Behringer Synth And Drum Machine Clone Announcements ‘An Unfortunate Error’; Minimoog Clone Still Missing In Action

Uli Behringer

Behringer announced this evening that its publishing details on new synth and drum machine clones earlier today was ‘a rather unfortunate error’.

The company published details this morning on six new Behringer synth clones, including clones of the ARP 2600 and EMS VCS3; and five Behringer drum machine clones, including clones of the Roland TR-808 and TR-909.

The company says that publishing these details was not done to generate hype ahead of the 2018 NAMM Show, which company head Uli Behringer announced Behringer would no longer participate in. Instead, the company attributes publishing the clone details to a ‘website glitch’ and says that the leaked products ‘are merely concepts and nothing more’.

While Behringer is calling the new clones nothing more than concepts, the company bas been teasing plans for synth and drum machine clones for several years.

‘Behringer has said that the company plans a complete line of Behringer synthesizers, and teased cheap clones, including a cheap Minimoog Model D clone, an ARP 2600 clone; and an OSCar clone.

Earlier this year, Behringer said ‘We have four synthesizer development teams simultaneously working on 20 synths, drum machines etc.”:

While the company clearly has big ambitions for its synth and drum machine clones, the long-awaited Behringer D Minimoog clone is missing in action. While the inexpensive Minimoog clone has been available to pre-order for nearly six months, the company still has not published details for the synth on their site or announced when it will be available.

We will be surprised if Behringer does not officially announce at least some of these synths around the time of the 2018 NAMM Show. The company will need to commit to shipping some of these synths, through, if they want synthesists to consider the announcements as more than marketing hype.

Here’s the company’s announcement:

Dear Friends,

It was brought to our attention that early this morning a rather unfortunate error occurred on the Behringer product page. This error mistakenly posted information for a number of different product design concepts from our product management repository which is contained and part of an automated backend system for our websites.

The cause of the error was due to a website glitch and was completely unintentional. The moment we realized the error, we removed the content.

As we are owning the mistake, we also feel it’s necessary to inform the public about this error as a sign of good faith. It was not our intention to mislead customers in any way nor use this as a marketing tool. To be perfectly transparent, the leaked information does not imply any availability at this time or even definitive evidence that we intend to officially develop or deliver these products in the future. At this stage, the leaked products are merely concepts and nothing more.

To be honest we are embarrassed by this glitch and sincerely apologize to you who have been so supportive of our efforts over the years. We greatly appreciate your support and understanding of the situation.

Share your thoughts on Behringer’s announcements in the comments!

Update: Uli Behringer shared these comments about their publishing and unpublishing info on new drum and synth clones earlier this week:

As we stated earlier, these leaked product feature lists are part of early concept stages. However we are confident that some of these will turn into actual products. If you have any comments we would very much appreciate your feedback.

The Model D production has been delayed due to our massive factory move which was more challenging than we had estimated. We are confident to ship the first few hundred units from our factory by yearend, however full mass production will move into Q1 next year.

95 thoughts on “Behringer Synth And Drum Machine Clone Announcements ‘An Unfortunate Error’; Minimoog Clone Still Missing In Action”

  1. The reason for the Model D’s delay had better be “Hmm, we’d better fix these last few little glitches, so our esteemed customers will get a valuable investment” rather than “Oops, this thing is utter rubbish” or “Ha! Suckers!”

  2. Publishing an “error” on a website. HTML, sales product formatted code, customer oriented information , how did it get on a public web-server ? Very very hard to believe “conceptual” data just coming out of nowhere on that server. a website glitch , yes sure the website did this and somebody clicked the wrong checkbox. No way, this has much more behind it. Could be the story of the year.

  3. Glitch my ass!!! Someone got fired on a Tuesday. Fire a guy and he might release confidential information or delete the presidents twitter account. Don’t fux with the IT guy.

        1. Sorry but often synthcompanies are more adventurous than their customers. Just check how many synths and drummachines which sold poorly now are very attractive. 25-40 years after they originally where released to little success.

