What Synthesizer Is Behringer Cloning Now?

The Behringer clone factory appears to be shifting into high gear.

The company today shared this teaser image of another synth clone that they are testing, saying “This is another very exciting analog keyboard we are developing.”

Behringer has not said what classic analog synth they’re cloning, but some eagle-eyed synth fans have noticed that the controls on the circuit boards match up with the Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus:

The VP-330 is a classic string synth and vocoder. It was used notably in the Vangelis soundtrack for Blade Runner.

Here’s a demo of a vintage Roland VP-330 in action:

Check out the circuit board photo and let us know what you think. Interested in a cloned string synth & vocoder?

via sequencer.de, retrosound

62 thoughts on “What Synthesizer Is Behringer Cloning Now?”

  1. Fun puzzle. Well it’s got 8 voices. And it doesn’t have enough sliders to be a Jupiter 8.

    The VP-330 would be an incredibly strange thing to resurrect. It’s not exactly a greatly sought after instrument. I guess though for the right price maybe? (Possibly $199? I paid around that for my Alesis Micron which also does vocoding and goes way beyond the VP.)

    If they are really going this route I really think they need to not do the Model D thing and make a near exact copy but make a new instrument instead inspired by the original.

    Also guys, start adding full keyboard MTS sysex microtuning to these instruments. You only need 384 bytes to hold one tuning and you can just have a single global tuning if there are any restrictions. And if not just go for a bank of 16. But a single global full keyboard tuning where any key can be mapped to any frequency, and programmable by standard sysex defined by the MIDI Manufacturers Association open standards is the way to go and allows people from outside the west to use these instruments as well. That means more sales and more profit.

    An out of the box microtonal vocoder would be great. And if you don’t send it a sysex packet it just acts same as normal. So it’s a really small thing to add with huge dividends.

        1. Having owned an Alesis Ion (same sound engine as Micron) and a vintage Roland VP-330, comparing the vocoders of these instruments is absurd. The Micron/Ion vocoder is unintelligible and mucky to the point of being useless. The VP-330 is one of the best sounding analog vocoders ever made.

          Strictly as synths, the VP-330 is extremely limited and the Micron/Ion does a ton of stuff. For me, there was a lot to like in the feature set of the Ion (three oscillators, dual multi-configurable filters, adjustable curves in the envelopes, etc.), but I always felt the sound quality didn’t cut it. Once I got my Prophet-5 and dot.com modular, I REALLY felt that way. 🙂

          1. Oh, I’m not doubting that the VP sounds better when it comes to vocoding. My defense of the Micron is against the idea that it’s solely a beginner’s synthesizer (see: useless/a joke), which is true for some seeing how it prioritizes patch surfing over programming unlike the Ion (though the Micron has a few extra tricks. I’m actually very fond of its sequencer and arpeggiator). Obviously you’re aware of its depth and I’m sure if I had a Prophet 5 and a healthy MU rig my interest in the Micron/Ion would wane as well. As for its vocoder, it’s not bad. I can’t say I haven’t fought with it in the past over the same characteristics you’ve described. This bit of info from Ben Ling, who was supposedly the main mind behind the Ion/Micron engine, has helped me get the most out of it. Of course this understanding won’t turn it into a VP-330 but it will take it from murky and unintelligible to neat.

            http://jim.machobeagle.com/jim/2005/04/12/alesis-ion-vocoder-functions

  5. 14 sliders
    well, it is not a 2600, that needs 58 sliders.
    Uli listen…
    you need to really upset people
    put 58 sliders on a synth.
    Have you not learned anything this last year here on Synthtopia?

  8. Can’t see there would be nearly enough demand for a VP-330 clone to make it commercially viable. Or maybe they cost close enough to nothing to produce that they only need to sell a few to break even?

    2. VP-03 is digital, this one would be analog.
      But I really doubt this is a thing for the mass market.
      Arp2600 or VCS3 would be far more interesting.

    1. Your claim that the VP-330 is currently in production by Roland amazes, astounds, and intrigues me. Do you have a newsletter? I wish to subscribe to it.

      1. The VP-03. Yes I know that it is digital and not analog, but there is still a great sounding replication that is currently available for a low price. Why clone something that people can already get a version of from somewhere else? Why not some like the 2600 or synthi like people are asking for in other comments? If a string machine, then why not an RS-505 or Solina? It seems like an odd choice.

        1. The VP 03 is a pretty limited overpriced digital emulation like all the Roland “Boutique” offerings. A VST in a cheap plastic box shouldn’t cost $350.

          The Solina and RS 505 aren’t Vocoders.

    2. Have to agree… This re-creation doesn’t make much sense.

      The RS-505 would have been a better choice as it isn’t available and sounds fantastic. But that type of sound is very niche.

  13. Remember he said “starting at $49.99”???

    I’d buy a badass analog 70’s string/organ synth for $49.99. The vocoder’s just added bonus.

