Behringer has an interesting holiday gift for Korg this year.
Last February, Korg announced that it was going to recreate the classic ARP Odyssey synthesizer by releasing a Korg ARP Odyssey. In the same announcement, Korg also said that ARP co-founder David Friend was joining Korg as their chief advisor on the new Odyssey.
Today, Behringer announced that they might be making their own ARP Odyssey recreation – and pricing it at $500.
They shared the Behringer Odyssey mockup, above, along with this question:
How would you feel if we build an authentic ARP Odyssey synthesizer, but with a unique 3-mode VCF circuitry (that replicates all MK I to III versions) plus full Midi/USB implementation?
Price around US$ 500. Shoot…
It was just a month ago when the company announced plans for a Behringer synthesizer line – and it looks like Behringer may have decided to take on Korg with their first release. This could crank up the competition in the synth industry a notch.
What do you think of Behringer’s plan for their own ARP Odyssey? Naughty or nice? Weigh in with the poll below – and then leave a comment and let us know what you think about this new development.
Once again Behringer proves that it has no ideas of its own.
I do not see this is possible. Not unless is it made from really low quality parts.
Well if they can really sell it for that price I’d give it a go….
“If it sounds good, it is good.” –Duke Ellington
That would be Joe Meek you are quoting there… not Duke.
Nope, Duke said it first!
Buyers will have 13 months of goodness then, before the planned obsolescence renders it a brick
Dont play with my emotions Behringer.
Competition inthe analog synth market is a very good thing. Hopefully this will led to synths at sensible prices. how about a Polysix next??
Finally someone to crank down silly price s down for a masses… Too much false elitist in latest decades…
They better do it better than Korg or it will be embarrassing
I don’t care what logo is on it, The Odyssey is such a well designed synth that it ought to be made available, the original slider pots can only be cleaned so many times, and the orange gumdrop caps tend to blow. I’ll never part with my 2813, but I don’t want to use it live anymore. Tri mode filter? Cool, but I would prefer a state variable filter.
This is full size. I suspect korgs will be “mini” like the ms20 mini. Behirnger have a lot to prove though.
I want one!
I think I’ll spend the extra dollars on build quality and go with the korg version.
But… More = better.
build quality? they’re probably both coming off the same chinese assembly line….
My concern is that a cheap Behringer clone will make it harder to make high-quality analog synths.
At $500, it would be much cheaper than Korg’s recent analog clones, which had some build quality issues of their own. At $500, I think we have to assume that this will look awesome in the store, but fall apart after 13 months, like a lot of Behringer’s gear has done in the past.
what exactly do you mean by “higher quality”? electronic components are electronic components. 9 times out of 10 with modern analog synths all you’re paying for is some glossy adverts and a vacation for some executive… modern electronic components arent really any more expensive (accounting for inflation) than they were 10 or 15 years ago.
Do you REALLY believe that all capacitors are of the same quality? Pots? Chips? Switches? You have appearantly never used the crappy Xenyx mixers from behringer which cracks and pops when you twist it’s pots.
As a service technician, I have seen A LOT of crappy components that blow even just by looking at them.
im very aware of the quality difference of components. automatically assuming that since it doesnt cost a thousand dollars that its using inferior parts, is disingenuous at best.
“9 times out of 10 with modern analog synths all you’re paying for is some glossy adverts and a vacation for some executive”
That sounds completely clueless and out of touch.
Most of the cost in your synths is the case and mechanical parts, and the way manufactures make cheap synths is by cheaping out on these things.
If you look at the quality of components on a DSI, Moog or boutique synth, they completely blow away the junk they use on inexpensive gear.
You may not need high-quality gear or care about these things, but to suggest that quality gear costs more because companies are just jacking up prices is completely ignorant.
I love my MiniBrute – but it is nowhere near the build quality of a Moog, DSI or boutique synth.
I’m not sure which Behringer equipment you have owned but all the gear I’ve had from them has lasted years. After lots of heavy usage, I haven’t had a single failure of any unit for any reason. Not even a hint of a problem with anything pedals, mixers, processors, all working as well as the day they were purchased.
Stop replicating and start innovating. This is some lazy business going on here.
Disagree that ‘replicating’ is lazy business. If the market wants a certain product – say re-issues of classic vintage analog synths for a new generation – then the companies have to pay attention to that market demand. There is certainly a trend towards an ‘analog rennaissance’, and these instruments of the 1970s and 1980s were the best in their day and still are highly sought after. All Korg (and now Behringer) are doing is tapping into a product base that has been dormant, and that’s smart. The ‘re-release’ of classic instruments can sit nicely alongside the release of new analog synths, or even new digital synths and software instruments. I don’t see any reason not to re-release these instruments and keep doing this, so long as there is market demand.
Come on Behringer! What’s with all this sudden ARP love? Give us what we really want… An EML Electrocomp 101 clone for under 500 notes!
http://youtu.be/apKIkkza2GE
Further cementing Behringers reputation as a company that just copies other people’s stuff.
