durability.

Only surfaces for LinnStrument 128 are available at this time, due to the higher cost of a mold and minimum order for LinnStrument 200 surfaces.

Overall we think that these surfaces make LinnStrument more delightful and help the player enter a flow state with their eyes closed."

To order, visit the Sound Workshop site. If you want it soon, order by May 3. After that Chris leaves for Superbooth and shipments will have to wait until he returns.

4) Next LinnStrument Zoom call is Tuesday May 6

The next First-Tuesday-Of-The-Month-LinnStrument-Zoom-Call is Tuesday May 6 at 10 am California time.

I (Roger) can't make it this time, so the call will be hosted by Max Bazjek (see item #1 above), who is not only a skilled LinnStrument player but also highly technically skilled.

To get the Zoom meeting link, click here or click "Monthly Zoom call with Roger" from the LinnStrument Support page. I hope you can join the meeting, if not this one then on any future first Tuesday of the month at 10 am California time.

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Please feel free to pass this message on to anyone who might be interested. If you're not on the Newsletter email list and would like to receive these monthly newsletter, visit the LinnStrument Support page and click "Email Newsletters". And thanks for owning, or having interest in, LinnStrument.