Electronic singer/songwriter The Horrorist (Oliver Chesler) has created a new patch library for Arturia iSEM, The Horrorist Presets.
The presets are available in the latest iSEM update.
iSEM is a software recreation of Tom Oberheim’s legendary 1974 Oberheim SEM synthesizer expander module.
Chesler offers this tip for getting the most out of his presets and iSEM in general: “A lot of people don’t realize the limitation of software (desktop or table) is the converters or lack thereof. Take the iPad and use something like an iConnectmidi to get the direct audio into a DAW and, wow. the iSEM does sound strong.”
Arturia iSEM is available for US 9.99 in the App Store.
Yep, run this baby through a decent sound card and it sounds fantastic!!
One of the best soft synths available, desktop or iOS!
I rune mine over an Apogee One and I’m really happy with the result. Plenty of bottom end, fantastic I/O for the iPad.
I hope I’m not too late to the party for answers, but what are the options for iPad (2) users in terms of affordable USB DACs? The iConnectMidi doesn’t disclose much about it’s audio thru abilities..
i’m not being snarky, what does iConnectivty not reveal about it?
When Apple decides to make an iPad with a simple SPDIF digital audio out, all hell will break loose in the IOS music software world.
Why not make them available separately? I run IOS 6.1 and can’t update to the latest iSEM version.
Not available for the SEM V?
These just don’t sound analogue. In fact I find all the arturia synths sound similar, which would suggest a combined synth engine that’s tweaked to sound ‘similar’ to the vintage synth it’s supposed to mimic.
I’ve come to the conclusion there are few authentic sounding soft synths out there, namely:
Oddity
Minimonsta
Polysix
Other very good ones are:
imposcar
iMS20
The rest just sound like soft synths, particularly this SEM which I have but have never used in a single recording.
I’ve heard a real SEM and this isn’t such a bad emulation at all. I do think these presets make too much of oscillator drift though. We get it, we really do.