Studio Electronics SE-1

The SE-1 Its a quite easy synth to use if you know about analog synthesis. There are some hidden complex modulation parameter which I havent been able to explore completelly due to the lack of time and a manual. But I've allready creted loads of new sounds as Its easy to edy the all too similar presets that come installed.

This is a monophonic synth as you should know, no fx (preffer my plug ins anyway).
The midi works very well. The is not a lot of features here - It's a minimoog - Its the sound that matters to me.

I use for dance music - electro|techno|minimal and this is an incredible bass and lead machine. You can easily blow out speaker cones without much effort - great basses. The sound in itself is powerfull. Get a VA without the fx and create 2 equal sound (I did this with my supernova and with a minimoog V plug in) no way they reach the thump and the growl and the pure sonic force of the SE1.
I never had a minimoog and I'd preffer the Voyager to be honest - but I got a bargain with this one. I just dont like that much the steeping sound u can hear, speacilly in the cut off, but u can solv this if u connect a modern midi contreoller to it.

This is rock solid - I will gigi without a backup very soon (I'll keep u posted)

Havent dealt with them but Studio Electronics seems like a company that is more like a small family business.

I fit was lost I'd either get another one if I had the money or a moog Voyager.
This synth, along with my sh-101 is very much the lows of my music. Add to this a jomox x-base 09 and a novation supernova and I get a wide range of sound. Of course, I use the computer a lot as well, plugins are incredible - I thing the best is to put toguether the 2 worlds.

Not sure what software version it is, but I'v just bought the latest OS chip for my SE1, and WILL get round to installing it eventually! Not sure what problems if any it fixes, but I have had no problems with the currrent OS system. The presets could be better, a LOT of bass sounds and not many leads. But hey, this IS an analogue synth with knobs. If you want to make your own sounds its great fun, and if you want to copy a Moog synth or what have you from a record, then take the time to program it and it's very rewarding. That said, I admit that in using sample based keyboards I never bother because it's boring! Just purchased a manual for the SE1/SE1X and everything is straight forward and friendly. I rated an 8 because there aer a few hidden features in the menu screen which you have to dig out, but worth it!

Features are. 3 VCO fat bass lead synth, thats all you need to know! Very warm, very fat, and very flexible. It doesnt sound the same as a minimoog, i owned one. But given the choice, I'd pick the SE1 over a minimoog. Minis are rubbish to gig with, unless your using one or two sounds. It's very warm sounding, like a Moog, and the fact i can program a patch per song in the first 20 or so patches means for a gigging muso, it doesnt really get any better than this or an SE1X

If your a Acid Jazz, Jazz Funk fan this is awesome live. Velcocity and aftertouch sensitive. Great with my Roland A-37 opening the filter up with the aftertouch. The only gripe i have is the zipper noise on the filter knobs, but as i use this from a modern controller with high definiton midi assignable knobs, this doesnt happen. Also the original SE1 couldnt get its envelope attack time down to the minimoogs. But now, YOU CAN, with a simple modification to a reisistor. This is standard on the SE1X. I have'nt got round to doing it yet but I will.

Never let me down yet, but am concerned with the back up battery for the patches. It must be about due for a new battery. But I guess you can get them from Studio Electronics easily enough

Ordered OS chip and manual, and got very friendly reply and delivery times were quick.

If it was stolen, id get another one. Im not too bothered about the extra rom or lfo capabilities on the X version. Theyre the same architecture and sound anyway, just with more lfo and better presets on the X and audio input....

Software V 2.5
(but I've ordered a computer board upgrade)
I never actually cared about the presets and started programming right away which is easy enough.
You have to use the simple menu for some routings, VCO levels and some other stuff which is not complicated.
I prefer a hands-on, intuitive approach and the SE-1 is great for that.

It's just a monophonic synth with a nice set of classic features.
I wish there were some more but like I already said earlier on I have ordered a computer upgrade board which will upgrade it to an SE-1x.

Check their website for more on features.

The sound quality is magnificent and that is what counts.
(I'd dare to say it has "audiophile" quality to use a bit of a stinky word.)

I'd rather pay $1000 for a synth that sounds truly great than $500 for one that has a massive amount of features and sounds "rather" good.
A few keywords: Warm, In your Face, Organic,...
Add a little bit of VCO Modulation to a simple patch and you can make a nice and warm lead or bass sound that blends perfectly with only acoustic instruments without sounding synthetic.
Running the SE-1 through some good quality and characterful effects really does it justice although it doesn't need any to make it sound better in the first place. Sometimes I use a spring reverb or an analog delay for the truly spacy bits.

I did the envelope snappification (replacing a resistor) which is great by the way.

Ive am having it for a few years now and a while ago 2 of the knobs broke off accidentally dropping a racklid on them. Now I have to replace the pots as well. This doesn't mean the SE-1 is flimsy, far from it - it is sturdy and all the knobs have a nice and solid feel about them. It's just that I'm not careful enough at times. EVERY knob of EVERY synth would break if I dropped that same rack lid on them.

I gig it all the time and it never gave up on me so reliability is good.

Studio Electronics synths have already come to an age in this sped up world of trendy hypes and yet the people at S.E. are still going strong in providing support for all of their products.
Their stuff is not cheap but you're at least sure you can call or e-mail Greg and get a quick reply to all of your questions.

Yeah - I give a 9 because behind 10 it says "Incredibly kind and helpful" and I generally don't trust people who are incredibly kind and helpful.

