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GForce Oberheim SEM

A Simple Monophonic Synth with a Huge Sound

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
20 Reviews

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Description

 

THE OBERHEIM SEM - A SIMPLE MONOPHONIC SYNTH WITH A HUGE SOUND
When Tom Oberheim created the first Oberheim® Synthesizer Expander Module (model SEM-1) in 1974, he had one goal - to make a synth that sounded great, whilst being extremely simple to use. In the decades since the release of this iconic synth, it-s been used by countless legendary musicians, making the SEM one of the most revered synthesizers of all time.

As well as painstakingly recreating the huge, unmistakable sound of the SEM, the GForce Oberheim SEM also recreates the ethos of the original - a simple monophonic synth that allows you to shape incredible sounds in an instant. And with Tom Oberheim-s seal of approval, you can be confident in its authenticity. Add to this more than 400+ categorised presets, and inspiration is just moments away.

MADE IN COLLABORATION WITH OBERHEIM
We first worked with Tom Oberheim and Marcus Ryle (an Oberheim engineer during the 80s) when creating the GForce Oberheim OB-E® v2. During this time, Tom and Marcus revealed that they felt there were no software emulations of the SEM that accurately recreated the sound and the ethos of the original monophonic SEM. We decided to change that, and under the close guidance of Tom and Marcus, we developed the GForce Oberheim SEM to ensure an experience that is truly authentic to the original instrument.

THE AUTHENTIC SEM SOUND
Centered around two VCOs with Pulse and Sawtooth waveforms, two ADS Envelope Generators, one LFO, and a magical, legendary Multi-Mode Filter, the SEM sound is more than the sum of its parts. In the GForce Oberheim SEM, every section of the synth has been painstakingly emulated to ensure sonic authenticity. We-ve even modelled the authentic analog inaccuracies of the original SEM, blurring the lines between analog character and digital precision. All this makes the GForce Oberheim SEM the most authentic emulation of the SEM sound available.

SIMPLE NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD
The beauty of the SEM truly lies in its simplicity. With a refined design and feature set, you can easily create warm basses, soaring leads and sweeping arps in an instant. This allows you to spend less time shaping your sounds, and more time making music.

ENHANCED WHERE IT MATTERS
While staying true to the original SEM, we also added a number of enhancements to make the GForce Oberheim SEM even more useful for modern music production. Alongside a new VCO3, which doubles as an audio rate LFO for additional modulation and FM possibilities, the SEM now has tempo-syncable LFOs and a host of performance controls via velocity and aftertouch. We-ve also integrated a fun, fast arpeggiator & sequencer, and added a stereo delay and a beautifully lush reverb to sonically compliment your sounds.

Finally, we-ve included 400+ factory presets designed by Dave Spiers, Graeme Rawson and Tom Wolfe, each created to demonstrate the incredible sonic character of the SEM. Every preset has been tagged, categorised and is quickly accessible from the preset browser. The SEM even integrates with the GForce Oberheim OB-E, allowing you to load your SEM presets in either device. This enables you to quickly sketch out your sounds in the SEM, and then make them polyphonic in an instant.

SEM - key features
* Most authentic monophonic SEM experience and sound - small package, big sound!
* The most playable SEM, full of character, and augmented with a 3rd VCO
* 400+ factory Patches designed to fit in a mix, all tagged and categorised
* Librarian for easy access to the presets (Arrow Keys Navigation)
* Sequencer, Arpegiator, Stereo Delay, Reverb
* Undo/Redo, Extend and Flip mode
* SEM presets can be exported to and imported from OB-E
* Extensive Velocity & Aftertouch modulation

Tech Specs

APPLE MACOS.

The Oberheim SEM is a virtual instrument in the following formats:

Standalone Application
AudioUnit
AAX
VST2
VST3
The Minimum System Requirements are as follows:

Intel or Apple Silicon Mac
macOS 10.15.x or above
367 MB of disk space


WINDOWS ON PC.

Oberheim SEM I is a virtual instrument in the following formats:

Standalone
VST
VST3
AAX
The Minimum System Requirements are as follows:

2GHz CPU with 2GB RAM
Windows 7 and above
367 MB of disk space

Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 20 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 20 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
100%would recommend this product
20 reviews
  • ST
    Sunil T.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Dec 6, 2025
    Gforce plugins are great

    Picked this up even though I already have SEM emulations in other brands… got it on a great deal… this one sounds much better than the Arturia and Brainworx ones…

  • DE
    Dave E.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Dec 5, 2025
    GFORCE Oberheim SEM SEM

    An excellent reproduction of the original.

  • TH
    Thomas H.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Dec 5, 2025
    Sounds very good and easy to use

    I own many GForce synths, including the monster 8-voice that contains 8 of these. I bought this because it is easier to manage, sounds fantastic, and presets that I make can be loaded into each of the 8 SEMs in the big one. If you do not own any GForce software synths, then on sale this is a no-brainer.

  • TT
    tobias t.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Dec 4, 2025
    It just oozes character

    I have at least 4 other emulations of the SEM and its brethren (both modelled and sample-based), but I still bought this one on sale. Why? Because, well, I tried the demo. It's hard to go back. GForce have neither played the purist card of sticking to the original with nothing added, nor have they thrown the kitchen sink at it (polyphony! mod matrix! 27 different effects!) as some other devs have - not that those efforts have been terrible. But GForce have managed to make really interesting additions that complement and extend the original without losing sight of what makes it so special and beloved, and most importantly it just sounds gorgeous. This is the full-fat-greek-yogurt of SEM emulations, it's as rich and complex as fine chocolate. It's really hard to stop playing.

  • RC
    Robert C.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Dec 4, 2025
    Obie Goodness

    If you know, you know. At the $19.99 price, I knew it was time to go for it. I've had both the Arturia one as well as the bx oberhausen one for a few years. Now that I've compared them, I like the GForce one best. It's quite good. Followed by the bx oberhausen, and the Arturia SEM. YMMV