The All-New Behringer Keyboards 'n' Stuff Thread

[Hugh Robjohns]

...we don’t want any rack versions, it has to be a keyboard, with the ribbon etc etc etc, same slide switches too, otherwise no point, and I won’t be buying one if those aren’t included, they are a major part of the instrument.

I doubt you'll be buying one whatever, Tony... the knobs are bound to be the wrong size or the wrong colour hues... And moving it won't give the hernia the workout an original did... so it's all wrong!

But I agree that a good poly-touch keyboard and ribbon are essentials. I don't think I'd be too bothered whether the key bed is fully weighted or not, as long as it's a good action. Same with the sliders; they don't need to be 'quadrant' action sliders. Ordinary flat sliders would be fine as long as the same control ranges and sound characters are there.

[DGL.]

And another teaser, the Behringer LmDrum 8/12bit sampling drum machine.

We love to share with you the progress of our first sampling drum machine. We’re super excited that the unit has passed all audio tests today and much of the user interface development is now also completed. Man, this thing grooves;-)
However, this is still a prototype and a long way from production.
Rest assured that our drum machine development team is working overtime to complete this exciting instrument as quickly as possible in order to get it into your drumming hands.
Thanks for your patience and amazing support as always. You're the reason why we do what we do.

We’d love to hear your opinion. Shoot...

P.S. This is just the beginning and there is so much more in the pipeline. Stay tuned.

[nathanscribe]

Crikey!

[Dan LB]

The GUI on that ‘LmDrum’ is lifted straight from an Elektron Digitakt



Why do they have to plagiarise everything?! Can they not design a GUI of their own?

[The Elf]

Why, in heaven's name, in 2021, would we want an 8-bit/12-bit mono sample player?

What an utterly pointless waste of plastic, metal and manpower.

I can only hope that in reality it does a lot more, but even then...

[Drew Stephenson]

Why, in heaven's name, in 2021, would we want an 8-bit/12-bit mono sample player?

because... "Retro!"

[Dave B]

or .. (given that I is down with the kidz these days) "because ... reasons"

[t-sun]

Why, in heaven's name, in 2021, would we want an 8-bit/12-bit mono sample player?

What an utterly pointless waste of plastic, metal and manpower.

I can only hope that in reality it does a lot more, but even then...

"drum machine development team"

When you have a hammer...

[N i g e l]

I like what they did with the name !

apart from [now surpassed] cutting edge sounds the original was also known for ease of use & being intuitive.
I guess the clone will interface to a DAW & have LEDs on the slider that pulse to the beat.

A quick ebay check says an original would set you back £3k - £4k

[Terrible.dee]

…While I'm no fan of some of Uli's business practices, if his team can come up with a modern, affordable clone that sounds and performs as well as the original then I would be willing to bite my lip and acquire one. But it really would have to be right in every performance aspect...

As a great philosopher once said: “If Once You Start Down The Dark Path, Forever Will It Dominate Your Destiny.”

BOOM!!

This!

People want to separate their G.A.S from their morality. and it just doesn't work that way.

....and to further paraphrase that philosopher:

"I have come in search of a great synth cloner."

"Hmph! Clones not make one great!"

[Guest]

Why, in heaven's name, in 2021, would we want an 8-bit/12-bit mono sample player?

What an utterly pointless waste of plastic, metal and manpower.

I can only hope that in reality it does a lot more, but even then...

I'm more interested in the upcoming new Linndrum from the man himself.

[johnny h]

…While I'm no fan of some of Uli's business practices, if his team can come up with a modern, affordable clone that sounds and performs as well as the original then I would be willing to bite my lip and acquire one. But it really would have to be right in every performance aspect...

As a great philosopher once said: “If Once You Start Down The Dark Path, Forever Will It Dominate Your Destiny.”

BOOM!!

This!

People want to separate their G.A.S from their morality. and it just doesn't work that way.

Quite, you have to question your morality if you are prepared to support Behringer after they attempted to sue forum members and other manufacturers for claiming they copy things (!), not to mention the whole Peter Kirn / Corksniffer anti-semitic bullying campaign.

History has shown how easily ordinary, 'good' people can slip into defending the indefensible.

[resistorman]

Fortunately, I don't care at all about old synths or their clones so I don't have to meet Mr. U at the crossroads

There's been a couple of things they make that I've found worthwhile: X mixers, Deepmind, etc. which are original designs. But the weird and lucrative fetish for old technology is a thriving market so sadly that's where Behringer puts its energy. What a waste of engineering and the brains they've bought, but hey, that's what people want.

