Arturia SEM V3vsArturia SQ80 V
Summary
Arturia SEM V3 and Arturia SQ80 V: 2 Arturia software synths compared side by side. They differ on 8 of 10 compared specifications.
Key differences
- Synth type: Analogue modelling on the SEM V3 and Hybrid (digital oscillators, analogue filters) on the SQ80 V.
- Voices: 8 on the SEM V3 and 16 on the SQ80 V.
- Released: 2025 on the SEM V3 and 2021 on the SQ80 V.
- Emulates: Oberheim SEM (1974) on the SEM V3 and Ensoniq SQ-80 (1987) on the SQ80 V.
- Polyphony: Up to 8 voices on the SEM V3 and Up to 16 voices on the SQ80 V.
- Oscillators: 2 VCOs (saw, variable pulse) with hard sync, plus sub-oscillator on the SEM V3 and 3 digital oscillators (DOC chip), 400+ waveforms, AM and hard sync on the SQ80 V.
Both are the same on plugin formats (VST2, VST3, AU, AAX).
| 2 items |  Arturia SEM V3Current |  Arturia SQ80 VCurrent |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Manufacturer | Arturia | Arturia |
| Status | Current | Current |
| Released | 2025 | 2021 |
| Engine | ||
| Synth type | Analogue modelling | Hybrid (digital oscillators, analogue filters) |
| Emulates | Oberheim SEM (1974) | Ensoniq SQ-80 (1987) |
| Voices | 8 | 16 |
| Polyphony | Up to 8 voices | Up to 16 voices |
| Oscillators | 2 VCOs (saw, variable pulse) with hard sync, plus sub-oscillator | 3 digital oscillators (DOC chip), 400+ waveforms, AM and hard sync |
| Filter | 12 dB state-variable: low-pass, notch, high-pass, band-pass | Modelled CEM analogue resonant low-pass |
| Effects | Insert effects | Insert effects |
| Software | ||
| Plugin formats | VST2, VST3, AU, AAX | VST2, VST3, AU, AAX |
| Features | ||
| Features | Multi-arpeggiator, Unison, Macro controls, Standalone app, NKS | Arpeggiator, MPE, Macro controls, Standalone app, NKS |