My personal wish for tempest is that the LFO were faster… they don’t quiet go into the audio range I want it to be… other then that it is suuuper deep
And yes, it gets really noisey when you crank the compressor
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All the outputs on the Tempest are stereo, including the individual voice outputs, so it’s possible that it simply wasn’t hooked-up properly. Otherwise, it could be a jack issue, or simply user error. Regardless, if it were an issue with, say, a voice card or any other hardware component, I’m confident that DSI/Sequential will be able to fix it for you. A lot of parts are in fact user-serviceable, and those that aren’t can be fixed for a flat fee, by Sequential.
The noise you’re hearing when the compressor is cranked is normal. It’s a fully analog signal path, so you are going to get some oscillator bleed; which becomes audible when you raise the noise floor with the compressor. You won’t hear that when you’re jamming, nor are you likely to use the compressor (which is a linear compressor) to that extreme.
The calibration routine should not get stuck like that, and that could be an indication of a voice card issue, which might explain the panning anomaly. Try running the calibration again, *with NO cables attached, as per the manual… If it hangs every time, at the same place, there might be an issue.
Anyway, if the price is right, all can be fixed. Otherwise, I’m sure there are other Tempests out there for sale.
Cheers!
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Oh he is only using samples? Damn, I thought the hit itself was synthesis.
He blended them pretty well, I’m not sure which were the sample voices and which were synthesis. The delayed and skewed envelope on some of those makes them cinematic and quite organic-sounding. I didn’t really ‘get’ why someone would bend an envelope on a synth or delay it until I started hearing patches like that.
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Getting feet wet with tempest and am really impressed with it. Have only messed about with recording a beat and using the rolls and stuff. I sense it’s depth but really keen to get more time with it.
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The six-stage envelopes on the Tempest are not trivial—it’s absolutely paramount to percussion synthesis to have those facilities. And being able to bend envelope curves, via the mod-matrix, and map that dynamic to velocity, is the secret to creating percussion that responds organically when playing the pads (and recording to the sequencer).
Cheers!
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I’m finding the Rolls is cool, but the levels are too high sometimes. Couldn’t find a level setting for rolls then thought with 16 pads you could reserve 4 just for rolls and play them over the beats.
Three things about that…
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The Roll function merely retriggers the envelopes; so, if a given sound seems too loud when rolled (wherein you’re hearing the Attack phase repeatedly), it could simply be because the Amount is set too high on one-or-more of the envelopes.
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When the Roll function is engaged, velocity is controlled by pad pressure; so, technically, you have continuous finite control over the volume of the roll, on a per-pad basis, as long as you have the Velocity Amount on the envelopes set accordingly for each sound.
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There is a setting in the System menu (page 1) that dictates how loud the Fixed Level will be; so, theoretically, you could use Fixed Level in conjunction with the Roll as a limiter of sorts.
Cheers!
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Appreciate the advice - I like rolls that sneak around under the main beat. That said the conga rolls get like a weird synth which I enjoy a lot on top of the beat. So a mix is beat move.
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If you’re getting flanging or phasing when rolling a sound, it’s important to remember that the Tempest is a polysynth; so, for most percussion sounds, it’s best to set the sound to choke itself.
Cheers!
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As dirty as this sounds, it’s actually a really clever concept that I hadn’t considered. Very often I get those phasing/flanging sounds on the Tempest and I write it off as a quirk, but as always, there is a solution right under my nose!
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Agreed, this is a very cool feature. And now to massively over apply rolls!
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And the reverse function. 
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Ah, yes… Words, John… Wups!
Hey, at least I didn’t mention choke groups. 
Cheers!
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Just made a little jam video on my lunch break, really love playing about with the stock Tempest projects. So inspiring!
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Bravo. Definately works to keep the core quite minimal and work in and around it. Nice playing.
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Thanks! FYI this is a stock project, unaltered in almost every way. I upped the swing and tempo, as well as changed the Beat launch quantise to 16ths, but left everything else intact.
The project is ‘Eight Oh Eight’ by the way. it’s a banger. 
Sorcery! Witchcraft!
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So, I actually didn’t expect to get it again after I sold it but it was quite easy for me to make some stuff with it and there is a Tempest here that I can get locally for about €1000 but it is not in the best condition. Three knobs are missing and I’d like to get a new front panel for it. Well the pads can be a bit yellow as well, I don’t know as I haven’t seen it yet. I guess I can find some knobs but do you know if it is possible to find a new panel just like MD/MnM? Maybe it’s not that wild though.
Contact DSI/Sequential.
They should be able to help you. They should have new knobs, new pads and possibly a new faceplate.
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