News regarding the Behringer 2600

[GRollins]

As I've noted before, I've never really understood the policy about referencing vendors and products; it seems unevenly enforced. That said, I'd like to note that if you add sucrose to dihydrogen monoxide, you end up with the name of a company that...er...well, they sell things of a musical nature. As of this morning, they now list the Behringer 2600 as being available for pre-order at $599.00. No information as to when the item will actually be shipping.

 

Something I don't understand: They say that price is reduced from $699.99. I thought something on the order of $600 was the price all along, but what do I know...I am only an egg.

 

As of this writing, the 2600 does not yet show on any of my other go-to vendor websites. Perhaps further research will reveal other sources. I'm sure the other places will catch up sooner rather than later.

 

Yes, I've seen things that indicate that the 2600 has been available elsewhere in the world, but this is the first time I've seen anything here in the United States.

 

Grey

[mate stubb]

Good old Dihydrogen Monoxide Sound.

[Markyboard]

I get the C12H22O11 (ok I looked that part up) H2O reference.

But who/what is this Behringer you refer to?

[Joe Muscara]

As I've noted before, I've never really understood the policy about referencing vendors and products; it seems unevenly enforced.

I think it's been pretty clear. Note that despite my status, I don't enforce policies on this general forum, I leave it to dB, who does it well. If there are times when something that violates the below gets by, it's likely because he didn't see it. He doesn't visit all the threads all the time and counts on us to keep an eye on the place. If you think there's a violation, report it or ask him.

 

From the READ BEFORE POSTING: Forum Policies thread:

 

Discussing specific pricing/talking about specific retailers

 

We request that members not post about any specific retailer in regards to pricing of gear/great deals they got, etc.

 

Here's why: in the early days of the forum, music store sales guys would come on here trolling for sales...some of them would even stoop so low as to pretend to be just another end user who just wanted to share the news about this cool store they bought their gear at, or some wonderful salesguy that they thought all of us should know about...

 

Consequently, we try and keep info about specific pricing/retailers off the boards.

[mcgoo]

... As of this morning, they now list the Behringer 2600 as being available for pre-order at $599.00. No information as to when the item will actually be shipping...

 

I saw that on their site last night. I'm about ready to pull the trigger, but I'll reach out to my contact there first to see if he has an idea as to when they'll have them.

[Bill H.]

I've always thought of the ARP 2600 as a synth best suited for bleeps, bloops, and SFX - but that there were better choices out there for actually making music. I see a bunch of you guys wanting this B clone, and I'm curious... what am I missing? Why do you want one? I'm seriously interested in your answers... thanks

[Markyboard]

I've always thought of the ARP 2600 as a synth best suited for bleeps, bloops, and SFX - but that there were better choices out there for actually making music. I see a bunch of you guys wanting this B clone, and I'm curious... what am I missing? Why do you want one? I'm seriously interested in your answers... thanks

 

Let me ask you, why do you think it's any different than a classic minimoog or any number of other mono synths without patch storage?

Or do you?

[GRollins]

As I've noted before, I've never really understood the policy about referencing vendors and products; it seems unevenly enforced.

I think it's been pretty clear. Note that despite my status, I don't enforce policies on this general forum, I leave it to dB, who does it well. If there are times when something that violates the below gets by, it's likely because he didn't see it. He doesn't visit all the threads all the time and counts on us to keep an eye on the place. If you think there's a violation, report it or ask him.

 

From the READ BEFORE POSTING: Forum Policies thread:

 

Discussing specific pricing/talking about specific retailers

 

We request that members not post about any specific retailer in regards to pricing of gear/great deals they got, etc.

 

Here's why: in the early days of the forum, music store sales guys would come on here trolling for sales...some of them would even stoop so low as to pretend to be just another end user who just wanted to share the news about this cool store they bought their gear at, or some wonderful salesguy that they thought all of us should know about...

 

Consequently, we try and keep info about specific pricing/retailers off the boards.

