Taking a stand

video upload by Memetune Studio

"I've been setting up a little workspace using some really cool granular synths (Tasty Chips GS1 and Beetlecrab Tempera) and I've discovered these crazy VESA stands that you can get pretty cheap (£20). They are really designed for computer monitors and things, but they work great with desktop synths too, especially if you don't have a lot of desk space like me at the mo

I made the music in this video clip just now on the new granulars - yes!"

Tempera Quirks and Foibles by Benge

video upload by Memetune Studio

"I’ve been exploring granular synthesis since around 1997, when Native Instruments brought out Reaktor, because it was the first system I knew of that had a granular synthesis engine built into it

But even before that I was experimenting with certain samplers that could do a sort of proto-granular thing where you could control the loop start and end end points of a sample independently, and use sliders to scroll through the sample by hand (for example on the Fairlight CMI 2X and also the Akai S612)

But nowadays we have it so easy, as there are a whole slew of desktop granular devices coming out, often based on ARM chips, such as the Tasty Chips GR units, the recent Waldorf synths, the Torso S4, Endorphines Evil Pet, not to mention the Mutable Instruments Clouds and its many derivatives

And then there's this little monster, The Beetlecrab Tempera - a strange and tiny box which takes granular synthesis and does something completely unique with it

It’s got 8 stereo granular samplers at its heart, but the way you interact with them is using the 8x8 touch-points. They are called emitters, and you play them either over midi or using some of the touch-points. You can change and trigger emitters in x - y directions, and it's all extremely complex, and things can get really wild very quickly, so as this is my first patch on it, I decided to keep it simple by using just 2 of the 8 grain samplers

I captured the samples myself using the built in mic (sample 1 is just tapping the box with my fingers, and sample 2 is me humming

It also has comprehensive mixing and FX processors, so here is a little ambient sketch done in real time, using just the Tempera

I’m going to have fun exploring this thing - especially when I integrate it into some of my modular systems, once I have got my head round its many quirks and foibles"

Bad Gear - It looks AWESOME on Social Media

video upload by AudioPilz

"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. There are electronic musical instruments that are designed to sound good and there are those that were made to look awesome on Instagram.

Today we are going to talk about Beetlecrab Audio Tempera and chances are that quite a few people bought it for reason number 2."

Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:39 Overview Tempera
02:00 Hands-free use
02:11 The Emitters
02:29 The Samples
02:44 Emitter Deep Dive
04:23 Filters, FX
04:46 Modulators (Envelopes, LFOs,...)
04:58 Live Grain, Sampling, Resampling
05:07 Memory, Connectivity, Availability, Thanks
05:49 H*te Screen
06:15 Jam 1 ( Experimental Techno )
07:07 Jam 2 ( Post-Jungle )
08:09 Finale ( Future Psy )
08:36 VERDICT

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:

CLICK FOR MORE »

DSI Mopho x4 + Beetlecrab Tempera ambient jam

video upload by MPTY

Granular Synthesis - And Why the Beetlecrab Tempera Sends It Sideways

video upload by Bleeps and Boops

"Shiny studio thing time... The Beetlecrab Tempera is really unique amongst all the hardware granular synths on the market right now - but is it the cure for your GAS?

CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
0:46 - A Brief Explanation of Granular Synthesis
3:24 - 'Traditional' Granular Synthesis with the Waldorf Iridium
7:47 - Why the Tempera Is Different (demo 1)
13:51 - Musical sources (demo 2)
14:55 - Live Recording (demo 3)
17:36 - All samples all the time (demo 4)
20:45 - Final Thoughts

As ever, thanks so much for watching - hopefully you find this useful and please do comment/like/subscribe for more of this!"

Mother Lode synth meetup #3 Pics

A few pics from the latest Mother Lode Synth Meetup sent my way via Brian Comnes.

You can find the full set here.

That's Brian Comnes with the Buchla Music Easel.

Below is Mark Vail, author of Vintage Synthesizers and The Synthesizer with the Beetlecrab Tempura.

Small group shot further below. Be sure to see the full set for more.

P.S. Brian also had an iPad with the following to say: "Had fun showing Textquencer app , it converts text to midi notes, quite the sequencer, the letter A is the root note. I used our mailing list as the source text 😁. It’s also good with foreign languages with a lot of vowels like Hawaiian or Native American sources.

