# Emotional Release... - Site: Analog Industries - Author: Chris Randall - Date: 2009-07-12 - URL: https://analogindustries.com/2009/07/emotional-release/ I have to admit I'm a bit amused by the reaction to Roger Linn's announcement that the LinnDrum II has become more vaporous than it was before (as if that was possible.) One commenter on Create Digital Music said the following: _i am so mad at these guys now i have been waithing for this for so long and cant wait no more.I am now thinking this machine will never see the light of day maybe I should just buy a 5000 roger is letting alot of people down_ (I'm just gonna throw a single big fat **_\[sic.\]_** after all of that.) That is one of the worst examples, and I chuckle to think of what would happen if he had posted that statement here. If you guys had got him before I saw it, lord have mercy. But there are comments like that all over the Intardwebs this weekend. Aside from the fact that he considers the the re-vaporizing of the product a personal affront, I find the whole thing comedic. As Stretta pointed out in a good [post](http://stretta.blogspot.com/2009/07/end-of-trade-shows.html) last week, there is immense pressure on hardware manufacturers to announce things whether or not they're done. Remember (two years ago, natch) when the BoomChik was initially announced? Every music blog posted all kinds of breathless speculation. Except, I'll note, this one. Because I don't make a habit of posting about imaginary things. But there's a long history of imaginary products announced at NAMM that never saw the light of day, so there's nothing amazing about that. "Here's this thing I thought up! I haven't made any yet, but I have a very nice rendering!" Shit, if that's all it took... But more to the point, Roger didn't let anyone down, except perhaps emotionally, and who really gives a fuck about that? If he took coin for pre-orders, it'd be a different matter, but all he did was release a 3D rendering of a product that might be worth making at some point down the road. Then the economy tanked. Better luck next time, I say. ## Comments (10) **Keith Handy** (2009-07-12): It's a certain personality type... they think of product developers as wizards who are just too lazy to wave their magic wands. **33degrees** (2009-07-12): What I find strange about this story is how a lot of people are interpreting this as the project has been cancelled. I have trouble seeing how anybody could come to that conclusion. **synthetic** (2009-07-12): When I worked at Alesis, we showed products a year or more in advance of when they would ship. We regularly showed mockups under glass made of painted balsa wood. (This was before I got any say in the matter.) It was very tough to break out of that, because the following year you would need to show even more new stuff, while the old new stuff wasn't even ready yet. When they first showed the BoomChik they knew it was at least a year away. I have no idea why they showed it except to "create a buzz." But that buzz has a short half-life. It takes a pretty amazing concept to maintain buzz for more than six months. I would think the real problem for Rave&Dodger are the hybrid drum controller/software products that have popped up in the meantime, like NI. Last thought, trade show launches are less important these days. I think we're going to see this sort of thing fade in the years to come, if people have any kind of strategic sense. NI has pulled out of shows altogether. Makes sense, they probably do 60% of their sales to six or seven national accounts. I don't see "Joe Bob's Pianos and Junk" in Cincinnati selling a lot of Komplete 5. **shamann** (2009-07-12): The reactions have been crazy since day one. I've seen folk say they'll hold off buying [insert miscellaneous drum machine] in order to save up for the Boomchik, despite never really knowing what the Boomchik would do or if it would suck. I liked the initial idea of mixing a sampler with an analog synth, but the renders have all been incredibly ugly. Doesn't break my heart to see it get pushed off into the vapour. If Linn does come out with one, I hope the extra lag time lets him come out with something interesting. That most recent black/red render looks atrocious to me, both aesthetically and conceptually. **bcomnes** (2009-07-12): No balsa wood here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/chachijones/3711494925/in/set-72157621189630801/ although I do think the crate and barrel mini-baskets might not make it to production **shamann** (2009-07-12): And icing on the cake, the crazy response you quoted was made by someone who calls himself dim. **valis** (2009-07-12): Emotional outpourings of the consumer conditioning they've let run amok in their psyche, more likely than not. I enjoy new toys, I'll even admit there are times when that's used as a substitute for my own lack of creativity (delving into the novelty winds up achieving at least some results) but I can't see myself resorting to cutting because I can't differentiate between the desire to possess some material bauble and a real need. Most comments like the one in the OP are either never going to buy the thing to begin with or have more money than either time or skills to use it properly. **ZombieStomper** (2009-07-12): Oh noes! Why doesn't this dope use hiz monies for a real instrument like the Beat Thang instead? The Beat Thang is the greatest instrument ever created and it ownz all foolz who says otherwize! **Chaosium** (2009-07-12): "I've seen folk say they'll hold off buying [insert miscellaneous drum machine] in order to save up for the Boomchik, despite never really knowing what the Boomchik would do or if it would suck." They weren't really chomping at the bit to buy miscellaneous drum machine to begin with, if they ever intended to to. **BirdFLU** (2009-07-12): I just hope that the Linn Drum II is delayed past the time when blue LEDs are cool to put on your product. And, by the way, where is that Beat Thang? I've been sketching custom grillz for it all over my PeeChee folders in anticipation.