The Dangerous Problem With Behringer 

Beihringer made me, an old man, very happy and answered my teenage dreams.

How is this a bad thing? Basic economic theory demonstrates that when companies have to compete for customers, it leads to lower prices, higher quality goods and services, greater variety, and more innovation.

I live in a third world country. The only way to I put my hands in some good and cheap analog device its Behringer or some very, I mean, very limited models from other manufactures. I don't care about cloning and I have some behringer gear for twelve years and they still work great(four guitar pedals and a mixer). Some Boss and Digitech pedals that I have didnt last so long. thank you behringer, keep the good work.

Can the next Behringer product be affordable land?

God, I love Uli

Because of Behringer I own a 16 voice OBXA copy, a minimoog copy, and a DFAM copy (that's better than the actual Moog product because it syncs to midi clock), and they all sound incredible and work perfectly. That's pretty awesome in my book.

This is just regurgitated stuff we've heard many times before.

Most electronic products are derivative. They copy the products that came before them and use the same circuit designs and even components. For example, in the world of guitar amps, look at Marshall. They copied the Fender Bassman circuit and made some modifications. Other tube amps also owe a lot to early designs by Fender and Vox.

eagerly awaiting next week's video "Behringer Is Suing Me"

Behringer will copy your channel next.

They recently brought us a clone of the neve 1073 with eq 2 channels. For under 1k. And a stereo neve compresses for half that.. i can't hate them for that.. i just can't.

A tb303 was $500 in 1986. That's $1500 today Td-3 sells for $149 That's 90% off Used real ones are $4000 Did we get totally ripped off by the "oligarchy" in the 80s? In 1986 I could have got my jx8p or a used car. Now roland wants to convert you to renting a screen picture of your favorite synth run on your own hardware because of the profitable subscription model. Then it shuts off when you stop paying. Are we improving music or improving profitability. Because still feels like being ripped off 35 years later

you go Berry! Now make us poor fellas some SSL desks!!!

Dude. Did you move my toothpaste? Where's my toothpaste?

I'm on Team Behringer. Whenever I look to buy music gear Behringer is my first port of call. They make good stuff cheap. They do cut corners in the quality of build sometimes, but I think they offer the kind of value for money that I find it impossible to ignore.

Maybe these other companies should have put out the things people wanted long ago.

As a broke hobbyist, I love Behringer

People don't give a dam about business ethics. We care about value.

So why have they not been successfully sued for intellectual property theft? I don't get it.

Behringer has some great synths out now. My one concern is the drama. If I take Behringer gear to a show, will I get grief due to people's polarized opinions about the company? If someone sees me performing on a Behringer instrument, will they just keep scrolling, at least more than they already do? A lot of people have complaints about Behringer, and a lot of that criticism is correct and valid. I wish that if you're gonna go in on Behringer, you could focus more on the technical aspects. For example, what are the differences between an UB-XA and an original OBXA, besides the obvious modern touches? I'm assuming since the OBXA was DCO that it's "voice on a chip," so does the UB-XA use the same chips? Things like that. The terrible social media shit really does make Behringer look gross, but it just gets lost in the chaos of the internet.

I was bored and decided to watch this video. I laughed so hard and looked at my brand new UB-Xa, and now I'm not bored anymore. I'm sure Behringer is thankful for the free publicity. Cheers! 😎

As an anarcho-capitalist, I think the free market should be free. Asian countries don't really police copyright and intellectual property, and these countries are thriving. The west has developed too many rules, regulations and red tape that stifles business and therefore, is on the brink of total collapse. It's time people realized that copying is not theft. Businesses make money by manufacturing and providing services. Bands make money from selling tickets to shows, physical CDs, vinyl records and t shirts - the actual music files are free. This is the free information age.

Plus Oberheims cost a DAMN fortune. Yeah i would love to have an 8 Voice OBI,but i would have to rob a bank, risk jail time, AND still end up with no synth!

Don't you dare to be anywhere near my bathroom. Use the guest bathroom!

I think the subscription plans rolled out by companies like Roland and Native Instruments are more “dangerous” than Behringer. Maybe if these companies actually made the gear we rely on Behringer instead of antagonizing legitimate competition, we would have more choices in the market. Also, synths are too expensive, and it is has everything to do with greed and nothing to do with necessary cost recoupment. Team Behringer ALL DAY

@3:51 “All music created with UB-Xa” *guitar playing in the background on a neat beat 😂

The part where you said that Behringer doesn't spend money on research and development is very untrue. I have a friend who is an engineer that works for them and they spend a lot of coin in developing their tributes. Where they do however save money on is in the area of chip manufacturing and parts. The irony of this is that Roland, Korg, Moog, and other brands use parts manufactured by Behringer which owns a manufactoring city in China and I'm talking about a literal city where people work live, etc...

