Behringer today officially introduced the Behringer PRO-800, an 8-voice polysynth module, based on the Sequential Prophet-600 synth engine.
The PRO-800 copies the 40 year-old synth design of the Prophet-600, but increases the polyphony from 6 to 8 voices and incorporates the GliGli firmware mods, which expand on the original’s synthesis options. The Behringer version also cuts manufacturing costs, compared to the original design, by eliminating the keyboard, shrinking the interface to fit the Eurorack format and using modern mass-production build techniques.
The updated design features a noise generator, full MIDI cc control, USB MIDI connectivity, dual polyphonic sequencer, dedicated LFO with 6 waveshapes and VCA overdrive.
Some may question Behringer’s decision to retain the worst aspects of the original’s interface, the membrane switch control and limited LED display. But, by retaining these elements, the Behringer PRO-800 copies the look of the original, which will increase the perceived value of the synth for some, compared to similarly priced synths that have much more powerful synth engines, like Behringer’s own Deepmind 6, the ASM Hydrasynth Explorer or the Korg Modwave.
Pricing and Availability
The Behringer PRO-800 synthesizer is expected to be available in April 2023, priced at $599 USD.
This just demonstrates how profitable it is for Behringer to milk fan-service ignorance.
This synth is a copy of a synth design that was gimped even back in the 80s.
Knockoff the original’s looks, though, and people’s brains turn off. Suddenly they think that a shrinky-dinked copy of an old synth is a great deal.
The original is expensive on Reverb because not because it’s a great synth, but because it’s rare. This is $50 of electronics in a $600 package.
For a few years my live rig was two triple tier stands; bottom level were a Juno-60 and a Prophet 600, above those were Casio CZ1000s and the top tier were the Pro-Ones. Never really liked the membranes on the 600, but for what it was back in the day it worked. Wouldn’t buy this new version, not really into hardware synths anymore, other than what I already own.
So even though I owned the original… no nostalgia for me on this one lol. JMO.
> This is $50 of electronics in a $600 package.
Even if this is true, someone has to assemble those components into a working device and also turn a profit. A $50 pile of components doesn’t help me make music. An assembled instrument does. So perhaps there’s more to the cost than you’re giving credit for.
OK, so we will add $50 for assembly and shipping, plus $100 wholesale & retail margin, plus $50 of taxes and duties. This leaves $400 gross margin for Behringer. Irrespective of this being correct of not, one should understand the whole value chain leading to the retail price to undertand the margins of all parties, from producer, importer and distribution.
General rule of thumb is that retail price is 4x to 5x of the raw manufacturing cost.
it’s more like 20x times the cost of manufacturing for beringer, probably more,
4 to 5 is usually a boutique brands made of 3 people, usually considered very high standard and low margin.
start your own businesses of synth manufacturing and you will never complain about prices again.
I work for a manufacturer that builds gear in China. Music Tribe still has to purchase microcontrollers direct from STM, along with various other surprisingly expensive components. There’s no way they’re running at 20X.
20 times? That does not add up as just a few of the components in this synth costs far more than 30 dollar even for Behringer…
what components exactly?
The chips. i Did not mean they cost 30 bucks each but a few together does even for Behringer.And then you have all other components pots and display etc..
You are way off in your calculations! Behringer have really low margins compared to most other MI manufacturers. I believe they actually sell a lot of products below their own cost..
No successful company ‘sells a lot of products below their own cost’.
The exception is companies that sell loss leaders. A good example of this is printer manufacturers selling you computer printers at or below cost, so that they can get you on horribly overpriced cartridges.
The industry standard for wholesale prices is that they are generally 50% of retail. So, unless Behringer is getting a lot more aggressive with its super-retailers, the company knows that they can make a profit selling the Pro-800 wholesale for around $300.
Average profit margin for consumer electronics is a little over 21%. So it would be pretty reasonable to expect Behringer’s cost to be around $240.
The electronics in a synth like this cost Behringer around $50-60. The case, knobs and other components probably bring their cost to about twice that, $100-120.
Packaging, printing, etc & costs for shipping probably account for another $40-50.
That leaves around $70 to cover all their development and manufacturing costs, which isn’t a lot. With products like this, Behringer has to aim for high volume in order for their products to be viable. That $70 in labor costs is about 30% of the wholesale cost, which is typical for consumer electronics.
