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Behringer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the people named Behringer, see Behringer (surname).
Not to be confused with Beringer.

Behringer
Company typePrivate
GenreAudio equipment
Founded25 January 1989; 36 years ago (1989-01-25) in Germany
HeadquartersWillich, Germany
Key people
Uli Behringer (Founder and CEO)
ProductsAudio and lighting equipment, musical instruments
Number of employees
3,500
ParentMusic Tribe
Websitewww.behringer.com

Behringer is an audio equipment company founded by the Swiss engineer Uli Behringer on 25 January 1989 in Willich, Germany. Behringer produces equipment including synthesizers, mixers, audio interfaces and amplifiers. Behringer is owned by Music Tribe (formerly Music Group), a holding company chaired by Uli Behringer.[1]

History

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Foundation and early development

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Uli Behringer was born on April 13, 1961 in Baden, Switzerland. His father was a church organist and nuclear physicist; his mother a pianist and interpreter; his uncle a professor of composition at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich; and his aunt a classical singer and pianist. At the age of four, Uli Behringer started to learn piano.[2] When Behringer was five years old, his father acquired the organ from a church being demolished. He then helped his father integrate the organ with over 1000 pipes(?) into the family home. At the age of 16, he built his first synthesizer, the UB1.[3]

Marketing, manufacturing, and acquisitions

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While Behringer products were manufactured in Willich, Germany, many of the individual components were imported from mainland China. In 1990, to lower production costs, Behringer shifted production from West Germany to mainland China. Initially, subcontractors were engaged to produce the equipment. By 1997 Uli Behringer had relocated to Hong Kong to better supervise manufacturing quality.[4]

CoolAudio acquisition

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The certified EMC testing facility in Behringer City

In May 2000, Behringer acquired the rights to the entire CoolAudio technology from Intersil Corporation, a US-based semi-conductor manufacturer specializing in integrated circuits for audio applications. The acquisition included an intellectual property portfolio and licensees such as Alpine and Rowe, among others.[5]

Music Tribe City

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In 2018, Music Tribe opened its own factory, Music Tribe City, in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China. The factory handles the production and distribution for Music Tribe's 12 brands, including Behringer products.[6]

Products

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Behringer makes products for audio engineering, producing, audio playback, effect processors, and electronic instruments.

Effect units

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Outside of their sub-company TC Electronic, Behringer has released guitar pedals based on famous circuits. Their main pedals are designed to be similar in design to BOSS. In 2019, JHS Pedals made a YouTube video comparing the basic pedal range to their inspirations. The video reportedly caused Uli Behringer to lose sleep as he was confused on "why a pedal company would tell you to buy other people's stuff".[7][8] In more recent dates, Behringer has been taking a similar approach to the company Warm Audio with recreating vintage pedals to be as visually close to their original, such as with the Chorus Symphony (clone of a BOSS CE-1), the Centaur Overdrive (Klon Centaur), and the B-Tron III (Mu-Tron III).[9][10][11]

Electronic instruments

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Since 2016, Behringer has become a manufacturer of synthesizers and drum machines, which includes original models and recreations of analog hardware.[12][13] Manufacturers (such as Curtis Electromusic, Roger Linn, and Tom Oberheim) have been vocal about being unhappy with their products being cloned without asking for permission.[14][15][16] Behringer has said in response that creating clones of older hardware is legal where the patents have expired.[17]

List of synthesizers and eurorack modules

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Originals
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  • Neutron (2018–present)[18]
  • Crave (2019–present)[19]
  • Space FX (2022–present)[20]
  • Grind (2024–present)[21]
  • Phara-O Mini (2024–present)[22]
  • PROTON (2024–present)[23]
Clones/recreations
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The Behringer RD-8 drum machine (top) is based on the Roland TR-808 drum machine (bottom).[66]