I actually really liked the deep mind and the neutron. They clearly had some good people making some synths with great ideas, pity they couldn’t double down on that instead.

Bottom line - none of the products Behringer clones are made by companies that are any more “ethical” than Behringer. To say a company like Roland is doing any “heavy lifting” producing those crap mini synths and drum machines with no i/o or selling $2k vsts in a box is laughable…especially considering Roland is actively working to charge for the sounds their products make via recurring and never-ending subscription….basically separating the sound from the synth. Very thankful for Behringer.

Ive owned Behringer products for well over 20 years at this point. These original companies have had *decades* to give people what they want, and some of the companies aren't even around anymore. Copying happens all of the time, in every industry. If you look at Eurorack in particular you can find hundreds of examples of 'borrowed' circuits and designs, but nobody cares. Behringer is just the industry whipping boy. Its true that in the past they did release several products that were known for being of relatively low quality, or having a higher than average failure rate... but that isnt the Behringer of today. Are there still issues? Sure, but not as many as there used to be. I have several newer Behringer products and they all work great and are a total bargain. I will be buying more too!

I only have Behringer 2500 modules, because only alternative is oryginal ARP 2500, which people sell sometimes for around 60000$

7:50 @Jerred, its 1AM… *What* are you doing in my bathroom? 😂

Behringer is the BEST company, Roland is the one serving reheated plastic trash for inflated prices!

"Neid" is the German word for "recognition"...

I need Behringer to clone expensive analog DJ mixers and homes.

Benn Jordan's take on Behringer is more nuanced... definitely worth a watch after this one. It doesn't defend Behringer... rather it puts these tired complaints into a better perspective.

synths are wayyyyy too expensive though . idk if clones "need" to exist, but synth prices certainly are too high, even digital ones

If you haven’t already figured it out, the “social media manager” is Uli

Their shit sounds good. That’s all I care about 🤷‍♂️

their range of affordable products made other manufacturers look at similar price points to compete with their own products - korg, roland etc. for the consumer it's win win.. and if your a dentist or pharmaceutical distributor you have the luxury of the $5k synths too.

Here's a novel idea.. Stop worshipping brands, manufacturers and/or corporations. If you want to be a fan, be a fan of a person and the art or music they create... or maybe the philanthropy they engage in... not a corporation. Corporations are not fans of you... the relationship is strictly business. They sell their products in such a way so that they can maximize their profits. CEOs always need the latest yachts. In this relationship, you the consumer decide whether or not to purchase the product based upon the merits and quality of the product. If any manufacturer wishes for a sustainable business enterprise, it is their responsibility to ensure that they provide a quality product, or that they address defects in a fair, equitable and professional manner. As a consumer in this relationship, you decide IF you wish to purchase the product or not... based on the attributes outlined above and how these are calculated within your own cost/benefit analysis. Corporations and organizations are not your friend or relative. They do not care about you... they care about your money. That's how they sustain themselves within the world of business... and grow their market share. That's it! Everything else is some form of an activists crusade or virtue-signaling. Admittedly, Uli Behringer has been a bit of a troll and some of Behringer's retaliatory behavior has been very 'unprofessional' and 'unadult'... not to mention petty. I can't speak for the RU-vid community, but I have worked for several abusive and oppressive organizations and manager structures. If the employees at Behringer are treated in a similar manner, lets all be thankful that they are not our employer. But everyone should recognize that most of these organizations are not your friends... they don't love you and you shouldn't love any of them. If you enjoy a product... if it takes you where you want to go... that's a win!! My friend enjoys his Toyota Rav4... but I think we all would agree that Toyota's recent chesting on vehicle testing is shifty and dangerous... and definitely more concerning than Uli Behringer KOing some old or overpriced synth from an elitist or has-been manufacturer. But would someone be a fan of Toyota? Wear Toyota swag? It seems silly to be a billboard for a corporation to me... unless they're paying you. Again... Behringer might not engage in the most ethical business practices. But at the end of the day... these are business practices. You know who else has engaged in some awful business practices... Comcast/Xfinity... RU-vid/Google/Alphabet... KPMG... Apple... Amazon... Open AI... and I probably would not want to work for any of these organizations as a low-level/mid-level employee either. But, as an economically challenged person very interested in industrial and electronic music, should I simply forego this hobby and leave it to those with more surplus cash to spend on higher priced synths from Erica Synths/Moog/Oberheim?!? FUCK THAT!! So, I have purchased and will continue to purchase Behringer products that I like... I will watch and read reviews for several months before committing. But, when the price is in my range, I also purchase from other synth manufacturers. I recently acquired the 'East Beast' from Cre8audio for $250.00. That item is priced in such an affordable manner, Behringer couldn't possibly undercut it!! If more organizations paid a higher wage to the low-level and mid-level workers, and limited the highest corporate salaries, we might all have more surplus cash on hand to purchase the Moogs/Oberheim/Waldorfs out there... but that's not gonna happen. As it stands, AI is in the initial stages of creating all kinds of efficiencies for corporations. You know what important factor is not being considered as more organizations pursue AI? Human beings. As AI is further developed, those efficiencies will replace the need for many low-level and mid-level jobs. Think of all the money that corporations will save when they don't need to hire any of us. We won't be thinking about Uli Behringer too much after that happens. Life is hard and only getting harder. There are waaayyy bigger issues out there than Behringer. Stop worshipping brands. Stop purchasing items at elitist prices... and maybe if these companies could offer their products at far more reasonable prices for the people in my financial status (or lack thereof), there'd be no market for Behringer.

