Dave Smith / Roger Linn Tempest Drum Synthesizer Performance with Joystick

video upload by Reuben Jones

"This is the complete performance that I recorded for Alex Ball's documentary on drum synthesizers ( • A Potted History of Drum Synthesizers [posted here] ). Cheers Alex!

I never truly unlocked the Tempest until I made this video. I always found the workflow tricky and the sound hard on my ears. I'm also not huge on drum machines due to their often-fixed time signatures, perfect timing, and the fact that real drums are so much better. But like with a lot of gear, putting in the time really does reap the rewards. The sound palate is very malleable and wide. If only it could import samples!

The joystick was a bit of an afterthought. I made it for my PolyEvolver, on which it can be routed to almost any parameter using the two expression/CV pedal inputs, and by assigning breath control and foot control each to one of the many destinations. Dave Smith is THE MAN, and he put two expression pedal inputs on the Tempest as well.

Drum machine
Drum synthesizer
Synthesizer
Dave Smith
Roger Linn"