    2. Reasons to clone:
      1. Someone else has already done the bulk of the design layout and confirmed that the technical design works well,
      2. You can develop your circuit from proven schematics, using modern components and assembly techniques,
      3. Cloning legendary instruments imparts a level of credibility that your company doesn’t have as a new entrant into the market. People are familiar with the 808, ARP 2600, Synthi and OSCar. They wouldn’t be nearly as interested in a cheap BEH-100 drum machine or Behringer Poly 8.
      4. Making copies of popular technology is standard business practice in China, and Behringer has aggressively brought this strategy into the music industry. First, it was guitar effects and mixers. Now it’s synths.

      1. Excellent points. It’s weird to make the Behringer legacy “We copied the best for cheaper.”

        On one hand, it has put certain kinds of equipment within reach of a broader range of players. Some of their products do have an important role– like that BCR/BCF for cheap.

        OTOH, they should invest as much in their support as they do in their R & D. That would include making sure firmware/drivers are rock solid, and having a best-in-class repair system in place.

        In the meantime, people will buy 3rd party extended warranties– to help fill that gap.

          1. Deepminds are based on Junos, D is a straight up clone of the minimoog model D. I mean thats the entire appeal of the D. That its a clone.

      3. Oh, and reason 5: The cost of components and assembly is dramatically lower now than it was in the 1970s and early 1980s. By using inexpensive reproductions of Curtis chips, surface mount parts and really cheap microcontrollers (I just ordered a batch of of quite capable MCUs for $1.14 each in quantity), it’s possible to hit price points that were unheard of a few years ago.

        Most classic monosynths have a fairly simple design. The trick is selecting the right components and doing good layout. After that, mass production is straightforward.

    6. “why is he not producing new stuff instead of clones?”

      For the same reason Hollywood keeps making sequels and feature-length versions of comics, books and TV shows. It’s much easier to gauge the demand of something people are already familiar with than of something original. Original ideas carry risk that’s largely avoided by sequels and re-issues. The established idea already has a market, but with the original idea–who knows? It’s a big problem in many creative fields. So much feels like re-hash these days. But the occasional successful original idea feels so fresh and exciting. I think that’s part of why modular stuff is so popular. There’s re-hash there, too, but a lot of exciting originality. I’m also starting to favor original designs in software, as opposed to emulations.

  6. “An unfortunate error?” Error huh? Yeah. Uh huh. Right.

    Remember the Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” that just so happened to occur shortly before a new Janet Jackson album was about to be released? Malfunction huh. Yeah, right. Marketing ploy was more like it. It was a way to create media buzz and get her forgotten name back in the limelight in order to boost album sales.

    2. Legal action would most likely be public knowledge and one of the two companies would surely publicize it as a way to garner support . There’s really nothing moog could win in this case but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t try to serve them with a cease and desist … however history had shown Berringer’s model D is unlikely to hurt Moog sales in could actually help it if you think about it…

  15. Yeah, the R&D department has a formated website for the product concepts *lol*
    And because of this “embarrassing” error, all synth web blogs are now full with the name “Behringer” again…..

  17. Dr. Evil is playing with the market in a bad way.
    It is crystal clear that they wanted to know how the market would react to those products and have a decision about which ones he will work on.

    Less talk, Less mkt, more products Dr Evil.

    1. So Uli is the bad guy… but Korg, Akai, Roland, Yamaha… they’re the superheroes, giving their all for the people, and are anti-corporate, right? As if they’re any different if not worse. Give me a break

      1. They have more respect for their customers, certainly. And most importantly innovate versus copying preexisting designs from products currently on sale, ala Mackie and a cable tester I bought and was disappointed to find.

      2. It is all about respect for your customers.
        I personally don’t like his approach, and consequently I won’t endorse these products.
        That’s my opinion and you can disagree.

      3. The issue is not that Behringer is building affordable instruments, it’s that they’re trying to make almost-exact copies of famous designs in an effort to sell them to people who want the real thing.

