Behringer Pro-800: Stocking Stuffer or Suppository?

[JoJoB3]

On 9/4/2023 at 9:57 AM, CyberGene said:

 

Yes, I agree. My very first Behringer synth was the Poly D and I actually disliked it for the lack of a 440 Hz reference. I mean, why would you release one of the most notoriously pitch-unstable synths and then remove the A-440 reference 🤦🏻‍♂️ And the keyboard was cr*p anyway. And who needs that sh1tty distortion? Or a fourth oscillator? I mean, yeah, it's POLY but I could never make it sound in tune when played polyphonically. I sold it and replaced it with a Model D which was spot on. BTW, there's one improvement on the Model D, compared to the original which I really love: turning ip the EXT source knob without a source plugged in, would overdrive its own signal which is really useful, no need to patch that yourself as on the original.

Both Poly D and Model D are more than decent answers today. The keybed on the Poly D isn't that of vintage Moog quality hence the price differences but I personally found little issue playing it.  Their MOD wheels are more suspect over keybed.
see also: Fatar could use some overdue competition in regard btw.

But I like the distortion added to Poly D. They could have held off the Juno Chorus imho (but hey, it's there).

 

[analogika]

12 hours ago, JoJoB3 said:

Both Poly D and Model D are more than decent answers today. The keybed on the Poly D isn't that of vintage Moog quality hence the price differences but I personally found little issue playing it.  

 

Hah! You say that like it’s a bad thing. The keyboard on the old minimoogs is TERRIBLE. I really despise playing it, despite it sounding oh so good. 
 

The only vintage Moog keyboard I hate more is my old micromoog (out of 2x Minimoog, 2x Moog the Source, Prodigy, LAMM, and micro). But I’m having that refitted with a new Fatar keyboard. 
 

Arguably, the LAMM isn’t „vintage“ — not sure if Rudi threw in a new keybed at the time…

[RABid]

I liked the keyboard on my MiniMoog. It was very fast. But, I like a fast synth action keyboard.

[analogika]

All the ones I've played are clunky and awkward. 

 

Probably need to have one expertly redone and adjusted. 

[EricBarker]

I haven't found the PolyD keybed to be bad at all. I use it as a synth bass, and I kinda like the super-light feel, it's a bit funky. The mod wheel is fine, but the pitch wheel is crap. Mine finally got super wonky, and I had to kill pitch bend, but since I mainly play it in the LH while I'm on the right, it's not a huge loss for my current projects. I bought a second one though, because I gigged the hell out of it with a less-than-idea gig bag, and put a lot of wear&tear on it.

 

Unfortunately, my second board has a few minor defects, but not enough for me to send it back. The hinge was missing a pin, which I quickly fixed with a paperclip. The more annoying thing is that that the cable conduit that connects the bed to the mainboard is slightly too long, and sticks into the joint when I unfold the top. I have to reach around and push it back, which is obnoxious. One of these days I'll open it all up and see if I can zip-tie it a little shorter. That should solve it.

 

Otherwise, INCREDIBLE instrument for its price. I've never played a synth that did better Bass Guitar duty in a full mix. I actually love the overdrive for that reason, it's really juicy on bass.

[SteveCoscia]

This thread veers off into so many directions... and now the PolyD.

 

I bought the PolyD in May 2020 from Sweetwater. I was hooked when Behringer first featured the photo - all that knob potential.  It is a solid and good-sounding synth with a boatload of sonic capabilities.  It's my only Behringer synth and I would buy another when the mood strikes.  I'm not feeling a need for the UBX..... not yet anyway.

[ProfD]

IMO, Behringer should have poured their synthesizer development into expanding on the DeepMind. They could have a legit KB with a variety of flavors and zero controversy.😎

[Konnector]

16 hours ago, ProfD said:

IMO, Behringer should have poured their synthesizer development into expanding on the DeepMind. They could have a legit KB with a variety of flavors and zero controversy.😎

Ya...They've dissected enough old analogs now that they should start introducing some original synths based on what they've learned.

 

I've yet to buy any Behringer products, but I'd like to see them do something more elaborate with that fat, gnarly ocs/filter in their WASP reissue. It's got big balls, but the feature set could be greatly expanded to create something quite interesting. 

[ProfD]

16 minutes ago, Konnector said:

Ya...They've dissected enough old analogs now that they should start introducing some original synths based on what they've learned.

Exactly. 

 

That's what makes UB's product development and direction a head scratcher. 

