Dave Smith Instruments Tempest User Manual
Operation Manual
with
Operation Manual
by
Roger Linn, Andrew McGowan & Riley Smith
Version 1.4
Feb 2015
1527 Stockton Street, 3rd Floor
©2015 Dave Smith Instruments
www.davesmithinstruments.com
Tempest Operation Manual
Dave Smith Instruments
San Francisco, CA 94133
USA
i
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired operation.
This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian
Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numerique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du
Reglement sur le materiel brouilleur du Canada.
For Technical Support, email: support@davesmithinstruments.com
ii
Dave Smith Instruments
Table of Contents
What’s a Tempest? ....................................1
Quick Start ...........................................2
Overview of Panel Controls ................................2
Sounds, Beats, and Projects ...............................3
Going Deeper ...........................................3
The Pad Function Keys .................................4
16 Beats ...............................................4
16 Sounds ..............................................5
Sound Bank B ........................................... 6
Selecting Sounds by Category ..............................6
16 Mutes ............................................... 7
16 Time Steps ........................................... 8
16 Tunings .............................................9
16 Levels .............................................10
Pad Options .........................................11
Reverse Playback ....................................... 12
Roll with Arpeggiation .................................... 12
The Screens Keys ....................................14
Events Key: The Beat Events screen ........................15
Note Event Parameters ..................................16
Play List ..............................................18
The Sound Controls ..................................23
Undo Sound / Revert Sound ............................... 23
Oscillators ..........................................27
The Analog Oscillators ...................................27
The Digital Oscillators .................................... 30
Lowpass ............................................32
Highpass ...........................................33
Tempest Operation Manual
iii
Amp ................................................34
Envelopes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
A Note About Envelope Shape .............................37
LFO 1 & 2 .............................................37
Free-Running LFOs .....................................39
Modulation Paths .....................................40
Choke and Voice Assign ...............................41
Beat-wide Parameters .................................43
Mixer and Effects .....................................44
Compressor Envelope ...................................45
Real Time FX ........................................46
Beat FX ............................................... 46
Note FX ............................................... 47
Rec/Edit Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
The Click key ..........................................49
The Undo Rec key ......................................49
The Erase key ..........................................49
The Copy Key .......................................... 50
The Edit Function ....................................53
1. Copy Sound .........................................53
2. Initialize Sound .......................................53
3. Rename Sound ......................................53
4. Copy Beat ..........................................54
5. Initialize Beat ........................................54
6. Rename Beat ........................................ 54
7. Copy Bars ..........................................54
8. Insert Bars Into Beat ..................................54
9. Delete Bars from Beat .................................55
10. Change Time Signature of Beat .........................55
11. Rename Project .....................................55
12. Initialize Project .....................................55
13. Rename Playlist .....................................55
14. Copy Playlist ........................................ 55
iv
Dave Smith Instruments
15. Initialize Playlist .....................................56
Turn All Notes Off ....................................... 56
Save/Load. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Project and Beat Compatibility with Older OS Versions ..........57
Saving Sounds, Beats, and Projects ........................58
Loading Sounds, Beats, and Projects ........................59
Load Beat Options (including Loading Sound Kits) ............. 60
Loading sounds quickly from the Pads screen .................61
Exporting Sounds, Beats, and Projects ......................62
Importing Sounds, Beats, and Projects ......................66
Important: Import Notes ..................................66
Renaming Files ......................................... 67
Deleting Files ..........................................67
System Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
System: General ........................................ 68
System: Foot Pedals .....................................69
System: MIDI Remote Pad Play ............................70
System: MIDI Polyphonic Keyboard Play .....................72
4. MIDI: Sequencer Out Channel:
output MIDI note number messages from a Sound’s sequencer track. ....73
5. MIDI: Sequencer Sound:
Sound that plays on the MIDI: Sequencer Out Channel. ...............73
System: MIDI Clock .....................................73
System: MIDI System Exclusive ............................ 74
System: BPM/Swing/Comp/Dist Sources .....................74
System: UI Preferences ..................................75
Off, 1…16—
A1…A16, B1...B16—
Selects the channel used to
Used to choose the
Modulation Sources ..................................78
Modulation Destinations ...............................79
Samples ............................................80
Support .............................................85
Troubleshooting ........................................85
Contacting Technical Support ..............................85
Warranty Repair ......................................86
Tempest Operation Manual
v
Credits and Acknowledgement
For their samples, thanks to:
Angus Hewlett/FXpansion
Audio samples © 2007 FXpansion Audio UK Ltd. Used with permission.
www.fxpansion.com
Hugo Tichborne/Goldbaby
www.goldbaby.co.nz
Haptic Audio
www.hapticaudio.com
For Sound and Beat design:
Robert Baker
Mark Camp
Kosta Cross
Carson Day
Richard Devine
Michael Dietel
Peter Dyer
Mohamed Espinosa
Derrick Estrada
Shane Etter
Andrew Everding
Joshua Fielstra
Troels Folmann
Reek Havok
Jeremy Jacobs
jaswho?