These estimates are speculation, but speculation based on what’s typical in the consumer electronics industry.
Sorry, but suggesting that the electronics in this cost hundreds of dollars or that Behringer sells synths at a loss is absurd.
It is not absurd that Behringer sells products at a loss. They like many other companies in China do so with the chinese governments approval and support just to get western currencies into China..
Your comments are very confused.
Behringer is not a Chinese company. Behringer is in business to make money and they make a lot of it.
They manufacture in China because their manufacturing costs are less than half what they’d be in the West. This means that they can sell synths for less and still make a lot of money.
If you really think Behringer is going to sell this at a loss, explain why this synth would cost them more than $600 to manufacturer, and if so, why they’d bother making it.
Can someone be kind to this question and provide guidance as to how to confirm wether this synthesizer’s OSC can be tuned to whatever frequency one would like as opposed to the fixed fundamental note of 440Hz on the DeepMind 12? I say be kind, as the questioner does not have experience with the original Prophet 600 and does not know how to confirm by looking at the Pro 800’s panel.
Much love to you all in your esponses that may come as a result of this question.
Where else can you get an 8 voice vco-based poly? I don’t think there is much else out there below 1k. You can start saying, do you need vco’s, do you need 8 voices, but if someone wants this spec, there is nothing else, is there?
That said, you may have something about the looks. For me I’d rather have original design, but there are still people shouting “give us a Behringer Juno clone” despite the Deepmind…
Agreed on both points. The Korg Prologue-8 is an 8-voice with VCOs but it’s a keyboard rather than a desktop module and $1.2K. And of course the (DCO-based) Deepmind was inspired by the Juno but isn’t a strict clone or “knockoff” due to its somewhat different design, voice count, and other enhancements.
First time on Synthtopia? Welcome. We dont have any pedastals to spare but your more than welcome to echo your opinion. Copying happens in so many facets of the product and manufacturing industry, nothing new to see here really.
But assuming that anyone interested in this product doesnt have enough brain cells to see that its a knockoff is just silly. Cant just assume dumb to make your arguement smart.
Now for the product. It sounds good. The End.
“…echo your opinion.” That about sums this cesspool up:) This site is like a sociology experiment. Stanley Milgram, your table is ready…
First of all, Milgram was a psychologist, not a sociologist. Second, the study he is most famous for “Obedience”, wasn’t really an “experiment”. Third, true experiments in sociology are very rare, if they even exist at all.
Somebody get the law on the phone there is pedanterast on loose!
What, exactly, is a pedanterast?
Don’t worry: it will never ever come on the market, like everything Uli has announced in the last 2 years
If it comes out next year like they say it will you buy me one, if it does not…I will give you $600, deal?
So: what makes you think that after 100 broken promises Uli will keep this one instead? Why are you so sure? Have you seen the Pro800 pallets loading onto the cargo at Shenzhen port?
there’s always a romantic Behringer fan who tries to defend the indefensible…
here’s another guy with no idea what low cost, high volume (for synths), platform engineering and manufacturing are all about; it’ll ship when the parts to build it in volume when the BOM cost meets target. nobody *builds* product at a loss – you only blow out inventory at a loss.
fwiw, I have tons of recent synth product they have shipped.
Who cares about Uli’s problems: The difficulties that the Behringer company may encounter are part of his job. What Uli says about new releases are just lies, his credibility is zero
Again, what has he said about new releases that are lies?
Without examples, it looks like you’re just making crap up.
What are these ‘100 broken promises’ of which you speak?
Behringer has introduced their products for the last year with the caveat that they would not be able to put them into production until the global parts situation got better. They even labeled some of these introductions #hardvaporware!
The original P600 was updated by the very capable Gigli Mod, who worked on this, so his fixes/updates are included in this version, so fwiw this should be much more capable than the original.
Might be time to check your own ignorance. While the og had some challenges with envelopes this corrects those issues and gives you more features with the respected Gligli mods, this is basically a prophet 5 with extra voices and features for $600 not $4,000. An analogue hardware poly synth with 8 voices for $600 is an amazing deal.
I remember playing a Prophet-600 when it was first released and gimped is the proper word to describe it. Boring, static sound, slow envelopes. Just because it’s an old analog, doesn’t make it good. To clone this thing wasn’t a good move by Behringer. What’s next the Behringer version of a Korg Poly-800?