I also think Igor Vasiliev’s GLITCHSCAPER app for percussion is great, certainly not an 808/909 cliche"

Also: "in that picture I did an a/b comparison between the $5k Easel and the $200 KORG [Volca] modular with midi hack, and IMHO the KORG did pretty good😛"

See the Mother Lode label for additional posts.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Beetlecrab.audio Vector Digital Synthesizer Desktop Module

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this listing

Additional Perfect Circuit listings

CLICK FOR MORE »

Beetlecrab Tempera & Piano // DAY 16 #jamuary2026

video upload by Dexba

"First of all: what a beautiful light to let the canvas shine, right?
Second: what an intelligent piece of gear, the Tempera is. I am not even sure why I would call it that, but I feel it has an answer for almost everything (granular related, obviously) I could ask.
And I felt that from the instant I got it. It was probably one of the rare few times I decided to go through the manual before trying the instrument, and I feel that approach comes from the machine layout itself: we need to prepare the canvas before letting ourselves go with the painting process.
But I like this approach, it slows you down, helping you to think about your intentions with a specific emitter, even a specific color.
I started with the piano as a neutral input, and a simple drum track, using the brilliantly implemented Euclidean sequencer, and it's love already.
I hope you'll like it! 🧡"

Ambient Works 1 / For A Sleepless Night (Beetlecrab Vector Synthesizer)

video upload by takao_kurokawa

"Beetlecrab Audio Vector Synthesizer
no external effects

#beetlecrab #modularsynth #ambientmusic #experimentalmusic"

Tempera Explained // V2 Walkthrough & Demo

video upload by Starsky Carr

"The Beetlecrab Tempera Granular Synth just received its *V2.2 update*, and it’s a big one. In this video I take you through the new features, hidden tricks, workflow tweaks, sound-design improvements and performance enhancements that make Tempera one of the most expressive modern granular instruments around.

Whether you're already deep into granular synthesis or you're a hardware synth explorer looking for fresh inspiration, this walkthrough will help you get the very best out of the Tempera in its latest form.

I cover everything from the new modulation behaviours to improved grain controls, expanded performance capabilities, more responsive pads, UI refinements and creative techniques that make the Tempera feel faster, deeper and more musical. Plus: a load of practical audio demos so you can hear what’s really changed."

Also see:

Introducing: Tempera v2.1 -- Hardware granular synthesizer

TEMPERA Granular Instrument v2.0 Firmware

Beetlecrab audio Tempera – granular synth

video upload by MPTY

"I’ve recently added the Tempera to my setup, and it already feels like the extra spark I didn’t know I was missing. Tempera is an hardware granular synthesizer"

ASM Hydrasynth TouchOSC Bidirectional Editor v5.0 & 64 Patches by synth_nyc

via synth_nyc

"Please find here 64 ASM Hydrasynth Custom Patches [Bank 1] created from scratch with my editor"

You can listen to them in high resolution (24bit 96kHz PCM WAV masters, FLAC encoded) on my site (optimized for Chrome on MacOS and Windows).

or in low resolution on my bandcamp. [embed below]

All recorded at 24bit 96kHz PCM on UAD Apollo X hardware with mainly UAD FX.

I have 4 fully digital synthesizers and I crafted patches for all 4:
Beetlecrab Audio Tempera
Waldorf Music Iridium desktop
Fred’s Lab Manatee
ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe

The Hydrasynth is the most challenging (IMHO) to find a sweet spot; however I’m pleased with this bank and I think there are some unique sounds in it."

Beetlecrab.audio Vector Digital Synthesizer Desktop Module

via this listing

Additional Perfect Circuit listings

CLICK FOR MORE »

Tempera - Generative Ambient Piano Bliss-Out For Study/Relaxation/Because Ambient Music is Nice

video upload by Oscillator Sink

"Transparency Notice:
The Tempura was provided to me by Beetlecrab Audio for the purposes of making content about it. Although I was not otherwise paid, I have been allowed to keep the instrument for myself. Beetlcrab have not been given, nor have they requested any editorial oversight to the content of this video.

Chapters:
00:00 - A little introduction
03:30 - Just the music"

The Granular Centerpiece of a Live Setup

video upload by Oscillator Sink

"I met the Beetlecrab Tempera in person at Superbooth this year and the sound (and blinking lights) had me smitten. After spending a number of weeks learning and using this extremely versatile granular instrument, I have landed upon the realization that it represents the missing piece for my live setup: part effect, part instrument, part looper, sitting at the centre of an ambient setup.

