Tempest Main 1.5.0.2 and Voice 1.5 - Bug Reports

[Stoss]

Hi Stoss,
I'm still out of town but I can answer this. I'm afraid that's the way it's supposed to work, for the reason you gave--to free up voices that aren't being heard. Internally the voice and sent MIDI notes are tightly linked so it's difficult to separate them without causing some bug in Tempest's many modes of operation. Fortunately the workaround is simple--turn the mix volume down to almost zero. Sorry I don't have a better answer.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Not being involved with the code and only being able to apply logic, its difficult to imagine no solution exists... Spending years on the forum, I get a sense of how dicey small things like this can be. Luckily I rely on the Tempest as an amazing, performance based drum machine... which it excels at. Whenever I dabble in controlling external synths with it, things get awkward, and that is why I rarely come back to that. But... other gear can fill that role... Like the Carbon, Deluge... or even the Linnstrument!

[bobbyquine]

If one is willing to sacrifice a voice, the sonuus g2m is an option for more midi output. Sorry for going off topic.

[Roger_Linn]

Hi Stoss,
I'm still out of town but I can answer this. I'm afraid that's the way it's supposed to work, for the reason you gave--to free up voices that aren't being heard. Internally the voice and sent MIDI notes are tightly linked so it's difficult to separate them without causing some bug in Tempest's many modes of operation. Fortunately the workaround is simple--turn the mix volume down to almost zero. Sorry I don't have a better answer.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Not being involved with the code and only being able to apply logic, its difficult to imagine no solution exists... Spending years on the forum, I get a sense of how dicey small things like this can be. Luckily I rely on the Tempest as an amazing, performance based drum machine... which it excels at. Whenever I dabble in controlling external synths with it, things get awkward, and that is why I rarely come back to that. But... other gear can fill that role... Like the Carbon, Deluge... or even the Linnstrument!

Hi Stoss,
I used to employ a very talented software engineer who, whenever I'd ask whether a specific feature could be added, would answer "Given enough time and money, anything is possible".    So yes, it certainly is possible, but the problem is that for an instrument that both makes sounds and allows you to create and edit music, the list of what would seem to be reasonable features is a bottomless pit. Of course I can only make recommendations to DSI because only DSI can decide how to use its resources, but I try to make reasonable recommendations based on amount of customer demand and whether a reasonable workaround exists.  In my view and experience, most people would find many other things to be more important that this, so it is difficult for me to recommend to DSI that that they divert resources to this issue. Sorry I don't have a better answer.

[cbmd]

The reason the voice is not free when the oscillators are turned off/down is due to the VCA still being gated open when the pad is triggered.  We cannot assume that just because the oscillators are set off, that the voice is not triggering a sound.  For example, you could have the filter in self resonance or have some other modulation setup which generates a sound from the voice.

[soidthezoid]

The reason the voice is not free when the oscillators are turned off/down is due to the VCA still being gated open when the pad is triggered.  We cannot assume that just because the oscillators are set off, that the voice is not triggering a sound.  For example, you could have the filter in self resonance or have some other modulation setup which generates a sound from the voice.

Hi Carson, I seem to recall that in previous versions of the OS the solution was to set both the amount & velocity amount on the Amp envelope to zero.  Am I right and, if so, is that still the case?

J

[cbmd]

Yup!  Just turn the amp env and velocity amount to zero.  The sound will not steal a voice and will still send MIDI note data to the MIDI output.

[LucidSFX]

Cool!

[John the Savage]

Yup!  Just turn the amp env and velocity amount to zero.  The sound will not steal a voice and will still send MIDI note data to the MIDI output.

I've never been entirely clear on this, Carson.  So if the amp envelope's 'amount' and 'velocity' parameters are set to zero, such that the internal sound can not and will not steal a voice, does this mean the sequencer-out can in fact serve as a 7th voice: i.e. simultaneously triggering an external source while all six internal voices are in use?

What with the voice allocation algorithm behaving as it does - somewhat unpredictably - I've been left wondering at times if the external sequence wasn't stealing a synth voice.  It would be nice to know for certain that it's not, and that any unexpected voice stealing is just the Tempest being the Tempest.  Thanks.

Cheers!