I owned a P600 for many years, had it repaired for $378 only for it to crap out again a year later. I was so unhappy to sell it for the money pit it became. It would be nice to own a working Pro-800 with updated features. IMO, the Pro-800 can be a throwback to remind musicians how music is really made and where it all started. With a terribly outdated interface and a technology that makes us become musically creative because of it’s limitations.
There is no way that the cost of the electronics in the pro 800 is just 50 bucks even though Behringer buys components in bulk very cheaply they don’t get them for free….
I would guess Behringers total cost for it is around 200 bucks plus a lot of other costs…
Do some research or some synth DIY. Cases and panels for synths generally cost way more than the electronics.
I know what I am talking about. Cases and panels do cost a bit but for Behringer far les than the electronics. Remember this is a 8 voice analog synth…
So it’s suddenly a crime to make money if you’re in business? … and here I was thinking that the profit I made from my business to feed my family and pay my bills was legitimately earned… wow… my bad.
To me it looks like a decent competitor to the Prophet ’08 or Rev2 (but with VCOs rather than DCOs.) I have gotten great mileage out of the P’08.
The Deepmind is also a decent competitor – for a few dollars more you get 12 voices though with DCOs like the P’08/Rev2.
The Hydrasynth and Modwave seem like great synths (and polyphonic aftertouch on the ASM seems like a pretty great feature for a mini keyboard) but they’re on the digital side so not quite what the Pro-800/Deepmind/Prophet modules are delivering.
> This is $50 of electronics in a $600 package.
If you open a Sequential Circuits Prophet 600 and look under the hook, how much value will you then find on your BOM, if you dont focus on the sound and only the core components, maybe $49 or less?
I’m surprised that no one has commented about the fact that it’s in Euro format, but isn’t even semi-modular.
There’s literally one fixed CV input.
The fact that you could probably mount it in a Euro frame if you wanted to is just coincidental. Why would you? Same as the Solina clone. I doubt anybody ever intended these things to become part of a modular synth. Since the Model D, I think that Behringer has decided that its smaller synths without keyboards would all be the same size as a cost savings factor.
yup, a silly complaint; the 70hp & 80HP are platforms for cost reduction. has nothing to do with the number of CV’s to presents. i was never a sequential fan.
There’s a well-established standard for rack-mount synths that’s been around for 40 years they could follow.
Or if they just made this a desktop synth, they could use a much more usable interface.
Literally the only benefit of this being in Eurorack format is that you could mount this in your modular.
But they didn’t actually think that through when they gave it a single CV in, fixed to filter cutoff. That gives you nothing that you don’t already have. There’s a knob on the front that lets you do filtersweeps or you could do it in patch with the LFO.
It seems that they’re so dead-set on doing a knockoff that they don’t put any effort into actually thinking through what they’re building.
Modular doesn’t just process or deal in CV. You can pass audio through modular systems. My small system deals primarily with audio/fx processing. The pro 800 would fit right at home there. Also, Behringer makes stands for their euro rack compatible synths. You can stack this synth with your other Behringer synths using those stands. They’ve though this through, you haven’t
“Or if they just made this a desktop synth, they could use a much more usable interface.” … By what word other than “desktop” would you use to refer to a a synth with wooden side and front panels, feet, and an enclosed back? The fact that you would have to remove at least the wooden panels, suggests that this synth is intended to be used as a desktop. That you can reduce it to a front panel and mount it in a Eurorack frame is just an emergent property of its physical dimensions.
Making this service two masters – desktop and Eurorack – unnecessarily constrains the height and width of the synth interface to one of their pre-defined widths.
The original designs created interfaces that were usable. Behringer is just shrinking the interface down and squishing the design to fit on a smaller panel.
If you look at what experienced designers do – like Sequential – they make their desktop modules with interfaces that are very usable.
It should be obvious to anyone with any synth experience that Behringer’s knockoffs are making some fairly significant compromises to the original designs in order to meet a cheap price point.
Synthesists shouldn’t wear rose-colored glasses and think that Behringer is givig you a $4,000 synth for $600. You’re buying a $400 synth for $600 and thinking it’s a deal, because they made it look like a $4,000 synth.
