Tempera: A New Hardware Granular Synth

The inventors of the Vector Synth have announced a new granular synthesiser they are calling Tempera.

Relatively little is known so far, but features include eight sample slots with polyphonic playback and four granular emitters, which allow further manipulation of the sampled sounds by adjusting parameters such as grain size, density, jitter, and spray. These emitters can be tempo synced and anchored to the grid, opening interesting possibilities for designing layered sounds which evolve over time. There is also a collection of more “traditional” synthesiser features, including envelopes, filters, LFOs and effects for further sound design.

The main interface is an 8×8 grid of touch pads, which allows you to create a range of different textures and timbres for each of the eight sample slots. The synth can also be played using an external USB MIDI keyboard.

Tempera is expected for release around the 23rd May. You can sign up for email updates at the official site.