[Stoss]

Sorry I don't have a better answer.

Hey Roger.

No need to be sorry. I only meant to say that external MIDI sequencing isn't an essential Tempest feature and for that function, I'm happy to seek out other complimentary gear.

[Stoss]

Is there a status for swing being applied to the beat-wide roll? That feature is essential to the performance oriented nature of the Tempest. I'd love to hear that it is considered a critical feature to implement. (I call it a feature out of respect, but when I'm using the Tempest and expect that behavior, it is musically jarring and feels like a bug!)

[nielsd]

Just to say a small thanks for the awareness and work resources on the Tempest issues in between...ß)

Niels.

{d^b}
dettenbach audio
http://dettenbach.de

[sata_fortuna]

Yup!  Just turn the amp env and velocity amount to zero.  The sound will not steal a voice and will still send MIDI note data to the MIDI output.

great, thanks a lot for this!

[Roger_Linn]

Is there a status for swing being applied to the beat-wide roll? That feature is essential to the performance oriented nature of the Tempest. I'd love to hear that it is considered a critical feature to implement. (I call it a feature out of respect, but when I'm using the Tempest and expect that behavior, it is musically jarring and feels like a bug!)

I'd love to give you a definite answer but ultimately it's DSI's call because it's their money and resources being spent. I can say that it's important to me and I'm pushing for it. 

[Stoss]

I noticed something odd when using MIDI to control an external synth. I was able to play the synth live from two separate pads B15 and B16 at the same time. I believe the synth was receiving MIDI on all channels. I was able to isolate the problem. With only a MIDI cable going out of the Tempest and in to the external synth and with the settings like this:

MIDI: Synth IN Channel: 1
MIDI: Synth Sound: B16
MIDI: Sequencer Out Channel: Off
MIDI: Sequencer Sound: B15

I was able to play the external synth live by playing Pad B16. Unless I am misunderstanding something, the Tempest should only be receiving external MIDI and use it to play the notes of B16... and as set above, it should send no notes to an external synth. Is this a bug?

[molotov]

Happy to say the sluggish file browsing seems to have been improved on the latest beta!

Thanks

[a3d747]

Some times doesn't work in 16 sounds mode polyphony, i can play on pads just one sound at the time. but sequencer plays right. I have to reset system parameters, and then it works fine...

[fantastic apparatus]

a3d747, that is a known bug and you don't need to reset parameters to fix it- you just need to make sure roll is set to re-trigger after you have finished inputing any of the other arpeggio modes into a beat.
Roger, to clarify my earlier bug report I was trying to start a playlist in reverse and the reverse light would stay on but not be reversed. Though that function is certainly not as important to me as the light properly representing the reverse status, which you said you would work on.
I also noticed there is no sample in slot 202 "bell crash" in my digital samples, and there is no content in the project "spud and stump"

[Roger_Linn]

a3d747, that is a known bug and you don't need to reset parameters to fix it- you just need to make sure roll is set to re-trigger after you have finished inputing any of the other arpeggio modes into a beat.
Roger, to clarify my earlier bug report I was trying to start a playlist in reverse and the reverse light would stay on but not be reversed. Though that function is certainly not as important to me as the light properly representing the reverse status, which you said you would work on.
I also noticed there is no sample in slot 202 "bell crash" in my digital samples, and there is no content in the project "spud and stump"

I'm afraid I'm out of town until next week and don't have a Tempest with me. So DSI will have to respond to this one. Sorry.

[Flux302]

I'm really confused as to why the sequencer can't spit out the midi notes that it has sequenced yet I can do so if I trigger the notes by had. This is really disappointing and limiting when trying to work around the fact that I can't add samples to tempest or if I just want to record the midi patterns of a performance.
Is the CPU that underpowered or is this some odd design choice?
I am not asking for it to be a different channel or some complex external sequencing, just a duplicate of what the sequencer is already doing.
Thanks for the reply

[Yorgos Arabatzis]

Another critical bug for me here and it's a simple one to reproduce...
Just slave Tempest to a DAW (in my case Live via USB) and scroll with soft knob 3 through the Sound Folders.Train wreck...Loses sync completely.I'm guessing it's Tempest's screen refresh rate lag..