Behringer today introduced the Phara-O Mini, a knockoff of the Korg Volca Mini, with Egyptian styling and hieroglyphics.
The Phara-O Mini is a paraphonic analog design. Like the Volca Keys, it offers three analog oscillators and a low-pass filter, based on the Korg Mini-700S synthesizer.
It’s the latest in their line of Mini synths, which like the Volcas, pair basic synth engines with a capacitive touch keyboard in a compact package.
Here’s the official intro video:
Features:
- Portable analog polyphonic and programmable synthesizer
- Analog signal path based on VCO, VCF and VCA designs
- 27 touch-sensitive keys
- 3 VCOs with saw or square waveforms
- Low-pass filter based on Mini-700S synthesizer from the 70s
- Multi-mode ring modulator on square waves for metallic sound effects
- 16-step motion sequencer with 10 memory slots and recording of knob movements
- Delay effect
- Extensive play modes featuring poly, unison, octaves, fifths, ring unison and ring poly
- LFO with 3 waveforms and sync for pitch and filter cutoff
- Envelope generator to modulate VCA, pitch and filter cutoff modulation
- USB Type C allows powering via smartphone, power bank or computer
- Sync Input and Output to synchronize with your other synthesizers or drum machines
- MIDI implementation (including NRPN/CC control of all parameters and bulk load/save)
Pricing and Availability:
The Behringer Phara-O Mini is shipping now, priced at $99 USD.
Note: It typically takes a month or two for Behringer gear to be available at its retail partners after it starts shipping.
It’s sounding nothing like the Volca Keys 😛
Good to see them making affordable instruments like this so we don’t have to put up with all the volca elites hoarding their expensive rare gear.
tfw you want a taste of that teenage engineering weirdness but it’s super off-brand
‘Bizarre’ is the right word to use.
I kinda like that they’ve highlighted the most important knob in each category (cutoff, dcay/release, detune, rate, delay time), but the overall… aesthetics, shall we say… is more than questionable.
I’ll probably grab 4 of these to make a minor 9th chord and then sell them for 20 bucks each
The layout of the controls isn’t bad, but WTF were they smoking when they came up with those graphics?
I don’t understand why a company would intentionally add graphics that detract from the usability of an instrument. This is just making it busy!
The music of the official intro video were not created with that synth lol
The Microfreak and Microfreak Stellar had some plants and star drawings respectively so seems this their take at personalizing a synth. Also now everyone wants to have “cool animations” many synths have nowadays, not sure if it was Elektron or TE who started this.
Now I want a churro themed synth. Why? Because.
Hhh, I actually think this is this nicest looking synth they’ve made thus far.
Do I want it? No.
Do I like the look of it. Yes.
I can see how it can be a polarising design. However, for years people have criticised them for having poor design. At least this is original, in looks anyway.
I’m trying to look for a clever pun, but maybe there isn’t one. Maybe Volca was an Egyptian god? How do you pronounce Phara-o? Why not write Pharaoh? Could be a pun on paraphonic, but that’s quite a stretch.
I bet they all take acid during their “brainstorming” sessions to come up with ideas like this.
Just what I’ve been missing, an ancient Egyptian synthesizer. I find it amusing that the demo music clearly didn’t come from the product. I wanted to hear the synth, not a soundtrack for the graphics! Duh! 😛