What is Searex Raw?
One knob. Turn it up and your loop chops harder. Searex Raw is the free, one-knob version of Searex: a tempo-synced rhythmic gate (chopper) built for tech house and electronic music, from a subtle pulse to a full-on stutter with zero menu-diving. Turn the CHOP knob and the gate locks to your host tempo, ducking a fixed 16-step syncopated pattern deeper and faster as you go, all level-matched so it never jumps in volume.
The gate is always on and locked to your host tempo. As you open the CHOP knob it gates deeper and faster: from a gentle quarter-note pulse to a hard, fast 1/16 chop, with smooth, click-free step edges. It keeps chopping offline with a 120 BPM fallback, and that's the whole plugin: one knob, no menus to dig through.
Quick start
Get a result with Searex Raw in under a minute.
- Insert it. Put Searex Raw on the track or bus you want to change.
- Turn CHOP up. Raise CHOP until it sounds right.
- Compare. Bypass the plugin in your DAW to hear the difference.
The interface
Controls
Header
- 1Fire Head: click the flame logo to open the About panel: what the plugin is, who made it and the trademark notices. Click anywhere in the panel to close it.
The knob
- 2CHOP: a single macro that drives gate depth and subdivision together. At low settings you get an open, gentle quarter-note pulse; push it and the gate ducks harder while the subdivision climbs toward a busy 1/16 chop, following a fixed 16-step syncopated pattern with smooth, click-free step edges. Automatic level-matching keeps the loudness steady, so the rhythm changes: not the volume.
Key specs*
| Always-on tempo-synced gate | The gate locks to the host tempo when the transport is playing and free-runs from an internal clock (120 BPM fallback) when stopped or offline, so it keeps chopping in every context. |
|---|---|
| Click-free step edges | Each step uses a cosine open/close envelope plus a ~12 ms raised-cosine crossfade at every step change, so the gate never clicks or pops. |
| Gate filter | A TPT state-variable lowpass adds per-step movement at higher CHOP settings, sweeping its cutoff across each step for character. |
| Sub-anchor crossover | A Linkwitz-Riley crossover at 150 Hz forms the engine's internal sub split to keep the low end steady. |
| Constant latency & audio safety | Reported latency is pinned to zero so the host's delay compensation never shifts, and a DC blocker, tanh soft-clip 0 dBFS ceiling, denormal prevention, and NaN/Inf guarding keep the output clean across the full macro sweep. |
| Controls | One knob, CHOP |
| Formats | macOS: AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX, Standalone. Windows: VST3, CLAP, Standalone |
* Key specs from the plugin page. Some specs may not be listed.
How do I use Searex Raw on a track?
- Insert it. Put Searex Raw on the track or bus you want to change.
- Turn CHOP up. Raise CHOP until it sounds right. At low settings you get an open, gentle quarter-note pulse; push it and the gate ducks harder while the subdivision climbs toward a busy 1/16 chop, following a fixed 16-step syncopated pattern with smooth, click-free step edges. Automatic level-matching keeps the loudness steady, so the rhythm changes: not the volume.
What about the full Searex?
Love the chop? The full Searex gives you the whole sequencer. The Pro version is a complete step sequencer with 4, 8, 16, or 32 steps, per-step volume and pan editing, swing, four envelope shapes, a sub-anchor that keeps your low end solid, a gate filter, dry/wet mix, and 14 factory presets. Every control is explained in the Searex manual.
Keyboard and mouse shortcuts
These work in every Searex Raw format (AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX, Standalone).
| Reset a control to its default | Double-click the knob or slider |
|---|---|
| Scroll to change a value | Hover over a knob and scroll the mouse wheel |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Searex Raw free?
Yes. Searex Raw is completely free: freeware, no trial, no nag screens, no expiration.
What does the CHOP knob do?
CHOP is a single macro that drives the Searex gate engine. As you open it, the gate goes deeper and the subdivision gets faster: from a gentle quarter-note pulse to a busy 1/16 chop, with smooth, click-free step edges. It's always on and level-matched so the loudness holds.
Does Searex Raw stay in time?
Yes. The gate is locked to your host tempo and runs a busy 16-step syncopated pattern. Offline, it falls back to 120 BPM so it keeps chopping even when the transport is stopped.
How is Searex Raw different from Searex Pro?
Searex Raw gives you the gate engine behind a single CHOP knob with auto level-matching. The full Searex is a complete step sequencer with 4–32 step patterns, per-step volume and pan editing, swing, envelope shapes, sub-anchor, and 14 factory presets.
Does Searex Raw run on Apple Silicon and Windows?
Yes. Searex Raw is a Universal Binary that runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and Intel Macs, and ships as a 64-bit build for Windows 10 and 11.
Does Searex Raw add latency?
No. Reported latency is pinned to a fixed value of zero, so the host's plugin-delay compensation never shifts mid-stream. The gate still opens and closes click-free thanks to a cosine step envelope and a ~12 ms raised-cosine crossfade at each step boundary.
Where can I find more about Searex Raw?
On the Searex Raw page: its features, system requirements and how to get it.
How do I get and install Searex Raw?
- Get it. Searex Raw is free. Get it from the Searex Raw page.
- Run the installer. On macOS, double-click the .pkg file and choose AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX or Standalone. On Windows, run the .exe installer and choose VST3, CLAP or Standalone.
- Open your DAW. Restart your DAW and rescan plugins if needed, then find Searex Raw under Remi Blaze in your plugin list.
More about Searex Raw, including its features and system requirements, is on the Searex Raw page.
Where are the plugin files?
If you need to find Searex Raw on disk, for example to troubleshoot or to uninstall it manually, these are the standard locations.
| macOS AU | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ |
|---|---|
| macOS VST3 | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ |
| macOS CLAP | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/ |
| macOS AAX | /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/ |
| Windows VST3 | C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\ |
| Windows CLAP | C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\ |
To uninstall, quit your DAW and delete the Searex Raw file from the relevant folder. Your DAW will stop listing it on its next rescan.
Need help with Searex Raw?
If something isn't covered here, or Searex Raw doesn't behave as described, contact support or email support@remiblaze.com. To get an answer faster, include:
- your operating system and version (for example macOS 15.6 or Windows 11)
- your DAW and its version
- the format you're using (AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX or Standalone)
- the version you installed (shown in the installer and in your download), since the About panel of every Raw shows v1.0.0
- what you did, what you expected, and what happened instead
This manual is for Searex Raw 1.0.1. Controls and settings can change between versions, so if something here doesn't match what you see, check the version shown in your installer or download. Spotted a mistake or have a question? Let us know.