beetlecrab.audio TEMPERA v2.3 Firmware update

video uploads by beetlecrab

Playlist: 1. Quad Macro 2. Envelope Follower 3. Grain Sparkles 4. Grain Shape

Press release follows:


Prague, Czech Republic, June 23, 2026: Beetlecrab Audio announces Tempera Firmware v2.3, a firmware update introducing cross-modulation, audio envelope follower, quad-macro control, per-emitter pitch sequencing, and numerous community-driven workflow enhancements.

Tempera is a hardware granular synthesizer built around a simple idea: eight samples laid out on a surface, with grains roaming across. At its core is a granular engine with a global pool of 4096 grains, shared across voices, and any single voice can claim the entire pool if needed. Tempera is just as happy chopping breaks and sequencing tight rhythmic patterns as it is building massive drifting clouds. Since launch it has found its way to musicians in over 60 countries, growing steadily through firmware updates shaped and steered by a community that has lived with the instrument long enough to know it inside out.

New v2.3 features:

Cross-modulation
Speed, size, and phase of any modulator can now be routed as modulation targets. This means modulators can modulate other modulators — LFO rate controlled by an envelope, phase shifted by a random source, and so on.

Audio envelope follower modulator
Route any audio into Tempera from internal grains, an external synth, a drum machine or a guitar and it extracts the amplitude envelope as a modulation signal. Dynamics from one sound source can directly shape parameters on another in real time.

Grain sparkles
The waveform display now neatly indicates each grain emission, making it easy to read their density and position at a glance.

Grain skip probability
A per-emitter probability setting from 0% to 100% that randomly omits individual grains. At 10% occasional gaps open in the texture, at 50% the sound becomes sparse and stuttering, at 90% only occasional grains slip through. Great on its own or in tandem with the built-in euclidean sequencing.

Per-emitter grain pitch
Each of the four emitters now has an independent pitch shift for live adjustment or as a modulation target. It can be sequenced by the step LFO for arpeggiated and melodic grain patterns.

Cell marker nudging
Live recordings and imported samples don’t always land neatly on the grid. Individual cell markers can now be nudged for precise alignment with transients or natural phrasing.

Increased number of link slots
Up to 16 parameters can be linked, creating a larger custom quick-access menu.

Quad-macro control
A single macro knob controls four parameters at once. Macro states can be stored and recalled for instant changes.

Waveform zoom fit
The selected waveform can be stretched across all four displays, making it easier to work with shorter samples and align cell marks on transients.

Grain shape tilt
The grain amplitude envelope can be tilted, creating an asymmetric shape anywhere between plucked to reverse-swelled.

Availability
Tempera is available directly from the manufacturer at https://www.beetlecrab.audio/tempera at 849€ / £737 / $964 including taxes, customs, and hassle-free worldwide shipping

Firmware update and new user manual are available now at https://www.beetlecrab.audio/tempera/support/