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Synth pioneer Roger Linn shows us his new analog drum machine, Tempest (video)
We were wandering around the crowded, noisy halls of this year's NAMM show when a particularly freaked-out drum pattern struck our eardrums. We followed the sound and encountered a gray-haired, bespectacled gentleman tapping and tweaking knobs so professionally that we couldn't help checking out his name tag. Imagine our delight when we saw it was no less than Roger Linn, designer of the Linndrum and Akai's MPC60. If you're not familiar with those terms, no matter: let's just say that Dr. Dre and any other producer who's banged out a synthetic beat on a box owes this guy their entire career. Mr. Linn has partnered with Dave Smith Instruments to create the Tempest, a 16-pad beauty with enough knobs, buttons, and sequencing muscle to keep you inspired for endless hours in the studio. And the sound on this thing! It does include digital samples like a traditional MPC, but where it really shines is in the analog synthesis and effects department. It takes a lot for a drum machine to feel unique and valuable these days -- especially at the $2000 they'll be asking for it in June -- but the Tempest, from our brief time with it, sounds like it'll be well worth the investment for serious producers. Video of Mr. Linn's demo after the break. %Gallery-114437%
Lineo's Warp 2 boots to Fedora on Atom in 4 seconds, MPC Data's SwiftBoot warms up embedded Linux in an instant
Alright, you caught us. We're suckers for speedy, unrealistically optimized boot times. The fine folks at Linux for Devices just highlighted two major players on the horizon: Lineo's Warp 2, which is about to launch; and MPC Data's SwiftBoot, which is now available. Both of them are less of a "boot" and more of a "wake from hibernation" sort of thing, but most of the issues are the same -- you still have to boot a kernel, whether or not you're gonna populate the system with a saved state when it's ready. Lineo is booting up Fedora Linux 12 on an Atom Z530 machine, and has just hit the 4.06 second mark -- compared to a 54.72 second "normal" boot time on the system. Meanwhile, MPC Data is going after much more of a niche, but doing it well: its SwiftBoot tech can get Linux up and running an actual application on an embedded device-ready Renesas SuperH SH7724 processor in under a second (0.982 seconds, to be precise). This one has to be seen to be believed, so check out the video after the break. Sure, it won't help you love your pokey PC or Mac any more (though Apple's doing its own work on this problem with its misnomered "instant on" feature on the MacBook Air, which wakes the computer from hibernation in a few seconds), but it's a nice glimpse of what's to come.
LinnStrument multitouch music maker gets demoed on video, grasps for investors
Roger Linn. Ever heard of him? He's only the man behind the modern day drum machine and the original MPC-60, and he's also the man behind the concept you're inevitably peering at above. For now, Roger's calling this beaut the LinnStrument, and there's quite a back story to go along with it. The design began way back in 2006, with the goal being to create a full-on multitouch instrument with the ability to let one's finger dictate volume, timbre, pitch and pressure. No doubt, many have tried to concoct something similar, but Roger's discovery of TouchCo enabled him to create one sans the limitations of imitators. Unfortunately, Amazon quietly scooped up the startup in January of this year (to have this sort of technology available for the Kindle product line), and in turn, shut down TouchCo's involvement with the outside world. Now, Roger's being forced to reveal his unfinished work in hopes of attracting investors or unearthing another company that could mimic this sort of awesomeness en masse. Jump on past the break and mash play to get a better idea of what the world's missing out on, and be sure to tell Jeff Bezos "thanks" the next time you bump into him. [Thanks, Peter]
Scratch: The Ultimate DJ deck ain't no half-steppin'
"These aren't some made up tricks," scoffs our friendly narrator. "They're authentic scratches heard every night in the hottest clubs in the world." But authenticity -- the act of keeping it real -- doesn't end there for Scratch: The Ultimate DJ's Numark-designed peripheral, the Scratch Deck. Check these street credentials: "the first legitimate DJ controller for video gamers" (oh snap!) "Numark have been at the forefront of turntable production since the 1970s" (before you were even born, son!) "utilizes technology that locks your scratches in the sweet spot of any sample" (bust that scientifical) "build skills that will transfer over to any DJ setup" (who said anything about mad skillz?) "you need beats" (just sayin') "Dr. Dre, Just Blaze and Pete Rock" ( ... just sayin') "The controller," authenticates Mix Master Mike, "very authentic." With that our narrator concludes, "So, now you're up on everything related to Scratch: The Ultimate DJ." But wait, isn't there, like, a video game somehow related to this peripheral? What up with that?Update: So what's up with the game? "The game is coming along quite nicely under the direction of the Commotion Interactive team, and we will be releasing some new assets in a few weeks," a Scratch spokesperson tells Joystiq. And adds, "As of now, the release date is still spring 2010."%Gallery-64266%
Gateway unloads Professional business segment on MPC
The shakeups at Gateway just seem keep on coming these days, with the planned acquisition by Acer and the seemingly imminent takeover of Packard Bell now being followed by the sale of Gateway's Professional business segment to MPC Corporation. According to Gateway, the sale, valued at some $90 million, is being done in order to "simplify its business model," "leverage reduced cost structure," and, of course, concentrate on the worldwide consumer market. For its part, MPC unsurprisingly says the newly combined company will be a boon to its customer base, which mainly consists of those in government, education, and small-and-medium businesses. To help it on its way, Gateway is also investing some $10 million in MPC, and it'll also be getting a 19.9% equity stake in the company.
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Field-tested MPC-9000 portable computer
If you often find yourself computing in less than hospitable locales, there's plenty of rough and tumble notebooks out there; but the inherent expansion limitations of laptops leaves a void that could only be filled by a rig like the Contemporary MicroSystems MPC-9000. The fully featured PC is encased an all aluminum shell seemingly inspired by a lunch box, replete with padded handle. Housed inside is your choice of a 15.4-inch or 17-inch LCD screen, fold-down keyboard, four drive expansion bays, a 400-watt power supply, 1GB of RAM, an AMD or Intel dual-core processor, and all the other amenities commonly found on micro-ATX boards, such as PCI-express slots. The MPC-9000 just begs for abuse with its shock-absorbing HD mounts and expansion card clamps, and allows you to wheel it off-road in the caster-clad case. While this rugged PC shows promise, one mustn't forget what kind of energy is required to operate a "portable" PC with six exhaust fans; you'll likely need a tag-along generator when headed into the rough with an, ahem, Contemporary MicroSystems box. [Via Mobilemag]