I have absolutely zero issue with Behringer reverse-engineering and releasing clones of gear long dead, with no desire by the original manufacturer to resurrect them. All I expect is (1) there is no trademark infringement, and (2) Do not clone active products. The latter has been done (Example: The Swing vs. Arturia Keystep) and also a clone of Makenoise Maths. As for the Pro-1 and System 100 modules? I welcome them to my studio and use them often.

Thanks, you made me want to buy the ub-xa 😂

and Warm audio is an angel???🙄

I have a few of their clones sitting around, RD-6, TD-3 x 2, Pro800, UBxa, Pro VS mini and I have a Deepmind 12. love them all and could not give a single flying fuck about what goes on in the background with the company or any of the drama.

Wait... so their UB-Xa is the same as the original? So they lied when they said they updated it, added additional features, made prototypes, revised them, sent them out to people for feedback, revised them again, tested them again and then finalized the design? They lied when they said they did all that research and development into updating it and making additional features? Yeah, that is messed up. Didn't realize they skipped all research and development and just made a copy to dave money...

Plugins and emulators are making synths affordable, not Be4inger. For the sake of argument, I tried owning a few be4ringer synths. They all under-performed (compared to their original counter parts) AND broke within a year. No one can say I didn't give them a fair chance. You get what you pay for.

You can say whatever you want about Behringer and their practices. But they do have R&D costs. Albeit much less than the original creator. But they do have to develop the clone, which is just putting the same IC's and resistors on a circuit board and thinking that works.

Not everyone with a home studio can afford a Moog Modular System 55, an ARP 2600, an RSF Kobol, or ANY of of the original iconic synths from the 60's, 70's or 80's. What Uli Behringer is doing is enabling budding musicians like myself to flesh-out their electronic dreams and make them a reality. Your arguments fall on poor, deaf ears my friend.

I dont get all the the hate videos for behringer. I love my deepmind12. All they do is make things affordable. Find someone worth trashing cough* teenage engineering cough*

I can only talk about guitar pedals but Behringer was always one of the options I'd get if I couldn't afford more expensive gear. They have been fine and did the job. Some people just can't afford more expensive gear.

This particular “controversy” is COMPLETELY MANUFACTURED by the haters. There’s TONS of legitimate criticism, why gin up a fake story…honestly it has the opposite effect. The language in the post exactly matches the authorization they received from Oberheim…full stop. Tom Oberheim essentially contradicted himself in his post because he portrayed it like Behringer’s post was inaccurate, but then inadvertently verifies that they did INDEED have permission (aka AUTHORIZATION) to release the UB-XA. They never claimed it was a collaboration…that was all Tom’s misrepresentation🙄Stick to the legit stuff, this is annoying.

