Drew Schlesinger Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 OK, maybe I'm too old but the 4 or 6 new tiny $49 Behringer "skittles" synths with those touch keyboards are really quite...well...either weird or brilliant. Of course I've not heard them but when you see all the folks with a bunch of desktop boxes and effects these may be like adding cumin, tarragon and wasabi to your hamburger (or impossible burger) set up. $49 seems crazy cheap with full size midi included and a keyboard. Will be interesting to see what the uptake is on these....once they have "chips" available. And I thought the IK Multimedia Desktop UNO as "really small and kind of cool". "Hey honey....I shrunk the synth" 😜 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Not sure if it's the "too old" thing....but these do nothing for me. Probably somewhat influenced by the fact that I'm not always so nice to my musical instruments... dB 2 Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 However one feels about the company and the man, business practices, etc. their move into synths has been rapid and successful - largely by doing what the usual suspects won’t. The street asked for affordable analogues - Korg, Yamaha, Roland said no. Their shift to digital was complete. They didn’t want to go back to hiring those types of engineers and manufacturing analogue synths - not after decades of investment in VA technology. Behringer (more so than boutique synth developers or Sequential) has forced them to dabble in hybrids, partner with Studio Electronics, develop Volca’s, etc. because Behringer’s analogues are affordable. Affordable instruments get into younger generation’s hands - and they make the next generations music on them. Kids can’t afford a Yamaha Montage or a Sequential Prophet-5 or even a Take 5 for that matter. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunspot Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Depends on what you find useful, or not. We played Summer Madness at my wedding reception and I used a little Modal Electronics CraftSynth 2.0 for the signature synth riff. Did I use my 88-key lower tier KB or my 61-key upper tier to play the riff? Nope. Used the little built-in touch keyboard, worked out great. Quote The Players: OB-X8, Numa Compact 2X, Kawai K5000S, cheap Korean guitars/basses, Roland TD-1KV e-drums. Eurorack/Banana modular, Synth/FX DIY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Sooner or later, someone is going to wear all four on their chests at once, festoon them with flashing LEDs and play them at whatever passes for a rave now. I prefer a manly, larger keyboard with hair on its sharps, but then, I'm a decaying old fart with decades-old concerts still bouncing around in the back of my brain. I'm not the target audience. I might like to hang a few on my Christmas tree, though. Quote "You seem pretty calm about all that." "Well, inside, I'm screaming. ~ "The Lazarus Project" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 At $49 I don't see how you can afford to NOT buy it. I wish you could hook them up together in a way to get 8 voices from one controller. Quote FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 They’re up to TEN synths in the last ten days. “Skittles”: Pro VS Soul (Prophet VS) - $99 JP-4000 Spirit (MS2000 virtual analog 4-voice) - $49 Saturn Soul (Jupiter 3 Voice) - $99 UB-1 (OB-X Mono) - $49 Hirotribe (Groovebox) - $99 Model D Soul (Minimoog) - $99 other: model 15 semi-modular (Moog Modular) - $299 2-XM (SEM Two-Voice) - $299 Proton (Neutron-based paraphonic 2 voice) - $299 Toro (Moog Taurus 1) - $199 Quote "The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk) The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 4 hours ago, analogika said: They’re up to TEN synths in the last ten days. “Skittles”: Pro VS Soul (Prophet VS) - $99 JP-4000 Spirit (MS2000 virtual analog 4-voice) - $49 Saturn Soul (Jupiter 3 Voice) - $99 UB-1 (OB-X Mono) - $49 Hirotribe (Groovebox) - $99 Model D Soul (Minimoog) - $99 other: model 15 semi-modular (Moog Modular) - $299 2-XM (SEM Two-Voice) - $299 Proton (Neutron-based paraphonic 2 voice) - $299 Toro (Moog Taurus 1) - $199 That about sums it up... so far!? lol He's made analog hardware cheap enough to compete with software emulations. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brenner13 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 I can imagine throwing down $1200 pretty quickly when they do finally drop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 A little mixer for your skittles collection. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Motif Max Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 Does that mixer mean you don't need to use an app to enable polychain then? That's great if so. Also built-in reverb (?) looks nice. Quote Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000 Kurzweil: PC3-76| Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT, Kurzweil PC4 (88) Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 I (and others) gave them a hard time on Facebook about microUSB (especially on that mixer - micro-USB on a host requires using the dongle adapter to USB-A, which is a fucking kludge). Today they've posted that they've reconsidered and will be using USB-C. 😳 1 Quote "The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk) The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 15 minutes ago, analogika said: I (and others) gave them a hard time on Facebook about microUSB (especially on that mixer - micro-USB on a host requires using the dongle adapter to USB-A, which is a fucking kludge). Today they've posted that they've reconsidered and will be using USB-C. 😳 You can do what you like when it ain’t in production yet. Haha Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 4 hours ago, analogika said: micro-USB on a host requires using the dongle adapter to USB-A Today they've posted that they've reconsidered and will be using USB-C. 😳 Yeah I noticed that. As EJF posted, it's only an idea at this stage, but it does reinforce the "collectables" concept of these synths. Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 7 hours ago, ElmerJFudd said: You can do what you like when it ain’t in production yet. Haha Yeah. But they actually respond very quickly and openly to feedback, at least via social media. That's… surprising. Quote "The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk) The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 On 3/6/2022 at 6:32 PM, brenner13 said: I can imagine throwing down $1200 pretty quickly when they do finally drop. Obviously they know their market, but I'd be WAY more excited if their new gear designs were beefier and maybe up in the 500-1000 dollar range. ie, more stuff like the Deep Mind. Then again my use case is live cover band 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 I'll admit that I broke down and bought a Model D and a Pro-1, and I just ordered a Bi-Phase from Sweetwater yesterday. I got them for a bit under $200 each ($149 for the Bi-Phase), so it was just too tempting to pass up. The Model D and Pro-1 are both surprisingly good. The little mini synths OTOH, don't do anything for me. I think they're shooting for the Korg Volca market with these. With a $50 price tag, I'm sure they're going to be impulse buys for a lot of people... but again, not for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 19 hours ago, Mighty Motif Max said: Does that mixer mean you don't need to use an app to enable polychain then? That's great if so. Also built-in reverb (?) looks nice. Its hard to imagine a $49 synth offering a reverb that sounds like anything more than pure @$$, but that might also add to its charm. The ARP 2600 had a tanky spring reverb and it did fine. Its not as if anyone would expect a copy of Altiverb bundled with it. Someone will also want to jack these into their Boog 15s and Boberheims, all TBD by those pesky, vaporous chips. Its a great time to watch from the sidelines. 🙄 Quote "You seem pretty calm about all that." "Well, inside, I'm screaming. ~ "The Lazarus Project" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 17 hours ago, Philip OKeefe said: I'll admit that I broke down and bought a Model D and a Pro-1, and I just ordered a Bi-Phase from Sweetwater yesterday. I got them for a bit under $200 each ($149 for the Bi-Phase), so it was just too tempting to pass up. The Model D and Pro-1 are both surprisingly good. The little mini synths OTOH, don't do anything for me. I think they're shooting for the Korg Volca market with these. With a $50 price tag, I'm sure they're going to be impulse buys for a lot of people... but again, not for me. The Model D and Pro-1 are very convincing replicas of the originals they were based upon. I had an evaluation Poly D for almost 10 weeks, probably should have paid for it and kept it, water under the bridge now. I also just ordered a BI-Phase. Never got to try an original one. Going to be a few months yet,that's OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 6 hours ago, Doerfler said: The Model D and Pro-1 are very convincing replicas of the originals they were based upon. I had an evaluation Poly D for almost 10 weeks, probably should have paid for it and kept it, water under the bridge now. I also just ordered a BI-Phase. Never got to try an original one. Going to be a few months yet,that's OK. My Sweetwater Sales Engineer told me they expect it will probably get here in May. I had regular access to an original many years ago, and I reviewed the Prophecysound Pi-Phase Mk II a few years back, which I believe