        They’re trying to make money from someone else’s work without paying them anything. They’re trying to trademark famous names like Oberheim, ARP and OSCar, when they have nothing to do with the original companies or designs. They’re trying to trademark the Oberheim note logo.

        I could go on, but the mindboggling thing is that commenters on this thread will rise to defend them, claiming that little companies like Moog are gouging us and deserve to be steamrollered.

  18. Negative Negative Negative. If you don’t like Behringer products, or they are not doing what you want to buy, plenty more mfg’s to choose from.

    Mistakes happen….even in today’s age….nothing is perfect.

    Geeeeze

    2. People aren’t “negative”, they just point out the obvious.
      You don’t really believe that they have an advanced AI taking care of their CMS and then some glitch in the Matrix caused the creation of product pages and just in that moment someone happend to visit this site and from all the people it was one who would report that to some synth websites?
      Do you really believe that?

      It’s more likely that it was a well calculated “leak”. To check the demand or to distract from the still not available Model D. Or to get some attention for it’s release.
      Just look how they made alone on this site 3 news posts with literally nothing.

      This is not some baseless Behringer hate, it’s just that Behringer is nowdays mostly known for this kind of marketing stunts. Other than being a copycat with low quality products.

  20. Now attacking the guy personally? …Thailand?? Pathetic!!

    Is that how you talk about everyone? So Sad!

    Maybe everyone talks about you that way when you make mistakes.

  21. No, it wasn’t a glitch.

    This is another market research using the same strategy as with the model D clone. It was announced in march, but not delivered a single unit yet.

    Don’t buy a single product from these people.

    Nasty and unloyal behaviour.

    1. “Glitch my ass!!! Someone got fired on a Tuesday. Fire a guy and he might release confidential information or delete the presidents twitter account. Don’t fux with the IT guy.“

      That “guy” who made the decision to market vaporware is Uli. Nothing happening without his okay.

      Between this and his operating Gearslutz like a PR firm Behringer is just pathetic these days. Make products, announce products you are actually developing and stop these childish stunts.

    2. I’m personally not a huge fan of marketing/advertising, but would like to know how your idea of loyalty fits into marketing, if at all.

      Are you implying that a manufacturer have a commitment to customers beyond purchase and product guarantee? If so, how/why?

      1. That’s an interesting question. I’d say there’s no such thing as loyalty in marketing. However marketers should be wary of making that obvious to their potential customers–which is what Behringer have done here. They’ve crossed a line of disingenuousness, set off everybody’s bullshit detectors, and insulted them in the process. Bad move. Pretty interesting, though.

  22. Behringer. Such a double edged sword. I had one of their little mixers back around the turn of the century. The outputs hissed like a cat. Based only on that experience I was very hesitant to own any more of their gear. Some years later I encountered one of their large mixers that were Mackie rips. It was solid and sounded fine. I put one in the Command Center. I added another Behringer mixer when I built the live rig that went to KnobCon in 2014.

    That has been my entire experience with their gear. One bad, two good. So I was pretty excited to see the news breaking yesterday. If they are just trying to get an idea of which instruments people were excited about, they can put me down for the 2600 and the VCS3. (@Random rich synth guy: Yes. I know that any possible clone of these will never sound as good as the several, perfectly preserved examples in your collection. Forgive me in advance. But they will, presumably, not cost as much as both of my cars. Each.)

    I also have a hard time understanding how this could have been a website glitch. As I said elsewhere, teasing me with it and then not letting me have it? You’re dead to me Uli!

    Torches and pitchforks for everybody! : )

  23. This is a blow to Behringer’s credibility. There was already skepticism around yesterday’s news from previous incidents, but this, plus the insultingly mendacious “oh we accidentally wrote and published a full press release and we regret the error” is going to taint all future Behringer announcements.

  26. i was rooting for behringer although i found their polls to be tacky. this proves them to be crass opportunists. no matter the price, doubtful i will support their products. shameful.

