I’m an enormous fan of the LinnStrument. One drawback of it is that the ability to play by feel is limited. You can feel for the gaps between the pads, but that’s usually not where you want your finger to be during play. When you jump your finger back to the correct position, you loose the tactile feedback.
I think that adding a speedbump shape to the rows could allow you to feel the rows without interfering with pitch slides. So I 3D printed a mold and made my own sheet with speedbump rows. Images and video below. I think it helps a lot, especially when doing long pitch slides. What do you think?
(In the video I’m playing some music origianlly written by Connor Golden for LinnStrument)
I guess it moves a little away from the continuous surface idea… but I can see how it would give a better sense of spatial positioning.
how does the Y axis feel? does it change?
did you have to have to adjust the sensitivity to cope with the different surface?
(great thing is the Linnstrument firmware is open source, so potentially you have the option of altering)
anyway great idea, and if it feels better to you … that of course, is the only thing that matters !
btw: have you reached out to @gbevin and Roger, I’m sure he loved to hear about what you’ve done, and your experiences !
Thanks @thetechnobear ! Yes I agree it moves away from the continuous surface idea, but it leans toward the idea of having 8 strings. On LinnStrument the X-Axis and Y-Axis are fundamentally different, so if they feel different as well that helps the user build a mental model of the instrument. I think it’s also more interesting for the audience to see the speedbumps, because they can see the player’s fingers are running along these “strings”. With the flat surface sometimes it’s a little hard to make a visual connection between the fingers and the sound for those not familiar.
Oh I actually haven’t checked the Y axis yet, my synth doesn’t use Y yet. I expect there will be some loss in precision. I’ll report back on that. Right now I’m looking for a firmer and less sticky rubber.
I haven’t contacted @gbevin yet, but I’ve talked Roger’s ears off about this! We’ve been discussing it on the LinnStrument forum and he shared 3D models for the 128 and 200 surfaces. The 128 model saved me many hours. Geert I’d love to hear what you think!
For funsies, here is a surface using a two shot mold to create black boundaries and lean more into the string metaphor.
As mentioned on Roger’s call a few days ago, I want this. I use my 128 in Channel Per Row mode, following the string metaphor, and some additional tactile feedback would be welcome.
I’m willing to buy a custom surface from you. Will you make one for me?
@teknico after lots of trial and error, I’m finally ready to share these surfaces! Please check out my post on the LinnStrument forum for more details on how to buy one.
Here’s a video of me making and playing one of the latest surfaces:
Putting the grooves right on the pitch makes a lot more sense. It would be nice if the grooves can be rounded, rather than squares. It hurts when I slide fast on Linnstrument.
Thanks. Actually, I put a 45 degree “chamfer” on the corners of the grooves. When you’re sliding it helps the fingers slide across, and when you’re looking to lock into a groove they help center your finger. So I think it addresses the finger pain problem you mention.
Unfortunately on this last batch I think I caused a lot of grief since my unit worked but a few recipients had trouble. I think what happened is that if the boundary is too thin then the edge sensor contacts don’t get properly engaged and various columns don’t function properly. That discouraged me but I think I need to get back in the saddle and do another iteration.
Hi folks, I finally have a professional rendition of this surface ready. They feel great to me!
To recap:
rows are shaped like a long speedbump to keep the finger on track while sliding
grooves are centered over the note (instead of the boundaries) to give positive feedback when the finger is on target
speedbumps also help with Y expression, since you can feel a finger’s Y position
speedbumps help with double stops and shifting a finger between rows without overshooting
Roger graciously shared his 3D model and connected me with his silicone vendor, so these surfaces use the same material, process, and low friction coating as the factory surface. I also worked with the vendor to make a black color by adding a layer of paint under the coating.
If you would like to preorder the surface please go to www.soundwork.shop , shipping in November.
Here’s a little video of my playing on it. At 9 seconds you can see a riff which I shift one finger between rows
Hi folks, just wanted to highlight that the shipping has delayed from Winter 2024 to Spring 2025.
I got some feedback on the initial samples that prompted me to modify the mold (added a gentle flat region to the top to serve as a “home”). Well, when I modified the mold I overdid the change and it felt like my fingers were floating around again. So I just ordered a second mold modification to find a happy medium. I did use 3D prints to try and pre-trial the shape, but once I had the real silicone samples it felt different than the prints. Thanks to the pre-order supporters for funding these iterations to find the right shape.
Sorry about the delay. Due the the limited audience for this product I’ve only got one shot to get the shape right. Once I have an updated schedule from the mold vendor I’ll e-mail the supporters, and I’m happy to issue refunds.
Unfortunately I only have a LinnStrument 200 with several hardware and firmware modifications, but you could try creating a topic in the Sell/Buy category, then see if anyone else is interested in your offer.