Nathan Kampf
James Kojac
Kevin Lamb
Joe McGinty
Drew Neumann
Chris Randall
Robert Rich
Brian Tester
Jason Ware
Special thanks also to: Wade Dawson, Rory Dow, Peter Molettiere, and Riley Smith.
The DSI crew: Ashely Bellouin, Fabien Cesari, Bob Coover, Carson Day, Chris Hector, Tony
Karavidas, Mark Kono, Andrew McGowan, Joanne McGowan, Tracy Wadley, and Mark Wilcox.
vi
Dave Smith Instruments
Tempest Operation Manual
vii
viii
Dave Smith Instruments
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 musical instrument for the real-time performance of beat-oriented music.
Here is a summary of some of Tempest’s innovative features:
• Complex and rich analog voice structure: two analog oscillators with
sub-oscillator, plus two digital oscillators (with a large bank of included
samples), lowpass lter with audio-rate modulation, highpass lter, VCA
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 workow 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
conguration, providing easy access to all ngers and providing the ideal
compromise between the popular 4x4 and 1x16 arrangements for both realtime 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, or as an arpeggiator when multiple
pads are pressed..
• Two pressure- and position-sensitive Real Time FX slide controllers permit
real-time recording of note or beat-wide sound parameter changes into the
drumbeat as you play. Real-time eects include stereo analog distortion
and compression, plus audio delay and beat “stutter”, both produced in the
sequencer in order to maintain the pure analog signal path.
Tempest Operation Manual
What’s a Tempest?
-
1
Quick Start
The best way to get started is to watch our Tempest Quick Start video, presented
by Roger Linn. Visit www.davesmithinstruments.com/product/tempest/ to see
this and other helpful videos.
Overview of Panel Controls
Hold either
Shift key to
select the
alternate
function
printed below
some controls.
Use position
and
pressure
sensitive
touch strips
to alter
either
sounds or
entire beats
in real-time.
Connect
stereo
outputs or
6 direct
voice
outputs to
mixer.
The 16 pads
can be used
to play
16 drumbeats,
16 sounds,
16 time steps
for step record,
16 tunings,
16 mutes, or
16 volume
levels.
Connect power supply.
Adjust
synthesis
settings of
last sound
pad hit.
Adjust mix
settings of
last played
sound
pad.
Select Bank A
or B sounds,
Roll for
repeating notes
or beat stutter,
Fixed Level to
defeat touch
sensitivity, or
Reverse to play
backwards.
Graphic OLED screen,
4 Soft Knobs, 1 Soft Key,
screen navigation keys,
Shift and Transport keys.
Set Tempo, Distortion,
Compression,
and Main Volume.
1. Click Level
2. One bar count in
3. Fixed Velocity level
4. Pedal 1 Mode
5. Pedal 1 Expr Pedal Asn
Select what’s on
the screen: the
functions of the
pads, a grid
showing drumbeat
or play list events,
Sound settings, or
Mixer settings.
Play List plays a
programmed list
of beats.
Select Value
Mod Src Expr Pdl1
Quickly erase
or copy sounds
or beats, undo
last edit, turn
click on/off, a
menu of editing
functions,
save/load to
internal flash or
MIDI/USB, and
system settings.
Expr Pdl
120
Off
120
System
2 Quick Start
Dave Smith Instruments
Sounds, Beats, and Projects
There are three terms that are important to know:
A Sound is a collection of all settings required to produce a drum or other type
of sound when you play a pad, including settings for samples, oscillators, lters,
VCA, envelopes, LFOs, and more. If the
the sixteen pads to play the Sound in the selected Beat. After you create a Sound,
you can save it as a Sound le for later reloading into another Beat.
A Beat is a collection of all settings needed to produce a drumbeat—a note
sequence up to eight measures of 4/4 time, thirty-two Sounds (sixteen in pad
bank A and sixteen in pad bank B), mixer settings, effect settings, and more.
Tempest holds sixteen beats in memory at one time. If the
pressed, you can use the sixteen pads to play the sixteen Beats that are loaded in
memory. After you create a Beat, you can save it as a Beat le for later reloading
into another project.
Tempest allows you to record up to 128 sixteenth notes (8 bars in 4/4 time).