 

Oh, I understand the reasoning, but what happened is that I posted something relating to Musician's Friend, which earned a quick response from dB. Fair enough. But...there were two--or was it three?--threads active at that very moment that referenced Sweetwater. When I mentioned that to dB, he made grumbly noises. The Sweetwater threads stayed up. My Musician's Friend thread vanished. I later had the same thing happen again, after which I gave up trying to understand. I gather that Sweetwater has preferred status hereabouts and that others need not apply. Both times were around the Black Friday/X-mas/Year end clearance period (like now) when things go on sale and I was just trying to put things out there so others would be aware of items on sale. I remember one of my threads as being about the little Yamaha keyboards; someone had mentioned that they were interested in the Hammond(?) version and I thought they--and others--might want to know that MF had them on sale for an attractive price for Black Friday. I don't remember what product the other thread was about, but I think it was also MF. Again, there were active threads relating to Sweetwater at the same time, and I knew for a fact the dB was aware, because he had posted in one of them.

 

I don't work for Musician's Friend...or any other retailer. In fact, I'm retired and don't work at all, unless you count my writing and that has nothing to do with music. I've done business with Sweetwater, Musician's Friend, Perfect Circuit, et. al. and have had pleasant experiences with all. I have no axe to grind regarding one outlet over another.

 

I'm not mad. It's just one of those things.

 

Grey

[Bill H.]

I've always thought of the ARP 2600 as a synth best suited for bleeps, bloops, and SFX - but that there were better choices out there for actually making music. I see a bunch of you guys wanting this B clone, and I'm curious... what am I missing? Why do you want one? I'm seriously interested in your answers... thanks

 

Let me ask you, why do you think it's any different than a classic minimoog or any number of other mono synths without patch storage?

Or do you?

 

Well yeah... no patch storage is definitely one reason. It just seems easier to play in real time or make patch changes on a board with a more streamlined front panel. Plus I thought it was more expressive to play a synth with pitch and mod wheels, or even those PPC pads - such as they were. All my heroes of the 1970s - Hammer, Corea, Wakeman, Lord - played primarily Minimoogs and Odysseys... with the outlier being Emerson on his modular Moog.

 

When I think of the 2600, I think of stuff like the Frankenstein break and R2-D2. Yet there's a lot of love for this synth, so I know I'm missing something.

[GRollins]

Speaking solely for myself, there's no one sound that I want to emulate. It's more a matter of different sounding filters, relative to my other gear.

 

Wait, didn't Jean Michel Jarre use a 2600? Oh, and Joe Zawinul. Yeah...okay...maybe there are some specific sounds I want to fiddle with. Richard Wright? Did he use a 2600? Anyway, somewhere down that road there are sounds that are different from the sounds I have now. That would be a fun starting point.

 

Sure it would be nice to have patches at your fingertips, but some damned fine music was made by guys who actually used knobby synthesizers to...you know...twiddle knobs! What a weird and exciting concept! Emerson in particular thought it was an essential part of his performance that people saw him manipulating his sound in real time.

 

Grey

[Markyboard]

I've always thought of the ARP 2600 as a synth best suited for bleeps, bloops, and SFX - but that there were better choices out there for actually making music. I see a bunch of you guys wanting this B clone, and I'm curious... what am I missing? Why do you want one? I'm seriously interested in your answers... thanks

 

Let me ask you, why do you think it's any different than a classic minimoog or any number of other mono synths without patch storage?

Or do you?

 

Well yeah... no patch storage is definitely one reason. It just seems easier to play in real time or make patch changes on a board with a more streamlined front panel. Plus I thought it was more expressive to play a synth with pitch and mod wheels, or even those PPC pads - such as they were. All my heroes of the 1970s - Hammer, Corea, Wakeman, Lord - played primarily Minimoogs and Odysseys... with the outlier being Emerson on his modular Moog.

 

When I think of the 2600, I think of stuff like the Frankenstein break and R2-D2. Yet there's a lot of love for this synth, so I know I'm missing something.

 

 

Certainly for live use your reasons are valid IMO. Sometimes people mistake semi-modular for modular thinking you have to use patch cords to generate sound. I see now that"s not the case here.

 

With streamline front panels comes more immediacy at the expense of functionality, something studio musicians and sound experimenters are adverse to. The 2600 is 'limited' compared to a full up modular. Still I think many find it packs just the right balance. As always it depends on what you already have and where you want to end up.

[16251]

When I think of the 2600, I think of stuff like the Frankenstein break and R2-D2. Yet there's a lot of love for this synth, so I know I'm missing something.

 

I bought an Odyssey 1976. The 2600 was the dream synth. With the Behringer I could re-live a childhood dream. That's the only allure for me.

[Al Coda]

Wait, didn't Jean Michel Jarre use a 2600? Oh, and Joe Zawinul.