Behringer represent the rebirth of vintage synth gear, pieces of old tech that the original manufacturers long since stopped producing, they offer a way for everyone to own a piece of that technology at a fraction of the price, its not that Behringer are trying to infer that current Synthesiser manufactures are ripping people off, they have actually proven that this is the case, if anything Behringer being in the market place has caused other manufacturers to reconsider their pricing structures since they have to compete with Behringer, I say if you want the original vintage gear then save up for it and buy it and hope it does not break down and need an expensive repair job, the rest of us can buy the newer versions for much less that also come with a 3 year warranty, may Behringer live long and prosper.

when is someone going to make an outrage video about how EVERYONE clones Stratocasters... :-/

I am confused by the idea that the Behringer 2600 is a "cheap copy." I mean... okay. I am minutes in and not hearing what is particularly bad about this corporation over others. I mean we live in a world with Adobe and NI, right? And that is just sticking with artistic tech related firms.

why do i have do support a product that is overpriced when Beringer came to the rescue??

7:26 "What is this?" - that chick looks like the woman in the *_"Try AN ALE"_* where the "E" is folded away on her shirt...

Are all the preamp companies, large and small, that copy Neve and API also a problem? It feels like selective disdain tbh.

There is no problem. They offer good product. If other companies want to compete, they need to make their stuff more affordable. I don't care about the controversy. I care about the ability to get good synth sound for less. And as a bedroom producer, their offerings are my go-to. Haters can stuff it.

Back in the late 90s when I first started buying their products their quality reputation was not very good. You were basically rolling the dice on getting a good product that worked and worked well for a long time. They've come a long way since then. I have quite a few Behringer products and they are all very good. I'm still on the fence about their "cloning" business model.

Enjoying the UB-XA that arrived over the weekend very much.

In many ways, this is just their marketing. It is part of their business model

Reverse engineering isn't easy or cheap, that's comparable with R&D time and expense so you are wrong. Behringer are bringing products to market that users want at great prices. There's nothing stopping the original manufacturers doing the same.

So glad you had the cahones to post this, my man. About time someone stated these facts carte blanche. P.S. Srry about your upcoming lawsuit from buttringer. Incoming in 5, 4, 3, 2, ...

I guess something very hurting, very disappointing or disturbing happened in Uli's past that he decided to become THE EMPEROR of the music gear industry… Could be daddy playing church organ at home all the time!?!

Let’s be positive- the new Oberheim TEO5 is very good value and I’m excited - it’s similar to my old favourite the Roland J8xp or Jx8p whatever it was called and it’s an Oberheim! Will it come with a case?

Weaver Beats getting called out by the “Synth Samurai” RU-vid channel is interesting. This beef could be bigger than Drake/Kendrick! Bigger than Biggie/2Pac!!

I liked your video and watched to the end. There are a few things to note here: I am good friends with Mr. Kirn and have appeared on his site. I took the time out of my day to read Uli the riot act on the day he announced that his mother passed away, mainly reminding him that of all the lessons his mother taught him, respect for others was one he was forgetting. That said, the company makes the ultra expensive affordable enough for musicians to safely tour with the items (you haven't LIVED until you've had to hope that your TR-909 arrives in Berlin safely). Many of the items they have created have a few things in common: The original manufacturer has no interest in a reissue (Roland), the item is rare to find in good condition or ungodly expensive, and the unit likely was based on Curtis 'synth on a chip' ICs (Music Tribe may have a manufacturing plant for these). One must separate their ethics/feelings about their practices and focus on the tools at hand in order to sleep at night. Nobody is going to complain about their car being repaired properly with Harbor Freight tools if they only see the result. But Uli definitely needs to stop trying to chase Elon Musk at the most punch-able man in their industry...

Still waiting for an Acid revival following everyone trooping out to dutifully buy their cheap 3O3 clone.😏

Is everyone going to get their knickers in a twist about the impulse responses of classic units being used in plugins? The interfaces of said plugins being marketed as sounding like the original units with design elements that make them look like the original units? Or do we only get annoyed by physical products?

Weaver trying to get synth companies to send him the prereleases when I’ve only seen him play a monologue……

Get on that Synth Show with the Synth Samurai for a friendly chat ;)

I have a TD-3-MO and I only use it when waiting for things to install. It’s never made it to a record lol

Why would you make this video months after i already got a FCB1010 from them??? I love the FCB1010 though. You can do so much with MIDI with it and for the cheap low price of $159.