A Project is a collection of nearly everything in memory: all sixteen Beats (each
containing its own thirty-two Sounds), four Play Lists, and various project-related
settings including the playing tempo.
16 SoundS key is pressed, you can use
16 BeatS key is
Tempest includes 928 factory Sounds, 64 Beats, and 16 Projects.
Going Deeper
There is important information throughout the manual, but pay particular attention to “The Pad Function Keys” on page 4 to gain a greater understanding
of Tempest’s pad modes and how to use them, and “The Screens Keys” on page
14 to learn how to access and interact with the various types of data on the
graphic display. It is highly recommended to read “Save/Load” on page 57. It
is extremely important and could save you a lot of grief!
Tempest Operation Manual
Quick Start
3
The Pad Function Keys
16 Beats
If B is pressed, the sixteen pads are
used to play the sixteen Beats in memory. This
is useful for live arrangement and manipula
tion of Beats during performance. One beat
pad is always selected, indicated by its pad
being dimly lit. To start playing a Beat, press
Play. While playing, select another beat pad to
switch to it. To stop playing, press StoP.
PadS key (in the Screens section) is lit, the following screen will be
If the
displayed, showing the beat assigned to each pad, plus related information and
controls:
-
Soft Knob 1:
Beat Quantize
When switching
between beat pads
while playing, the
transition will be
delayed until the
next bar, ½ note,
etc., set here.
Quantizaton can also
be set to “Off.”
BtQuant: End Swing: 50.0%
BtQuant: End BtRoll: 8thSwing: 50.0%
Proj: Saturday night gig
Proj: Saturday night gig
Intro
SwgBt
Intro
SwgBt
Busy
Break
Busy
Break
Pad Hold: O
Pad Hold: O
Project & Beat
Displays the current
Project name
(everything in
memory) and
selected Beat name.
Soft Knob 2:
Swing
Varies the selected
Beat’s 1/16 note
Swing amount
from 50% (straight
1/16s) to 66%
(triplet swing) and
more.
SloFil
4Kicks
SloFil
4Kicks
On2&4
On2&4
BigBt
BigBt
Soft Key: Pad Hold
If on, beats play only
as long as you hold
down a beat pad.
The Play key is also
momentary.
FillBt
FillBt
Quiet
Quiet
Soft Knob 4:
Beat Roll
Hold the Roll key for
a Beat Roll, a stutter
effect in which a small
portion of the beat
loops. This setting
controls the duration
of the beat roll.
4hats
4hats
S wGrv
S wGrv
HlfTm
HlfTm
PwrBt
PwrBt
Brkbt
Brkbt
Endng
Endng
Short Names
Short names for each of
the 16 pads are shown
here. You can edit these
short names by using
the Edit function.
4 The Pad Function Keys
Dave Smith Instruments
16 Sounds
If S is pressed, the sixteen pads are
used to play the sixteen Sounds (in either
Bank A or B) of the selected Beat. This is
useful for playing sounds, or for recording
sounds into beats in real time.
PadS key (in the Screens section) is lit,
If the
the following screen will be displayed, showing
what’s in each pad and other useful controls:
Soft Knob 1: Quantize
When recording Beats in
real time, notes are
moved to the nearest 1/8,
1/16 note, etc., set here.
This is also used for the
Note Roll rate, plus the
step size for the ‘Beat
Events’ screen and the
‘16 Time Steps’ pad
function.
Soft Knob 2:
Swing
Varies the selected
Beat’s 1/16 note
Swing amount from
50% (straight 1/16s)
to 66% (triplet
swing) to 75%
(extreme swing).
54-58% gives a
relaxed 1/16 feel.
Soft Knob 3:
Sound Type
The center area
shows the
Sound Types
(Kick, Snare, etc.) for
the 16 Sounds in the
selected bank.
This knob permits
changing the
assigned sound type.
Quantizaton can also be
set to “Off.”
Quant: 8th
Tamb
Shaker
Revert Snd
Claps
Block
Swing: 50.0% Sound Type Load Sound
Rim
Snare
SftSnr
Kick
HhOpn
HhTite
TomHi
Ride
TomMid
Crash
TomLo
Splash
Selected Beat & Sound
Displays the pad number
and name of the currently
selected Beat and Sound.
One sound pad is always selected, indicated by being dimly lit. Press a pad to
select it, or H St+pad to select it without hearing its sound. The sound
controls in the upper half of the panel (oscillators, lters, mixer, etc.) always
apply to the selected sound. Note the arrangement of sound types in the above
screen, which is optimized for playing the drum kit sounds with your hands
placed in the center of the pads. We suggest that you create your beats using this
same arrangement.
