Dave Smith Instruments gives the Tempest a much-needed update

Tide turned on tempestuous times.
Tide turned on tempestuous times.

Dave Smith Instruments has announced that it will be updating Tempest, its analogue drum machine.

The requests for updates from Tempest owners have been loud; users petitioned for the San Franciscan firm to make its beat maker a priority. With the OS languishing on version 1.4, a long list of bugs had amassed, much to the ire of the Tempest community.

It seems that DSI had always planned on further development of the Tempest, but with the likes of the Prophet 12, Pro 2, Prophet-6 and most recently the OB-6 all taking centre stage in recent years, it's certainly taken a back seat for a while. Co-creator Roger Linn has also had his hands full with the LinnStrument.

It's been confirmed on the Dave Smith Instruments forum that beta versions of both elements of the Tempest's OS have been released, specifically Main 1.4.0.15b and Voice 1.5. The announcement came from Carson Day of DSI and from Roger Linn - there's a changelog and info on how to get hold of the update.

It's not all about bug-fixing, with some new features added, too. These include a swing setting in the Arp/Roll function and folder retention when loading/saving sounds/beats/projects.

Simon Arblaster
Video Producer & Reviews Editor

I take care of the reviews on MusicRadar and Future Music magazine, though can sometimes be spotted in front of a camera talking little sense in the presence of real musicians. For the past 30 years, I have been unable to decide on which instrument to master, so haven't bothered. Currently, a lover of all things high-gain in the guitar stakes and never one to resist churning out sub-standard funky breaks, the likes of which you'll never hear.