The Linn 9000 Homepage


The Mighty Linn 9000

The Linn 9000 is a vintage drum machine and midi hardware sequencer. It was created by the father of modern sampled drum machines Roger Linn. It is a large, cumbersome monster with a notoriously fickle operating system. It also is one of the most unique organic rhythm machines ever made.

The strength of the Linn 9000 lies in it's real time control of the volume, tuning, and stereo pan of each of it's 18 sounds and it's ability to load in custom sounds. There are individual 1/4" outputs and a dedicated slider for each sound, 18 velocity sensitive pads, and a backlit display screen with online help features. Sounds are stored on Eproms (the same system used by the Linn LM1 and Linndrum) but with the sample load option you can also temporarily overwrite them and use the onboard sliders and other features to affect the sample just as you would adjust the actual ROM sound.

By combining the strength of the innovative Linn drum systems with the flexibility of additional sounds, a midi hardware sequencer, new features such as the large velocity pads, and additional options such as SMPTE and trigger inputs Linn hoped to have the perfect tool for the professional musician. In reality the first years of the Linn 9000's life it was plagued with operating system bugs and it's high price tag made it well out of the range of the average musician who might have picked up a Linndrum.

Years after it's demise the Linn 9000 remains one of the true innovative designs of it's decade. With the later, more stable operating system users have discovered that despite it's quirks it offers an unparalleled collection of hands on features and unique sounds. Take the following links to discover more about it's specifications and tricks on how to get the most out of your Linn 9000.

Specifications of the Linn 9000

How to copy Linn 9000 diskettes on a PC

The Care, Feeding, and Repair of your Linn 9000

Brothers, Sisters, and Cousins: Similar Drum Machines

Download disk images of Linn 9000 samples here.

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