This is either Behringer bashing or your fingers are just too fat to turn smaller knobs. I had real Minimoogs in my studio/gig stands for over 25 years. Even in the dark, I could reach out and grab the correct knob when I needed to. When I first got the Behringer Model D, I couldn’t do that right away. However, having it in the same location in my studio for a couple of months allowed my brain to translate the motions necessary to do the same things with it in the dark that I could do with the Minis. As far as the Model D is concerned, from a quality of sound standpoint, you really are buying a $5000 synth for $275 (or whatever they sell for now). Since there isn’t a real comparison to be made for the PRO-800 I have no idea what you might compare it to. However, there are a lot of analog polysynths out there now. I doubt you can find one for under $1000.
I welcome introduction of knockoffs to the synth market, but also find it humorous that some many people, like you, think they’re a huge bargain.
Vintage Minimoogs are worth what they are because they are rare.
The reissues are worth what they are, because they’re made using traditional build techniques, so you can basically get a brand new vintage Minimoog.
The Behringer knockoffs are worth what they are, because copying the look of an expensive synth fools people into thinking they’re getting a bargain. You literally stated this, “you really are buying a $5000 synth for $275”. That’s complete nonsense.
You’re buying a $50 mass-produced PCB, packaged in a cheap case that copies the look of something expensive.
I welcome the PRO-800 as a new option for synthesists. But again, it’s humorous that all Behringer has to do is copy the look of a vintage synth, and people forget that there are lots of great analog synths, readily available under $1000, that completely run circles around the PRO-800.
It’s ludicrous that the PRO-800 costs almost as much as a Deepmind 12 – which has 50% more polyphony, is full-sized, has a keyboard, has a deeper synth engine and offers great built-in effects.
Yes, I stated this … “you really are buying a $5000 synth for $275”, but you have totally neglected the most important modifying clause … “from a quality of sound standpoint,” Some people, me included, are interested in purchasing synths that have particular sound characteristics and don’t really care where they are built, what they look like, or what fabrication techniques are used. We purchase synths for the sounds they make, and how we might use them in our compositions. From my considerable experience with “vintage” Minimoogs, I am contending that the one synth that I’ve heard, that has been produced in the last couple of decades, that actually sounds like a vintage Minimoog is the Behringer Model D. Now, I haven’t had hands-on experience with this latest $5k Moog clone, but the Behringer is substantially closer to the tonality of a vintage Mini (from my experience with three 70s era Minis) than is the 2016 re-issue, for example. So, if you are going to quote me, please don’t quote me out of context. I stand by my comment that the Behringer (independently of its <$300 cost) is giving you a synth that sounds remarkably identical to a vintage Minimoog at a cost that is well below that of a synth that is rumored to do the same (which according to Moog now costs $5k to purchase from them). And, NO, that isn't "complete nonsense".
What you and others can’t seem to accept is that the electronics for analog synths can be made dirt cheap these days. This is just a fact of the state of electronics.
When you buy a Behri-moog or a Poly-800, you’re buying a machine-made PCB, stuffed with surface mount parts, that costs $50 or less in the volume in which their made. Most of your money goes for the case, panel, box and shipping.
Moog could do the same thing with the Minimoog – approximate it with an SMT board – and get just as close to the original as Behringer has. That’s what they do with their Euro synths.
But if Moog did that with the Minimoog, EVERYBODY would say it’s not the same as the original. That’s what people said with the Voyager. And they’d be right. The Voyager and the Behri-Moog are close, but they are not the same, in sound or as instruments, as the original.
So instead, Moog has dudes hand-soldering PCBs that are exact copies of the ones from the 70s, using through-hole parts. And then they build it into an instrument made of hardwood and metal, with a premium keyboard, and they build it using construction techniques that have proven themselves over 50 years. And they do it with US labor. Moog is OCD about the way they do this and it’s that heirloom quality instrument build that people are paying for and loving.
I think your position and mine aren’t really that far apart – it’s more a matter of perspective.
I just see foolishness in people thinking that they are getting a ‘bargain’ when they spend $350 on a Behringer monosynth knockoff or $600 on a knockoff polysynth.
In the case of the Poly-800, you’re getting a cheaply made copy of a 40-year-old design, which itself was gimped to begin with. This fact is less a criticism of Behringer’s knockoff strategy than it is of people’s naive attitude towards these knockoffs.