Behringer do nice things for good artists with more humble wallets but ‘Behringer Oberheim’ seems like a grab for attention that can offend. - maybe they should have thought harder to find a promo grab. However you can say they’ve wanted to make the quality OB composite and they’re proud of it and that’s what ‘Behringer Oberheim’ means to a point.

the same video over and over by every synth-influencer. I will continue to buy behringer stuff and not feel bad that my in-ear monitoring rig cost less than 3k.

If you think manufacturing (cloned) vintage synthesizers is just a matter of “copying and making af few slight improvements“, you have absolutely no clue.

They are making affordable gear for the masses. Why is that a bad thing????

Wow, you fixed my sink thank you!!!

Regardless of how you feel about them, they have figured out how to market their products to their fanbase, nostalgia sells which is essentially their whole business model, the association with legacy gear used on countless hit records is more important to them than creating original new products it would seem. A shame given their resources, and when they do make something original like the Neutron it is far more interesting. The copying of in production gear like the keystep and moog stuff is really cringey though, and a lot of their “tribute” gear doesn’t really sound much like the original, although it is fair to say a few of them are close enough for most people. I don’t think they are particularly low priced overall, but they do have a selected range of low priced products to give the impression their whole range is, a tactic used by supermarkets for decades because it works so well. For example the TD3 is very cheap to make, and appears cheap when compared to a 303, but not when compared to a Donner B1 which is cheaper and better. Same can be said of their drum machines, not expensive to make, there are other analog drum machines in the same price bracket, but when compared to a 808 or 909 they seem cheap. Lots of their monosynths are similar priced to other modern monosynths etc etc.

Spot on. They are not just ripping off synths, this is what they have been doing forever. I remember early 2000s, they knocked off Yamaha 01V and made one of the first digital mixers 6x cheaper than the original. This was their MO since forever. Now they are worse than ever because not only they piggy back on the R and D of others, they are literally destroying small developers. Now they got into modular world, their modules are 4x cheaper than modules a small developers like Make Noise or Xaoc Devices just cannot produce and sell that cheap and stay in business. Then I see people just buying their shit and be like "oh well, if you have problem with the way Behringer does stuff, then boycott Thomann and others selling their gear". Mental gymnastics. I saw all their products announced for this year and aside from a few toy-like things that extent Prophet VS mini version, they literally have like 20 synths in a product line that are ownership of the companies that still exist - from Yamaha and Roland to Sequential.

Is that The Seatbelts in the background?!

I love my X32, worked flawless for 7 years on the road so far. Could not be happier. Go Uli!

hi weaver thanks for the video

Can you beat Aldi on price?????

"Conflicted" is a great way to describe my relationship with my Bee Ringer 303 clone. It's fun as hell, and sounds as good as I need it, and yes, cheap af. I make myself feel better that the only way to get this sound and form factor is to spend more on something that's also a clone.

Moog just should copy Behringer.. imagine a Moog ONE 32 for 1500€ 😊

What drama? What controversy? Antisemitic? What? They make MUSIC gear! The fact that they snap up expired patents is smart.

I've got their Poly D and the MH5 reissues...both are great. Yet, I'm still going to buy a Sequential Prophet 5. Why? Because I buy what I like...not what I'm told I should like. It's the same snobbery with Rickenbacker guitar owners and copies.

Lol you know they need a new social media team when they post on Facebook

I want the Kirn Cork who care about anti this and that

JT-4000 MICRO controlled by sugarbytes obscurium though....

Bob Moog is rolling in his grave knowing I'm enjoying my $300 Behringer Model D.

It's scummy when they copy something current like the Moog Grandmother. But with old, out of production gear like the TB-303, I think it's perfectly fine.

when you hear that wooden block you know it’s only ghoste

Pfffff...Long live to Behringer

Behringer: the answer to the question…”What if Elon Musk bought Apple and turned them into a synth company.” ANSWER: “Take my money please.” Those of you who are looking for the perfect company. I think you need to get aboard one on Elon Musk’s spaceships and start searching the final frontier. Ain’t none on planet earth. [EDIT] and if you want to overpay for a synth, by a Moog(and yes I pronounced it wrong) and then you’ll have 9 more fingers free to do whatever ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

more behringers for me

Sucks that people feel the need to shame others for wanting gear they can afford. No corporation is an angel under capitalism. This just feels lazy and at this point, bringing up the same stuff from 3 and 4 years ago, you're creating the drama, not Uli.

The behringer brigade is out in droves here lmao