BTW, It's hard to take the claims of pure evil in a tiny corner of the manufacturing world seriously when there is so much real harm integral to the common items we thoughtlessly use and consume every day.

[Arpangel]

Why, in heaven's name, in 2021, would we want an 8-bit/12-bit mono sample player?

What an utterly pointless waste of plastic, metal and manpower.

I can only hope that in reality it does a lot more, but even then...

Oh dear, but my Microgranny, after a rocky start, has proved indispensable, right now anyway, recorded a couple of good tracks with it yesterday that will go in my compost folder.
All of this stuff, seems appropriate now, in my life, 8 bit, too much reverb, noise, degradation, it’s like life as we get older, as I’m experiencing it, distant, desolate, veiled, indistinct, receding, and these tools I’m buying reflect that.
I see my future albums becoming almost totally incoherent, more effects than ever, bass disappears, looking at the history of experimental music, dance music, Techno, it’s a trend that’s slowly happening, it’s not just me, a lot of great tracks are only great because they have exaggerated the use of the technology so much, or left it out entirely, the focus, the bass, the structure, is becoming more and more indistinct.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Quite, you have to question your morality if you are prepared to support Behringer after they attempted to...

I think everyone has to question their morality over virtually every decision they make... But it is their decision to make.

As for the anti-Behringer bandwagon, jump on it if it makes you feel superior on a faux high ground, but it would be hugely naive to think other large companies and corporations dont indulge in similar behind the scenes bullying, reverse engineering competitors' products, dubious business practices, sharp accounting, and all the rest. They do. I know of -- and have even been on the receiving end of -- many such instances. The difference is they are mostly less blatant and dont tend to get caught out and called out quite so easily or often.

The fact is that behringer does have some very good designers and engineers working for the global company, and they are producing some very good products with no real viable competition. At the same time, the global company is also producing some less impressive and rather unimaginative stuff and it would be good, IMHO, if they failed to sell any of it...

Personally, I'm not interested in any of the company's low-rent stuff, or any of its clones of products currently being manufactured by legitimate IP holders. And Behringer's pointless public spats, litigation and shoddy 'marketing' are all self-defeating and hugely self-damaging in exactly the way they deserve to be -- as your post demonstrates perfectly.

But if Behringer is prepared to invest in redesigning, from scratch, the unique circuity required to make something that sounds and performs exactly like a CS80 -- a machine that is unaffordable and largely unserviceable now, and which Yamaha has shown no interest at all in revisiting -- then I would be prepared to evaluate it on an open-minded basis.

If I strictly took the moral high ground, knowing what I know, there are very, very, few companies' products that would get room in my studio... And while that might make me feel morally superior, it wouldn't be very helpful, productive, or realistic.

The world is in shades of grey, not black and white.

[DGL.]

Something else being released/announced soon, looks like some sort of analogue drum machine going by the video/sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0QvMwrsOHk

[The Elf]

It would be nice if it's a CR-78, though those sounds don't suggest it? Maybe this is their sample playback machine.

[DGL.]

It would be nice if it's a CR-78, though those sounds don't suggest it? Maybe this is their sample playback machine.

Sounds all seem to be analogue in the video, maybe it's a korg minipops or similar clone, TBH it sounds to be 808 like but it's only a youtube video.

If they could recreate Kraftwerk's electronic drums then that would be great.

[Martin Walker]

Oh dear, but my Microgranny, after a rocky start, has proved indispensable, right now anyway, recorded a couple of good tracks with it yesterday that will go in my compost folder.
All of this stuff, seems appropriate now, in my life, 8 bit, too much reverb, noise, degradation, it’s like life as we get older, as I’m experiencing it, distant, desolate, veiled, indistinct, receding, and these tools I’m buying reflect that.

Well that's a turn up for the books!

Pleased to hear that your Microgranny has finally settled into her new home

Martin

[Arpangel]

Oh dear, but my Microgranny, after a rocky start, has proved indispensable, right now anyway, recorded a couple of good tracks with it yesterday that will go in my compost folder.
All of this stuff, seems appropriate now, in my life, 8 bit, too much reverb, noise, degradation, it’s like life as we get older, as I’m experiencing it, distant, desolate, veiled, indistinct, receding, and these tools I’m buying reflect that.