All Behringer has to do is copy the look of an expensive synth, and people are blinded to the reality that there are MUCH more capable modern analog synth designs – from Behringer, Novation, Korg, Roland and others – that are just as cheap as these knockoffs.
Unfortunately, the nesting won’t allow me to reply to your later post. What you don’t seem to get is that I really don’t care about the “love and honor” that goes into producing a $5000 Moog copy of a synth they made 50 years ago. When I purchased my Behringer Model D, I did so because it sounds exactly like the Minimoogs I used to own. You keep getting hung up on “the look of vintage synths”, and what you apparently neglect to address is the sound of the synths. If Behringer can produce a Minimoog clone that sounds like an actual vintage Minimoog, I don’t care how they do it or how much it cost them. I loved my Minimoogs, but I don’t miss them so much as to even want to replace them with a $5000 clone that may not even sound like they did (if the 2016 reissue is any indication). For $275 (which is what I per-ordered my Behringer Model D for at Sweetwater), I was all in!
It’s a polysynth in a eurorack skiff, which is weird.
Why? Just because you could mount it in a Eurorack frame (because of the physical dimensions of its front panel), doesn’t mean that it was intended for that purpose.
dude they’ve been doing this for a couple of years… you’re late to the non-party.
it IS a desktop synth. a benefit IS you can put it in your rack, AND you modulate the filter with a foot pedal or anything you didn’t even bother to consider. why are you even complaining about it? they’re not even good complaints. wait for the next Behringer post and do BETTER complaining!
I absolutely intend on adding the solina into a modular system.
On a polysynth, where everything is per voice, what would you want semimodular to do? I don’t think anyone ever got that right. I guess one point that could have been fun would be an assignable CV that connects to the polymod matrix.
Just think about how useful if Behringer had taken the time to at least make that single CV mappable? Then it it might actually make sense to mount this in a Eurorack system.
Mappable CV is probably a firmware hack/update. The neutron is very flexible with the assignable midi/cv’s.
It’s a feature that Behringer isn’t providing, because it’s closed hardware and firmware.
An interesting trend in the comments is that people are complaining that $599 is too expensive for an analog polysynth. The market has been reframed by the release of their cheap monosynths and the announcement of their unreleased $99 toy synths last year. All of a sudden, there’s a new generation that sees anything that isn’t a cut-price Behringer as too expensive.
Behringer hasn’t really pushed prices down, they’ve just brought knockoffs to the industry. Knockoffs make you think you’re getting a better deal than you really are, because they look like something expensive.
If you look at Doepfer’s Eurorack modules, they’re priced comparably to Behringer’s modules, and they’ve been around for 20 years. They have clones of all the classic 70’s modules. Behringer makes you think you’re getting a better deal than you really are, though, by going a step further and copying the look of famous modules. Suddenly you think you’re getting a deal!
Why do you think that paying $350 for a Behringer Pro-1 or D is a great deal? Because it looks like something expensive! But for $50 less, you can get a WAY more powerful analog synth, the Korg monologue. The monologue has patch storage, a much deeper synth engine, a step sequencer with parameter locks, MIDI CC support, better build quality and even exotic features like microtuning. Why pay more for a Behringer knockoff that has none of those features?
Yeah apart from the fact the Monologue doesn’t sound anywhere near as good as any of the Behringer copies, I had one, sold it very quickly. I use a few Behringer units daily
People buy things because they like the sound. I had a monologue, minilogue xd, and a Pro 1 and the only I kept was the Pro 1. The sound is phenomenal and I am able to coax a ton of sounds out of it. The monologue and minilogue xd always sounded thin to me, even with processing. That made them not worth it to me, regardless of price. Let people enjoy what they want to enjoy. There’s a market out there for people other than yourself.
Superb news
Does this mean the dam is finally breaking on all the synths that Behringer introduced, but were blocked because of parts shortages?
I’m waiting for the Synth knockoff!
True to Behringer form, for the price, this thing is quite remarkable. In today’s synth world $600 amounts to, pretty much, nothing. If I had a place to put it, I would definitely purchase one, just to have it around. However, I’m still waiting for the UB-Xa, though. That, I will pull the trigger on as soon as one can actually be purchased.
I wish the receive comments was automatic
There’s an option in the comment form to “Notify me of new comments via email”.
