The Studio Electronics SE-1 is what happens when boutique builders take the Minimoog blueprint and crank it to eleven. A pure analog monosynth with three discrete oscillators, a fat multi-mode filter and proper MIDI, it delivers monstrous basses and searing leads with full patch storage and modern control. Studio Electronics licensed genuine Moog filters, oscillators and VCA for it, so what you hear is the real thing: rackmount, road-ready and revered by producers who want classic American analog grunt without the vintage headaches.

FEATURES & PROS:

• Boutique Analog Mono: Three discrete analog oscillators with serious heft.
• Real Moog Circuitry: Licensed Moog filter, oscillators and VCA, reportedly signed off by Bob Moog himself.
• Two Filter Voices: A 24dB Moog-style lowpass plus a 12dB Oberheim-style filter, for huge basses and cutting leads.
• Rackmount and Reliable: Studio-friendly format with modern stability and full patch memory.
• Sound-Designer Favourite: A cult mono synth with some of the thickest bass going.

AS USED BY

• The Sisters of Mercy (Andrew Eldritch), for its Moog-style bass and sweeps
• Chicane, in his Modena studio rig
• Studio Electronics' analog synths more widely have been used by Daft Punk, Hans Zimmer, Dr. Dre, OutKast and Depeche Mode

THE WORD: Sound on Sound welcomed the SE-1 as possibly the first brand-new monophonic analogue synth since 1984, and a thoroughly appealing one, built on genuine licensed Moog filters, oscillators and VCA, with Robert Moog reportedly on hand to make sure it sounded right. Read the review at Sound on Sound.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Type: analog monophonic synthesizer (double rackmount)
• Brand: Studio Electronics
• Model: SE-1
• Oscillators: 3 discrete analog VCOs with sync, plus noise
• Filters: 24dB lowpass (classic Moog) and 12dB lowpass/bandpass (Oberheim-style)
• Envelopes: 4 multi-stage ADSR, plus ring modulation and glide
• Memory: 396 preset and 396 user patches, full MIDI control
• Released: 1993
• Condition: used, functional