Does The Behringer Neutron Need A Better Faceplate?

Does the Behringer Neutron synthesizer need a better faceplate?

That’s the question raised by synthesist Mick Gründer, who is planning a run of alternate front panels for the new synth:

He shared his thoughts on Facebook:

Considering how many people hate the look of the upcoming Behringer Neutron synth. And Grayscale already mentioning they will not be doing a faceplate for it. I decided to draw one for myself, with a bit of a Grayscale touch blended with my own style. Here is the mockup I did.

If there are enough people in for it, I might have a 100 of them made. Depending on demand of course. Let me know! 🙂

FYI: As the module is not out yet, the dimensions and position of everything is not confirmed and I’ll have to engineer that the day it’s available.

Check out the alternate faceplate and let us know what you think!

60 thoughts on “Does The Behringer Neutron Need A Better Faceplate?”

  2. I dont think a new faceplate is essential but would definitely prefer another design if the option was on the cards. Not a big fan of the red look

  3. Yeah I actually think it looks great. I think it’s breathing a little life into the scene with a welcome FUN aesthetic instead of the gadgety or POWER look of most things or right now.

    2. Don’t forget, the Moog ones will be handmade out of recycled hemp paper, printed with hand-cut engravings created by transgender Bedouins using ink from a sustainably milked Architeuthis and will only be available in a limited quantity of 100 signed editions selling for $2999.

    3. @Eric: Ha, that would be fun!

      Don’t know which I would prefer then: a M32 with a red faceplate or a B-Neutron with a Moog faceplate. From what I’ve heard so far they are not exactly comparable, fortunately, but both are very interesting small semi-modular machines that could well live together (apart from their faceplates).
      First look on the red Neutron is shocking, but second thought / looks are not so bad. The Neutron is kind of a rebel, potential winning newcomer and I think the red faceplate is appropriate to mark that.

  5. I think having the notches around the dials is preferable for any synth without patch memory (if you have to recall a sound), but other than that nitpick, I really like the black faceplate.

    1. exactly… but no one seems to have noticed how tiny the filter knobs are and how you can easily knock the huge oscillator pitch knobs trying to tweak the filter… cos everyone loves going out of tune randomly…

  8. Why are some “artists” in love with BORING?. “We love the rainbow flag, but not in my studio rack”? I am already used to the Neutron look. That black face is a stupid non creative black hole of doom.

    1. Why are some people so concerned with the aesthetic preferences of others? This replacement faceplate doesn’t take away from your ability to keep the original. You may as well complain about what kind of clothes other people are wearing or what kind of food they like to eat.

    2. Agreed. Very vanilla. Black vanilla. A nice idea tho and a great alternative to those who want to spend an extra hundred bucks on a $299 synth hehe

    1. I would love to see the alternate graphics but done in black against the red background. Then legibility and flair both are served, although I agree about having notches added for better ability to recreate patches.

    1. The original really grew on me as well. I’m still not wild about the 70s sci-fi logo, but the label typography is legible and classy (DIN!) and the crazy patterns, while indeed crazy, are low-contrast enough that they recede into the background. And people who don’t like the red… do they hate Nords too?

  13. Seriously….the vibrant red faceplate on the Neutron looks awesome….the faceplate of the Waldorf Xtk was orange …and it stood out…was well received

  18. Red is fine but Jesus Christ the graphic design on the Neuron is unbearable, and I’ve never complained about a synth’s design before.

    1. My thoughts exactly.

      If you’re not going to go with what’s been proven to work onstage – highly legible white text on a dark background – you better know what you’re doing and come up with something better.

      The Deepmind has a pretty decent design, but the Neutron and the Model D both look really amateurish, and the designs will create usability problems for people.

      Behringer needs to hire Grayscale to handle the front panels, end of story.

      1. If you dont like it…recolor it…not too hard, a hassle perhaps….all synths should come in multiple colors to appeal to a wider audience but thats just my opinion

      2. I’m pretty sure the Neutron’s white on red silkscreening will be more legible onstage than, say, most Dreadbox panels. One of the big differences is that even with all the stuff going on, Behringer is using good typography (except for the logo…).

        Like, on the Abyss, Dreadbox coupled this too-thin weight of what looks like Futura with some font they must have found on a free fonts site, and then printed it blue on black, which is basically the worst combination for low-light or high-glare conditions. Meanwhile Behringer is using a medium weight of DIN, which is a font family used in highway signage, and obviously red on white is used in many high-visibility applications like emergency vehicles.

    2. I’d love this new edition in BLACK text on the red faceplate with the addition of notch rings added for ease of recalling patches. It would look amazing.

  23. Well…as I assume the color of the faceplate has ZERO effect on the end sound…I can’t say I care what color it is.

    It is a tool for sound, it’s appearance is largely inconsequential. The only people who care what your gear-rack look like are other musicians.

  26. I like the idea of a more minimalist Neutron, but this one’s missing some important things. Most important is the divisions between sections: since the knobs are mostly in a grid, it’s a lot easier to visually navigate the Neutron with the outlines around the knob groups. Add that back in and I think this would be a winner.

  27. Only a handful of companies can actually do decent faceplates..
    let me see, hmm erica synths, dreadbox, mutable instruments.. Can’t think of anyone else..

    1. Personally I think Doepfer, Intellijel and Synthesis Technology do a good job as well. I’ll take boring and clear over bold and/or exotic any day.

  28. The Neutron looks like a Mother 32 masquerading as some new product from Behringer. Come on, you clearly have a knack for plagiarism that would get you expelled in school.

  29. I think the one thing that’s missing in the “grey” design is the stronger visual grouping of the controls. As an interface guy, users are better served when they can quickly and clearly identify control groupings for related functions.

  30. This blood red front (plus the strange line background on the patchbay) is indeed a stopper for me.
    But the alternate suggestion seems to be even worse – for these tiny letters I’ll need a magnifier….

  31. I think the only thing it has not got but needs is memories. What a great synth.
    It is a crime you can’t save the sounds.

  33. Yes please! Red is an awful color and I don’t want to look at it every day in my studio. The Virus A gave me hard time already, but the Neutron is really nasty. Color sensitivity is a thing, especially with creative minds.

  35. The red is not so bad. It’s just the horrible graphics. They are ghastly! Saying that this new design beats the current one hands down. I’d take that any day over the red with graphics or even just red. I’ll be looking to get hold of one of these ASAP, along with a Neutron.

  37. the knobs controlling oscillator pitch are ridiculously large for no reason. actually getting in the way of other controls. this signals some seriously bad design. no faceplate can fix it. whoever designed this does not use synths.

    1. There’s enough space around these two knobs, and the man who designed it knew what he was doing, as fine tuning is important in the analogue world – and it’s easier with big knobs….

  38. I’m not a fan of the red (no I don’t like Nord’s look either) but I love the patterns and the retro font. The patterns are subdued enough that they don’t dominate the panel but they’re interesting and attractive.
    I would love to get my lunch hooks on a green or gray-blue version of this but the red is not enough to put me off, I plan on buying one.

  39. The Behringer aesthetics are just awful. Retro in the way a mullet is retro. Yuck. I like the alternative panel and would definitely buy and fit that instead of having to stare at the red mess. Otherwise it looks like being a decent synth especially considering the price.

  40. I think it is the worst. It looks the the packaging on a generic Dollar General squirt gun or something. But, maybe people are into that vibe? I love the look of Make Noise stuff, but I know it puts some people off.

  41. It’s ugly as hell. It looks like something that would be marketed to a 10 year-old boy. Silver would have been simple, sleek, and sexy.

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