I don’t think Synthtopia could default that to being selected because email signup forms have to be opt-in in Europe and probably other areas, too
Thank you for pointing that out, but I am already aware of its existence. My problem is that this is the only multi-user group that I am registered for where you need to click that box for every topic in which you make a comment, so sometimes I forget to do it. I’m no expert on European law, but it is hard for me to believe that you couldn’t provide an option for an all-inclusive opt-in. I understand why such laws are considered important, but shouldn’t it be up to the receiver whether or not they want to be bombarded by messages they may not care about, just so they can get the occasional important (to them) message they might have missed otherwise? Also, I don’t believe I’ve ever checked the “Notify me of new posts via email” box, yet I still receive new posts (assuming this means new posts originating at Synthtopia).
Maybe you could file a lawsuit or something?
I wish I had something more constructive to add than this, but I don’t: this is a dumb instrument and adds nothing to the world. Just totally uninspired and cynical.
You’re right, I wish you had something more constructive too, it does add something whether you believe so or not, quit being so miserable
Does it have more CVs at rear panel side? Front panel have only Sync + FilterCV.. This is all about CV i/o?
Pro-1 is better in CV way.. but Pro-800 now have full control by Midi CC for all parameters.. that’s cool.
Need to think does I need Pro-1 to save in setup, if plan to buy Pro-800.. its about fifth CV i/o VS Midi CC control..)
I’ll wait for the prophet 6 clone
it actually sounds pretty bad, very disappointed at the price too. if Behringer are to price higher then there isnt any point in buying their gear.
I guess your Apple earpods are broken as it sounds pretty good to me.
I’ll wait for the Donner clone
I suspect by the time these synth come out the market will have moved on…5 years ago I would have killed for something like this, now I already have better more modern analogue synths…no GAS whatsoever for this retro stuff with the retro look and limitations.
Oh… hm..
MONO OUTPUT.
POLYSYNTH 8 VOICES…
mono output… strange!
Think that public modes cant create nothing more than dual-mono hack ((
So that 599 + taxes? That would make it more expensive than a Deepmind 12D ?
Seems like cheap deal are over at Behringer.
The Deepmind 12D is around $800, in the US at least. But look at how much more synth you get – four more analog voices, a much more flexible synth engine, effects, stereo out, etc. xThe Deepmind wipes the floor with this thing, and it came out 5 years go. There’s no comparison.
Or look at how much more synth that you can get around the same price from Korg, Hydrasynth, Modal, Yamaha Reface line, Roland Boutique line, etc.
Price this around $400 and it would start to make more sense. They’re charging you an extra $200 for the nostalgia factor. And anyone that’s used one of those membrane interfaces knows that they suck hard.
And numbers for patch names. How stupid is that in 2022? 400 patches named with numbers, and no way to organize them, and no preset buttons, is butt-stupid in a modern synth.
“And anyone that’s used one of those membrane interfaces knows that they suck hard.”
after repeated use, especially using it live, they eventually get goofy, pressing the membranes messed me up more than once live lol.
“And numbers for patch names. How stupid is that in 2022?”
It was stupid back in the day as well.
Back in the day, seven-segment LEDs were pretty much the standard means of displaying numeric information on most electronic devices. As for Sequential, even modern instruments (e.g., Prophet 6) use them. In “decimal” mode, two units are capable of indexing 100 programs, in “hexadecimal” mode, two units are capable of indexing 256 programs. Also, back in the day, those of us who couldn’t remember which patch went with which number used a device rarely used by today’s electronic musician … pencil and paper.
Back in the day blood letting was the standard cure for most every ailment lol
But hey, at least your MiniMoog looked cool on top of your Pianet T.
Membranes sucked and patch numbers versus names is something I would never go back to, but feel free to walk 10 miles to school in the snow lol.
lol – They really out here touting membrane switches as a feature?
Believe me: You don‘t need it.
Hmm… I think I’ll just get a MicroFreak, thank you very much.
I hope Arturia come out with “The Freak” as a full size synth.
It seems odd to make a great compact poly analogue and not include digital effects. The first thing anyone does to these synths is add some reverb/chorus/delay which means either a table full of pedals or software. Why not include a delay/chorus/flanger and reverb . Add $100 on but a LOT of usability.
