Behringer stuff

Steve Richter · From: Neenah, WI USA

Just wondering if anyone has tried any of the Behringer multi-effects or preamps. The prices and features look very attractive from a distance.

Thanks,

SteveR

D Schubert · From: Columbia, MO, USA

Designed in Germany, many features "borrowed" from Mackie and others (lawsuits still pending?), made in China, cheap and reliable in my experience.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Most is "reverse engineered" and as mentioned made in China (but being made in China is no different than a lot of "name" equipment).

They tend to be behind the device they are copying since the "real" device has usually went on to a "new improved" model.

I have a Behringer cable tester and it works well but the instructions were garbage. If it wasn't that I'm an electronics tech I'd still be scracthing my head trying to interpret the lights on some cables.

I had a Behringer "Virtualizer Pro" rack effects unit, and it didn't work bad but I've now got a T.C. Electronics G-Major and it's a major improvement in effects and noise level over the Behringer. Also the Behringer "programming" was very crude and limited.

Steinar Gregertsen · From: Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.

My experience with Behringer is good (I have a Eurorack mixer and used to have a "Composer Pro" compressor), but from what I read on various forums they either work well or not at all (break down quite fast). Perhaps I've just been lucky, but I've never had any issues with my own Behringer stuff (bought the mixer in '00).
Don't know their multieffects, but in general I think factory presets are quite a bit over-the-top on most multieffects, never use them.

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Larry Strawn · From: Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.

I bought my wife a Behringer bass amp last yr. sound is great, so far no problems. Have heard good and bad, quess I'll wait and see how it goes.

Larry

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Emmons S/D-10, 3/4, Sessions 400 Ltd. Home Grown E/F Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY"

gary darr · From: Somewhere out in Texas

We bought a Beringer 24 channel mixing board for our church sound system, It replaced a smaller Mackie 8 channel board,it has worked just as quiet and with good sound quality as the mackie in my opinion plus there's plenty of channels for everything. We have been using the Beringer for over a year and have'nt heard one hiccup out of it.

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Fessenden S-10 3P and 5K Session 500,American standard Strat,Shecter tele,Peavy Classic 50

Steve Richter · From: Neenah, WI USA

Thanks for the input ... I kinda like to try to buy American but you can't find much electronically speaking ..

Steve

Chick Donner · From: North Ridgeville, OH USA

I bought a V-Amp Pro in an attempt to avoid spending the big buck on the PodPro, but after 3 weeks I bought the Pod. Use VAmp at home now. It's OK, but harder to program, not as versatile, and just generallinferior to Pod. Of course, $500 cheaper.

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

You do get what you pay for some times. I've had, or used, a lot of Behringer gear. Some of the rack effects are cheap and have limited control, (but then so do the low-end ones from other manufacturers). For instance, rather than the Behringer multi-effects, I'd recommend something like the $199 M-300 from T.C. Electronics.

Some time back I had a whole bunch of different Enhancers (Aphex Aural, etc.) here in the studio, and though I rarely use enhancement, I checked them all out. Hands down the best sounding was an old Behringer DualFex II. Surprised me...

I have a Behringer Tube Ultragain Pre-amp that works and sounds great, but has had several pot failures (common to Behringer units, I think they buy 'em cheap in bulk and don't test them well enough). Repaired quickly under warranty.

A while back some of the local studios had a blind mic-pre shootout and one of the surprises was how well the Behringer one space Ultragain pro stood up- some swore they could barely hear a difference between it and the Great River high dollar unit. I think it sells for around $129!
I have one and use it all the time.

I also use the Behringer DDX316 digital mixer, completely full-featured fully automated 24 channel board. I'm totally amazed by what it will do for it's (current) retail of $999. Truly amazing board, works great, automation works perfectly. That one is a close copy of the Yamaha, but with quite a few improvements like integral level meters, and oddly, better sounding onboard effects.

I'm torn by the back-engineering technology, but then again I steal licks from everybody...

