Tempest Operational Tips & Tricks AKA FAQ Thread (Attention!!Read this first!!)

[hilmarlarsen@hotmail.com]

How to make OT recieve the T’s beat change (aka pattern change)?

I need to use T’s beat changes to send changes of OT’s patterns, so that they can advance in a live jammed song together, automatically. (I will not make a song structure in advance)

I use T as rythms and as the masterclock/transport source for OT.

Can anyone please tell me if this is possible and if so, show me a guide?

[Jinsai]

...My guess is something's going on with T's envelopes or voices..There's was a discussion about it in the old forum..The answer i got from DSI was "That's how analog works..." but i've played very fast other analog synths like Moog etc. and didn't got this behavior...Guess this inherited in the character of Tempest...

I am pretty sure the way Tempest works is that the internal sequencer is sending patch change data to each voice right before that voice is triggered. That's the only way you can get the 6 synth voices to support so many different sounds.

Because there are analog components, they can take some time to respond/reset/change, and their state as they change may be dependent on the values they held before the new patch was loaded, particularly things that "ring" like the feedback or resonant filter (see also: the clicking of DSI/Curtis analog oscillators when changing from low to high notes). The addition of slight attack ramps just buys the synth a few more milliseconds to reset/change.

I haven't tested it yet, but I'm pretty sure if you tried to get a monosynth such as a Moog Voyager or Mono Evolver to behave like a Tempest voice by firing patch changes right before the beat triggered, you'd get similar weirdness.

[LoboLives]

Personally what I love doing is sequencing an external sequencer. I use the Tempest’s synth voice (after first recording a bass sequence on it) going midi out into my Moog Sub 37. The Moog is set up in sequencer mode and the Tempest is in playlist (aka song) mode so as the playlist is switching from beat to beat it’s also changing the root note of the sequence on the Moog. This frees up one of my hands from having to do it thus it allows me to play another synth or guitar over top.

[Ritchiedrums]

I have been looking for 3 days now & the answer is probably right in front of me.
In 16 beats mode, when I choose the next beat sometimes it waits for the beat to finish &
other times it jumps to the next beat in the middle of the pattern.
How do I control this??

[Yorgos Arabatzis]

I have been looking for 3 days now & the answer is probably right in front of me.
In 16 beats mode, when I choose the next beat sometimes it waits for the beat to finish &
other times it jumps to the next beat in the middle of the pattern.
How do I control this??

When in 16 Beats mode (pads key lit) just set the quantazation of your project using the softknob 1

[Ritchiedrums]

This has nothing to do with Quantization.


Call up a Project & Play Pad 1 in 16 Beats mode.
Now select Pad 2.
Sometimes it waits for the beat on Pad 1 to finish &
other times it jumps to Pad 2 as soon as you tap.

How is this determined?

I have been looking for 3 days now & the answer is probably right in front of me.
In 16 beats mode, when I choose the next beat sometimes it waits for the beat to finish &
other times it jumps to the next beat in the middle of the pattern.
How do I control this??

When in 16 Beats mode (pads key lit) just set the quantazation of your project using the softknob 1

[Yorgos Arabatzis]

That’s why i’m telling you about quantization..The pad switching is tied with the quantization value you’re going to choose..The lower the quantization the faster the switching of the pad 1 to pad 2 in your example..Manual page 4 (The pad function keys)

[Ritchiedrums]

Ah Haaaa!

Thanx very much!!!!

That’s why i’m telling you about quantization..The pad switching is tied with the quantization value you’re going to choose..The lower the quantization the faster the switching of the pad 1 to pad 2 in your example..Manual page 4 (The pad function keys)

[codydjango]

I love my Tempest, but the one key feature I feel is missing, and could have quite possibly been included, is note probabilities. Perhaps as a step option in the step sequencer, to go along with duration, etc. Any tricks for achieving randomized notes? The closest I can get is using the mod matrix to randomly affect vca and vca amount, or attack/decay. This isn't ideal though. For example, I'd love to have every quarter note hit 100% of the time, and every other note hit 25% of the time.

Ideas? Thanks

[dekalboy]

Don’t try to make speaking an American guy into Swedish !
I think you wants the features of an Elektron device into a Dave Smith device .

That being said , maybe with a lot of creativity it is possible . For instance you can use the cv inputs of the tempest ( labelled 1 / 2 on the rear panel ) , send a sample and hold signal into them and use them as a modulation source into the mod path .  But it will be pure randomness and not a “ controlled “ random as you may need to see on  the tempest .

[devn]

On the topic of Ableton Live syncing: I spent quite awhile yesterday and could not get rid of a 30ms delay on the first beat. After that it stabilizes. It's better if the Tempest is master, but it's still about 9ms off on the first beat. The easy fix is to just let it play through a whole loop and then begin recording, but I was wondering if the Ableton Live + iOS app option makes this first beat delay go away.