Tempest Operation Manual
The Pad Function Keys
5
Sound Bank B
Sixteen additional Sounds can be stored and accessed per Beat for a total of 32.
Sounds in bank B are designated B1 through B16. Press
between banks A and B.
Sound Bank B to toggle
• While holding
CoPy to copy a sound, use Sound Bank B to switch between
banks.
• To erase a Sound in Sound Bank B from a Beat, select
Sound Bank B
before or after holding eRaSe, and then hit a pad to erase that sound.
Selecting Sounds by Category
For convenience, the sounds in Tempest’s internal sound set are grouped into
categories. This makes it possible to quickly navigate through these categories
to select the general type you’re looking for (kick, snare, etc.), then the specic
sound within that category.
To navigate the list of sounds by category:
1. In the Pad funCtion section, press the 16 SoundS button.
2. In the
3. Tap the pad to which you want to assign a sound.
4. In the display, turn soft knob 4 (
5. Repeat for additional pads as desired.
SCReen section, press the PadS button.
load Sound), then turn soft knob 3 (Sound
foldeR) to select a category. Turn soft knob 4 again (load Sound) to select a
sound within that category.
6 The Pad Function Keys
Dave Smith Instruments
16 Mutes
If M is pressed, the sixteen pads act
as sixteen mute switches for playback of the
sixteen Sounds in the selected Sound bank (A
or B). is is useful for arranging the Beat’s
parts in real time while playing. A lit pad
indicates the Sound’s playback is on; an unlit
pad indicates it is off. Pressing a pad toggles
between on and off states.
PadS key (in the Screens section) is lit, the following screen will be
If the
displayed, showing the assignment of each pad and related controls:
Beat & Sound
Displays the selected
Beat and Sound. To
change the selected
sound, hold Shift while
pressing the pad that
holds the desired sound
in the 16 Sounds screen.
Tom1
Splash
Tom2
Crash
All On
Soft Key: All On
Pressing this soft key
unmutes all 16 Sounds in
the active bank.
When 16 Mutes is selected, the Real Time FX sliders and sound controls
affect beat-wide effects, just as they do when 16 Beats is selected.
Soft Knob 2:
selected Beat’s
1/16 note Swing
amount from
Swing: 54%
Tom3
Ride
Snare
Bass
Swing
Varies the
Beat Roll
Hold the Roll key for a
Beat Roll, a stutter effect
in which a small portion
of the beat loops. This
Soft Knob 4:
50-75%.
setting controls the
duration of the beat roll.
BtRoll: 8th
HatOp
HatCl
Snar2
Bass2
Shaker
Claps
Tamb
Clave
Sound Types
The center area shows the Sound Types
for the 16 loaded Sounds, which can be
changed in the 16 Sounds screen.
Tempest Operation Manual
The Pad Function Keys
7
16 Time Steps
If 16 time StePS is pressed, the sixteen
pads represent sixteen time steps within
the beat, useful for step programming. A lit
pad indicates the presence of a note of the
selected sound, and an unlit pad indicates
its absence. Pressing a lit pad toggles
between deleting and inserting a note (of
the selected sound) at the pad’s assigned
location in time and at the velocity level at
which the pad was struck.
PadS key (in the Screens section) is lit, the following screen will be
If the
displayed, showing the assignment of each pad plus related controls:
Soft Knob 1:
Quantize
Same as the Quantize
setting in the 16 Sounds
screen, in this case it
sets the Time Step size
for the 16 pads to a value
The screen can show only a portion of the
entire beat. For example, if Quantize=16th, the
16 pads show 1 bar of 4/4. Turning this knob
moves between displaying (seeing) sequential
time blocks within the beat. The circular icon
at right appears if LoopScreen is on.
Soft Knob 2: See
between 8th notes
through 32nd triplets.
Quantizaton can also be
set to “Off.”
Quant: 16th
Bt: 14/Swing beat 100 bpm Snd: A12/Boomy Kick
1.1.1
1.3.1
1.1.7
1.3.7
All O 120.0 1.1. 1 16 Steps
See: 1.1.1
1.1.13
1.3.13
Selected Beat & Sound
Displays the pad number
and name of the currently
selected Beat and Sound.
Shift + Soft Knob 2: Loop Screen
If on, the time steps shown in the screen
are played in a loop.
1.1.19
1.3.19
1.2.1
1.4.1
1.2.7
1.4.7
1.2.13
1.4.13
1.2.19
1.4.19
Time Locations
This area shows the Time Location
of each of the 16 pads in
Bar.Beat.Tick format.
Note that it is often more useful to view the Beat Events screen while step
programming your beats. See Beat Events on page 15.
