System information

Tempest Operation Manual

What’s a Tempest?

Tempest is a professional drum machine that generates its sounds using six

powerful analog synthesis voices. It runs an innovative, performance-oriented

operating system that permits an extraordinary level of control to create, edit,

arrange, and manipulate beats and sounds in real time without ever stopping play.

We like to think of Tempest not just as a drum machine but rather as a new musi-

cal instrument for the real-time performance of beat-oriented music.

Here is a summary of some of Tempest’s innovative features:

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with feedback, ve envelopes, two LFOs, and eight exible modulation

paths. Though optimized for drum sounds, it excels at tuned sounds as well,

and even doubles as a 6-voice analog keyboard synth. In addition to the six

direct voice outputs, there are stereo mix outputs and phones outputs, plus

two inputs for foot switches or expression pedals, MIDI in/out, and USB.

• The performance-oriented operating system, ninety panel controls, and

graphic OLED display work together to provide a tightly integrated, fast,

non-stop workow in which nearly all creation, editing, arrangement, and

manipulation operations occur in real-time without stopping play. A high

priority was given to producing the highest quality human feel, including

the ability to adjust swing timing in real time on playback.

• Sixteen pressure- and velocity-sensitive lit pads are arranged in a 2x8

conguration, providing easy access to all ngers and providing the ideal

compromise between the popular 4x4 and 1x16 arrangements for both real-

time and step programming. The pads can be used to play sixteen drum-

beats, sixteen sounds (for each of two banks), sixteen sound mutes, sixteen

velocity levels, or sixteen time steps (for step programming). The

Roll

button permits creating drum rolls or repeated groove patterns by varying

pad pressure during record, and doubles as a momentary “stutter” effect

when the pads are assigned to play beats.

• Two pressure- and position-sensitive Real Time FX slide controllers permit

real-time recording of note or 

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