{"slug": "the-man-behind-the-legendary-mpc-roger-linn-stays-focused-with-a-single-browser", "title": "The man behind the legendary MPC, Roger Linn, stays focused with a single browser tab", "summary": "Roger Linn, the inventor of iconic music hardware like the LinnDrum and the Akai MPC, maintains his focus and creativity by keeping his digital life extremely simple, often working with just a single browser tab open. Despite his legendary status for creating the MPC—a sampler foundational to hip-hop and house music—he continues to innovate with the LinnStrument, an expressive 3D controller that pioneered the MPE standard. To stay centered, Linn practices deep breathing, shifts his perspective when stuck, and finds his \"happy place online\" playing VR mini golf.", "body_md": "Roger Linn is a legend in the world of musical instruments. He’s been at the cutting edge of music technology for decades. He created the LM-1, the first drum machine to use samples, and its successor, the LinnDrum, is one of the most iconic drum machines of all time. They were used on countless records in the 1980s, including hits by Tom Petty, Queen, and Tears for Fears. But the most notable fan was probably Prince, who used them extensively on Purple Rain and 1999.\nThe man behind the legendary MPC, Roger Linn, stays focused with a single browser tab\nHis advice: Deep breaths, keep it simple, and maybe play a little VR mini golf.\nThe man behind the legendary MPC, Roger Linn, stays focused with a single browser tab\nHis advice: Deep breaths, keep it simple, and maybe play a little VR mini golf.\nSomehow, those are not his greatest contributions to the music world. That would, undoubtedly, be the MPC. Linn partnered with Akai to create one of the most popular and important samplers ever. The MPC60 and its successors became the tool of choice for countless hip-hop and house producers. J Dilla’s MPC 3000 even sits in the Smithsonian.\nRoger Linn was also an early adopter of MPE, or MIDI polyphonic expression. It’s a key feature of his LinnStrument, an expressive 3D controller released in 2014 — three years before the Association of Musical Electronics Industry (AMEI) officially released the MPE standard. Turns out the man stays so innovative by keeping things simple and focused.\nWhat is your most indispensable tool?\nMy MacBook Pro.\nWhich is the most underappreciated?\nMy Vision Pro. I called it the most amazing product I rarely use.\nWhat is the first app you install on a new phone or computer?\nOn a computer, Rhino3D.\nWhat is one thing you wish you could change about your phone?\nApple Mail’s bugs.\nWhat sites do you have pinned to your tab bar?\nNew York Times.\nHow many tabs do you have open right now?\nOne. This document.\nWhich social media platform do you use the most (if any)?\nI don’t use social media except to announce my monthly “All Things LinnStrument” email newsletter.\nWhat is your happy place online?\nA VR app for the Meta Quest called Walkabout Mini Golf. It was a large number of artistically created open VR worlds that offer a surprising level of beauty from the Quest 3’s limited power. I go there to play a game of mini golf, fly around, or meet friends in a private instance of a particular world.\nWhat is your favorite gadget you’ve ever owned?\nI don’t know about “ever”, but these days it’s VR headsets, currently the Meta Quest 3 or Apple Vision Pro.\nWhich was the most disappointing?\nIn general, I’m disappointed by products that are designed by engineers who assume their customers are engineers.\nWhat game do you have the fondest memories of?\nMyst.\nWhich tech trend do you wish would go away?\nSpam.\nWhat creation are you most proud of?\nLinnStrument.\nWhat’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?\nKeep it simple.\nWhat is your current obsession?\nVR.\nWhat do you do when you need to focus?\nBreathe. Calm down.\nWhat do you do when you’re feeling stuck?\nI try to shift my perspective.\nWhen was the last time you went somewhere without your phone?\nI never go anywhere without my phone. Maybe swimming.\nWhat’s the last piece of physical media you bought?\nThat would be a long time ago. I’ve only bought books, music, films, etc. in digital form for a long time.\nWhat do you think is worth splurging on?\nIf someone made a VR headset with retina resolution, very high power, lots of beautiful open worlds, but it was expensive, I’d probably buy it.\nWhat would the tagline for your biopic be?\n“He created tools that allowed musicians to make better music.”\nWhat’s the last GIF or meme you used?\nThis isn’t a GIF, but maybe it’s a meme:\n( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-man-behind-the-legendary-mpc-roger-linn-stays-focused-with-a-single-browser", "canonical_source": "https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/936426/mpc-linndrum-roger-linn-questionnaire-music-tech", "published_at": "2026-05-23 15:00:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-05-23 15:01:01.842570+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["hardware", "products"], "entities": ["Roger Linn", "Akai", "MPC", "LinnStrument", "Prince", "J Dilla", "Smithsonian", "AMEI"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-man-behind-the-legendary-mpc-roger-linn-stays-focused-with-a-single-browser", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-man-behind-the-legendary-mpc-roger-linn-stays-focused-with-a-single-browser.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-man-behind-the-legendary-mpc-roger-linn-stays-focused-with-a-single-browser.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-man-behind-the-legendary-mpc-roger-linn-stays-focused-with-a-single-browser.jsonld"}}