Sensei Caswell: "Our SEM is known as a 'Voltage Controlled State Variable Filter' because it provides simultaneous high pass, low pass, and band pass outputs, all with a 12 dB/oct slope. The notch is the inverse of the bandpass, achieved by summing the low pass and high pass outputs. This version is a combination of the original SEM filter and the newer design from the OBX, along with improvements by SE. It has a modest current draw, which it pulls evenly from the plus and minus rails."
Potentiometer Potential
Three attenuverter and four attenuation pots control the FREQUENCY, RESONANCE, FREQ CV 1, RESO CV, LP HP, INPUT and OUTPUT, delivering smooth, detailed, and complex expression.
Switch it Up
FULL and HALF strength filter frequency keyboard/voltage tracking, and BP / LP-HP modes.
Patch it Up
Seven patch points: 1 V/O, FREQ CV 1, FREQ CV 2, RESO CV, INPUT, BP LP-HP, and OUTPUT direct the deepest manipulation.
All Controls and Patch Points
- FREQUENCY – Adjusts the frequency, or cut-off of the filter.
- RESONANCE – Adjusts the resonance of the filter.
- FULL HALF TRACK – Switch between full and half keyboard/voltage tracking.
- FREQ CV 1 – Frequency control voltage 1 input attenuverter.
- RESO CV – Resonance control voltage input attenuverter.
- LP HP – Low Pass / High Pass attenuverter.
- INPUT – Adjusts the audio input.
- OUTPUT – Adjusts the audio output.
- 1 V/O – One volt per octave control voltage input.
- FREQ CV 1 – Frequency control voltage 1 input.
- BP OUT – Band Pass Output. No cable patched, BP passes through the mains.
- RESO CV – Resonance control voltage input.
- INPUT – Audio input.
- BP LP-HP – Switch between Band Pass and Low Pass - High Pass modes.
- OUTPUT – Audio output.
Vitals
Size - 12hp
Depth - 39.7mm with ribbon cable attached
Power Usage - 32mA (+12 / -12)
BYSIB (Before You Send it Back)
This filter (and the SE88) can be "input driven" to the cutout/cutoff/blackout point, for angry, aggressive unpredictability, and staggered, shell-shocked recovery. We wanted it that way; it’s perfectly harmless OpAmp smashing, for smashing good fun. Think traumatic movie scene after which an actor’s hearing momentarily disappears (extreme wooziness overtakes the balance of his senses—and camera work), high-pitched sounds follow, and then blessed normalcy of awareness and sensory perception gradually, grudgingly return. That. No reboot necessary: just sweep the frequency counterclockwise until the SEM 'n SE88 snap back to their "right mind," and rein in the input and resonance levels—resonance levels below 9:00 are safe; unless of course you want "that" to keep happening. Taunting the edge is entertaining too.
* From 7:00 (0) to 9:00 our “Negative Resonance Saturation” adds beefiness, boosting the waveform amplitude and taming waveform transients (most pronounced in the 3003 filter): set to 9:00 to achieve the cleanest tone possible.
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
Product Overview
Sensei Caswell: "Our SEM is known as a 'Voltage Controlled State Variable Filter' because it provides simultaneous high pass, low pass, and band pass outputs, all with a 12 dB/oct slope. The notch is the inverse of the bandpass, achieved by summing the low pass and high pass outputs. This version is a combination of the original SEM filter and the newer design from the OBX, along with improvements by SE. It has a modest current draw, which it pulls evenly from the plus and minus rails."
Potentiometer Potential
Three attenuverter and four attenuation pots control the FREQUENCY, RESONANCE, FREQ CV 1, RESO CV, LP HP, INPUT and OUTPUT, delivering smooth, detailed, and complex expression.
Switch it Up
FULL and HALF strength filter frequency keyboard/voltage tracking, and BP / LP-HP modes.
Patch it Up
Seven patch points: 1 V/O, FREQ CV 1, FREQ CV 2, RESO CV, INPUT, BP LP-HP, and OUTPUT direct the deepest manipulation.
All Controls and Patch Points
- FREQUENCY – Adjusts the frequency, or cut-off of the filter.
- RESONANCE – Adjusts the resonance of the filter.
- FULL HALF TRACK – Switch between full and half keyboard/voltage tracking.
- FREQ CV 1 – Frequency control voltage 1 input attenuverter.
- RESO CV – Resonance control voltage input attenuverter.
- LP HP – Low Pass / High Pass attenuverter.
- INPUT – Adjusts the audio input.
- OUTPUT – Adjusts the audio output.
- 1 V/O – One volt per octave control voltage input.
- FREQ CV 1 – Frequency control voltage 1 input.
- BP OUT – Band Pass Output. No cable patched, BP passes through the mains.
- RESO CV – Resonance control voltage input.
- INPUT – Audio input.
- BP LP-HP – Switch between Band Pass and Low Pass - High Pass modes.
- OUTPUT – Audio output.
Vitals
Size - 12hp
Depth - 39.7mm with ribbon cable attached
Power Usage - 32mA (+12 / -12)
BYSIB (Before You Send it Back)
This filter (and the SE88) can be "input driven" to the cutout/cutoff/blackout point, for angry, aggressive unpredictability, and staggered, shell-shocked recovery. We wanted it that way; it’s perfectly harmless OpAmp smashing, for smashing good fun. Think traumatic movie scene after which an actor’s hearing momentarily disappears (extreme wooziness overtakes the balance of his senses—and camera work), high-pitched sounds follow, and then blessed normalcy of awareness and sensory perception gradually, grudgingly return. That. No reboot necessary: just sweep the frequency counterclockwise until the SEM 'n SE88 snap back to their "right mind," and rein in the input and resonance levels—resonance levels below 9:00 are safe; unless of course you want "that" to keep happening. Taunting the edge is entertaining too.
* From 7:00 (0) to 9:00 our “Negative Resonance Saturation” adds beefiness, boosting the waveform amplitude and taming waveform transients (most pronounced in the 3003 filter): set to 9:00 to achieve the cleanest tone possible.
Technical Specs
Shipping Details
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