I hate this synth for raising my standards about how synths should sound to a level that's devastating to my wallet. This means that I'm ordering a Studio Electronics Omega 6 at this moment.
Nuff said...

Clearly laid out with all parameters visualised on the LCD-screen. Not all functions have dedicated knobs but they are never more than one click away so editing is easy enough.

It's monophonic. Midi implementation is good.
And enough storage for patches...

It's analogue and fat.
Makes virtual analogues sound like Casio's.
It really sounds warm and blends brilliantly with acoustic instruments.

Sometimes it suddenly acts strange - like if the internal wiring of the lights get messed up. I think it's a fault in the software but it isn't too much of a problem because it keeps functioning normal on the editing and MIDI-level. Oscillators are very stable - that's a big plus...

I mailed 'em once and they replied the next day. Kind folks them SE people. Dunno about upgrades or reparations.

I'd definately buy another one. I'm looking for an ATC too. (Or an Omega if I win the lottery).
I play in a pop/rock band - We play intimate stuff as well as heavier 'wall of guitars'-things and the SE delivers on both ends. I managed to make warmer sounding copies of the mellower sounds of my Korg MS20 and fatter sounding copies of the more aggressive sounds of my Roland SH 101. (I replaced them both with only 1 SE for my live setup.)

If you've used a MiniMoog before, you'll have no trouble with live performance. All the original knobs are there, in the same places, with a few extras added in. Editing patches might take a little more effort; I still screw up sometimes while trying to save patches. I definitely recommend reading the manual before attempting to edit, even if you do know your way around a Moog.

The SE-1 is a true analogue synth with a digital interface. If your only exposure to analogue is modeled boards (Nord, Korg Z1, etc.) then you really don't know what you're missing. This unit provides the real deal, while eliminating inherent problems of analogue such as tuning. If you're familiar with the MiniMoog, the SE-1 was designed with the same circuitry, and a few extras. These include an adjustable filter (-24db is the Moog setting, -12db is the type used on the old Oberheims). You can also adjust the pulse width, unlike the Moog's selection of 2 waveforms. Ocillators can be synced (there are 3, as in the MiniMoog), and the envelope options are a bit more extensive. Although noise isn't readily at your fingertips, it's available through editing, as is ring modulation. So, if you want to get those Pink Floyd sweeping effects, you'll have to route the noise to a controller.

This is as close to the sound of a Moog as I've found, specifically because it incorporates voltage controlled circuitry, not software models. Almost all of the presets are bass sounds, and the leads aren't programmed quite as well. A quick fix is to transpose some of the bass sounds up an octave or two, and open the filter as desired. I've assigned the cutoff frequency to a CC# on the sounds I use in live performance, so I don't have to reach over to the module. Recently, I was doing an out of town session, and wanted to emulate one of my favorite lead sounds from another synth on the SE-1, which I was taking with me. I was able to recreate the sound flawlessly, except for the attack. It lacked the punch I needed, and changing the envelope knobs just didn't do it. After some experimentation, I found the answer. I inverted envelope #1, and used the envelope amount knob to gain the desired amount of punch. If you own an SE-1 and have experienced the same problem, give it a try.

I've used it for 2 years with no problems.

I purchased my SE-1 because I needed a midi controlled MiniMoog; I got sick of trying to change patches on stage with the original. The SE-1 was the definitive answer for me. Virtual analogue just isn't good enough for my ears. However, you don't get all the bells and whistles with this one - it's monophonic, with one 1/4 inch mono out and no onboard effects. If your primary use is in the studio, you're fine, but my needs are mostly for live performance. I'm not a loop-based musician, and I wouldn't know where to start programming an arpeggiator, but if that's where your needs lie, be aware that it doesn't include one. I use it with an Alesis Quadraverb on stage, and though the Alesis is old and limited, it works just fine for me. The SE-1 isn't cheap, but if you have to have the true analogue sound, it's worth every penny.

This box is the BOTTOM in my music. It is powerful. I don't worry about whether I have a good solid bass sound when I use this thing. The manual is easy to use.

It's monophonic, but that's what it's meant to be. It can really lay some good bass foundation. Expressive and VERY analog sounding (it's basically a MOOG).

This is something every musician can use, if the fortitude of their BASS sounds are important.

It's a very dependable box. I've had it for about 5 years now, and it's been rock solid as related to performance and fuctionality.

If the company still exists, I remember them being VERY helpful when it came to upgrades etc.

Great synth. I would buy it again. 5 years of excellent BOTTOM for my music. No other synth I have, has the versatility in the LOW end, which this one does. If you like the kind of bass sounds you hear in Chicago's "Hard Habit to Break", "Theme from St. Elmo's Fire", the Babara Streisand version of "Somewhere", then this box can do it. All of the songs I just mentioned, were produced by David Foster, and I always wanted to get that exact bass sound he uses on MANY of his productions. When I found out it was a Moog, I was very interested in the SE-1. The box can do a world of good for your bottom.

I give it a 7 because I don't have the manual yet, but it is intuitive enough that I can get around with the presets, and tweak individual sounds.

This is a monophonic studio rack synth, with MIDI. It features 3 analog oscillators, a 12/24 db filter, four ADSR's, etc. It is not appropritate to compare this to digital synths, as this is not what this is.

This beast is a killer. For basses and leads, it is a classic. You have to be careful though, as there is enough power in this thing to blow speakers/minds/heads....

I've only had if for a week..it has been dependable so far.

For those needed analog lead and bass sounds, nothing compares. I would replace it again, as it occupies a very special niche in my set-up.