 

For gigging w/ his 2 ARP 2600, Joe Zawinul needed 2 Sequential Circuits Model 700 programmers, which stored CVs for filter- and amp- envelopes, cutoff frequency, OSC pitch and some other.

No waveform selection though ...

Kind of very basic "preset" storage system and the very 1st product Sequential Circuits released.

Now find something like that today anmd think about if that would be acceptable at all today.

 

At least Zawinul and Corea upgraded their gear always and already in the 90s you didn´t see most of the vintage gear on stage when they performed.

Corea retired his Minimoog for the Voyager, Zawinul used KORG and NORD and retired all the analog dinos step-by-step,- except the Prophet T8, last but not least because of the action and flat top.

 

A.C.

[mcgoo]

... Richard Wright? Did he use a 2600? ...

 

I don't recall ever seeing him use one, although he used to have 2 minimoogs in his live rig. Tony Banks used one (replaced his Pro Soloist with one). I think he also used some type of basic programmer with it.

[Markyboard]

Wait, didn't Jean Michel Jarre use a 2600? Oh, and Joe Zawinul.

 

For gigging w/ his 2 ARP 2600, Joe Zawinul needed 2 Sequential Circuits Model 700 programmers, which stored CVs for filter- and amp- envelopes, cutoff frequency, OSC pitch and some other.

No waveform selection though ...

Kind of very basic "preset" storage system and the very 1st product Sequential Circuits released.

Now find something like that today anmd think about if that would be acceptable at all today.

 

At least Zawinul and Corea upgraded their gear always and already in the 90s you didn´t see most of the vintage gear on stage when they performed.

Corea retired his Minimoog for the Voyager, Zawinul used KORG and NORD and retired all the analog dinos step-by-step,- except the Prophet T8, last but not least because of the action and flat top.

 

A.C.

 

 

How do you know/remember what these guys used back then? I can"t even remember what I had although I do know it was much less.

[The Real MC]

Wait, didn't Jean Michel Jarre use a 2600? Oh, and Joe Zawinul.

 

For gigging w/ his 2 ARP 2600, Joe Zawinul needed 2 Sequential Circuits Model 700 programmers, which stored CVs for filter- and amp- envelopes, cutoff frequency, OSC pitch and some other.

No waveform selection though ...

Kind of very basic "preset" storage system and the very 1st product Sequential Circuits released.

Now find something like that today anmd think about if that would be acceptable at all today.

 

At least Zawinul and Corea upgraded their gear always and already in the 90s you didn´t see most of the vintage gear on stage when they performed.

Corea retired his Minimoog for the Voyager, Zawinul used KORG and NORD and retired all the analog dinos step-by-step,- except the Prophet T8, last but not least because of the action and flat top.

 

A.C.

 

 

How do you know/remember what these guys used back then? I can"t even remember what I had although I do know it was much less.

 

There are websites with very accurate gear lists of these artists.

[Markyboard]

 

There are websites with very accurate gear lists of these artists.

 

Ah. So I guess along with that you have to give a sh*t.

[Al Coda]

 

How do you know/remember what these guys used back then? I can"t even remember what I had although I do know it was much less.

 

I´m an old fart and have seen ´em live since the 70s,- almost any tour as long I myself wasn´t out of town because of touring.

Internet fake news don´t interest me much,- and there were always nice print media reports, interviews and s##t in U.S. Keyboardmag and derivate-mags in other counties,- german "Keyboards" p.ex..

 

:-)

 

A.C.

[SteveCoscia]

I've always thought of the ARP 2600 as a synth best suited for bleeps, bloops, and SFX - but that there were better choices out there for actually making music. I see a bunch of you guys wanting this B clone, and I'm curious... what am I missing? Why do you want one? I'm seriously interested in your answers... thanks

For me, it's a nostolgia thing. A second chance at gear I couldn't afford in the 1970s. That being said, I am on the fence about the 2600 mostly due to no patch memory. I bought the Poly D and am enjoying the knobs and the sounds, but I'm not sure I need another piece of gear on which I can't save a patch.

 

I might just wait for the UBX and/or CS-80.

[GRollins]

My Little Phatty and Voyagers have patch memory of analog settings, so it can be done...but at what price? With the Behringer 2600 priced at $600, would you be willing to pay 2X?...3X? the price to have that sort of functionality? Many would, I know, but it would also begin to limit the potential market. It's a pity there's no way to rig an external unit to handle the task.

