Machine
LinnBeats: an 80s sampled drum machine, free in your browser
LinnBeats is DRUMS 3 in EASY RAVE, a free drum machine in your browser that plays a sampled kit in the spirit of the LinnDrum, the drum machine behind a lot of 80s pop. It has 10 sounds including sidestick, tambourine, conga and ride, a KIT TUNE knob that speeds up or slows down every sample at once, and the same step sequencer and effects as the other machines.
What is LinnBeats?
LinnBeats is the third drum machine in the EASY RAVE rack, labelled DRUMS 3. Where HOUSE 909 and DEEP 808 make their sounds with synthesis, LinnBeats plays recorded drum samples, in the spirit of the LinnDrum, the early-80s drum machine famous for its realistic sampled kit and all over the pop records of that decade.
Like DEEP 808, it starts folded. Click its name or its logo screen to open it.
What sounds does LinnBeats have?
LinnBeats has the biggest kit in the rack, with 10 rows:
| Sound | Good for |
|---|---|
| BASS DRUM | The kick |
| SNARE | The backbeat, often with gated reverb for the 80s sound |
| SIDESTICK | A dry click on the rim, for quieter verses and Latin grooves |
| HAND CLAP | Layered with the snare on 2 and 4 |
| TAMB | Tambourine: a shaking 8th or 16th line on top |
| CONGA | Percussion fills and grooves |
| CLOSED HAT | The timekeeper |
| OPEN HAT | Offbeats |
| COWBELL | Accents and Latin patterns |
| RIDE | A shimmer on top |
Each row has a volume knob, M (mute) and S (solo), and accents work like the other drum machines: right-click a step or use the ACC row.
What does KIT TUNE do?
KIT TUNE plays every sample faster or slower at once, from 0.60x to 1.60x. Faster makes the kit higher and snappier; slower makes it lower, heavier and longer. Re-pitching the whole kit this way was a common trick with sampled drum machines, and it changes the character of the kit more than any single knob.
The other SOUND MODIFIERS are COWBELL TUNE, OPEN HAT (how long it rings), HAT TONE, CUTOFF, DRIVE and BIT CRUSHER.
How do you get the 80s drum sound?
- Open LinnBeats and press CLEAR.
- Program a slow backbeat, around 100 to 115 BPM: kick on 1 and 3, snare and clap on 2 and 4, tambourine on the 8ths.
- Open SOUND EFFECTS, set REVERB to Gated and turn AMOUNT up.
80s pop backbeat on LinnBeats
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KICK | ||||||||||||||||
| SNARE | ||||||||||||||||
| CLAP | ||||||||||||||||
| TAMB |
Because reverb works on the whole machine, you can keep the kick and hats dry on HOUSE 909 and put only the snare on LinnBeats with a big gated reverb. Gated reverb explains the sound and the trick.
What else is LinnBeats good for?
- Lo-fi: turn KIT TUNE below 1.00x and add BIT CRUSHER for a dusty, slowed-down kit. See how to make lo-fi beats.
- Funk and disco: sidestick, conga, cowbell and tambourine give you a full percussion section.
- Layering: add LinnBeats' clap or tambourine on top of a HOUSE 909 beat for a more human feel.
Frequently asked questions
Is LinnBeats a LinnDrum?
No. LinnBeats is a drum machine built for EASY RAVE, inspired by the sampled kits of the LinnDrum era. EASY RAVE is an independent project and has no connection with Linn Electronics or Roger Linn.
What is the difference between LinnBeats and HOUSE 909?
HOUSE 909 and DEEP 808 make their drums with synthesis, so knobs such as KICK DECAY reshape the sound itself. LinnBeats plays recorded samples, which sound more like a real drum kit, and KIT TUNE re-pitches them all together.
Does LinnBeats work offline?
The LinnBeats samples load with EASY RAVE, and when you export a project file the kit is included inside it, so the exported song plays even with no internet connection.