GForce Software Oberheim TVS Pro – Are 2 SEMs Are Better Than 1?
Do We Really Need Another SEM-Based Synth?
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GForce Software TVS PRO · Source: GForce Software
GForce Software TVS PRO · Source: GForce Software
GForce Software continues its association with Oberheim with the release of the TVS Pro.
The Oberheim Synthesizer Expansion Module, also known as the SEM, has to be one of the most versatile synthesizers ever made. It seems that however many you put together, or even on its own, the result is incredibly satisfying.
It just seems to be the case that no matter what way you cook it up, the SEM just makes everything sound big, luscious, warm and… dare I say… fat? Ugh… I hate that massively overused term, but it does seem to fit the bill where the SEM is concerned.
Originally released in 1975 by Oberheim, the Two Voice Synthesizer, or TVS, fast became a much-loved duophonic synth. Because each SEM was a synth in its own right, none of the resources were shared or split. This was the purest form of duophony you could get.
The GForce Software Oberheim TVS Pro
In more recent years, Tom Oberheim oversaw the TVS Pro, a modern-day version that added sequencing and modulation but lost none of the original’s heft, character or class. And it is this instrument that GForce Software have sought to recreate with their TVS Pro.
Just like the hardware, it comes with a pair of accurately modelled SEM voices, each with their own pair of VCOs, multi-mode filters, modulation and envelopes. As any developer worth their salt should, they’ve enhanced the SEM further by giving it a 3rd VCO that can also double up as and LFO.
Modestly Enhanced
Other new additions not possible on the original hardware include velocity sensitivity and aftertouch, a set of onboard effects that, like other recent GForce instruments, are not flashy but perfectly matched to enhance the sound of the TVS Pro.
One of the nicest features is the dual 16-step sequencer that allows you to use both SEMs in different and complementary ways. Unlike other synth plugins that through masses of polyphony at what was once a monophonic or duophonic synth, GForce have retained complete authenticity and TVS Pro is very much duophonic.
Cross-Compatibility
I mean, with the likes of OB-E and OB-EZ, you can have all of that fancy polyphony. Polyphonic SEMs completely misses the point. And talking of OB-E and SEM, you can import and export presets from both of those, to and from TVS Pro.
More Information
GForce Software’s Oberheim TVS Pro is available now for an introductory price of €42, rising to €85 after. It’s available for Mac & Windows in AU/AAX/VST/VST3 and standalone.
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