Transparency Notice:
The Tempura was provided to me by Beetlecrab Audio for the purposes of making content about it. Although I was not otherwise paid, I have been allowed to keep the instrument for myself. Beetlcrab have not been given, nor have they requested any editorial oversight to the content of this video.

00:00 What is Granular Synthesis?
01:19 Introducing Tempera
04:03 Tempera Architecture Overview
06:13 Emitter Parameters
13:15 Using Tempera as a Live Centerpiece
42:04 Final Thoughts"

Beetlecrab.audio Vector Digital Synthesizer Desktop Module

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this listing

Additional Perfect Circuit listings

CLICK FOR MORE »

Beetlecrab Tempera Granular Ambient

video upload by r beny

Click CC at the bottom of the player for the subtitles.

"Hello, I hope you are taking care. This video is a performance centered around the Beetlecrab Tempera granular sampler/synthesizer. My intention was to create a long form piece of music using only the Tempera, outside of sequencing (as Tempera currently doesn’t have a note sequencer).

I’ve had the Tempera for a while now, but have only recently gotten around to really getting to know it well - learning its ins and outs, learning its boundaries and edges. When learning a new granular instrument, one of the first things I like to do is figure out the relationship between grain length/size and grain density/rate. Tempera is quite unique in that regard, as grain sizes can span the entire length of the buffer (~11s in this instance) - this allows for one to play back entire samples as-is (polyphonically as well), without being “granularized”. On the other end of the spectrum, Tempera also excels at creating grain clouds with an abundance of short grains all firing off at once. I make use of both of these techniques in this video.

Some patch notes:
Tempera is loaded with 8 different samples from various sound sources from my studio. Each sample is just a single note of the sound source, recorded directly to Tempera. Tempera has a note detection feature, so each note was recorded at slightly different notes (mostly either A or C).

From to left to right across the 8 cells, the samples are:
Mannequins Mangrove
Mutable Instruments Rings (patched to make a “harp” sound)
Mangrove with another timbre
Korg Z1 (with a “flute patch”, which I didn’t end up using in this video)
Rings (patched to make a “glockenspiel” sound)
Korg Z1 (with a “bassoon” patch)
Felt Instruments Blisko Cello (with a Sul Tasto patch with only a single string)
Novation Summit (with a pad patch)

In the video, I use the 4 granular emitters in conjunction with sequencing from the Squarp Hapax to sequence and play the various samples across the grid. Emitter 1 is set up to play just a single grain per note, with a grain length that matches the entire buffer. Emitters 2-4 are set up in various grain cloud formations.

The Tempera is running the latest beta firmware as of 6/24/25 (2.2.beta13, shoutout to the Discord).

This is a long one. Thanks for stopping by and sticking with."

Beetlecrab Tempera ... Canvas From Scratch ... 3 examples

video upload by substan

"This video shows 3 examples of my approach to creating a canvas for the Beetlecrab Tempera.

Here you can download the 3 canvases for free. Please note that I used a beta version (2.2 beta12) of the not yet officially released 2.2 firmware to create the canvases. You can get this beta firmware on the beetlecrab discord channel ... with 2.1 these canvases will not work properly !!!"

https://gallery.beetlecrab.audio/patc...
https://gallery.beetlecrab.audio/patc...
https://gallery.beetlecrab.audio/patc...

TEMPERA - An amazing granular-synth-sampler instrument by Beetlecrab Audio

video upload by CGMAGIK

"Finally making another video! I'm long overdue. It's been a busy year and I also moved, which was a huge amount of work. I live on a beautiful island now though, so well worth it :) Back in the Fall of 2024, as I was preparing to work on a new film project, an ad popped up in my news feed. I think on Facebook, or maybe Instagram . . . It was for this new granular sample based instrument called the 'TEMPERA' by Beetlecrab Audio. It didn't take long after reading a bit about it and watching a few videos that I felt that THIS was something I needed to get! Perfect for the film I was going to be working on. Part of what I was going to do with the project was to record a handful of real musicians (voice, bass clarinet, trumpet and guitar) and then further manipulate and make samples of the performances I recorded. The TEMPERA seemed like it would be a really great tool for some of that work, and it was! It is months later now, the film is finished and I felt that I should make a quick video showing some of these patches, or 'canvases' as they are called, that I made.

The TEMPERA is an amazing and inspiring instrument and I'm looking forward to working more with it.

The film I worked on is called #vanlife and you can read more about it here

https://www.screendaily.com/news/prod..."