    1. And if they can do it for $49.99 they definitely can do it for $23.71! I am completely on board with this amazing product at that very reasonable and modest retail price point!

  14. Dear Uli, can I please has a sleek digital 8 track that is battery powered and has Neve cloned preamps? Can it have pan pots and faders that can be automated but not motorized? Can it have effects from the deepmind 12 and a Really nice analog compressor on the main out that can be pre or post recording? and can it have midi because other makers are omitting it and it’s still useful sometimes. Not everyone but a boatload of us are looking for portable but not chinsey ways to record. I pad is good but the interfaces are often plastic and not portable. Market Gap. Like if someone nails an 8track/mixer/recorder that sounds like a record and is portable but not dinky I think people will love it a little too much. Like an obvious but obviously overlooked mega hit that not just one type of musician would buy. It could be a thing of beauty.

    1. why do you stay that? It’s been reported by multiple sources. I first heard about it this morning well before it showed up on Synthtopia.

    2. You should go check out ask.audio. they turn a Behringer Twitter status “Behringer D shipping soon” into an entire article speculating HOW soon.

  17. From the looks of it, that might be a divide down synth with an analog vocoder. With a boatload of cheap smt components and no evidence of a dsp section. Interesting to see how cheap this will be, and how boring it will sound.

    1. SMT has been around for decades and is an efficient way of mass producing electronics. Less wasteful too. DSP wouldn’t have been on the original (of whatever 70s synth this is a clone of). It’s what you do with a synth is what makes it boring. A 303 is hardly feature rich. If this is a divide down synth, think Polymoog Etc.

  19. Behringer says that they want to listen to their customers… They just removed my comment on the “what’s-this-new-clone ?” post =)

  20. Oh Behirnger, trying to rip of company’s oringial products by “cloning” them. You would think by now you would have realized this after Makie sued you over one of their mixers.

    1. And Mackie having lost every case? Lol
      Nothing’s wrong with reviving technology that is not patented. Glad to see Behringer is giving us those synths we have been craving for decades.

  23. Behringer should add the great Roland RS-505 string sections to the VP-330 clone. This would be amazing!
    And Uli, bring out a Korg DV-800 MaxiKorg clone. The music scene needs Traveler filters again 😉

  26. whatever behringer is coming up with, people want something else. and stupid me went thru the whole whining thread again.

    if you do not want it, it is not for you.

    1. Quite right. I’m old enough to remember when a monosynth cost as much as a family car, and you had to travel to another city to buy one. If you’re taking Behringer’s product decisions personally, it’s not like there aren’t a zillion other fantastically affordable machines on the market.

  28. Well I guess we can all agree its the VP-330 .. a synth I never was and still am not interested in, but I just got my DM12 yesterday, and am actually impressed so far, so am looking forward to what else Uli has coming down the road. I’m old enough to remember when Alesis was poor mans kit with their plastic 16 channel mixer and reverbs .. then they went on to build the Andromeda and that brought them into new light. I kinda see the same thing happening with Behringer, although I have a 1990’s era Behringer Euromix that is still kicking strong, and I would argue is built better than the 14 channel Mackie I bought last year.

  29. we can all be angry about these clones but i think it’s safe to say that once they clone the synth we’ve always wanted we’ll change our tune. for instance i really don’t care about the model D clone, but this one could interest me very much. for better or for worse we can’t complain about our options these days.

    now just waiting for them to clone that moog-fest exclusive drum machine. 😉

  30. People here are funny. For decades people asked for someone to clone these old synths. Now a company does it and people start to whine. I don’t want digital replicas that sound like crap but I also don’t have 4 grand for a vintage synth. Thank you Uli for bringing back these synths for an affordable price. More power to Behringer.

    1. This is the standard of the Synthtopia community 😉 Wait and see…those who complain most in here…will probably end up with most Behringer anyway…

      I look forward for the Minimoog Model D clone release and also the ARP clones (If they actually come), but im sadly one of those with limited space 😀

  32. If this really is a VP-330 clone I’d be very happy.

    Analogue string machines and vocoders – that’s a market gap that needs to be filled!

  35. I wasn’t as blow away by the Deepmind as everyone else. I think an SH-101 with multiple voices would rock my world but not another Deepmind type of thing.

  36. A VP-330 clone is a dream come true for me. I can’t believe some of the comments here, kids these days don’t have a ****ing clue. Behringer are going to bankrupt me if this keeps up.

  37. Agreed a VP330 clone would be a great thing to have at a reasonable price. Great string sounds sure, but the really cool thing here is true analog carrier/modulator vocoding. So many possibilties! Try modulating a piano track with the drum track for instance. True analog vocoders can do so much more than kraftwerk/daft punk vocal effects and there all very few analog vocoders that are affordable.

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