Ableton Forum

"Meet LinnStrument, an expressive MIDI controller for musical performance.
Unlike the simple on/off switches of a standard MIDI keyboard, LinnStrument's RGB-backlit note pads sense each finger's subtle movements in five ways, enabling musical performance expression rivaling that of fine acoustic instruments."

LinnStrument, a Revolutionary Expressive Musical Performance Controller

Maybe a Push isn't such a great MIDI performance controller after all? If nothing else LinnStrument would work for other contexts too and not just with Live. Likely far from as integrated of course. Isn't hardware wonderful?

Huh?

Been eyeing this and the Seaboard as well as Madrona Labs' Soundplane for a while. Eventually I will go down one of those roads.

This has concerned me about the Linnstrument:

For fully polyphonic expressive control, you'll need a synth that's compatible with MPE (Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression), a new MIDI standard for connecting expressive controllers and synths over standard MIDI.

What is real-life impact of this for Ableton Live users?

ChangoM wrote:This has concerned me about the Linnstrument:

For fully polyphonic expressive control, you'll need a synth that's compatible with MPE (Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression), a new MIDI standard for connecting expressive controllers and synths over standard MIDI.

What is real-life impact of this for Ableton Live users?

Well, I'm sure Ableton will support MPE as soon as 2025, so will have to be ignored just like polyphonic aftertouch today as if it didn't exist.

Tarekith wrote:Huh?

More serious, can we dream about such expressivity in Push of a future version?

tedlogan wrote:Been eyeing this and the Seaboard as well as Madrona Labs' Soundplane for a while. Eventually I will go down one of those roads.

Have you had the opportunity to try these out hands-on?

Stromkraft wrote:

tedlogan wrote:Been eyeing this and the Seaboard as well as Madrona Labs' Soundplane for a while. Eventually I will go down one of those roads.

Have you had the opportunity to try these out hands-on?

Nope I have not. But I reckon I will enjoy the experience, being a guitar player foremost. I am sometimes slightly frustrated trying to translate the extreme expressiveness of a guitar to a keyboard or pads.

An electric guitar with some pedals and your fingers is a very visceral thing, irrespective of genre.

I do respect that a piano, for example, is not a guitar and to not expect the same experience and that variety is a great spice.

I also have a pretty good time playing synths on Push. But if spare cash becomes available I'd like to have a Linnstrument or an equivalent.

Real life impact for Live performers? None. There's no support for polyphonic aftertouch for example in native ableton devices. That said, you wouldn't necessarily need to map the every multidimensional aspect of this controller to use it with a synth, even if that synth had polyphonic aftertouch.

Why not just enjoy what you got today ?

https://www.facebook.com/AbletonPushVstRacks/

lovelight wrote:Why not just enjoy what you got today ?

I enjoy my Push 1 every single day. But the Linnstruments seems like very useful controllers, also without MPE support in Live.

braduro wrote:Real life impact for Live performers? None. There's no support for polyphonic aftertouch for example in native ableton devices. That said, you wouldn't necessarily need to map the every multidimensional aspect of this controller to use it with a synth, even if that synth had polyphonic aftertouch.

u-he synths (for example), or Madrona Labs, and Reaper - sorted. Outside of the box of Live.

lovelight wrote:Why not just enjoy what you got today ?

https://www.facebook.com/AbletonPushVstRacks/

I do. But there's always more. Otherwise why do anything? Might as well just enjoy being in existence and sit in a chair and enjoy breathing- why more? Because that's what we do.

Be brilliant to what you got, instead of hoping for the better, its really not about the newest of everything, constantly, but what you can do with what you got . Its just like the Iphone mania, ppl want the new model even if their existing works fine. you dont make good music because you got the most expencieve and newest of everything.

i know its a bit off topic, since it start with Linnstruments

https://www.facebook.com/AbletonPushVstRacks/

I agree with your sentiments love light but I don't believe anyone has made any comments regarding the topic you're talking about, I think they're just talking about how good or not the Linnstrument is and what it would be like to use it with live, correct me if I'm wrong?

I also agree with your sentiments Lovelight - I very very rarely buy any gear. Almost never. This includes synths. I just buy what I need to accomplish what I want to do. I prefer to try and master a few things instead of spreading myself all over the place.

But I like a more tactile experience with an instrument, and a Linnstrument or any similar expressive controller will fit the bill nicely for me.
As I mentioned, I love Push 1/2 and am very happy with it. But if I have spare cash some day, I just might add one of those controllers to my very small collection of equipment. Push simply cannot offer such an experience.

I shouldn't have to explain myself, but there you go. My phone is a Samsung S4 by the way - quite old, and all the PC and TV screens in my home are all still LCD. And I'm still on plain broadband, not fiber optic. Etc.