8 The Pad Function Keys
Dave Smith Instruments
16 Tunings
If T is selected (by pressing the
B and T S keys together), the
sixteen pads play the selected sound at sixteen
different tunings. This is useful for playing
tuned parts like bass or melody lines.
PadS key (in the Screens section) is
If the
selected, the following screen is displayed,
showing the unique tuning for each pad plus
related controls:
Soft Knob 2:
Octave
Permits the pads’
tuning to be shifted
up or down in
octaves.
C2
D2
D3
E2
E3
F3
Beat & Sound
Displays the selected Beat and
Sound. To change the selected
sound (the sound that plays at
the 16 tunings), hold Shift while
pressing the pad that holds the
desired sound in the
16 Sounds screen.
Soft Knob 3:
Transpose
Selects the root note
of the scale.
F2
G2
A2
G3
A3
B3
Pad Tunings
Shows the tuning for each of
the 16 pads in the selected
scale.
Note that these won’t be the
actual notes played but rather
serves to indicate the relative
tuning between scale notes.
Soft Knob 4:
Scale
Offers a variety of
musical scales for the
16 pads (major, minor,
chromatic, etc.)
MajorQuant: 4th +/- Octave Root: C2
B2
C3
C4
D4
Tempest Operation Manual
The Pad Function Keys
9
16 Levels
If L is selected (by pressing
S and M together), the sixteen
pads play a single Sound at sixteen evenly
spaced volume (velocity) levels. This is an
alternative to using the pads’ touch sensitivity
for playing and recording dynamics.
PadS key (in the Screens section) is lit,
If the
the following screen will be displayed, showing the velocity level for each pad
plus related controls:
Soft Knob 1:
Quantize
When recording Beats in real time,
notes are moved to the nearest 1/8,
1/16 note, etc., set here. This is also
used for the Note Roll rate, plus the
Varies the selected Beat’s 1/16
note Swing amount from 50%
(straight 1/16s) to 66% (triplet
swing) and more. 54-58% gives
step size for the ‘Beat Events’ screen
and the ‘16 Time Steps’ pad function.
Quantizaton can also be set to “Off.”
Quant: 16 Swing: 50.0%
Bt: 14/Swing beat 100 bpm Snd: A12/Boomy Kick
8
72
16
80
24
88
32
96
120.0 1.1.01 16 Levels
40
104481125612064127
Beat & Sound
Displays the selected Beat and Sound.
To change the selected sound
Shows the velocity level at
which each of the 16 pads will
(the sound that plays at the 16 volume
levels), hold Shift while pressing the
pad that holds the desired sound in the
16 Sounds screen.
Soft Knob 2:
Swing
a relaxed 16th note feel.
Velocity Levels
play the selected sound.
10 The Pad Function Keys
Dave Smith Instruments
Pad Options
The buttons in this section provide a variety of useful tricks to get the most out of
using the pads for playing both sounds and beats.
Sound Bank B
Press to select an
additional bank of
16 sounds.
If Pad Function = 16 Sounds, 16 Tunings or 16 Volumes:
While playing, if Roll is on and a sound pad is held, repeated notes will be
(Set in the 16 Sounds screen). Varying pad pressure varies the velocity
level of the repeated notes. Use 1/32 or 1/32 Triplet quantize for rolls, or
1/16 note quantize for natural-sounding 1/16 note hihat parts.
If Roll key is held, the beat stutters, looping a short portion until released.
The roll rate of repeat is set by the Beat Roll setting in the 16 Beats screen.
The Roll key is normally momentary (on while held). However, a quick
press will toggle between on and off states.
Reverse
When on, sounds
will play and record
in reverse.
Fixed Level
If off, sound pads are touch-sensitive,
playing louder when hit harder. If on,
sounds always play at a fixed velocity
level, set in the System settings.
Roll
created at the Quantize rate
If Pad Function = 16 Beats:
(Select 16 Beats and Pads.)
Tempest Operation Manual
Pad Options
11
Reverse Playback
R causes Sounds—even completely analog, non-sample-based Sounds—to
play in reverse by reversing the envelopes. (Sample-based Sounds also play the
sample in reverse.) ReveRSe is a real-time, performance control in 16 SoundS and
16 BeatS modes and it can also be recorded into a Beat on a per note basis.
While playing a Beat in
16 SoundS mode, turning ReveRSe on and playing a pad
will cause the Sound to play in reverse. While recording a Beat in 16 SoundS
mode, notes recorded with ReveRSe on will record and play in reverse.
Note: Reverse can also be programmed as a Note Event in the Beat Events
screen and can be turned on or off for individual notes. For details about the
Beat Events screen, see “Events key: the Beat Events screen” on page 15.
