Digital sound, but physical: Roger Linn’s LinnStrument in action, 10% off

No, we do not all want to be reduced to brains in a jar. Music has always been about gesture, whether embodied in the breath or touch. So now is the perfect time for the LinnStrument, the human-scaled expressive grid from Roger Linn. Roger writes to point us to some of the latest musical examples […]

Akai’s MPC Sample is compact, $399 — let’s compare it to an original MPC60!

It’s real, it’s adorable, it’s an MPC you can hold in your hand, and it costs just $399. Tiny desks now accommodate whole studios. But now that Akai has shared the full specs for MPC Sample — why not compare it to the original 1988 MPC60, spec-for-spec?

Peter Kirn - March 24, 2026

Tom Oberheim turns 89 today; a conversation with Tom

Tom Oberheim may be in retirement, but the instruments and his legacy are just getting started. Artists are rediscovering vintage classics, and instruments like the new TEO-5 are taking off. So to celebrate his 89th birthday, here’s a recent conversation with the man behind that famous synth name.

Peter Kirn - July 7, 2025

Here’s Roger Linn with advice on developing expressive gestures

Peter Kirn - January 8, 2025

Learn music instrument design from Roger Linn and Sasha Leitman

Peter Kirn - June 8, 2024

Roger Linn shares hidden settings and more gems from the LinnStrument

Peter Kirn - December 2, 2022

MIDI Polyphonic Expression has been updated with one powerful feature: better documentation

Peter Kirn - May 17, 2022

Roger Linn’s LinnStrument is back in stock, for your expressive grid needs

Peter Kirn - August 3, 2021

Surge, awesome free soft synth, gets major 1.8 update

Peter Kirn - January 28, 2021