Product Review - Dave Smith Instruments Tempest
Article Preview :: Analogue Drum Machine
Reviews : Drum machine
The fruit of the union between synth and drum machine legends Dave Smith and Roger Linn ought to be something very special indeed. Is the Tempest set to take the world by storm?
Over the last four years, tales of a new drum machine from the industry dream-team of Roger Linn and Dave Smith have circulated wildly. Teasing images of prototypes bearing exotic names such as ‘BoomChik’ came and went. Now, finally, the long gestation period is almost over. I say “almost”, because the Tempest (a much better name!) is still a work in progress. Although its hardware is complete, much of this review was conducted using a beta version of the OS. It’s quite an advanced beta, though, stable and functional in most areas and therefore sufficient for a preview of the Tempest’s sound and interface — and a hint at the performances it could inspire.
To anyone wary of becoming an early adopter, the following statement on Dave Smith’s web site might offer reassurance: “Going forward we’ll be releasing periodic free software updates that can be downloaded and installed over MIDI, and we’ll be maintaining a list of what is remaining to implement. If you wish to wait until all features are done, we understand. If you wish to try it out first, then decide to wait, that’s OK, too — we will maintain a liberal, no-questions-asked return policy while we’re finishing up the remaining features.”
Clearly, this has been a huge project for the two companies, and as it reaches fruition, now’s our chance to take the first look at a drum machine hoping to take the world by storm...
Tempest Fugit
The production model Tempest is described simply as an ‘Analog Drum Machine’, but it’s actually far more than that. Classic analogue drum boxes were based on dedicated circuits and, if you were lucky, a few choice controls to tweak the main drums. The Tempest’s six voices are based on a multitimbral synthesizer architecture that’s not a million miles from DSI’s Evolver range of synths. Each voice has two analogue oscillators, a sub-oscillator and two digital oscillators eager to spit out percussion samples or other waveforms. These sources (plus an internal feedback loop from the main output) are processed by analogue low-pass and high-pass filters, aided and abetted by fast LFOs and snappy envelopes, and further honed by the modulation matrix. All of this adds up to an extraordinarily deep engine for a mere ‘drum machine’!
The challenge was to blend the skills and experience of both companies to produce a unique and well-balanced entity. It goes without saying that any drum machine bearing the name of Roger Linn is going to trigger high expectations — and they’re expectations that won’t be diminished when you glance at the bottom line!
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$1199.Dave Smith Instruments +1 707 963 7006.
$1199.Dave Smith Instruments +1 (707) 963 7006.
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Mon 21 May 2012
Sound On Sound : Est. 1985