The DMX is a programmable digital drum machine manufactured by Oberheim . It was introduced in 1980 at a list price of US$ 2,895 (equivalent to $ 10,700 in 2023) and remained in the company's product line until the mid-1980s.
16-536: The Oberheim DMX was the second digital drum machine ever to be sold as a commercial product, following the Linn LM-1 Drum Computer in 1980. Its popularity among musicians of the era contributed to the sound and evolution of 1980s new wave , synth-pop and hip hop music. Immediately following the success of the Linn LM-1, other manufacturers began to develop and release drum machines intended to compete with
32-627: A maximum 8-voice polyphony; one voice per card. It also featured eight separate outputs for individual processing, and allowed up to 100 sequences and 50 songs. One of the distinguishing features of the DMX is that it allowed integration with Oberheim's proprietary interfacing system (the Oberheim Parallel Buss) that pre-dated MIDI and allowed Oberheim equipment to be synchronized with the machine. Later models included factory-fitted MIDI ports and third-party companies also manufactured MIDI interfaces for
48-540: Is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics and released in 1980. It was the first drum machine to use samples of acoustic drums , and one of the first programmable drum machines. Its designer, the American engineer Roger Linn , wanted a machine that would produce more realistic drum sounds and offer more than preset patterns. The LM-1 became a staple of 1980s pop music and helped establish drum machines as credible tools. It appeared on records by artists including
64-467: The DMX feature of use of removable/replaceable voice cards on EPROMs. The DXa model added MIDI support from the factory. Like the DMX, the DX was popular among early hip hop artists. It was also extensively used in dancehall reggae . The DX was later extended with an optional bolt-on "Stretch" expansion, which added four new voices plus some additional features. Linn LM-1 The Linn LM-1 Drum Computer
80-538: The DMX. Drum and percussion samples are stored in EPROM chips placed on removable voice cards. The data format is 8-bit PCM using μ-law companding , increasing sound resolution to approximately 12 bits in the analog domain (a design technique also employed by other early drum machines, including products by Linn Electronics , E-mu Systems and Sequential Circuits ). The DMX's punchy and realistic drum sound made it attractive towards many artists and producers involved in
96-593: The Human League , Gary Numan , Mecano , Icehouse , Michael Jackson and particularly Prince . The LM-1 was succeeded in 1982 by the LinnDrum . The LM-1 was designed by the American engineer and guitarist Roger Linn in the late 1970s. Linn was dissatisfied with drum machines available at the time, such as the Roland CR-78 , and wanted a machine that did not simply play preset patterns and "sound like crickets". At
112-475: The LM-1's ease of programmability and realistic sound quality. The DMX featured sampled sounds of real drums, as well as individual tuning controls for each drum voice and a swing function. In addition, it boasted several humanizing elements such as rolls, flams, and timing variations that were meant to mimic those of real drummers. The DMX features 24 individual drum sounds derived from 11 original samples and allows for
128-411: The LM-1, along with Oberheim DMX , helped establish drum machines as "credible, powerful instruments" rather than toys. The Vinyl Factory wrote that it was "leaps and bounds ahead of the competition," and a significant step forward for music production. Linn released two revisions to correct problems with early models. The LM-1 was succeeded by the cheaper and more stable LinnDrum in 1982, which
144-469: The Oberheim DX was a slightly stripped-down version of the DMX, available at a list price of US$ 1,395. The look and feel of the machine was similar to that of the DMX, but it only featured 18 sounds instead of 24; allowed for 6-sound polyphony instead of 8; had a 4-digit, 7-segment display instead of a 16-character alphanumeric display ; and had fake plastic wood instead of walnut. Fortunately, DX maintained
160-465: The cost of long sound samples at the time. Each sound can be tuned, and has its own output to allow processing by external hardware. The LM-1 also introduced features such as "timing correct" ( quantization ) and "shuffle" ( swing ), and the ability to chain patterns. The LM-1 was announced in 1979 and released in 1980 as the first Linn Electronics product. It retailed for $ 5,500, making it accessible only to wealthy musicians and studios. A flyer for
176-419: The fledgling hip-hop scene and it is featured on many of the genre's early landmark recordings. It is in continuous use in dancehall reggae music. Artists that have used the DMX include New Order on their 1983 single " Blue Monday " and The Police on " Every Breath You Take " (kick drum only). Several artists derive their names from the drum computer, including DMX Krew and Davy DMX . Introduced in 1983,
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#1732859160360192-474: The machine promised that it would provide "real drums at your fingertips". Only 525 were built; Linn sold them by bringing prototypes to showbusiness parties. Early adopters included Peter Gabriel , Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Wonder . The LM-1 became a staple of 1980s pop music, used by acts including the Human League , Gary Numan , Michael Jackson , Giorgio Moroder , ABC , Devo , John Carpenter and particularly Prince . According to The Guardian ,
208-422: The pianist Leon Russell , who often used drum machines. He immediately asked to purchase one, and used it to record drums for every track on his 1979 album Life and Love . The LM-1 features twelve 8-bit percussion samples, which can be individually tuned: kick , snare , hi-hat , cabasa , tambourine , two toms , two congas , cowbell , claves , and hand claps . Cymbal sounds were not included, due to
224-473: The samples were mostly played by the session drummer Art Wood , with handclaps by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers . Linn introduced the quantization feature after he discovered that his code would record his playing and play it back in perfect sixteenth notes , effectively correcting his timing. To implement swing beats, he delayed the playback of alternate sixteenth notes. Linn showed his prototype to
240-539: The suggestion of the Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro , Linn recorded samples of real drums to a computer chip . By the late 1970s, the technology required to store and play samples had become small and affordable enough to use in his drum machine. As the samples were stored as digital audio , they would not degrade like those of earlier devices, such as the Chamberlin Rhythmate , which used tape loops . Linn said
256-563: Was a commercial success. LinnDrum The LinnDrum , also referred to as the LM-2 , is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. The LinnDrum was designed by the American engineer Roger Linn . It was cheaper and more widely produced than his first drum machine, the Linn LM-1 , which had been affordable only to wealthy musicians and studios. The LinnDrum sold far more units than
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