Erik Norlander

Producer - Composer

"Arturia has once again delivered a faithful recreation of another analog classic with SEM V. SEM V is a highly musical instrument that evokes the original in so many surprising ways."

Ian Boddy

Producer - Composer

"Analogue warmth & movement abound in the unique multimode filter found on the SEM and I'm happy to say that this has been faithfully recreated."

Roger Lyons

Producer - Composer (Alt-J / Oscillator Hell)

"An absolute classic that I am extremely glad has been virtualised and a true asset to anyones sonic arsenal."

David Hofman

Mixing Engineer / Producer

"The Oberheim SEM is my favourite synthesizer in my studio - with the Arturia version I always have it with me. "

Eric Harvey

Spoon / Hamilton Leithauser

"I’m digging the arpeggiating possibilities of the SEM V. "

emptyvessel

"The strength of SEM V for me has always been the sound, the sheer gritty analogue strength that can be subtly beautiful or confronting and powerful. With V3 we now have new, advanced modulation sources which do so much to expand the capabilities of the instrument. This really extends the possibilities we, as sound designers, can explore and bring SEM V firmly into the modern age. I prefer to make dusty, imperfect sounds full of life and organic movement, here it was also important to show the scope & timbral possibilities. I like to react to the sound of the instrument and how it makes me feel to interact with the interface, sort of like a collaboration or conversation. In this case the focus was to explore the new MultiArp, modulators and fx and to imagine this classic instrument in a modern context."

Brendan Perry

Dead Can Dance

"The SEM V has a simplicity and elegance that was a feature of many 70’s synths."

Steve Lindsey

Producer - Composer

"Arturia has done it again! The original SEM was one of my first and favorite synths. Arturia has nailed it ...plus polyphony without the tuning nightmare. What more can you ask for?"

Martin Rabiller

"To me, the audio engine, combined with the new advanced panel, is the main strength of the instrument. It sounds much better—warmer and fatter—compared to the SEM V2, while remaining very easy and quick to use. The overdrive per voice also sounds great and is a nice addition for achieving huge and gritty sounds. I created sounds that combine the analog grain and fatness made possible by the new audio engine with the modern flexibility and variability offered by modulators such as the function generator and sequencer. I also made my presets as expressive as possible, heavily relying on velocity, aftertouch, and MPE slide modulations."

Joseph Gilling

"Most of my sound design work is a process of discovery - uncovering the character of an instrument through experimentation. This approach often leads to the most natural point of inspiration for a sound, as I’m constantly surprised by what I uncover through tweaking parameters and layering effects. The SEM makes fresh sound generation quick and simple. You can go from nothing to something incredibly unique in a matter of minutes."

Drew Schlesinger

"The SEM is and always has been a classic but fairly basic synthesizer design that can do more than meets the eye. The continuously variable filter type allows for a lot of sonic variations and the inherent modulation is quite useful including PWM, pitch, filter etc. The oscillator sync is also one of the most notable sounds from the SEM. This version with the Advanced controls and effects takes it to a whole different level but the classic and much-loved sound is still ever present. Its basic sound is just great. I approached sound design for the SEM in two ways; one is to try and craft classic sounds that musicians would want and expect from such a historical synth, and the second was to leverage all the Advanced functionality to create completely new and more complex sounds that you’d not expect from the SEM. Combining the extra envelope, modulators and arpeggiator allowed for some really great moving, morphing and rhythmic sounds that are exciting to play."

Gabriel Sauvage

"The SEM was one of the first synthesizers to include a SEM filter, giving rise to a long list of Oberheim polyphonic synthesizers. Rediscovering the color and character of this machine within such a flexible and intuitive interface, allows us to go far beyond the limits of the original machine. Of course, you can get back to vintage sounds by extending the number of polyphonies, and playing with Unison, as is the case with many of today's synthesizer software redesigns; but you can also go quite deep into synthesis, to blend the old with the new. Among the presets I designed, my aim was to provide typical “classic” sounds, as well as others that tried to push the instrument to its limits. Therefore, I enjoyed experimenting with Function Generators to design complex envelopes and sequences, as well as using them to modulate oscillators and filters in audio rate for more industrial sounds. This is one of the approaches I used for one of my presets, called “Sea of Metal”, inspired by the sounds of Blade Runner 2049."

Jean-Michel Blanchet

"The SEM V3 is a superb evolution of the famous SEM modules emulation. The sound obtained with the 2 oscillators and the filters, through the various types, is very faithful to the behaviour of this legendary synthesiser. I really enjoyed creating sounds, starting with the 'Init' preset to obtain either very famous or typical sounds from this synth or more modern sounds, showing the different synthesis possibilities provided by the advanced panel."