Bring it! Korg announced a few months ago that their version of the Oddy was being postponed. Maybe Behringer can release the Odyssey clone, and Korg can release a 2600 clone. It wouldn’t be that much of a stretch for Korg, since they already have a semi-modular synth in the MS-20.
Postponed till Q1 2015 they said.
I would agree that INNOVATION should be their aim, if only to consolidate the best features of many classics in one affordable package rather than replicate one specific synth’s quirks & failings.
I don’t know what to think of this. I won’t buy one as I don’t like and don’t support Behringer (I can tell you right now the build quality won’t be up to scratch), but as for the bigger-picture it might be what the synth industry needs. I hope this will force Korg into making their Arp even more awesome (I plan to buy theirs) and give us some more info on it soon !! It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about it…
people don’t want “innovation” they want their old analogue synths BACk but brand new with a warrantly and not for £3500 a pop.
p.s. Alternatively , why dont Behringer team up with Tom Oberheim to bring us a modernised Matrix line of polysynths , a 6 & a 12 desktop/racks & full keyboard. ? , Tom still seems enthused with synth design but less willing to deal with manufacture/running a company …and isnt getting any younger .With the respectful ( not Gibson – esque) support of Behringer Corp. , the Matrix could be ReLoaded !
I wouldn’t be interested. Korg will be releasing an ARP Odyessey clone in the near future. It might be more than $500, but the point is it will be available (and for a lot less than what a vintage Arp Odyssey currently sells for). If I were in Behringer’s shoes, and I were serious about entering the synthesizer market, I would do one of three things (if not all three):
1. Mass produce accurate clones of many (but not necessarily all) of the CEM and SSM analogue chips. By doing so Behringer would be able to capitalize on the vintage synthesizer market, as several classic synthesizers rely on these chips and they’re in short-supply. But modern manufacturers would be able to make new synthesizers using these relatively inexpensive chips as well, which would allow Behringer to profit from their competitors. Behringer could use these chips in their own designs as well, and there’s no reason they couldn’t produce new analogue chips as well.
2. Produce a Roland Juno 60 clone with additional features, such as a second oscillator, waveshaper, ring modulator, or additional envelope. The Roland Juno 60 is incredibly popular, and prices have climbed past $1200 for one in mint condition on the used market. It’s an incredibly popular synthesizer with relatively simple design, and surely Behringer can provide a feature-expanded clone for $1000, if not less.
3. Produce a clone of the Yamaha CS30, with a few additional features of course. This would be a good alternative to entering the market with a (more costly) polysynth. And the CS30 is an excellent choice because it is an excellent monosynth. Although it is not as widely-known as the Moog MiniMoog or the Roland TB-303, because it is incredibly versatile and rich with features a well-made clone would become an instant hit and a classic in its own right.
The problem with ideas like this is that Yamaha is still around and still making synths, as is Roland for all you clamoring for a Juno or Jupiter. ARP has been out of business for decades, so there is essentially no one who can sue over design infringement (if such a thing even exists, though Roland did successfully sue Behringer for their copy cat pedal design).
And rightly so- everyone who looked at them instantly knew they were supposed to copy Boss pedals.
Korg acquired the ARP brand name when the company was liquidated in the early 1980s. I don’t know who acquired the patent on the Odyssey, but that patent would have expired in 1992. The Yamaha CS30 and Roland Juno 60 patents have expired as well, according to both US and Japanese patent law, in 1997 and 2002 respectively. Most, if not all of the CEM and SSM analogue chip patents would have also expired by now, with perhaps exception to any newly-designed CEM analogue chips in DSI gear released since 2002.
In a world where Behringer trolls for products to clone, Korg kind of earned this one.
It is a bit confusing, all these companies seem so sure that copying old stuff is the best way to go when they could be developing something new and amazing like the sub37 turned out to be.
I understand part of it is for their engineers to learn from the best, but surely at least korg has the sound designers to come up with something new, something knob per function.
I think that any classic synth that commands high prices on eBay is a pretty good bet. The Odyssey is around $3000 now. You make a few guaranteed doubles and then you can afford to take some shots at a home run.
Sounds like a pretty good plan to me. I’ll buy one.
behringer build quality is truly awful, they cut corners at every opportunity possible to deliver products at low prices. i’d love to be pleasantly surprised but them, but history and experience would suggest that this is going to be a cheap piece of sh*te. there’s a lot of well made synths for the 500 and under price tag now, i doubt you’ll have to look far to find something that sounds better, lasts longer and is ultimately more useful.
