# SEMtex XL

- Site: Analog Industries
- Author: Chris Randall
- Date: 2005-12-13
- URL: https://analogindustries.com/2005/12/semtex-xl/

![SEMtex XL](https://analogindustries.com/images/blog/semtex.jpg)

You kids know about this thing? From [Anyware Instruments](http://www.anyware-instruments.de/) of Germany, this is a 2-VCO patchable analog, in the same neck of the woods as an Oberheim SEM module (hence the name, I suppose.) It has a whole slew of MIDI->CV stuff, and doesn't sound half bad, according to the samples on the website.

It is apparently 1200€, and I'm pretty sure I could get at least one real SEM for that, but then what do I know? Vishay pots, Neutrik & Switchcraft connectors, and there is at least one in actual existence.

**UPDATE:** one of the creators of this critter wrote to tell me the following: _"uhm, the semtex is not a "SEM", it is more a modular system based on a SEM plus lots of things.. like  
the semtex has 2 Vcos plus 2 Subs and 3 very fast envs..  
(the SEM has no subOSCs, the semtex has 2 of them)"_ Apologies, but I call 'em like I see 'em. A two-vco tabletop synth with the name "semtex" is gonna be compared to a SEM module by a lot more people than me.

## Comments (5)

**Jan Czmok** (2005-12-14):

Well. This SEMTEX is a must. I fall in love the first day i was able to play a bit with this "beast".

It lives! Check out www.synthesizerforum.de and check the SEMTEX
thread, IIRC you find also some samples.

Once i got more money, i'll definitely want one of those.

**synchromesh** (2005-12-14):

"A two-vco tabletop synth with the name "semtex" is gonna be compared to a SEM module by a lot more people than me."

Particularly when it has "analogue synthesizer expander module" written on the front.

Interesting mix of British and American spellings there. A bit like the TITLE tag on the Analog(ue) Industries homepage.

But yes, 1200 Euros is an Expander and an AvrX and change...

**Chris Randall** (2005-12-14):

Heh. That's a holdover from the old site, where I spelled everything "Analogue." Good eye. I'll fix that someday.

Viz. the other stuff, the company is German, so I bet American English and English English look a lot alike to them, in much the same way that German, Austrian, and Swiss German look alike to us.

-CR

**synchromesh** (2005-12-14):

Did I say "Expander"? I meant "Evolver", of course. And you could get one of the latter, an AvrX *and* a x0xb0x for less than the SEMTEX (SemTex? Semtex? They're all there). But of course none of them are "as analog", I suppose. And you'd have to build two of them. And I repeat myself...

**penzoil washington** (2005-12-14):

I used to have a Oberheim 4 voice, modded to death. Still, an SEM has an extremely limited range of sounds.