 

At the moment I'm feeling a bit on the grumpy side (due to things unrelated to synths), so I'm not sure I'd buy a 2600...only...in my heart I know I'll get back to wanting one as soon as I get past my current mood.

 

Grey

[GRollins]

Update: I was sitting here in the corner at my PC and it occurred to me that it's been two weeks and I was curious if the 2600 showed as being available.

 

Answer: Not yet.

 

I find it interesting that they seem to be available elsewhere, but not here in the US. Given the fragmented, piecemeal rollout for the Model D maybe Behringer regards this as being more orderly. I don't know.

 

I've got 299 other irons in the fire so I'm not even sure I'll order one when they start shipping, and I definitely have no intention of pre-ordering one. This is all just background data for me at this time. No point in considering purchasing one until they're delivering. Others may feel more motivated.

 

Grey

[Spider76]

I think only prototypes and pre-production units were given to reviewers and influencers. In EU I've never yet seen one in shops. Thomann says it should be available in spring, but we've learned that Behringer's delivery times are optimistic at best...

[NewImprov]

I pre-ordered one earlier this week. My candy-dispenser/sales engineer says they are expecting them around the end of this month, but I'm sure that's optimistic. Still, I know I want one, so I want to be in the queue. I used a 2600 for about 3 months in a college electronic music lab in 1983 or so, and have wanted to own one ever since.

[GRollins]

I think only prototypes and pre-production units were given to reviewers and influencers. In EU I've never yet seen one in shops. Thomann says it should be available in spring, but we've learned that Behringer's delivery times are optimistic at best...

 

I thought I had seen where people in Europe had them already (via Thomann?), but maybe I was wrong. Behringer had a picture months ago of palettes of them ready to go out the door. Where did those end up? Surely they didn't all go to reviewers...

 

I did the pre-order thing with the Model D and got my unit a little over two months later. It wasn't too horrible. However, there were others who had ordered four or five months ahead of me--I believe they got their units maybe a week or so ahead of me, so they had a proportionately longer wait. The thing that amused me to no end was how the projected delivery dates kept shifting back and forth. If they'd kept moving back, I would have understood that. If they'd advanced a little (and stayed there) that would have been okay, too. But instead, they did this do-see-do...back and forth and back and forth. Sometimes nearer. Sometimes further away. Then again. And again. Pop some popcorn and enjoy the show.

 

I have no idea how popular the 2600 will be relative to the Model D, but if there's anything like the same demand it could be a while before all the orders are filled.

 

Grey

[analogika]

Thomann currently has it listed as shipping in 5-7 weeks.

[GRollins]

Here it's just listed as "coming soon."

 

Grey

[midinut]

When I think of the 2600, I think of stuff like the Frankenstein break and R2-D2. Yet there's a lot of love for this synth, so I know I'm missing something.

 

I bought an Odyssey 1976. The 2600 was the dream synth. With the Behringer I could re-live a childhood dream. That's the only allure for me.

 

Ditto for me. Except I got mine in 78. When I was 14-15 years old I used to ride my bicycle around 15 miles to a Organ store that had one in the back. The staff there were nice enough to let me

play around with it and not run me off. I've lusted for one ever since. Took me a while to even get it to make a sound. The Korg remake is nice but pricey. I've got Arturia's 2600 V and another by the same guy that did the MemoryMoog (MemoryMoon?)

so I've got it covered in software, and the software lets me save all my patches. Haven't tried the TimewARP 2600 but have heard good things from those that have it.

 

On another note, I can't wait to talk to my SW Sales Engineer and tell him he is now also my Candy Dispenser. Cracks me up!

[Marzzz]

I am on the fence about the 2600 mostly due to no patch memory.

That's the best thing about it!!

 

FWIW, I had an original Minimoog back in the 70's, so the Reissue was a NoBrainerInstaBuy, and I'm glad I did it. The 2600 was something to dream about, so it will be my first foray into Behringer ownership. If I had owned an OG 2600 back in the day, I would have been all over the Korg Reissue. These days I would consider the B2600 an alternative sound source from the Minimoog, and well as a (hopefully) painless entry into the world of Eurorack.

[CEB]

Damn Boomers and old farts driving the synth market.

 

How about something new instead of ripoffs of the same old stuff I have in storage already. ð

[mcgoo]

Damn Boomers and old farts driving the synth market.

 

How about something new instead of ripoffs of the same old stuff I have in storage already. ð

 

You have a 2600 in storage? Shame on you! Dust that puppy off and make some music with it already!