Then don’t buy it. Problem solved
No problem to solve. Korg version will be superior.
yep. i keep going down that rabbit hole. most recently i picked up an lc-50. it’s layout is really simple and useful, but the buttons are no fun to press, leds bleed freely from button to button, and the knobs act glitchy. i’ll probably still use it somewhere till it goes in the closet with the other non-functional behringer gear, because that’s the curse…
The problem on the market is the pricing. Analog an VirtualAnalog Synts was made by companies who put a lot of risks in the development and pricing. Great products but not for everyone. Even they are to expensive, if you got 2000$/€ in your pocket…why not buying a Kronos (f.e.) instead of an limited but mind blowing sounding Analog ???
If Behringer is able to build such a machine (500 quids and sounding like an 2000$ one), where ist the problem ?
You say, Behringer: No own ideas. But most of the Developers of the high-priced DreamAnalouges just made the same, based on ideas from the ´70s to ´80´s.
this is the thing that I call BS on… R&D on analog designs? these are basically recreations of circuits and designs that are already well documented. its not like they had to figure out how to make an analog synth from scratch…
would love a modernized CS line.
Behrhinger should offer to to manufacturer synths for the stupid companies that are so behind customers needs .
Great idea. Behringer are an ever improving company. Some of the other companies out there got too big. And regrettably, don’t offer such fun and value for money. Go for it Behringer!
It would be wonderful to see Behringer make the ARP Odyssey. However, I agree with other comments concerning the build quality of Behringer’s products. I’ve owned a few of their inexpensive products which are now more or less doorstops. What I would really like to see is a company releasing a clone of the ARP Odyssey’s clone–the Octave-Plateau Cat SRM II!
The Octave Cat may seem similar on spec sheet but it is no clone of the Arp, that said I would like to see a remake of it as well.
Cloning anything Roland or Yamaha ever did is probably right out of the question. I suspect their legal eagles would be on that pretty quick, so forget about that.
Behringer seem to be getting two different sets of signals on this idea. One is Innovate and the other is to redo some vintage polysynth. I would prefer that they make something new, that sounds excellent and is of lasting quality. At 500 bucks I suspect we may be looking at something plastic. Plus, as I have pointed out on more than one occasion, knobs and sliders cost money. If you design to the lowest possible price point I just don’t see how it could be reliable in the years to come. Of course the original Odyessy was notoriously unreliable, so… dunno!
It does seem a bit weird to put this out when Korg are already working on the kARP Odyessy. If it were me I would have steered clear of something that was already being done. This will dilute sales for both companies one way or another. Odd.
Curious how sales numbers have been for Akai Rhythm Wolf… Hopefully they are bad enough to send manufacturers the message that beaucoup features at a cheap price don’t mean squat if the sound isn’t there
P.p.s Wasn’t one iteration of the Arp filter a Moog clone they had to change …so a clone of a clone !
Seems Behringer weren’t the first to be inspired by others’ designs.
i think it’s a great idea. I wish more companies would do this. I wish for greater competition and if it sounds good then I would definitely get it. People say they want innovation but all I hear out there is fucking wobbles, people never say what it is that would make it innovative, and they never say what about whatever kind of innovation they are talking about would make the instrument in question sound better than the classics people have grown to love.
Behringer is a cheap company producing cheap products. To make cheap products you have to cut corners on parts, circuits boards, enclosures, your employees… You can buy a shitty cheap pot or good brand pot like Bourns or Alps, and it does make a difference on user experience and longevity. They will work their chinese employees super hard and pay them nothing to produce a complex synth for just 500$. Those synths won’t last years like your favourite synth that you are still using today.
Take a look at Dave Smith products! Top quality, super reliable, made in the USA. Ok, expensive but you get what you pay for.
We have to stop to dream that we get great products for cheap, that’s just not alright.
Behringer used to suck, quality wise. They’ve got their own plant now in China and as of lately the lowest rma and doa in the business. That’s not me saying it, that’s Sweetwater proving it. I personally don’t give a fuck who builds what, if it’s good it’s good. And I got some reborn faith in them. If it sucks, hey its just 5 bills…O_o
I owned two ARP Odysseys. They aren’t all that great by today’s standards imo. They will show up on eBay quickly, whoever makes them.
You own two synths that aren’t all that great?
Why?
I don’t get it.
I, too, don’t really care for the Arp. But I sold mine years ago. Why keep something that isn’t the best?
Yeah… Everything I owned with the brand Behringer on it broke down within a couple of years. Eventually a cheap purchase will turn into an expensive one when you need to replace it..
Me, I’d rather save my pennies and wait for the Korg Oddy, simply because I’ve been burned by Behringer’s low-tolerance manufacturing a couple of times. But by the time I’ve saved up that much money and the Korg product is available there’ll be someone else remaking some other classic synth and I’ll get frustrated all over again. 🙂
They should add some patchpoints. That would be enough innovation for me.
This would be nice…how about also a Mono/Poly, Polysix, Delta, Trident, Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, ProOne, Prophet 600, Six-Trak, etc.