 

I get it the company's owner is living a wet dream.  He's reinventing every synth he ever lusted after in his younger days.  Blame KB magazine.🤣

 

But, the real power move would have been for UB to create an analog/digital synth to rival those of yesteryear. 

 

Then again, I don't understand why seemingly creative people (artists, musicians, technologists, etc.) would rather copy/recreate something rather than be original. 😎

[mcgoo]

41 minutes ago, ProfD said:

 

I get it the company's owner is living a wet dream.  He's reinventing every synth he ever lusted after in his younger days.  Blame KB magazine.🤣

 

But, the real power move would have been for UB to create an analog/digital synth to rival those of yesteryear. 

 

 

It may have started as a wet dream, but I'd wager that he's likely found that there are a ton of 40+ yr olds that are having a wet dream being able to afford all these dream machines from their youth. Who knows... His long term plan may indeed be to deliver some new instruments that incorporate bits and pieces from all those wonderful analog beasts. For the moment though, he's got a lot of buyers gobbling up whatever he releases and anxiously awaiting more of his clones. 

[AnotherScott]

For those who suggest he should focus on original stuff like Deepmind instead of putting all those resources into clones... In most cases, a company's product strategy is largely driven by sales. If the Deepmind were selling great but the clones weren't, I bet you'd see a shift in their priorities. If people didn't want the clones, they wouldn't sell, and I'd expect he'd allocate more resources elsewhere. You can't really blame him for giving the customers what they want.

[ProfD]

2 hours ago, mcgoo said:

It may have started as a wet dream, but I'd wager that he's likely found that there are a ton of 40+ yr olds that are having a wet dream being able to afford all these dream machines from their youth.

No doubt. UB has definitely tapped into a like-minded customer base.

 

Only a handful of nostalgic synth enthusiasts can afford a vintage synth or the reissued brand name. 

 

UB knew that repackagiing 1970s-1980s synth technology and selling it at Wal-Mart prices would hit the sweet spot. 

 

A 61-key, 2 or 3 oscillator poly synth with an analog and a digital filter and sample import capability at a $1,000 price point would have sold like hotcakes.😁😎

[RABid]

14 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

For those who suggest he should focus on original stuff like Deepmind instead of putting all those resources into clones...

Isn’t Deepmind a Juno clone, but done right with modern features added.

[EricBarker]

I think the problem with the Deepmind12 is that it's a gorgeous performance keyboard that harkens back to an age where most of the content was very simplistic programmed patterns and symphonic pads. Things that often guitarists and producers laid tracks for in the studio, and then played on tapes live. There were very few "Juno Rockstars" the way that Wakeman/Emerson handled the MiniMoog, Lord handled the B3, Bernie handled the Prophet V, or Geddy and EVH handled the Oberheim. It makes sense that Behringer struck gold with the Synthpop Basement Producer crowd making rackmount boards, but as "synth forward" as the 80s was, a lot of the performance was tape or hired guns hiding in the shadows... so the market seems pretty slim for an 80s Synthpop focused board when most of this kind of stuff now is done with Ableton.

 

Shame, cuz it's a very solid board.

[AnotherScott]

13 hours ago, RABid said:

Isn’t Deepmind a Juno clone, but done right with modern features added.

 While there is a Roland-ish foundation, the implementation (in sound, functionality, interface) is not designed to match any Roland 1-to-1 (or 1-to-1 plus some enhancements) as their model-specific clones are. I don't think the people who complain that they copy X would be so bothered if they took the basics of X and did something different and unique with it.

[ElmerJFudd]

Pro 800 vs Prophet 600 

 

https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2023/07/02/behringer-pro-800-vs-sequential-prophet-600-sound-comparison/
 

“The Behringer Pro-800 is basically an inexpensive copy of the Sequential Prophet 600 in Euro format. It bumps the polyphony up to 8 voices, though, and implements the GliGli mods. 

Carr notes some sonic and functional differences in the Pro-800, saying “Simpler tones can be copied easily, as the raw tone is all there in the oscillators. The filter envelope amount, sustain and cutoff work together slightly differently than the original so adding filter envelopes makes things a little more difficult, add to that the linear envelope shapes aren’t the same – GliGLi updated the linear model in 2022 to reflect a more natural Prophet 5 Rev1/2 curve but this isn’t in the Behringer.”

“Other differences include the Poly-Mod, filter and LFO modulation ranges aren’t as wide in the Behringer.””