New Behringer clones

[Fred Coulter]

According to the nice people at Korg Forums, Behringer is thinking about bringing back certain classic synths.

MiniMoog Model D (without keyboard) - http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=109140

Arp 2600 - http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=109201

OSCar - http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=109201

I don't know if the last two have keyboards or not. The 2600's keyboard was physically separate from the case, so leaving off the keyboard should be easy. The MiniMoog and OSCar, on the other hand, were originally one piece instruments.

I'm not jumping up and down for any of them, but if the price were right I'd definitely be looking at the 2600.

 

[happyrat1]

Looks nice but I am happy enough with the gear I already have now. I'd seriously have to sell something off to make room for something else.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

Yeah, but I've been thinking about a modular synth. Just because. And the 2600 would be a good start. Even better than getting the Moog Mother-32 or the Pittsburg Lifeforms SV-1.

Well, maybe not better, but there's the nostalgia factor. Assuming the prices are comparable.

I supposed the disadvantage is that the two newer boxes are both Eurorack, which makes expansion beyond the single box easier. Also, if Behringer doesn't use 1/8" jacks, I'll have to make some special patch cords. But that's the cross I'd have to bear.

(I suppose I'll have to dye my hair white and grow it out so I can play Frankenstein properly. Grey isn't the same as white, is it.)

 

[happyrat1]

They said in the article that they would make the Minimoog clone expandable to up to 16 voices using MIDI daisy chaining.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

They said in the article that they would make the Minimoog clone expandable to up to 16 voices using MIDI daisy chaining.

I saw that. At $400 a voice, that means that a sixteen voice MiniMoog would cost $6,400, and would take up a huge amount of panel space. Also, I'm not sure if the daisy chaining would mean that the slave MiniMoogs would have their knobs and switches moved in synchronization with the master MiniMoog, or if you'd need to adjust each one separately. I can also imagine some calibration issues.

On the other hand, if there was variation between the MiniMoogs, the sound would be more "alive" than a traditional polyphonic synthesizer.

Isn't that how the early Oberheim polyphonic synthesizers worked? Each voice was it's own module.

 

[happyrat1]

To be honest Fred, I'm really not such a big fan of the vintage analogs from the 70's and 80's. Sure they sounded great on the albums and concerts of the day but they were troublesome beasts to keep in tune and running smoothly requiring an on call engineering staff just to maintain them.

If I were looking to drop a thou or three on an analog these days I'd be looking at the Behringer Deepmind or the Roland JD-XA or a DSI Prophet instead.

Less twiddling and fiddling and more playable sounds.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

Less fiddling and more playable sounds.

But what if I like fiddling?

 

[happyrat1]

Uncle Ernie was a Baaaaad Bad man!!!

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

Get yourself one of these for $400 and fiddle your brains out

https://www.amazon.com/Roland-JP-08-Sound-Module/dp/B016NUAO0Q/

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

Get yourself one of these for $400 and fiddle your brains out

https://www.amazon.com/Roland-JP-08-Sound-Module/dp/B016NUAO0Q/

One problem with it is that it is a USB MIDI device. Can't bring it to a gig without a computer. (I may not be gigging now, but I can dream...) Also, unlike the 2600, it doesn't have the patch points to bypass and connect to other modules.

On the other hand, it's got a memory. (I remember seeing a prog rock cover band back in the 70's whose keyboard player bumped a knob during a performance. For the rest of that song all the synth parts were played on organ. He adjusted the VCO before the next song.)

I suppose I could also get the K-25m, but that adds to the cost. And I suspect those are micro keys.

 

[happyrat1]

Take a closer look at the photos on Amazon. The little beast DOES have genuine MIDI IN and OUT Ports!!!

Personally if I saw a used one floating around for under $300 CDN I'd be tempted to pick one up for myself

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

Take a closer look at the photos on Amazon.

Damn, you're right.

All the other plugs have shiny stuff around the edges, so when I didn't see any shiny stuff I didn't see the ports. Even though it says, in BIG LETTERS, Midi out - in.

Maybe I should go home early today. Think my boss would mind? It's only a City Commission meeting day.

 

[happyrat1]

Seeing that you posted that 19 minutes ago and the eastern seabord is up to its ass in snow I'm surprised you even made the effort to go in in the first place today.

We should just call it a national snow day and be done with it

I'm just sitting here at my computer today organizing my tax package for my accountant this year. I'm in a complicated tax situation since my dad passed away two years ago and DIY online taxes don't cut it for me any longer.

Anyway, it's an intriguing little module and it reviews favorably stacked up against the original Jupiter.

Like I said, if I saw one selling for $300 CDN or less I'd snap one up in a heartbeat

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

While I am complaining about the temperatures here in Central Florida, it only made it down to the lower 40s (F) in Central Florida. I suspect that I wouldn't get much respect if I called for a snow day.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Introducing Behringer's Model D Minimoog clone:

Also, the DeepMind 12 Desktop, as well as the DeepMind 6:

 

[SeaGtGruff]

And not from Behringer, so a little off-thread, but the new Novation Peak synth:

 

[Fred Coulter]

OK, with a price point of $399, that Mini Moog clone might be a good thing after all. The one thing I can't tell, and since it's a prototype it's subject to change anyway, is if it has a control voltage, gate, and trigger output. If so, then it would be a great starting point for a growing Eurorack system. It's cheaper than the alternatives. If not, you'd still need either the Moog Mother-32 or the Pittsburg Lifeforms SV-1. (I'm not sure if the Moog has the outputs, either. You need something to convert MIDI to voltages to control the rest of the rack.)