Behringer 2600

[Jay Vaughan]

The Behringer 2600 is a *definite* buy for me .. I’ve wanted a 2600 in my life since I first touched one in 1978. 

I couldn’t care less about Behringer cloning things - in fact, I 100% support them doing it and I think it is awesome for the synthesiser industry as a whole.  

*Someone* had to do this, and I’m glad its happening because it means a lot more of this technology is accessible to the millions of new musicians that get made every year.  The synthesiser industry is seriously in need of such a shake up - the snobby elitism that has propelled some of the incumbent players in this market has been very detrimental over the decades, and this is no longer relevant since kids can finally afford the good stuff.  Nobody needs to spend 2.5k on a monophonic synthesiser in this day and age.

Also,  I’m glad to see some of the existing synth makers having to recalibrate their profit goals in light of Behringer - this is much, much needed imho.  Some of them can’t die fast enough, and I think it is AWESOME that the free market allows this to happen.  All the really good innovation is happening in Eurorack these days anyway - the behemoth vendors need to adjust to that, imho. 

I’ve got a Behringer Neutron, and I love it - its truly a delight to sit down and use, it sounds great, it has lots of interesting and devilish quirks that can either be explored and understood or discovered in frustration - just like all good synths - and its a general workhorse.  Plus the price is amazing. As soon as I can I’m going to add the Cat and a Model D to the studio and build one of those neat Behringer racks’o-doom that everyone else is doing .. the fact this can be done for less thank 1K(euro) is astonishing and really, really exciting.  The 2600 and the Cat are two of the synths I’ve most wanted to add to my setup over the years, and now its not only affordable but the new generation designs come with exciting features that the antiques don’t.

So, I say, don’t let the elitism and classist attitudes about Behringer stop you from picking up their instruments and making some great (or terrible) music with them.  The social/market factor is entirely irrelevant - these are perfectly great, affordable, accessible instruments.  Uli should be given your support, because he proved to the world that the synth market has been ripping us off for decades - and they really, really have. Your average 2.5k synth is 150eu worth of parts, after all ..

j.