List of drum machines clones

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Controversies

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FCC dispute

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In February 2006, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined Behringer $1M.[72] The FFC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability claiming that 50 products had not been tested for conducted and radiated emissions limits as required by US law,[73] and noted that it continued to sell the products for a year after being notified.[72] Behringer's position was that, since the units had passed stringent European CE standards, they would also comply with FCC verification requirements.[72] According to Behringer, it had overlooked the differences in testing standards and procedures under FCC and European requirements. It has since implemented a complete UL certified safety and EMC testing laboratory under the UL Certified Witness Program, including in-house audits and global regulatory review systems.[74]

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In June 1997, the Mackie company (now LOUD Technologies) accused Behringer of trademark and trade dress infringement, and brought suit seeking $327M in damages.[75][76] The claims were later rejected by the court. In their suit, Mackie said that Behringer had had a history of copying products by other manufacturers and selling them as their own.[77] The Mackie suit detailed an instance, in which Behringer was sued by Aphex Systems for copying the Aural Exciter Type F. In that case Aphex Systems won DM690,000.[77] The Mackie suit also mentioned similar cases filed by BBE, dbx and Drawmer.[77] On 30 November 1999, the U.S. District Court in Seattle, Washington, dismissed Mackie claims that Behringer had infringed on Mackie copyrights with its MX 8000 mixer, noting that circuit schematics are not covered by copyright laws.[78][79][80]

In 2005, Roland Corporation sued to enforce Roland's trade dress, trademark, and other intellectual property rights with regard to Behringer's recently released guitar pedals. The companies came to a confidential settlement in 2006 after Behringer changed their designs.[81]

In 2009, Peavey Electronics Corporation filed two lawsuits against various companies under the Behringer/Music Group umbrella for patent infringement, federal and common law trademark infringement, false designation of origin, trademark dilution and unfair competition.[82] In 2011 the Music Group filed a countersuit against Peavey for "false advertising, false patent marking and unfair competition."[83]

In 2017, Music Group filed a defamation lawsuit against Dave Smith Instruments, a Dave Smith Instruments engineer, and 20 Gearslutz forum users. The case was dismissed as a SLAPP lawsuit.[84][85]