Well that's a turn up for the books!

Pleased to hear that your Microgranny has finally settled into her new home

Martin

Yes Martin, I’m treating it like volatile flash memory, I sample something, use it, and it’s gone. If I look at it like that, it won’t damage my head in any way, and I’m getting some lovely textures, just by twiddling the knobs, can’t really think of anything that does this, in this way, so yes, it’s safe for the time being.

[johnny h]

.. it would be hugely naive to think other large companies and corporations dont indulge in similar behind the scenes bullying, reverse engineering competitors' products, dubious business practices, sharp accounting, and all the rest. They do. I know of -- and have even been on the receiving end of -- many such instances. The difference is they are mostly less blatant and dont tend to get caught out and called out quite so easily or often.

Its true that some of biggest names in the industry have highly dubious practices and many are long removed from their founders and merely interested in cashing in on their history. Even so, there is something nakedly aggressive about Behringer's approach and its must be dishearting and offputting for smaller manufacturers when considering entering or continuing in the market. Why bother with the time and investment when, if you're successful, someone will 'pay homage', undercut you and squeeze you out of the market?

But if Behringer is prepared to invest in redesigning, from scratch, the unique circuity required to make something that sounds and performs exactly like a CS80 -- a machine that is unaffordable and largely unserviceable now, and which Yamaha has shown no interest at all in revisiting -- then I would be prepared to evaluate it on an open-minded basis.

If I strictly took the moral high ground, knowing what I know, there are very, very, few companies' products that would get room in my studio... And while that might make me feel morally superior, it wouldn't be very helpful, productive, or realistic.

The world is in shades of grey, not black and white.

There is the Deckard's Dream, although personally I'm not a huge fan of it. Not only is the interface really fiddly in a rack, recreating the original's arbritary limitations for the sake of 'authenticity' is typical of the backwards-looking nostalgia-fest that infects the synth / music tech industry.

It's so depressing that what counts as exciting these days is the recreation of 70s and 80s synths and drum machines. Not that Behringer is fully to blame for this - I had a bit of respect for the DeepMind as it attempted to a little further than merely a Juno clone - I guess the market told them to stick to what people know.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Its true that some of biggest names in the industry have highly dubious practices...

Indeed... but of course 'dubious practices' aren't generally illegal. So while some might turn their noses up, these companies aren't actually doing anything wrong in the strict legal sense.

Why bother with the time and investment when, if you're successful, someone will 'pay homage', undercut you and squeeze you out of the market?

Why? Because if you're successful you'll recoup your costs and be able to expand the business in other directions or with other products. And you might even be able to sell to a larger company. We read of successful companies being bought out every day. We also read daily of companies launching new products with added features and facilities to compete directly with whatever advantage their competitors introduced in their previous models -- often borrowing the same technology. This is all quite normal in business. Perhaps most don't do so blatantly, but it's really the same thing.

There is the Deckard's Dream...

There is, but the lack of integrated A-T keyboard and the extra module to complete the feature set doesn't appeal to me.

However, the point I was trying to make was that despite the widespread anti-Behringer lobby here and elsewhere, my personal view is that a distinctive, perhaps even unique, product like the proposed DS80 deserves to be reviewed on its own merits and with an open mind, regardless of past company deeds. That's certainly how I approached the Behringer X32 digital console, for example, which I found to be a genuinely excellent product.

Let's recognise the good products (and actions) the company makes as well as the less palatable, and be realistic in comparisons to other manufacturers.

[DGL.]

Something interesting was posed earlier on "the other forums" by someone who has been helping out Behringer originally with fixing the RD-8. Noting that AFAIK he is not been paid anything by Behringer for his help.

Had a long chat with Uli today

We're gonna need a bigger list

Some of the creations are going to blow minds when they arrive

Haters gonna hate, it matters not in reality

[johnny h]

We also read daily of companies launching new products with added features and facilities to compete directly with whatever advantage their competitors introduced in their previous models -- often borrowing the same technology. This is all quite normal in business. Perhaps most don't do so blatantly, but it's really the same thing.

It is highly unusual (in any industry) for a company to threaten to sue individual forum members for pointing out similarities in product ranges.

It is also highly unusual (in any industry) for a company to personally and publically attack a prominent industry journalist with very questionable imagery that many people find extremely offensive.

But sure, yes, they are cheap. Excuses have to be found!