The Human League, Yazoo, Gary Numan, Giorgio Moroder, Devo, Prince…Roger Linn’s LM-1 drum machine helped create the signature sound of a huge number of artists in the 80s.

After receiving an original LM-1 as a gift, Joe Britt (of Danger Research/T-Mobile Sidekick fame) decided to create his own enhanced version, based on the original TTL and Zilog Z80 design, but with a Teensy 4.1 coprocessor.

The original hardware design is enhanced with RAM-based samples instead of ROM, allowing the selection of different sounds. The original front panel switches are replaced with potentiometers that enable panning or pitch control. After countless hours of reverse engineering, Joe discovered that Roger Linn lived just five minutes away, and the two became fast friends as they geeked out on the neo-retro project together. The Luma-1 is a work in progress, with new features like an LCD screen, MIDI, and a new metal chassis appearing over time. Read more about on Roger Linn’s web site, and check out a demo in the video below!