While playing a Beat in 16 BeatS mode, ReveRSe causes all of the Sounds in a
Beat—but not the Beat itself—to play in reverse.
Roll with Arpeggiation
Tempest’s Roll feature includes an arpeggiator. If you press and hold multiple
pads, the arpeggiator will play a repeating pattern based on the pads held. There
are several arpeggiation modes (up, down, random, etc.) that control the order in
which playback of the pads is repeated.
16 tuningS mode, the arpeggiator will play a single sound but different
• In
pitches depending on the pads held (and the individual tunings of each pad).
• In
16 SoundS mode, the arpeggiator will play different sounds according to the
sounds assigned to each pad held. (A good way to create random drumbeats!)
• In
16 levelS mode, the arpeggiator will play different velocities according to
the levels set on each pad held.
12 Pad Options
Dave Smith Instruments
To use the arpeggiator:
1. In the Pad funCtion section, press the 16 tuningS button (or 16 S ou nd S or
16 levelS, depending on your purpose).
2. In the
3. In the
4. Use soft knob 3 (
5. Use soft knob 4 (
6. Hold down multiple pads and press the
SCReenS section, press the PadS button.
Pad oPtionS section, press the Roll button.
mode:aSSign) to set the arpeggiator mode.
oCtaveS) to set the arpeggiator’s octave range (0, 1, 2).
Roll button The arpeggiation rate is
controlled by the
retrig is the default arpeggiator mode and is Tempest’s original Roll behavior.
BPm knob.
Arpeggiator Parameters
Mode: Assign:
Retrig Retriggers the sound on the pressed pad. (Tempest’s original roll behavior)
Up Plays from the lowest-numbered pad to the highest-numbered pad
Down Plays from highest-numbered pad to the lowest-numbered pad
Up + Down Plays from lowest to highest and back to lowest
Assign Plays in the order the pads were pressed
Random Plays in random order
Sets the order in which notes play. See the table below.
Octave Range: 0 Octave, 1 Octave, 2 Octaves—
Set to 0, the sounds are
repeated only within their original octave. Set to 1 Octave, the sounds arpeggiate
in their original octave and one octave above. Set to 1 Octave, the sounds arpeggiate in their original octave plus one and two octaves above.
octave range applies to arpeggiated synth sounds, not drum samples.
Tempest Operation Manual
Pad Options
13
The Screens Keys
Tempest’s graphic OLED screen can display a variety of different types of
information. The keys in this section are used to determine which information it
displays.
The Events key
This displays the Beat Events screen, containing either a grid
view of the beat’s note events (if Play List is off) or a scrolling
list of Play List events (If Play List is on). This is described on
the following page.
The Play List key
This function allows
you to create 4 lists
of up to 99 Beats
each that play back
in sequence.
The Pads key
A 2 x 8 matrix is
displayed, showing the
function of each of the
16 pads.
Different information is
displayed depending
on which of the 6 Pad
Functions is selected.
See the description of
each Pad Function to
learn about each
screen.
Mixer and Effects
(press Pads and
Sounds together)
One of four screens is
displayed, showing the
various mix param-
eters. To see and learn
about these screens,
read the Mixer and
Effects section of the
manual.
The Sounds key
One of many screens
is displayed, showing
the various parameters
for oscillators, filters,
VCA, envelopes, LFO
and modulation paths.
To see and learn about
these screens, read
the Sound Controls
section of the manual.
14 The Screens Keys
Dave Smith Instruments
Events Key: The Beat Events screen
If the eventS key is pressed, the Beat Events screen will be displayed. The Beat
Events screen is used for visual programming and editing of beats. This screen is
displayed on page 17.
The Beat Events screen contains a 4 x 16 grid with a row for each of four Sounds
in the Beat, and sixteen columns representing sixteen time locations within the
Beat. A rectangle in one of the cells indicates the presence of a note event of the
row’s Sound at the column’s time location. The height of this rectangle indicates
the velocity level of the note.
The grid acts as a window into the larger beat, showing four Sounds/rows out of
thirty-two, and sixteen time locations from the total Beat’s length. To view the
previous or next block of time, press the
higher or lower rows of Sounds, turn the Row soft knob.
To Edit a Note Event:
• Press Shift + turn Soft Knob 3 (Quantize) to adjust the size of each time
step (column) from 8th notes to 32nd triplets.
Page uP or Page down keys. To view
• Use the
• Use the
Row and Column soft knobs to select the note’s row and column.
SeleCt PaRam Soft Knob to select which of the note parameters you
wish to view for editing: Velocity, Duration, Tuning, Note FX1, Note FX2,
Note FX3, Note FX4, Time Shift or Reverse).
