18 thoughts on “A Complete Guide To The Behringer K-2 Semi-Modular Synthesizer”

1. Never buy a b-ear-ringer no matter what the cost?! For cryin’ out loud!? just sayin’ thanx folks

   1. If you have open eyes about what you’re buying with Behringer synths – inexpensive knockoffs – they’re pretty good deals for what you get.

      Some people are positively orgasmic about how great a deal Behringer synths are, which strikes me as kind of funny. But if you have experience with higher end gear from other companies, it’s pretty easy to see where Behringer has cheaped out to keep their prices low.

      1. If you can afford high-end gear then you don’t need cheap.

         If you’re a starving musician (or on a budget) then cheap is nice.

         1. If you are starving then you need to have other priorities.

            1. When i bought a Schmidt Synthesizer i starved for 7 days

            2. Thanks for the arbitrary advice, not just on synthesizers but your standards for others around you too. I wish I could be a shut-in.

         2. Also, if it sounds good, it is good… what matters is the music you’re doing with, regardless if it’s an expensive piece of gear, or a cheap one. Sure, if you go on tour, then durability and reliability will be factors too, but let’s not forget they’re just tools… and what matters aren’t tools, but the music.

2. My understanding is this synth is not “euro-format” because it’s not 1v/octave and you actually need a Behringer 961 to make it work with eurorack stuff.

   1. That’s a good point that a lot of people probably don’t understand.

      The K-2 is Eurorack compatible, in that it follows Eurorack physical and power conventions. So you can stick it in your Eurorack case with no problem.

      But the oscillator tracking matches the original MS-20 and uses Hz/V pitch tracking. The MS-20 was released before V/Oct became an established standard, and the K-2 matches the original circuits.

      There are several companies that make MIDI-CV convertors that do Hz/V and there are a lot of keyboards and controllers with CV out that can handle this. So there are Eurorack options for making this work.

      1. If it’s at all like the original then you can patch 1 volt/octave pitch CV into the Total jack to control the synth. The hz/volt is for the pitch tracking off the keyboard.

   2. A 961 is for Moog S-trigger and V-trigger processing; nothing to do with 1v/oct or hz/v ‘standards’.

   3. Technically that’s wrong

      V/Octave is a Moog standard

      Eurorack refers to the 3U panel height and the use of 3.5 mm jacks and sockets

      So with that in mind the K2 is in fact Eurorack format

3. I only followed the link to see who Behringer was stealing from this time.

   1. if you couldn’t tell by now, you’re a boob.

      1. I only followed the link to read another angry replay from John 🙂

4. I get the feeling that B-synths mostly belong in the mini-synth/Boutique-ish category. Taking them on tour is probably not ideal, but if kept safely plugged in at home, you could get a fair number of years from them. Not everyone who likes them can be wrong. Seems to work for Alex Paterson’s recent doings as The Orb. Some people will lose their sh*t if the UB-X *doesn’t* suck.

   My advice: make your base rig more proven brands and use B-synths for seasoning. I’m pretty sure you know if you need a serious (and more pricey) Korg ARP 2600 or if a BARP 2600 will do the job. (I hear you about the Korg/Moog trigger mismatch. I ate the big one over that until I did the math.)

5. I’ll get this soon so I’ll be checking out this video. Thanks a bunch XNB!

6. So is it okay for, say Arturia, to make a software version of the Korg MS20? As a retiree, I will buy a Behringer when it suits my needs and budget, no matter the naysayers. Not the K-2 though, because I already own a real Korg MS20.