Is Behringer Cloning The Sequential Circuits Pro-One Next?

Behringer today shared this photo of a new synth prototype, that looks like it could be for a Eurorack format clone of the classic Sequential Circuits Pro-One.

Compare the circuit board photo, above, with the layout of the Pro-One:

The company hasn’t shared any details yet, but the board follows the Pro-One layout, adding MIDI In and a minimal set of CV patch points.

What do you think of the idea of a Behringer ‘Bro-One’? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Images via Behringer, Speculos

38 thoughts on “Is Behringer Cloning The Sequential Circuits Pro-One Next?”

  5. Great, how about they release them instead of these teasers they don’t always follow up on while hunting the new shiny?

  6. Used two of them live for many years. Screaming leads. Wish I had kept one of them at least. Every gig my keyboard solo would be built around a random sequence that I would program into the step sequencer just minutes before the gig started lol! Oh those were the days. Young and fearless lol!

  7. I’ll be surprised if an analog Behringer Pro-One sounds as great as the software U-He Repro… not talking about any other aspect, just the sounds you can get out of it.

    As long as companies and programmers keep chipping away at it, software synthesizers will inevitably catch up with and then surpass the sound characteristics of analog ones. It’s what technology does.

    (direct all hate mail to my attorneys)

    1. The possibilities of analog synthesis were not exhausted in the 70s, and have not been exhausted today either.

      I do not think analog synthesis is any more limited than digital is, the market just wasnt there for a while so innovation slowed down for a bit but with renewed interest its coming back.

      If you are stuck in the cloning mindset you will never catch up

    2. how can an emulation ever surpass the original? imo it’s the wrong approach anyway to try emulating analog in digital instead of embracing the potential for new kinds of synthesis. let analog be analog which also still has a lot of potential. like west coast synthesis for instance.

  8. I would be up for one. Loved my Pro-1 back in the day, but I really missed hard sync on the oscillators so it couldn’t scream like an Odyssey or SEM. I eventually sold it and picked up an old Oberheim SEM. I suppose if I bought one of these, first thing I’d do is change soft sync to hard sync. 😉 Shouldn’t be too hard if they’re still using CEM3340 VCO chips.

  11. It is a shame that Behringer have to raid analog history instead of designing new digital synths. They should use their corporate sized R&D budget to focus on the new and leave the CEM chips for the synth boutique companies to design with. At least pay some royality to Dave or is this all about ego and a fast buck. The market is becoming saturated and needs new ideas based on the exciting New Tech of machine learning and AI. I challenge Ubi to do the future not the past.

    1. Behringer didn’t get where they are today by making innovative stuff, they did it by making knock offs, and that’s worked very well for them.

      What incentive would they have to do something different?

      1. the same could be said about ESP guitars, same could be said about both microsoft and apple… it isn’t where you start it i s where you go

    2. I’d love to see what Behringer might do for a digital synth, but they don’t really have any expertise in that area right now. Circuit design and DSP design are two very different disciplines.

      Still, no reason they couldn’t hire some DSP experts, or at least partner with them like they did with TC Electronic for effects on the DeepMind 12.

  12. If Behringer would only put their R&D budget to use designing the future rather than raiding analog history. Leave CEM clones to the boutiques and do something imaginative with new tech. Or are synth buyers simply forcing Ubi into a clone war because we won’t adapt to the future ourselves ?

    1. No offence but what would you like to be so innovative in synthesizer world? Human ear stays the same from year to year, same amount of hair cells in the cochlear. They respond to the same frequency range from generation to generation… I personally think that the best innovation which could happen is to create affordable clones of all the best synthesizers in the history. I dont want to have Face ID or dual cameras in a synth.

      1. The constant stream of clones over the last 10 years – from Korg, Roland, Moog & now Behringer – has become pretty boring.

        It’s like people think synth design peaked in 1970 and can’t imagine anything more interesting!

        How about a 5-osc synth for a change, instead of 2 & 3 oscillator synths? How about more synths like the Continuum, that are actually a little experimental and push the envelope a bit.

        It seems like synthesists are becoming a conservative bunch, outside the modular world.

        1. Well you answered the question: if you need innovation, go eurorack. My p12 has 4 osc and I think it does not make it that innovative. 2 oscillators can give you enough of spectrum that adding more wont make sense (unless it is super saw case). Innovation is affordability nowadays. Same sound and feel for much lower price. Model D may be not that slick and my unit was a bit out of tune… But man, it sounded so well. I hope in few ears Uli will start producing $20-$50 eurorack modules with his army of cheap asian workers. That will be new begging (or ending 🙂 of eurorack.

  13. I’m starting to get mightily bored with these empty pr stunts every few weeks. I don’t care what Behringer “might” do and I care even less about being made part of a boulevard style pseudo useful market research / pr experiment. Report on it when it happens.

  15. The circuit board shown leaves absolutely no doubt what it is a reproduction of.

    Quality reproductions of history’s greatest instruments, made by discerning craftsmen. Not clones. Reproductions.

  16. Is Behringer cloning Barbara Streisand’s dog? The company today shared photos that some are saying resemble Ms. Streisand’s beloved and recently deceased dog. We can’t wait until these ship!

  18. This looks a bit more my speed (I’ve never been super into the model d). Now, if they’d only clone my beloved, and much missed SH-5…

  20. Well – if it’s as good as the Uli-D that was in my mail today you’re in for a treat. I have always had to work hard to get the classic sounds I depend on with my Studio Electronics ATC-1. Not anymore… Wow. But expect issues. The Behringer build is more or less consistant these days, but me and two friends of me experience quite different stuff with our D’s. Two of us – me included, warm up time is some 30 mins. Now that I think is a good thing – it really reminds me of my old minimoog. We’ve got a cold winter here in Norway and in my basement music room temperature varies a lot. The third guy however has no such problems at all. Also – my OSC 2 is not calibrated well enough, so the famous Moog near-sync sound doesn’t work with OSC 1 and 2 (OSC 1 and 3 is fine). I recon calibration/tuning is done manually at the factory – hence the poor OSC 2. So – I better learn that procedure asap. But hey… It really sounds fantastic!

  22. Looks great, want one bad.

    One request though, USB midi, it really is the best way of getting lots of low latency midi gear linked up to a DAW.

  25. regurgitation of old gear for old farts on gear sluts to bitch about and get nostalgic- “i remember creating my first vangelis patch like it was yesterday.” !
    behringer’s sheff united guy looks like he’s easy got the smarts for fpga and more. multi-timbral peak???

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