Forat F9000

The Forat F9000 (also known as the Forat 9000 or F9000) is a software- and hardware-upgraded version of the ill-fated Linn 9000, an integrated digital sampling drum machine and hardware MIDI sequencer manufactured by Linn Electronics and released in 1984 at a list price of $5,000 ($7,000 fully expanded).[1]

Forat F9000
Forat F9000 integrated digital drum machine and MIDI keyboard recorder.
ManufacturerForat Electronics
Dates1987-1994
PriceUS $5,000 (fully expanded)
Technical specifications
Polyphonypolyphonic 13 voices
Timbralitymultitimbral 18 voices
Synthesis type8 bit Digital Samples / 11 kHz - 37kHz
Storage memory100 Drum Sequences, 100 MIDI Sequences - 43,538 notes
EffectsIndividual level, pan, tuning for all sounds
Input/output
Keyboard18 large (1.25 inch square) velocity and pressure sensitive rubber pads
External controlMIDI In/Out/Thru, Foot Switch x2, Foot Controller x1 (hi-hat), Sync Tone In/Out, trigger outputs x2, trigger inputs x6

The Linn 9000 was plagued by chronic software bugs and a reputation for unreliability,[2][3] which contributed to the eventual demise of Linn Electronics in February 1986.[2][4]

After they went out of business, Forat Electronics purchased all of Linn's remaining assets.[5] Forat rewrote the Linn 9000 operating system, fixed all the bugs and added many new hardware and software features.[6] Dubbed the Forat F9000, it was the first fully functional integrated sampling/sequencing/MIDI work station.[5]

The Forat F9000 was released in 1987 by Forat Electronics at a list price of $5,000 (fully expanded). The F9000 was manufactured and sold as a new complete unit. Forat discontinued manufacturing new complete F9000s in 1994. However, as of 2016, Forat still offers the F9000 software and hardware upgrades to existing Linn 9000s.[7] The latest version of the F9000 operating system is 7.09.

Features

In addition to retaining all the original features of the Linn 9000, bug free, the F9000 added many new features[6] including:

  • Up to 18 custom sounds (on the Linn 9000, the maximum was 4)
  • Four times the sequencer memory than the Linn 9000
  • Full SMPTE read/write sync (promised, but not released by Linn Electronics)
  • MIDI Clock
  • MIDI Song Position Pointer
  • Sample editing - sounds can be truncated, faded or reversed
  • Total sample time increased to 33 seconds
  • A larger LCD display divided into two parts for drums and sequencer
  • Sequencer tracks can be copied, duplicated, shifted, re-quantized and merged
  • Sequencer records all 32 MIDI controllers and System Exclusive data
  • 156 steps of drum tuning could be recorded dynamically
  • Tunings can be spread across all 18 pads with each pad user tunable
  • Battery-backed memory - sounds and sequences are retained when powered off
  • Drum Solo and Mute functions
  • Faster erasing and faster auditioning of sounds
  • Microscope Sequence editing with Event and Global Modes. Step through events and change MIDI note value, velocity and duration via the up/down buttons or simply play the desired note on a MIDI keyboard. Spot erase any note. This process can be done on one or all tracks simultaneously. In Global Mode, you can transpose, erase or scale velocities and duration of notes. You can also specify a range of notes on which these Global edits occur.
  • Drum Section Global and Event editing. Specify a range of drum tuning, velocity, and hi-hat decays to be modified.
  • Reassign MIDI drum notes, create a MIDI drum mix, and send MIDI automation data.
  • Manual or programmable record punch in/out
  • Under the Environment File, you can save all user set variables such as: SONG LIST, SMPTE START, and frame rates, pad dynamics, tempo, drum mix and tunings, as well as dozens of other settings.

Linn 9000 Brochure (1984)

The Forat F9000 retains all the original Linn 9000 features so this Linn brochure from 1984 is just as pertinent to the F9000.

page 1
page 2 and 3
page 4

Notable Users

Many top artists, producers, engineers and drummers have used the Forat F9000 or F9000 upgrades to the Linn 9000. They include:

References
  1. "Past Products Museum". Roger Linn Design. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  2. "Linn 9000 Electronics". www.polynominal.com. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  3. "The Linn 9000 Home Page". Total Trash.
  4. "What Happened to The Linn 9000". Bobby Nathan's Keyboard Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  5. "History". Forat. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  6. "Linn Electronics Linn 9000". Vintage Synth Explorer. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  7. "Forat 9000". Forat. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  8. "Forat F9000 drum machine/sequencer/sampler... There is nothing that works or sounds like this machine. Extremely intuitive, very fat and punchy sounding, and a feel like no other. This is the machine used by Babyface, LA Reid, Jam and Lewis, Stevie Wonder, Glenn Ballard, Will Smith, and many others. The F9000 can do things no MPC can". FS: Forat F9000 Drum Sampler - Google Groups. August 12, 1999. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  9. "Lots of Forat stuff in the Babyface tracks. Modded Linn 9000 and F16. Mix in LA Reid and Jon Gass". Looking for that early 90s Programmed R&B drum sound - Gearslutz.com. 14 August 2010. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  10. "like ray-j (the pornstar) and randy jackson". Akai MPC Forums - Forat drums : MPC2500.
  11. Ballard, Glen (March 1, 2003). "There's a guy here in LA, called Bruce Forat,... He's been continuing to write software for the 9000 for 15 years, just to keep it working. He's probably had his hands on every Linn 9000 that is still operating, and people send them to him from all over the world. I think I've got 10 of them now, because they're a little fussy and I don't want to make music without them. I do most of my programming on the Linn rather than the Akai, although I use a lot of the sounds in the Akai. For things that are really groove-oriented, I prefer the Linn 9000. I can use it in my sleep, and it's a big tactile thing for me. I just like playing those pads; that's how I play drums. The extra display is a Bruce Forat addition, so you don't go blind looking at the original display — it's saved my eyesight!". Sound On Sound. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  12. "A. Linn. Real Name: Linn 9000. Profile: Many Stock, Aitken & Waterman Hit Factory productions credited the famous Stock and Aitken with keyboards, programming, guitars and suchlike. Curiously they almost always credited the same unknown drummer - the mysterious "A. Linn"". A. Linn Discography at Discogs. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
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