Fans of Tempest, the 6-voice analog drum synth by Sequential, better act fast if they have yet to add one to their collection. This is because of the announcement by Sequential that they are officially retiring Tempest after nearly nine years of production.

The instrument was co-developed by Dave Smith and Roger Linn, who are both big names in the industry. Tempest quickly found an audience among musicians from a variety of genres and made a mark in both the studio as well as live performances.

According to Smith, there is a time that comes when every good instrument deserves its place in the great electronic retirement community in the sky and for Tempest, that time is now. However, he did add that there is a bright side to the announcement as they are as busy as ever designing new products. He also stated that more information about these new products will be made available in the next couple of months, so Sequential fans have something to look forward to.

In the meantime, there is still some remaining Tempest stock from authorized dealers for anyone who wants to add one to their collection before it is too late. While Tempest isn't perfect, it does have a lot of good features and it will be interesting to see if Sequential will be releasing a successor in the future. Let us know in the comments below or on the forum what your thoughts are on Tempest, if you own one and if its retirement is spurring you on to get one if you don't.