Fictional synthesizer advertisement

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In March 2020, Behringer published a mock video for a synthesizer, the "KIRN CorkSniffer", which appeared to mock the music technology journalist and synthesiser developer Peter Kirn. The video received criticism and accusations of using antisemitic imagery. Uli Behringer issued a response on Facebook, saying the video had been intended as "pure satire by our marketing department".[86] The apology was deleted the following day.[87]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Music rebrands its tribe". Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Interview: Uli Behringer, seine Erfolgsgeschichte". AMAZONA.de (in German). 15 November 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Interview & Reisereport: Uli Behringer 2019 in China". AMAZONA.de (in German). 8 May 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  4. ^ Holder, Christopher (27 August 2009). "NAME BEHIND THE NAME: Uli Behringer, Behringer Inc". AudioTechnology. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  5. ^ Holst, Cindy (May 2000). "Behringer Acquires Rights to CoolAudio". Sound & Video Contractor. Future plc. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  6. ^ "MUSIC Tribe's New Manufacturing Facility Emphasises Transparency". Systems Integration Asia. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  7. ^ "What's the Deal with Behringer?". The JHS Show. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  8. ^ Rogerson, Ben (9 October 2024). ""I heard that the CEO, Uli Behringer, lost sleep over that episode. He could not comprehend why a pedal company would tell you to buy other people's stuff": JHS Pedals' Josh Scott on praising his rivals and seeing his stomps being used by the stars". MusicRadar. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Behringer unleashes the Chorus Symphony - Based on Famous 70s Pedal - gearnews.com". www.gearnews.com. 29 January 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  10. ^ "Meet the Centaur Overdrive, Behringer's new $69 Klon Centaur clone". Guitar.com | All Things Guitar. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  11. ^ Wellerpublished, Phil (17 February 2025). ""This $2 billion company has assimilated the history of Musitronics as if it was their own": Behringer blasted by Mu-Tron III maker following the release of $69 replica". Guitar World. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  12. ^ "Is Behringer's Cheap Analog Synthesizer Worth It?". Telekom Electronic Beats. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Best synths to buy in 2021: 17 of the best synthesizers under $600". MusicTech. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Curtis chip company speaks out against vintage synth cloning". Fact Magazine. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  15. ^ Mullen, Matt (7 January 2025). ""I'd have preferred for Uli to ask my permission. Even if he thinks it is legal, I question whether it is ethical": Roger Linn slams Behringer's unauthorized LinnDrum clone". MusicRadar. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  16. ^ Mullen, Matt (25 May 2024). ""No collaboration and no discussions": Tom Oberheim responds to Behringer's UB-Xa statements". MSN. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  17. ^ Warwick, Oli (8 April 2017). "Attack of the clones: Is Behringer's Minimoog a synth replica too far?". Fact. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  18. ^ Aisherpublished, Bruce (22 August 2018). "Behringer Neutron Synthesizer review". MusicRadar. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  19. ^ Deahl, Dani (1 February 2019). "5 of our favorite synths from NAMM 2019". The Verge. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Behringer's SPACE FX packs 32 different effects into a compact Eurorack module". MusicTech. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  21. ^ Eilers, Lasse (2 April 2025). "Behringer Grind: Brains Meets Crave – Available Now!". www.gearnews.com. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  22. ^ "Behringer's Phara-o Mini is a synth inspired by "the mystical sounds of ancient Egypt"". MusicTech. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  23. ^ "New Behringer Synth Is Not A Copy". Sonicstate. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  24. ^ "Behringer releases images of ARP 2500 clone modules in Eurorack format - gearnews.com". www.gearnews.com. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  25. ^ "Behringer 2-XM: Oberheim SEM Two Voice Clone - Order Now! - gearnews.com". www.gearnews.com. 2 April 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
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  30. ^ "Behringer BX-1: What We Know So Far". Internet Tattoo. 31 January 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
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  38. ^ synthhead (24 January 2025). "Behringer JT-16 Copies The Classic Roland Jupiter-8, But With Double The Polyphony". Synthtopia. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
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  40. ^ "Behringer's Kobol Expander synth is officially available – here's everything you need to know". MusicTech. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
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  42. ^ "Behringer Model D". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  43. ^ "Behringer Announces Poly D | FutureMusic the latest news on future music technology DJ gear producing dance music edm and everything electronic". futuremusic.com. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