Because, for some people, that would be as useful as tits on a bull. Also, like most earlier Polysynths, the Prophet-600 was mono and didn’t have effects. Personally, I’d rather have a synth that gets the “synth part” correct without adding a cheap effects processor (Kurzweil K2000/K2500 being the exception). Even though they aren’t available anymore, boxes like the tc electronic M100 were perfect for this purpose. In fact, when I purchased my Model D, I picked one of them up for $72 (new) in a package deal with Sweetwater.
Mixers have effects sends, it’s easy enough to pass it through an outboard effects unit. If that’s too complicated, a Zoom MS-70CDR pedal will give you multiple effects at once and you can use it on other gear, too.
I completely disagree. I would rather it be cheaper, and use my own effects instead. Built in effects are lacking (usually) compared to external effects….. specially on budget synths. Plus, I don’t want effects messing with the signal chain. I know on a cheap product like this, they definitely would. My complaint is the membrane buttons. They will last about a year before they crack and peel from heavy use.
Behringer is using a different material that is more durable. That was a chief complaint people had during the original announcement that was addressed.
I owned a pair of Prophet-600s when they were new. I had a P-5, but I loved ganging the P-600s up for the polyphony. Did they have semi-crappy builds? Well, yeah, but I knew they were budget tools, not flagships. They were stepping stones. That’s how I came to grasp LFOs and Poly-Mod. Back then, it was more about low-pass thickness that filled the sound field & they delivered.
My view now: save up for a Prophet-6 or go with software. I understand having a little GAS for it, with 2 added voices. Its simply a matter of what kind of cost/benefit analysis you do. It probably has a fairly accurate Sequential tone, but there are now far better options. The P-600 was mainly pads, a few poly-organ winners, weird leads and sound FX; it didn’t reach as far as today’s synths. If you buy it, just keep in mind the line between a vintage design and one that’s going to show its limitations early on.
“The P-600 was mainly pads, a few poly-organ winners, weird leads and sound FX”
exactly, and for my keyboard solo part of the show it was a sound FX beast
it also had MIDI out unlike my JUNO-60 that I had drag along the MIDI/DCB buss.
Looking back, for my keyboard solo the Roland MSQ-100 had volatile memory so before
every show once it was powered on I would make up some random sequence that I would
foot trigger on when my solo spot came lol, oh man…and I learned how to dial Pro-One patches between songs very quickly back in those “good ole days” lol!
I owned a 600 back in the day……….those were good days.
it’s just that Uli leaves the groundwork for hyperinflation until April. Fasten your seat belts, as you used to have you will never be again. Russia is too tough for you and your dollar turns into paper. The whole world began to switch to settlements in the national currency
The dollar is paper? Always was.
To be honest most of the comments here are from people who seem like they shouldn’t be here anyway, usual crap of people desperate to show online how upset they are about something they really shouldn’t be getting so upset about. Not interested? Off you go
To be honest. If shitting on Behringer products for what they really are is upsetting you up than you’ve been off for a while.
What do you mean by, “…for what they really are…?”
The irony of you posting similar sentiments multiple times, moaning about moaning, is quite delicious. Be the change you wanna see in the world. I wish you well finding a group of people who you deem deserving of being where they are 🙂
do you see the irony in your reply?
do you see mine? 🙂
Can someone be kind to this question and provide guidance as to how to confirm wether this synthesizer’s OSC can be tuned to whatever frequency one would like as opposed to the fixed fundamental note of 440Hz on the DeepMind 12? I say be kind, as the questioner does not have experience with the original Prophet 600 and does not know how to confirm by looking at the Pro 800’s panel.
Much love to you all in your esponses that may come as a result of this question.
you usually can tune any synthesizer to whatever fundamental frequency you like,
the deepmind have a global tune with 0-255 step in cents. this one have a global tune on the right upper side, you may want to use a tuner
Would be OK if it was smaller, as in much less wide, without the old style digital interface. Of course, a lower price is always welcome, but the biggest constraint my well established studio has now is lack of space. When I was young it was lack of money, now it is lack of space, and time.
Ahh, the’ e even replicated the famous “chainsaw on sheet metal DSI sound! I own 3 of Dave’s instruments. Thank God for the cutoff knob.
Oh good…is that a typical Sequential quality? I was noticing how much I like the demos for the P800 at medium and low cutoff settings, but that fizz with the filter wide open has been giving me pause.