I voted NAUGHTY, as it is naughty, but it is nice in a sens an Odyssey with ful midi and memory for around $500 would be very accessible.
there will always be premium gear to save up for or dream about, like the Modulus or the Macbeth Element but its also cool when you can grab something that doesn’t break the bank to have some fun with or that will even become fodder for hot rod circuit bending guys. another thought is there has been lots of great music created with inexpensive gear utilized in brilliant ways. i think its never a bad thing to have options.
“No Behringer Stuff”!
😉
If Behringer can do an Odyssey clone then how about a Minimoog clone too? I know Moog is making a version of the Minimoog now, but so what?
It is kind of douchey for them to produce a synth that another major company is just about to release. Especially when there are so many other synths that could be produced, why go for the exact same model as Korg. I do not think this is good for competition or for business of their current products. If they were competing products it would create market competition but with such a direct, current ripoff I think it’s going to make the larger manufacturers, like Korg less likely to make recreations. It might make manufacturers focus on new designs, which would be nice IMO. But still, Behringer is being a bit douchey on this one.
Korg has it covered already. Make the 2600 instead. Show us what you got.
I don’t really care about Behringer, I’ve had several products from them in the past, and the built quality is just horrendous. Their Service is a bad joke, I have a Virtualizer Pro and and an Eurorack pro in non-working condition and they were not able to repair them under warranty. So, if they think this is going to hurt Korg in any way, they are wrong. They will only hurt their customer’s wallets.
Considering the actual circuits inside an Odyssey are probably the cheapest element of the synth ($10 worth of components?) $500 for a brand new case with a filter selector is probably fair. $500 is the magic price point for any synth that isn’t geared for professional and niche markets.
Also I want one. Make that two. Korg or Behringer, whoever brings it in cheaper gets my money. If they’re the same price, whoever does it better.
Sadly Behringer is not always known as a company that produces very good quality gears.
… and compared to Korg’s planned Odyssey… well MS-20 mini didn’t convinced me to buy it, even I planned so. I didn’t liked the build quality and the background noise that came from the OSCs. So Korg can produce also crappy synths…
In conclusion: let’s wait the thing…. Odyssey by Behringer might be a nice synth.
i have owned a behringer ultramatch pro for years and it never let me down.
and what is wrong about copying? actually, most of the guys posting here do want a copy of some analogue synth of the past. there are many new designs around. but people still keep talking about minimoggs and odysseys. so copying IS the way to go. let’s just see what behringer will come up with.
I used to work for Terry Hanley Audio Systems (sound engineers may have heard of this guy, since he and his brother ran sound for Woodstock). My much smaller audio company was subcontracting for a gig once, and the engineer who hired us got really angry when we showed up with a Behringer MX9000. About half way through the show, he apologized to me and said that he was simply blown away by the sound. Behringer had managed to pack a lot of great sounding electronics into a compact and affordable mixer. “This almost sounds as good as Midas,” he told me.
Then Behringer bought Midas.
What I’m trying to say is that this could suck, or it could be awesome, but if you think you can predict how good a piece of Behringer gear is before it’s even manufactured, you should not be working at the highest levels of the music industry, because since you are psychic you should just play the stock market.
$500 Arp? Put it on my wish list, and we’ll see if I pull the trigger.
I have mixed feelings about this news. I am planning on buying a Korg ARP Odyssey next year when they are released, and this news does not change those plans. I’m a bit wary of Behringer as I’ve had one bad experience with their gear, and read many negative reviews from others about problems with Behringer build quality. So when Behringer talk about a $500 ARP Odyssey clone, I have to ask myself – what corners are they going to cut? How ‘cheap’ is ‘cheap’? When I purchase an ARP Odyssey I want it to be exactly like the original in every respect, including build quality and construction, with the only new feature being MIDI and USB. Apart from that, it should be just like owning an original. I was prepared to pay around $2000 – the current figure I’ve heard in relation to the Korg ARP Odyssey – for owning that instrument. So a $500 Odyssey leaves me a little suspicious about build quality and how accurate a replica it will be. I note they are replacing the filter with one of their own – that makes me cautious from the outset.
The good news about this is that it may force Korg to do two things. Firstly drop the price of their Korg ARP Odyssey a bit, which is never a bad thing. Secondly, if Korg are smart, they should move very decisively to get legal ownership of ARP’s products, to prevent other manufacturers from grabbing the rest of the ARP range. People are crying out for a re-release of the ARP 2600 (me too), and to me this would be a logical follow on to the Korg ARP Odyssey. But Korg could also look at the ARP Sequencer and Little Brother add-ons for the Odyssey, and the Axxe and the Quadra as other possible product options. Even the Solina might be interesting. Korg need to move quickly and re-release these instruments before others do what Behringer are trying to do and grab sales.
