Linn

Linn Electronics, founded by Roger Linn, pioneered digital sample-based drum machines that reshaped 1980s production. The LM-1 (1980) introduced studio-quality sampled drums and full programmability, the LinnDrum (1982) broadened adoption with more sounds at a lower cost, and the Linn 9000 (1984) combined velocity-sensitive pads with a 32 track MIDI sequencer, foreshadowing the pad-based workstations that followed. Their crisp, punchy samples anchored countless pop, R&B and early hip hop records and set the template for modern drum programming and sampling.

Made In U.S.A.

Released in 1980 /

Linn LM-1 Drum Computer

Released in 1980, the Linn LM-1 was the first digital sampled drum machine, offering realistic drum sounds, programmability and studio-grade mixing. Its use by Prince, Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel and others defined the sound of the 1980s, reshaping how rhythm was created in popular music.

Made In U.S.A.

Released in 1982 /

Linn LinnDrum Drum Computer

Released in 1982, the LinnDrum expanded on the LM-1 with 15 sampled drum sounds, user-changeable chips, song sequencing and pro-level mixing. It became the defining drum machine of the 1980s, powering hits by Madonna, Michael Jackson and Prince, and cementing sampled drums as the sound of modern pop.

Made In U.S.A.

Released in 1984 /

Linn 9000 Digital Drum Machine

Released in 1984, the Linn 9000 fused sampled drums, velocity-sensitive pads and a 32-track MIDI sequencer, creating a hands-on production workstation that set the template for pad-based groove machines and shaped late-1980s studio workflows.