Roger Linn is a designer of electronic music products, best known for having created the first programmable, sampled-sound drum machine in
1979. This product and many other innovative designs have made a significant impact on popular music styles over the past two decades. His new company, Roger Linn Design, is poised to release its first product in early 2002.

Electronic music technology has had a profound impact on the music we play, the instruments we choose, and how we compose. Traditional acoustic monophonic instruments are losing popularity in favor of synthesizers, recording software and samplers. Beyond that, new electronic instruments are beginning to emerge that enable a high degree of compositional and improvisational creativity while being easier to master. Of these new instruments, many will become extinct but a few will survive. What will these new instruments be?