• The selected parameter of the selected note will appear in the Soft Knob 4
rectangle. Edit the value with Soft Knob 4.
• To play only the displayed region in a loop, hold
Shift and turn Soft Knob 2
to the right to turn on Loop Screen.
• The Soft Key is used either to insert a new note in an empty cell, or to
delete an existing note.
Note that the Beat Events screen can be displayed while any of the six Pad Func
tions is selected. It is especially useful for step programming when Pad Function
is set to 16 time StePS.
Tempest Operation Manual
The Screens Keys
15
Note Event Parameters
The nine note event parameters are described below:
Velocity
•
- note veloCity value to be used by various modulation
destinations in the synth engine (0-127).
•
Duration - note duRation in 24 PPQN increments (parts per quarter note),
used to gate the envelope generators (1-255). When ADSR envelopes are
used, the duRation determines the time period before the Release envelope
phase begins.
•
Tuning - Changes the Pitch of the note in semitones (-60 to +60).
•
FX1, FX2, FX3, FX4 - note fX 1-4 directly control the note fX
deStinationS as assigned in the Note FX menu. (See “Note FX” on page
47 for additional details).
•
Time Shift - Tempest’s sequencer resolution is 96 PPQN.
time Shift allows a note to be shifted +/- 3 parts. At 120 BPM, 1 part equals
about 5.2 milliseconds.
•
Reverse - ReveRSe allows you to reverse individual notes in a Beat.
Reverse causes Sounds—even completely analog, non-sample-based
Sounds—to play in reverse by reversing the envelopes.
16 The Screens Keys
Dave Smith Instruments
Soft Knob 1: Row
The 4 rows of the grid represent 4
of the beat’s sound pads. Turn this
knob (or press the Up/Down Arrow
keys) to select a different row. If
turned past the bottom or top of the
screen, the screen scrolls up or
down to reveal higher/lower sound
pads.
Shift + Soft Knob 1: Assign Row
Often the 4 sounds you wish to edit
aren’t contiguous and therefore
can’t all be edited in the same
screen. Turning this knob permits
the selected row to be reassigned
to any of the 32 sound pads.
Soft Knob 2: Column
The columns represent time
locations. Turn this knob (or press
the left/right arrow keys) to select a
time location, shown as a
bar.beat.tick number in the Soft Knob
2 rectangle. To view the previous or
next block of time, press the Page
Up/Down keys. The circular icon
indicates the Loop Screen status.
Shift + Soft Knob 2: Loop Screen
If on, the contents of the screen plays
in a loop, useful for fast editing. If on,
the Loop Screen icon appears
whether Shift is on or off.
Row: 2
A1/HatOpn
A2/HatCls
A3/Snare
A4/Bass
Insert 120.0 1.2.01 Beat Events
Soft Key:
Insert or Delete
If no note exists at the
selected grid cell,
this key inserts a new note.
If a note exists in the
selected cell, it deletes it.
The Play Cursor
This horizontal line moves
as the beat plays, indicating
the current playing location
(same as the Location
display) within the beat.
NOTE EVENT CALLOUTS
Select Param Vel: 67Col: 1.1.1
Soft Knobs 3 & 4: Select Param & Edit
Each note event contains 9 data: velocity,
tuning, duration, FX1, FX2, FX3, FX4, time
shift and reverse. To edit the note event at
the intersection of the selected row and
column, use soft knob 3 to select one of
these 9 parameters, then use soft knob 4 to
edit the current value of the selected
parameter.
Shift + Soft Knobs 3&4: Quantize & Swing
Quantize sets the time resolution of the grid,
from 8th notes to 32nd triplets. Triplet values
show 12 columns instead of 16. This also
sets the note value for real time quantize
recording, Note Roll and the 16 Time Step
pad function.
Tempest Operation Manual
The Screens Keys
17
Play List
PlyList EvntsInsert Step 120.0 1. 1. 1
Step BarsBeat End
2 5/Basic 4-count beat
1 12/Four hihat ticks
7 bars (Bar 2)
1 bar (Bar 9)
1 bar (Bar 1)
3 3/Basic beat with fill
4 -
Play List: 1/Favorite arrangement End: Loop to Step 2
Soft Key
Insert
Pressing this will insert a new step into
the play list before the selected step.
All subsequent steps will be moved up
(down on the screen) by one step to
make space for the new step.
Soft Knob 1:
Select Step
Turning this knob changes which step is selected
for editing. The selected step is highlighted. Turning
the knob past the bottom or top of the screen
scrolls the screen contents to reveal higher or lower
numbered steps. You can also select a different
step by using the Up and Down Arrow keys.