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  45. ^ "Behringer MS-101 Review". MusicTech. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  46. ^ Anatomy, Synth (13 March 2025). "Behringer MS-1 MkII, Roland SH-101 clone revision with V662A chip in a gray version". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  47. ^ Anatomy, Synth (29 May 2024). "Behringer MS-5, the $599 Roland SH-5 Synthesizer clone is out now, new demos". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  48. ^ "Behringer Odyssey Review". MusicTech. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  49. ^ Maymind, Leo (21 April 2022). "Behringer Pro-1 review". MusicRadar. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  50. ^ Anatomy, Synth (23 January 2025). "Behringer Pro-16: official feature set with 16 voices, multi-mode filters, and more". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  51. ^ "Behringer reveals the PRO-800: clone of Sequential Prophet-600 with no keys and extra voices". gearnews.com. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  52. ^ Anatomy, Synth (13 December 2024). "Behringer Pro VS Mini 2.0, hybrid vector synth now with more voices, new FXs, and more". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  53. ^ "Behringer introduces Victor Eurorack module with a PRO-VS Mini engine". MusicTech. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  54. ^ "Behringer's Solina String-Ensemble revival is here with modern features – including a Small Stone-style phaser". MusicTech. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  55. ^ Anatomy, Synth (25 November 2024). "Behringer Spice, a clone/replica of the Moog Subharmonicon semi-modular Synthesizer". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  56. ^ Anatomy, Synth (24 December 2024). "Behringer Surges, $49 Mutable Instruments Ripples analog multimode filter clone is available now". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  57. ^ Anatomy, Synth (17 February 2025). "Behringer releases $199 Syncussion SY-1 drum synth clone/replica for Eurorack, available now". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  58. ^ Anatomy, Synth (22 February 2020). "Behringer System 55, First Eurorack Modules Are Ready For Pre-Order". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  59. ^ Rogerson, Ben (17 January 2020). "NAMM 2020: Behringer brings back Roland's System 100M modular synth in Eurorack format". MusicRadar. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
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  61. ^ Anatomy, Synth (25 April 2023). "Behringer Toro, Moog Taurus rev1 clone is available for pre-order". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  62. ^ Anatomy, Synth (16 August 2024). "Behringer UB-Xa D desktop poly analog Synthesizer (Oberheim OB-Xa clone) is available now". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  63. ^ Wilson, Scott (25 November 2019). "Behringer launches $299 clone of classic Wasp synthesizer". Fact Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  64. ^ Mullen, Matt (11 December 2024). "Behringer proves the haters wrong and releases Wave, the PPG Wave clone that's been four years in the making". MusicRadar. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  65. ^ Eilers, Lasse (27 November 2024). "Behringer WAVES: Tides-Inspired Waves of Modulation". www.gearnews.com. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  66. ^ Sherbourne, Simon (January 2020). "Behringer RD-8 Rhythm Designer". Sound on Sound. SOS Publications Group. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  67. ^ "Behringer Revisits The LinnDrum". Sonicstate. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  68. ^ "Behringer's RD-6 is ready to ship – which colour will you go for?". MusicTech. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  69. ^ "Behringer Readies RD-8 Drum Machine For Holiday Delivery | FutureMusic the latest news on future music technology DJ gear producing dance music edm and everything electronic". futuremusic.com. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  70. ^ "Behringer gives us an update on the RD-9 drum machine". gearnews.com. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  71. ^ Mullen, Matt (5 February 2025). "Behringer releases RD-78, a $199 Roland CR-78 clone that promises to "bring the magic of the '70s and '80s back to life"". MusicRadar. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  72. ^ a b c Gearwire.com. 14 June 2007. "Behringer Fined One Million Dollars By FCC." Archived 17 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 4 October 2009.
  73. ^ Radio Currents Online, 20–26 February 2006 Archived 16 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  74. ^ "Behringer Resolved FCC Compliance Issues Before Recent Ruling". Musiciansnews.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  75. ^ Loud Technologies Inc. LTec Quarterly Report (10-Q) Item 1. Legal Proceedings Archived 25 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  76. ^ Mackie Designs Inc. Files Lawsuit to Stop "Knockoff" Products... | Business Wire | Find Articles at Bnet.com
  77. ^ a b c Verna, Paul. Billboard, 5 July 1997. "Mackie Sues Over Knockoffs: Behringer, Sam Ash Are Defendants." Retrieved 27 October 2009.
  78. ^ "Mackie/Behringer lawsuit. | [[The Music Trades]] | Find Articles at Bnet.com". Archived from the original on 16 December 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
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  84. ^ "Behringer sued Dave Smith Instruments, forum posters, and lost". 19 June 2018.
  85. ^ Wilson, Scott (20 June 2018). "Behringer tried to sue Dave Smith Instruments and 20 forum users for libel". Fact Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  86. ^ March 2020, MusicRadar03 (3 March 2020). "Behringer forced to apologise after bullying row". MusicRadar. Retrieved 7 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  87. ^ March 2020, MusicRadar04 (4 March 2020). "Behringer deletes 'CorkSniffer' apology as Peter Kirn tells people not to smash up their synths". MusicRadar. Retrieved 7 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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