But finally, even though I probably will stick with the Korg ARP Odyssey rather than go with the Behringer product, I think this is a very good development for those of us in the synth community that are supportive of re-releasing classic vintage analog synths of the 1970s and 80s. I’m all for new products and ideas, but its clear the market is wide open for recapturing these instruments for a new generation. Other’s have named some of their most desired re-releases, as have I. Roland System 100 would be the synth that I’d most dearly like to see re-released in hardware form (NOT as an AIRA plugout), mainly for nostalgia reasons – it was the first synthesizer I ever played – but also because its design allows real creativity in sound creation, and it was that feature that most impressed me when I played it, and which got me interested in electronic music. Of course there are others I’d like to see. Yamaha CS-30, Roland SH-7, Korg MS-50 and SQ-10 to match the MS-20 Mini – are probably on the top of my list. Together with an ARP Odyssey and 2600, I’d be able to tick most of the boxes in my vintage synth ‘want list’ without having to fork out thousands on ebay for an instrument forty years old, and which may have maintenance issues. For this reason I’d argue that Behringer’s announcement is good news.
there is no way to modulate the filter with the LFO… I hope it’s a mistake…
Yeah, and the caps for the filter pots are missing.
Or it might be a sketch they just did really quick. I would be amazed if this is more than a PR-stunt though.
It’s got a digital screen with a parameter slider, so there will probably be a digital mod matrix
Korg Odyssey with mini keys? no thanks!
Mini Keys are not for professional keyboard players! It would work better for DJs triggering stuff. For professional musicians I can´t see the appeal…
When they build it with normal keys I think it would be be awsome.
as long as the sliders are tested for long life, protected against the famous breakdowns of the ARPs in some way, would be a nice VCO alternative to Bass Station 2’s DCO sound, and at same price.
if at all possible, I’d suggest splurging for an analog ring modulator not a digital recreation. The digital RM on BS2 for instance is one of the leas convincing effects on the unit, compared with say the ms20 mini’s analog RM’s nice grainy soupy texture.
BSII has a digital ring mod? I though the entire sound path was analog.
I for one would also welcome a MINI version of the odyssey, considering Korg’s will be the full size of this monster. It may seem like a reasonable size in pictures, but in life it’s a giant metal box, not that friendly for bringing to a gig with limited stage space, or even to a home recording area looking for one more synth not a whole behemoth of a tall rectangle that needs its own whole table to be set up.
Mini size saves cost on the body construction and weight also.
Have you ever seen one in real life? The Odyssey isn’t “a giant metal box” as you call it. It’s a very compact synth that can be carried around very easily.
Different people have different amounts of space to work with… to me I already have 1 or 2 full size keyboards to bring to a gig, and i’m much more inclined to a smaller less costly synth or module i can add on.
at 3 feet wide and more than 40 pounds, i can definitely say that for me, no, the Arp is not as compact as it could be.
Three feet wide? What are we talking about? It was 23″ wide by 18-something deep, just over 6″ at the rear in height. I tend to think of Behringer gear as being cheaply made; maybe that’s just me. But a $500 Odyssey would be a very tempting thing.
it is a 3 octave keyboard. look at one of your own full sized keyboards and compare to the photos of an odyssey. also notice the depth of the whole top panel! and from the rear angle notice the height of it. This thing, in size, is basically 50% of any old poly like a jupiter 8. Get over yourselves and realize it is quite massive! on stage i would require its own stand FOR SURE. this is not a dig on the synth as a synth at all, just a piece of its reality that should be considered before hailing it as tiny, of all things.
yeah I reckon the guy is confusing the 2600 with the odyssey
did you ever saw one in real life ? ^^
I own enough Behringer equipment to know its as good as other gear. They design gear that’s affordable and well manufactured. I know the ‘critical bunch’ will axe me on this. So be it. I could care less. I love Korg and will get their Odyssey first….and if Behringer releases theirs….I’ll get it to….every synth design has its own personality…let the critics enjoy their negative frenzy….I find it amusing…and pretentious!!!
I beg to differ. I’ve owned a lot of equipment over the last 25 years, including a fair amount of Behringer gear, I can say with certainty that it is sub-par in both construction and quality. Some of you may not remember “tube-gate” back when Behringer was trying to peddle “tube warmth” in their pre-amps… where did that feel-good warmth come from? Here you go:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/146712-behringer-cheats-tubes.html
And just in case you need a photo to go along with it:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/low-end-theory/22298d1153356820-behringer-ultragain-tube-mic-anyone-heard-one-behringer_tubes.jpg
Bottom line: you get what you pay for.
yeah Behringer stuff is sometimes OK, sometimes a gnarly compressor or even mixer is useful, but not for high end work. Can’t trust it. Not sure why they never did a 303 clone, the distorted sound & unreliable pots might have added character to the sound, they could have pulled it off 15 years ago!
not sure I understand this ‘cheating’ comment. I am an electronics engineer and repair gear for a living. the Behringer mic pre in question uses a starved tube design with 48V plate voltage. That is very common and a perfectly appropriate design; many do this.
adding LED’s behind the tubes to enhance the cosmetic effect, what’s wrong with that? The Behringer stuff was not that great around ten years ago but has much improved. All their latest products such as X32 and also analog mixers are very well made. People should become more objective… rather than just repeating the same old stories.