Soft Knob 2:
Beat
Turning this knob
changes the beat number
for the selected step.
The pad associated with
the selected beat is
illuminated.
Soft Knob 3:
Bars
Turning this knob
changes the number
of bars that the
selected step’s beat
will play.
Soft Knob 4:
End
Turning this knob selects what
will happen when the play list
plays to its end. The options
are Stop or Loop To Step x
(any step within the play list).
The Play List function enables you to create lists
of beats that automatically play back in sequence.
Though this feature has existed in drum machines
for many years, Tempest takes it further: in addition to manually entering a list of beats, you can
also create play lists by recording your live beat
arrangements (switching between beat pads while
playing) in real time.
Each project in Tempest contains 4 play lists, each of which contains up to 99
steps. Each step contains a beat number (1-16) and the number of bars that beat
will play. Each play list can be set to either stop or loop back to an earlier step
when it plays past its last step. Play lists can not be saved as a separate le, but
rather are saved as part of the project when the project le is saved.
The
Play liSt button toggles Play List mode on or off. If off, the selected beat
will play when Play is pressed. If on, the selected Play List will play when Play
is pressed.
The Play List screen
To view the Play List screen, press the Play liSt button, then press the eventS
button. Note that if Play liSt is off, pressing the eventS key displays the Beat
Events screen. If Play liSt is on, pressing the eventS key displays the Play List
Events screen.
18 The Screens Keys
Dave Smith Instruments
If Shift is on, the soft key and soft knobs 3 and 4 change their function as shown
below.
Soft Knob 3:
SHIFT ON
Step Select ListBeat RT Rec: Off
Play List: 1/Favorite arrangement End: Loop to Step 2
1 12/Four hihat ticks 1 bar (Bar 1)
2 5/Basic 4-count beat 7 bars (Bar 2)
4 -
Select List
Turning this knob allows
you to select one of the
four Play Lists.
1 bar (Bar 9)3 3/Basic beat with fill
PlyList EvntsDelete Step 120.0 1. 1. 1
Soft Key
Delete
Pressing this will delete
the selected step from
the play list.
All subsequent steps will
be moved up by one step
to fill the deleted step.
When Real-time Record is Off, Play Lists can only be created
manually by entering data into the Play List screen.
When RT Rec is On, you may create a Play List by recording a
live beat arrangement, described on page 18.
This is a System parameter so it always remains as set even
Note: Keep this set to Off when not recording real time play lists,
in order to prevent accidentally overwriting your play list steps.
Soft Knob 4:
RT Record Off/On
after loading a new Project file.
The center area of the screen displays a scrolling window of 4 steps within the
selected play list. Each step contains the beat number (1-16) and its name, the
number of bars it will play, and the calculated start bar for that step. A triangle on
the left edge of the screen indicates which step is currently playing. The high
-
lighted step indicates that it is selected for editing. The Location eld (bottom of
the screen) displays the bar.beat.tick location within the play list instead of within
the beat.
Tempest Operation Manual
The Screens Keys
19
Creating a Play List by Manually Entering Steps
To create a play list manually:
1. Press
2. If the play list contains steps, either a) delete all steps one at a time [
Play liSt to turn on Play List mode. Display the Play List screen by
pressing the
eventS key.
Shift +
soft key], or b) select a different, empty play list [Shift + soft knob 3] or c)
from the edit menu, initialize the entire play list.
3. Using the
4. Using the
5. Using the
SteP soft knob, select step 1.
Beat soft knob, select the beat you wish to play during this step.
BaRS soft knob, select the number of bars you want this step to
play within the play list.
6. Using the
SteP soft knob, select the next higher step.
7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 for each additional step you wish to add to the play
list.
8. Using the
end soft knob, select either a) StoP or b) looP to SteP X [any
earlier step], depending on what you wish to happen when the play list plays
past the last step.
9. Press
Creating a Play List by Recording a Live Beat Arrangement
Play to play your new play list.
One of Tempest’s performance features is the ability to switch between beats
during performance by simply pressing beat pads. As an alternative method of
creating a play list, Tempest can automatically record these live beat arrangements, recording each beat change and its duration into successive steps of the
play list. Here’s how to create a Play List in this way:
1. Press
2. Press
16 BeatS.
Play liSt to turn on Play List mode. Display the Play List screen by
pressing the eventS key.
3. Set soft knob 4 (
end) to looP to SteP 1 so that when the new play list plays
past its end, it will automatically loop back to step 1.
4. With
20 The Screens Keys
Shift on, set soft knob 4 (Rt ReC) to on, then turn Shift off.
Dave Smith Instruments
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