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Rick Jackson · From: Carson City, Nevada

Has anyone tried the Behringer stereo amp? Would like to hear some input on this if available. Thanks...rj

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

The ethics of back-engineering is a separate issue, I think. My practical experience with Behringer gear is that they offer a lot of bang for the buck with simple power amplification, compression, hard digital delay etc. - anything a robot could design (or steal), they're O.K. However, they can sometimes fall down on more subjective, "musical" design elements like distortion tone, the choice of ranges affected by their tone controls, soft reverb circuitry etc. I'm not sure their reverse engineering ever includes a stage where engineer/musicians with discriminating ears tweak their circuitry. I emphasize "sometimes" - you really have to choose by your own ear. And of course they use cheap parts, but we've gotten awfully picky over the years? When I started playing those awful curly cords were all the rage and if your amp didn't hum it meant it was broke. I don't think I'd trust Behringer gear for a touring stage rig, but bang-for-the-buck is, sadly, a necessary consideration at times.

Will Holtz · From: San Francisco, California, USA

Its pretty hard these days to buy audio electronics that are built in the US, but you certainly can still find stuff that was designed by people here.

Charles Dempsey · From: Shongaloo, LA

I bought one of their Ultra DI-120 boxes. That was one weird piece of equipment. Plug in channel 1 and get output on 1 and 2. Plug in 2 and get output on 1. Took it back and got another one, same problem.

Took that one back and got a Ultra DI-100. I've been using it for a year. It's is a fine robust piece of equipment.

We're thinking about getting a UB-1204 to run small venue sound. Word on the street is they're OK for live.

IMHO, if you buy their stuff, check it out that day. If it doesn't perform up to spec get your money back.

Charlie

Martin Abend · From: Berlin, Germany

It seems that the quality of their stuff varies. Had an Virtualizer Pro that sounded pretty bad and had a high noise level. I'm also working as a DJ and they have this Behringer mixer which I'd like to destroy every time during the sets. The Potis are trash, it sounds like **** and the wiring is, well, creative. My little mixer I use at home is great, on the other hand.

Well, German engineering it ain't.

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martin abend Pedal-Steel in Germany
s-10 sierra crown gearless 3 x4 | GiMa squareneck

Ray Uhl · From: Riverside, Missouri, USA

Peavey invented the lights that denote feedback on their PA's. I bought a Peavey equalizer for my PA rack mount especially for this feature. Guess what, Beringer now has it....hum!! Musician's Friend warehouse here in KC has about four in the discount equipment...not working. I must admit they do have great features.

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

As I live in an apartment, I need to use headphones a lot when I practice. This involves moving my headphones from my PodXt, Triton keyboard, Motif rack module and Korg CX-3 organ. Pain in the butt. So, I bought a Behringer Eurorack pro mixer so I could plug all my gear into it and listen with headphones. I also bought it so I could use the sequencer in my Triton and be able to mix and listen to all my keyboards and my guitar though my PodXt at the same time. It has 8 stereo channels. I thought "Great". Well, the sound is really pathetic. There is no EQ on it. It is meant to be a line mixer only. I have a great sounding concert grand patch in my Motif rack that when played through the mixer sounds distant and like a piano patch you would find on a cheap keyboard. So, now if I want to listen to good quality sound, I plug straight in to the phones jack on the instrument and only use this piece of junk if I want to switch from one keyboard to the other quickly. I would never use this thing in a studio or live. I do have a great Korg rack line mixer that is 6 channels but no phones output if I ever need to go live with my keyboards.

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Carter D10 9p/10k, NV400

[This message was edited by Richard Sinkler on 17 July 2005 at 09:25 PM.]

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

Leslie Ehrlich · From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Ripoff operation? What about all those companies that offered affordable copies of Gibson and Fender guitars? Was that a ripoff operation? If it weren't for copies I probably wouldn't be playing guitar.

I am not a professional sound engineer or a professional musician. Music is just a hobby for me, so I don't mind using Behringer equipment for home recording.

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

I imagine that the folks at Fender and Gibson are none too giddy about the work of these other guitar copy-cat makers.

What I said was "...whether or not the cheaper cost of the gear is sufficient reason..." and in many cases - including yours and some of my close personal friends - it apparently is.

Just think of how many college kids wouldn't have any music to listen to (or enough money left over to buy dope) if it weren't for Napster and the like. I imagine that's not enough to make it a big hit with many songwriters, though.

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