I am not a shill but I interned in the industry while in college and studied some Behringer gear to evaluate how they can keep costs so low and I can say empirically that they skimp on electrical and mechanical parts, especially mechanical. Perhaps it will be a great value at $500 compared to Korg’s price point but do not make the mistake of thinking that their stuff is “as good as other gear”. I wouldn’t normally weigh in on this, but when they’re trying to push their stuff using the name of a classic synth, that just ain’t right.
I am not a Behringer fanboy but quite tired of this unfounded and nonsensical bashing. Ironically Behringer has now one of the lowest failure rates in the industry which the guys at Sweetwater confirmed. They would not have carried the brand 10 years ago but now carry every single Behringer product.
I have spoken with my sales guy at Sweetwater and they are very happy with the brand. Behringer has come a long way and quality is much better since they have their own factory. There is so much BS out there.
It is not ‘bs’ to be skeptical of Behringer quality.
Many musicians have experience with Behringer products failing, when other products last 20-30 years or more.
It may seem like “bs”” to you, but once you’ve had two mixers fail on you, you’ll think different.
First of all Uli Behringer’s first project was making a synthesizer. I think he was about 15 or 16 when he did it. Behringer products have a bad rep to some and some of us love their products. I would definitely welcome the Odyssey from them. I live in Japan and I know the workmanship would be great the marketing would be a nightmare and pricing would probably be 3-4 times the original units price. Things are priced by rarity here even if it cost little to make. There would be no rare parts or tantalum caps. Many do not exist anymore. Check the many replacement filters and S&H LFO’s presently on the market. The components are new. Therefore making them more accessible.
(KOFF) RIPOFF! (KOFF)
ATTENTION BEHRINGER: go modular or go home.
My first synth was a white-face Odyssey (which I still have but is not functional). I admire Behringer for taking on the Odyssey, but I am skeptical of whether this design will be a success. The Odyssey was great for its time, but it really has nothing over newer synths except maybe the PPC pads. There were some design choices that were done to keep the cost down that would be unnecessary using modern technology. The clearest example is that the second envelope is a simple Attack-Release. It would be simple to include two ASDRs. Playing duophonically sometimes sounds great, but sometimes it sounds like a sick pig when the synth can’t decide whether to go monohponic or duo. The keyboard of the Odyssey is pretty short by modern standards.
Finally, if anyone clones the Odyssey they need to include the jacks on the back. In particular, the jack for the volume/expression pedal and for the sustain/portamento footswitch.
I don’t think the synth market lacks innovation. to be honest, bringing back synths that were good years ago is a great idea. Look at guitars, the Fender Telecaster has been unchanged for years, and its still one of the most popular and quality guitars you can have at an affordable price. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Arp made great synths decades ago, nothing wrong with having em back new, and for a reasonable price. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you…
Doesn’t Behringer already have a rep for ripping off other manufacturers ideas/designs? Just seems like bad/crass timing.
Hey Behringer: EURORACK. EURO-RACK. E U R O R A C K.
There are already more Eurorack modules out there than you can shake a tiny patch cord at.
We don’t need Behringer making cheap clones of clones of clones nor due we need them adding their noisy circuits into our systems.
for sure, i bet they can charge 20 per cent less compared to doepfer, they just have to take shiploads of untested components.
lets hope we buy the good ones.
weird how every pro-behringer post is upvoted here and every anti is downvoted. I have a feeling this aint right
jep, and we know everone hates them, so who is downvoting ? i guess its the germans in personell hehe
sitting in their offices and downvoting all critical comments, so that it looks like the “cool mass” is liking them
haha you cant blame history mr behringer, i bought three devices from you:
one never worked
one lost the powerplug after the first week
one i had to send in THREE times till all channels worked
i know its old but : buy cheap buy twice .. buy behringer and .. well never do it again
Yep, same as you. Stung FOUR times by Behringer crap. I should’ve never returned to their product/price point after the first disaster – but like a mad cat I returned for more harsh treatment at the hands of their ‘substandardism’… Spend more, don’t be disappointed, don’t bother with Behringer – learn from my (repeated) mistakes!
Again I am not a Behringer fan boy, but I have read too many of these “stories”. Behringer is now one of the largest companies in the industry. They would have long been out of business if their failure rate would be as high as you claim. My Sweetwater sales guy says, Behringer has the lowest failure rate among all their manufacturers and that’s why they carry every product Behringer makes. Behringer also provides a 3 year warranty on their products. Give Sweetwater a call to find out for yourself.
I don’t work for them nor do I have any benefits defending them, but I just dislike the kind of BS people post here and in other forums.
My “understanding” (ie: second-hand information from a sales rep, so take this with a grain of salt) is that Korg are aiming for virtually the same price point AND switchable filters, but it will have minikeys like the MS-20 reissue.