[Zagorov]

Yorgos wrote that: ''Assigning a sound to a voice can help but also produces a small click to the sound.It's very noticeable if you play fast bass or sustained sounds.''

I am new to Tempest and I think I have this issue while making bass patches. If I set OSC1 to let say: PULSE 50% NOTE: C1 (or lower) and turn VCF fully CCW, without any modulations on VCF cutoff (env. lfo. pressure etc) then I should hear nothing when hitting pad, but I hear some leak (I think it's ;real) and that's super annoying because I would love to make some sub bass patches without any clicks or leaks... Am I doing something wrong? or it is just Tempest 'normal' behavior? I am using Individual outs with TS cables. Cheers !

here's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUPypaWIXLg&feature=youtu.be

[Yorgos Arabatzis]

Yorgos wrote that: ''Assigning a sound to a voice can help but also produces a small click to the sound.It's very noticeable if you play fast bass or sustained sounds.''

I am new to Tempest and I think I have this issue while making bass patches. If I set OSC1 to let say: PULSE 50% NOTE: C1 (or lower) and turn VCF fully CCW, without any modulations on VCF cutoff (env. lfo. pressure etc) then I should hear nothing when hitting pad, but I hear some leak (I think it's ;real) and that's super annoying because I would love to make some sub bass patches without any clicks or leaks... Am I doing something wrong? or it is just Tempest 'normal' behavior? I am using Individual outs with TS cables. Cheers !

here's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUPypaWIXLg&feature=youtu.be

Definitely it’s real that’s why i wrote it..
I’d leave bass sounds going out to the mains if i were you..
This is one of T’s voice allocation  quirks and i’m annoyed too..

[Zagorov]

Unfortunately but there are leaks on both master out as well as individual outs. This makes making clear sub basses impossible at Tempest :/ Sometimes these leaks in the filter adds dirt & character to the sound - which I like, but not always, eh it's a pity.

[Yorgos Arabatzis]

Unfortunately but there are leaks on both master out as well as individual outs. This makes making clear sub basses impossible at Tempest :/ Sometimes these leaks in the filter adds dirt & character to the sound - which I like, but not always, eh it's a pity.

If it’s on your master too then you’ve got a faulty voice..Just do the calibration routine with all cables unplugged and check again..If the problem persists send me your patch to check it on my Tempest if it leaks on the mains

[Zagorov]

I don't think so it's faulty voice. I did calibration just after I received my (almost new) tempest. Just put square wave, note C1 or lower, turn filter FCCW , turn up the gain in your mixer/daw and hit the pad - that's my patch

[Yorgos Arabatzis]

I don't think so it's faulty voice. I did calibration just after I received my (almost new) tempest. Just put square wave, note C1 or lower, turn filter FCCW , turn up the gain in your mixer/daw and hit the pad - that's my patch

Need detailed info on the envelopes and OSCs  too..And as i said it would be much easier and fast to send me your patch to check it out

[Zagorov]

Here's the patch - turn the VCF fully CCW and turn up the volume on tempest and your mixer or daw & just hit the pad
https://we.tl/t-c6gItrWhCO

[edit]:

here's 2nd patch example: https://we.tl/t-Kd3w4voG8D

[Yorgos Arabatzis]

Here's the patch - turn the VCF fully CCW and turn up the volume on tempest and your mixer or daw & just hit the pad
https://we.tl/t-c6gItrWhCO

[edit]:

here's 2nd patch example: https://we.tl/t-Kd3w4voG8D

No prob with your patches...
Just set your pad to output on the mains and Amp Attack to 10
Amp attack below 8 creates a click which some people want..
Cheers ;-)

[Zagorov]

Check your ears Yorgos - tempest's vcf leaks sound, that'a a fact.
AMP can create click around 1-4 at attact stage, with 10 at amp attack, sound can't be snappy.
here's what DSI Support says:


''he sound you are hearing is due to low level analog oscillator output leaking through the filter. This is an artifact of the nature of the Tempest's Curtis chip-reliant analog voice architecture and is the expected operation of the synth voice.

The signal to noise ratio of the analog path is ~80db and you may hear the oscillator's bleeding through the filter at very low volumes and/or the noise floor of the synth. I am able to reproduce the results of your video with the Tempest I have here, although by reducing Resonance, Audio Mod, Lowpass Envelope Amount, and Velocity Amount to 0, the issue is much less noticeable. Essentially, in 4-Pole mode, reducing modulation to the filter cuts of much more of the sound. I'm also able to get sub bass tones by increasing Resonance while in 4-Pole mode, which is by design.

Additionally, turning off the analog oscillators will allow you to cut off the sound of the digital oscillators with the lowpass filter. This also allows the creation of kicks and sub bass tones by getting the the filter to self-resonate.''