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Hey,

I've been spending a very long time trying to get my DSI Tempest to work correctly through Ableton with no luck... As soon as I set the Tempest to Slave, nothing I do gets a beat to play from it. I can record audio and midi into Ableton, but no matter what I just can't get a damn beat working! Anybody able to help me?

Also, I'd like to ask how people generally use the Tempest with Ableton (Or any DAW). Do you make loops on the Tempest, or through Ableton midi? Do you just record single sounds and then put them into drum racks? What's the most efficient way to use the Tempest with Ableton? Really struggling to get this to work properly

I have a Focusrite 18i8 interface... I've connected the main outs of the DSI into the interface, and the DSI to my computer via usb.

Any help appreciated, thanks

I would use a five pin MIDI cable from the MIDI out of your interface to the MIDI in of the Tempest. Give that a shot. Does the Tempest do MIDI over USB?

Ableton is most likely looking for MIDI from the MIDI I/O on your interface.

What exactly are you trying to do in Ableton? Are you trying to program the beats in Ableton and just use the Tempest as a sound module?

Drummachines can be a bit trickier as my guess is you need to send multi MIDI messages over seperate channels to controll multiple sounds on the Tempest at once.

Honestly, the Tempest has a pretty powerful sequencer if I remember correctly. If it were me I would just sync the Tempest to my DAWs tempo and transport. Write my beats on the Tempest then record the each drum track individually.

IMHO you are missing out on at least half what the Tempest has to offer if you arent playing it like an instrument.

Thanks for you reply. So I managed to get the beats working, and Ableton as a master clock... Now I guess my only issue is latency. I've tried connecting the Tempest three different ways for MIDI:

1. Via USB to computer
2. Via MIDI IN/OUT -> USB to computer
3. Via MIDI IN to MIDI OUT of Audio Interface

Can't get the third method working (Taking the midi through my interface... would that reduce or increase latency? How do I get it working?)

Now at the moment I have a Midi track with EXT instrument on it (Audio to Sends only) and an Audio track (Monitor IN) taking audio from the midi track. When I record onto the audio track, I get considerable delay. I have changed the MIDI Clock Sync Delay of my midi port output, and sometimes it gets the recording in time with Ableton's tempo... many times it wont though. It seems a bit random... And it never starts in sync... If it does manage to get in sync, its only after a few beats or bars. How do I get this sync problem fixed? It's driving me nuts.

Also, thanks for your advice on using the Tempest as a sequencer.. I will do that. Lets say I want to record a bunch of different sounds... say a kick/hat/clap. If I want to automate parameters of each sound separately, will I have to record each sound by itself into a separate audio track? Is that the only way to have full customization over each sound? I assume you cannot record midi automation from the tempest?

Thanks

Glad it was a help. I have exhausted my knowledge I think, as I am on FL Studio and dont own a Tempest. I have never used USB over MIDI because using the MIDI I/O has always worked really well for me.

The MIDI track, Im guessing, needs to send MIDI to specific channel. Whatever channel the Tempest is set to send/recieve MIDI messages over.

IMO using the MIDI I/O should be the simplest method of synching things up. I dont really have a good suggestion about your latency problems either. I have never dealt with latency that bad and never in Ableton.

As for recording live tweaks to multiple drum sounds. I think you would have to record on multiple tracks to keep all the instruments on seperate channels. Though one option would be to do a take for each instrument so you dont have to worry about taxing your DAW by recording three audio channels at once. That is probably what I would do.

My next stop might be the Ableton Forums and the manual for Ableton and the Tempest ;p If you arent ready to give up your man card and read the manual, dig around in the general Ableton MIDI settings.

A final and less elegant option would be to forget MIDI all together...just record each drum sound seperately w/o sync into an audio track in Ableton and then line up and cut the audio manually. I would consider this a last resort personally as at that point you might as well just record drum hits of the Tempest and arrange in Ableton...

quick one, have you set your incoming audio tracks to monitor 'IN' position?