I think it would be better if Behringer put their resources into developing something different. The big leap forward isn’t in cloning a reissue. It offers an alternative, sure, but the monosynth market is starting to look busy…if they can offer a true poly for under a grand, then that seems to me like something to be excited about. But I’m not a marketing expert, just a guy who likes noodling around with synths.
I think Behringer need to hit a few mile stones. The first step is going to be mono with presets, at the right price. Once they can pull that off, with rave reviews, and at the right price then it is just a question of scaling up – until then it is all PR for their future offerings.
As far as I understand this is probably the lowest form of vaporware really. This could be a synth aimed to be sold in 2015 you may as well say. Remember the X Touch thing Behringer announced months ago? Nope, no sign of that either… so ship or GTFO (yep, shipping actual product is hard).
Mini keys are a definite deal breaker for me.
Can’t believe how gullible people are thinking this will ever happen.
Behringer announced a mont ago they were going to make an analog POLY synth.
Now they try to feed us this crap.
All sounds very credible.
Behringer let us all know they are planning to produce a whole line of synths, not only polysynths.
How about I give you $250, I’ll take mini keys you keep the usb and midi out?
As long as one of them does a 2600 I’ll be happy (preferably Korg)
While the Odyssey was cool, the retro ARP synth that needs to be rebuilt is the Quadra. I’m surprised no one has attempted this. The same goes for the CS-80, Jupiter-8, OBx, Memorymoog, Waldorf Wave, etc. At least Dave Smith has this figured out.
At least they are working on a poly, I doubt they will actually release an Arp Ody. They’re probably just looking for feedback and trying to keep the analog behringer talk going.
You can never have too many synths in this world. However, I prefer software.
Korg building an ARP is like modern day Ford building a classic ’57 Chevy. In Korg’s stable they have the much-loved Mono/Poly and Polysix, whose prices keep going up and whose plans they ignore. Let Behringer have the ARP and Korg do an analog-hybrid Poly Twelve in classic navy blue, knob laden and with effects. It would kick the crap out of any ARP.
Um, Behringer, your Youtube link isn’t working.
I find it amazing how Korg is really pushing forward the synth market and others. I ain’t into all this vintage synth hoo-ha but Korg seems to be really pushing forward the synth market, and making others jump to the beat – champion.
Something portable, something like the arp something new something for 500 dollars mmm what’s there to complain about, if korg release theirs I get two arp like synths for hopefully under a grand , with more functionality, with sliders that work midi, cv , and everything else ohhh and it stays in tune so the question is Ithen have two arps a Berlinger and a korg what do I spend the other1500 left on an oriiginal on?
While I’m also suspicious of Behringer’s build quality, I have to remind you that KORG’s MS-20 Mini wasn’t exactly built like a tank. I think the days of synths lasting for 30+ years are behind us.
The days of long lasting synths still exist but you won’t find them in the cheap “consumer audio” market that Behringer and the other majors push. Look for the boutique stuff where the developers are working to provide a quality product instead of a cheap price point.
Questions:
Is it legal to recreate an old synth design so close in physical format? Can some random company make a Minimoog D if they call it something else and change a few things, but it looks nearly identical? (The Mini is out of production, but Moog is still a company and still owns the rights, etc?)
In this case, does Korg now own the rights to the Odyssey, and could they sue Behringer for infringement? Or is the Odyssey’s patent and trademark and legal ownership now just floating in the ether for anyone to clone and exploit?
Isn’t one of the Odyssey filters a patent owned my Moog? A company which still controls that filter? (Except it’s constantly cloned and modeled, even by Korg, except Korg calls iit an MG filter, but we all know the score.)
I were a lawyer I’d be sharpening my pencils. Apparently there’s something I don’t understand, because Behringer clones Boss pedals and calls them something else.
Patents are very time limited. The Moog filter patents expired decades ago.
Trademarks though don’t expire, assuming you continue to pay ongoing maintenance fees, which Moog has done. I don’t think anyone maintained the ARP trademarks over the years though, but who knows.
One of ARP’s founders is collaborating with Korg and the project has his blessing. This probably avoids a lot of problems. What happens if Behringer does this and that guy denounces the project? Probably nothing legally, but it could cause bad feelings if it comes to that.
why is someone downvoting an honest question ?
just to tell him to never ask again ?^^
All these patents have long expired and everyone can use those circuitries – all appropriate and legal.
It will be hard though as much of those components are no longer available. in most cases the circuitries are also very simple and actually quite cheap. Much of the problems will surface in manufacturing as analog technology is temperature and tolerance sensitive.
I hope Behringer pulls through with this project as they make good stuff recently and they have the capability to manage the manufacturing part.
yeah i buy my behringer synth after buying a samsung phone and a sony camera hehe
just stick to what you can do best and stop producing fakes of other companies just to own the whole damned marked.