is the exact same as the current version from Mutron. It was a great pedal, and I planned on buying one, but I couldn't afford it at the time. Then I tried to contact Mutron about buying one of theirs after the Prophecysound was discontinued, and they never got back to me. We'll see how close the new one is to the originals... hopefully, sometime in May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 Oh, and yes, I agree with you that the Model D and Pro-1 are pretty darned convincing replicas. I've never owned a Mini, but my very first synth was a brand new Pro One, so I'm very familiar with the originals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 38 minutes ago, Philip OKeefe said: My Sweetwater Sales Engineer... That job title reminds me of the "wok it scientists" at Mark Pi's chinese express. Quote FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 On 3/8/2022 at 6:25 PM, Philip OKeefe said: I just ordered a Bi-Phase from Sweetwater yesterday. My Sweetwater Sales Engineer told me they expect it will probably get here in May. Hey Phillip, did you get yours? Got mine last week. They are already unobtainable. "Sorry, the Behringer Bi-Phase Dual Phase Shifter is no longer available. We've left this page up for reference only." https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BiPhase--behringer-bi-phase-dual-phase-shifter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggypants Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 On 3/8/2022 at 11:49 PM, David Emm said: Its hard to imagine a $49 synth offering a reverb that sounds like anything more than pure @$$, I take it you're unaware of the Korg NTS-1? While admittedly being twice the price, also offered programmable synth engines with plug in reverbs and delays which are quite astonishing. Also, Hirotribe? An evolved Monotribe? The unit that practically jumpstarted the journey back to more traditional analogue synths? I'm very interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 6 hours ago, Doerfler said: Hey Phillip, did you get yours? Got mine last week. They are already unobtainable. "Sorry, the Behringer Bi-Phase Dual Phase Shifter is no longer available. We've left this page up for reference only." https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BiPhase--behringer-bi-phase-dual-phase-shifter Yeah, I saw that they are no longer available. Someone over on either Gearspace or The Gear Page was saying someone at Sweetwater told them they had "sold out" of all the first run production, and that Behringer was planning on changing the name and graphics a bit and doing another run. If that's true (and I have not confirmed it yet), it sounds like someone at Mutron complained about the name. Yes, mine arrived on Sunday. I have only played with it for a few minutes, but my initial impressions were very favorable. How about you? Have you had a chance to play with yours yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 6 hours ago, Philip OKeefe said: it sounds like someone at Mutron complained about the name. Yes, mine arrived on Sunday. I have only played with it for a few minutes, but my initial impressions were very favorable. How about you? Have you had a chance to play with yours yet? I'm sure Mike Biegel was not thrilled at seeing this product. I have not had a chance to use mine yet, many other projects going on at the moment. I will soon, hopefully 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 No interest here. I'm done with miniature synths with limited features. Been thinking about selling off my collection of Teenage Engineering PO's, Volcas and Boutiques. Behringer is late to the party with this one. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 2 hours ago, RABid said: No interest here. I'm done with miniature synths with limited features. Been thinking about selling off my collection of Teenage Engineering PO's, Volcas and Boutiques. Behringer is late to the party with this one. What Boutiques do you have? I have a pair of JX-03's and a TB-3. I have a few things I wish they had done differently (1/4" outputs being the biggest one), but overall, I've been very happy with mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 1 hour ago, Philip OKeefe said: What Boutiques do you have? I have a pair of JX-03's and a TB-3. I have a few things I wish they had done differently (1/4" outputs being the biggest one), but overall, I've been very happy with mine. I don't have the last 3 or 4, but I have them all before that. Two of the Jupiter 8 variants and three SH-01a's in three different colors. I really wish they had a better interface and more polyphony. Once I got the Jupiter Xm my use for the Boutiques really dropped. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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