  28. I am digging what is going on here with Behringer. If anything, the accidental leak will stir up the market create more competition. I remember when all this concept gossip was going around with Korg as well and look what that spawned: Korg Volcas, Minilogue line, MS-20 and Arp clones, real analog stuff. Then Roland Corp jumps on the wagon and releases the Boutique line, 303 and 909 included. I never would have thought any of this possible a few years ago, but they listened and it happened. An analog 909 sounds particularly amazing to me as well as an analog 2600. Concept or not, I’m totally in!!!

  32. This is in no way a glitch. As a previous poster mentioned, the page was formatted for public view. There is no internal HTML for some sort of list of projects that they are thinking of working on to be accidentally formatted to clean HTML, put onto their public facing webserver (which is an external server), and replaced their existing index page with the “glitched” version. That excuse is nonsensical and insulting. I love their clones and I hope they keep pumping them out, but why lie about this?

    Anyway, keep it up, Behringer. I can finally afford to buy the sounds I love so much.

  37. Total Bull *$%*

    They need to realise that from a company that makes a habit of “stunts” this kind of low level crap will only push people away…

    I’ve spoken with 4 people today.. all of us laughing about this “glitch” (my arse!) and how it made us all realise once and for all that we’ll never be buying from this bunch…

    It’s a shame because on a technical/design level there are some amazingly creative individuals… but then as you get further towards the top, things start to fall apart….

    1. “on a technical/design level there are some amazingly creative individuals…”

      Maybe whatever MIDAS team they acquihired for the Deepmind, but the clones are being developed by others and I’m guessing the delays for the Moog clone are because they’ve biffed something or other.

  41. If a company actually keeps both it’s intranet and extranet content on the same CMS and server and risks publishing info on a public-facing site, then they are guilty of astonishingly bad decision making. Would you trust these people to build your bargain-basement dream synth clone?

    1. There were no pictures, just text.
      Synthtopia got 2 other posts about this, you’ll find some copy/paste there. Also check the comments, Mike made sure that we don’t miss a single detail of the totally accidentally leak.

  45. This is a wonderful market locking mechanism for Behringer. They had to declare it as a being ‘glitch’ because otherwise, they could be prosecuted.

  48. wow everybody seems to be an IT expert these days, having detailed knowledge of behringer‘s setup and infrastructure. Ofc it is totally possible that i was published unintentionally. i am not going into details, if you are saying that a mistake like this is impossible you clearly lack the knowledge to have an opinion about this topic.

    1. Now you got me curious, please go into details. Perhaps you can share some of your insider knowledge with the unworthy, clueless crowd? Please?

    2. This is incredibly credulous. Are you familiar with Uli’s “post garbage on Gearslutz and trash your competitors” marketing/PR policy?

      He did it intentionally, he didn’t “accidentally” send the link to these sites.

      You don’t know anything about IT if you think this is an IT issue.

  49. Well, well, well…
    WASP DELUXE trademarked by Behringer’s MUSIC Group IP Ltd.

    Spotted by Soviet Space Child and reported on Matrixsynth.

    Behringer’s other trademarks…
    OBERHEIM 
    OB-XA
    OSCAR
    FOUNTAIN
    PIPELINE
    WASP
    WASP DELUXE

    1. In the US to apply for a federal Trademark in a given category, you have to have used the Trademark while selling a product in that category across interstate lines.

      Behringer would need to actually sell a product with the trademark to apply for and receive a legitimate trademark.

      Like Korg when they stole the expired ARP Trademark. They slapped it on some products, shipped them, then the trademark was approved.

      In this case some joker at Music Group, after seeing the jokers at Korg successfully steal trademarks, has been applying en masse for every old abandoned trademark he can find that has any connection to musical instruments.

      For these trademarks to stand he’ll have to show they used these marks in interstate commerce with products in their designated categories.

  53. Is Uli’s explanation suspect? Of course! This is merely marketing… probably sending out ‘feelers’ for which products to pursue. It’s a great strategy, it will work, and I couldn’t be more thrilled at the prospect of scoring the criminally elusive EMS vcs3! IF it makes the cut, which probably won’t happen. But one can dream…

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