The Samsung is a put-down as a copy of the iPhone, right? But what about Sony cameras? I’ve been buying and using SLRs since the 70s, and Sony has simply been killing it for the last few years with critically acclaimed cameras across all ranges. Not getting your metaphor.
Wow the synth market is super boring!
WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for head and shoulders
I’m not shure if releasing another ARP clone makes sence, if it won’t improve uppon Korgs recreation. Just trying to make it cheapest clone in the market, would be missed oportunity IMHO.
I would like Behringer to implement CV modulation options similar to Microbrute, so I could control things like pulse width or indyvidual oscilators fine tune. If they would choose to stick just with midi, I would like them to let me control mentioned parameters anyway. Having both options would be ideal 🙂
Another great thing would be upgradable firmware, that could be semi-customizable by users (so users couldn’t brick their ARP). This could create whole commmunity of users tinkering with their ARPS, making custom arpeggiators/sequencers/experimental things. If Behringer would go this way, adding 2-3 firmware function keys would be good idea, so we don’t have to use combos like “octave-up+sth+sth+sth”, to use those extra functions.
I DON’T want: wobbly sliders that break after one week, wobbly keys that break after one week and loud background noise.
If the thing works and is reasonably well made… WhAT’S NOT TO LIKE!
All this Behringer bashing is kinda strange in the light of their newer products. They have received very good reviews from normally critical voices with regard to the X series of consoles. It might just be possible that the Odyssey will surprise the doom sayers and non believers.
I’m just going to wait and see how things develop before making any negative comments based on what ifs etc…
keys? where we are going we dont need keys…
I don’t want to rain on their parade……….I just wish people would design something new……you have a blank canvas here…….I do understand people love the old classics but be bold and try something new!
We need an AKS synthi A
it’s a smarter move to copy a classic synt than make a new synth…it can market on it’s history and good reputation that’s why roland sell the tr8 based on the tr8 and the system1 with the sh101 and sh-2 plus the tb3 with the tb303…plus korg and it’s ms20 mini..and the prophet 08 etc…
it works…and works well, i think if behrigner bring an ARP to market it’ll have a better midi spec than the korg offering which will be faithful to the 70’s classic other than a basic midi spec. just like their ms20mini.
How boring the world would be if everbody was using a limit amount of the same synthesizers like the TR/TB/Juno/Jupiter/Moog/ARP !!
No inventions, no progress, no variations.
Maybe you should all watch this to see how the english pioneers worked…
http://youtu.be/8KkW8Ul7Q1I
Troll would be complete if they put out a mono/poly clone instead.
Behringer doing what they’ve always done: rip off other people’s plans and undercut them by using shitty parts and adding bigwordmarketing and spec sheets. I would never give Behringer $500 for anything, so burned by their shit have I been.
Bummed to see ‘naughty’ losing by so much. Figured musicians would be more sensitive to the ripping-other-companies-off aspect of their products.
Korg also didn’t pay rights for the 40 years old patent. It’s free. And It’s just a money market for all of them based on vintage sounds better rule. 2k+ pounds overhyped vintage nonsense will take us nowhere. Evolution will come only with affordable stuff in hands of creatives. VSTs, iPads, Minibrutes, Monotribes, BeOddy…whatever. So yes please, just bring it on!
Behringer builds gear without any concern about repairability. Even their dealers wont fix their equipment, nor is it cost effective to do so. You can be sure that this attempt at the synth market place will be no different.
Korg, on the other hand has been great at supporting their gear. You get what you pay for.
Im on the side of whoever has Mr. Friend. No ARP co founder, no decent replica.
The truth of it though is that they didnt announce anything, this is all just bullshit hype from third parties. All they did was ask a question, it does not mean they intend to make their own odyssey at all.
Why not ? An origianal model is not for everyone these days €$£…… And at the othe side, a lot of synthophyls love noise….. And here it is.. A lot of noise hahahahaha.. Bring us more analogue sounds on the market please..
For many years, most Behringer products had an astounding fail rate BUT, even then when they hit it right it was a gem. Since I bought and sold gear for a living I knew which models to avoid like the plague. Now they have a bunch of new designs with much better quality and still amazing prices. Whatever experience you had with Behringer in the past, I suggest you reevaluate otherwise you will likely be missing out…
Considering the $1000 price of the Korg version of the Odyssey….most of us can’t afford that and will gladly wait for the Behringer version, especially if it has memory and the same sound quality as the original.
all Behringer has to do is make the keyboard full size 100% original to make a point of difference to the smaller Korg that everyone is complaining about (the presets factor sure makes a point of difference too!) and they will have a winner
I like the idea of an Odyssey who have recall sound memories, and Midi-usb connections, this is some basics I could use with the original design to tweak the sounds. And if the price is around 500 then why not from Behringer
I got a Korg Arp Odyssey module for less than $500 – you can too if you search out a good deal or buy used. I don’t need keys I have 3 controllers. I’m not going to support Behringer with this crap. I can’t believe there haven’t been lawsuits yet.