Behringer Vintage Synth: virtually redundant
Has Behringer lost the plot, making a virtual synth after years of making hardware that’s cheaper than plug-ins? There’s more to Vintage than synthesis
Behringer dips a toe into the water of software instruments, but barely causes a ripple
Free on registration at Behringer Music Tribe
If you’ve spent the past couple of years wondering if Behringer’s affordable clone synths are really some magical software, I think we have the answer. The release of Behringer ‘Vintage’ – a software synth that runs as a VST or AU plug-in – absolutely answers that, because if this is the pinnacle of Behringer’s ability to develop a software instrument, the hardware wouldn’t convince anyone.
Naturally from the outset Vintage got some sideways looks, it appeared then was removed from the Music Tribe website almost immediately, while pundits remarked on its visual similarity to Tone2 Saurus and other vintage (sorry) plug-in emulations of classic hardware.
It’s actually closest in spec and control layout to Ableton’s Analog synth – dressing up the utility interface as a ‘conceptual’ vintage synthesizer. That’s a virtual virtual analogue that dates back to the late 2000s, aimed at much simpler host machines than software developers can target now. If it is the case, it certainly shows in the (not always accurate on any plug-in) CPU utilisation readout, which even when mashing a load of keys on a complex patch just to try and get it to budge never gets into double digits on my 2019 i9 iMac.
Behringer also claim Vintage is a free synth with a $99 value, and Ableton Analog is $99. Value is… questionable, I am sure $99 can get you a lot more than this. It’ll buy a Behringer ProVS Mini, for starters.
People are quick to throw accusations of copying at Behringer, but I’ve yet to see a ‘credits’ roll for either Analog or Vintage, though on Ableton’s page we see “Analog was created in collaboration with Applied Acoustics Systems (AAS)“. You might already have some AAS plug-ins, they’re often bundled free with things such as Focusrite’s interfaces in the past.
This is not a new concept. Software developers and publishers frequently repackage code – just look at Martinic, who have released some lovely circuit-modelled synths and also developed instruments for Arturia V-Collection.
In short, Vintage’s appearance is probably (too) derived from readily-available reference sources to get a usable UI together, but the code underneath could have been bought in, could have been IP acquired when Behringer took over a smaller company, or it could have been licensed to them just as developers licence the building blocks of other synths. Behringer even confirm that Vintage is a bought-in project during Facebook discussion of the similarities with Tone2: “this VST was designed by a famous designer who creates sound engines for many leading VST brands.”
Not everything is copied, and not everything is open source. For what it’s worth, I don’t really see a specific connection or similarity with Tone2 Saurus, the massive graphic display in the centre of the layout is very different and the virtual representation of wooden-cased, metal-faceplated ’70s synth is duplicated across countless VSTs. on the other hand, I’d never seen Tone2 Saurus before this, so there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
So why do I open with a negative tone, referring to this virtual synth as virtually redundant? It just doesn’t do anything very original, or clever, or… nice. The strongest tie back to the idea that it’s essentially 2007 Ableton Analog repackaged is the sheer simplicity of the tone and sounds. This in itself isn’t a bad thing – if anything, it’s something I enjoy in some of Full Bucket Music’s creations – but for a brand with Behringer’s extensive research and knowledge around analogue and classic synthesizers, it’s lazy.
Behringer are synthesis experts, if not innovators
Let’s be clear. To have produced so many synthesizers in less than a decade between the first Behringer synth hitting the shelves, and Vintage VST being released, the technical teams will have amassed a huge amount of knowledge and skill around sound creation and generation. They will know every nuance, every subtle harmonic tweak and timbre, every beloved colour, simply through the process of getting the sound right from 21st century components and PCBs and monitoring hardware.
If any firm should have the resources to make and fine tune a VST to be an accurate model of a vintage synthesizer, it’s Behringer. They have the restored reference hardware, reverse-engineered schematics, and the input of a massive tribe of beta developers and musicians providing feedback.
What does Behringer Vintage VST 0723-AAD sound like?
Without a noise-floor, effects or much character to the virtual waveforms, Vintage sounds like a fresh out of the box, perfectly calibrated early ’80s two-DCO polysynth. A little like a Korg Poly-61 or, a theoretical model of a Sequential Sixtrak or Akai AX73, if those instruments hadn’t been saturated in analogue variability and 20 years of neglect before the retro sound got cool again.
It’s bright, lacking in character, and the presets don’t help reveal any magic in the synth.
Like a hardware synth, the key to getting much out of it (and a key that many modern VSTs integrate) is effects and post-processing, It’s not a bad building block if you want a really authentic approach to making a virtual studio of classic gear, but it’s the last one I’d reach for given the curated collection of free VSTs I already have.
The filter can ALMOST howl, but not quite (it can be more expressive than the virtual morphing filter in Modal Electronics’ DSP-based synths, for example, but doesn’t come close to the behaviour of the virtual filters in Roland ACB or Arturia TAE synths). The envelopes are just a little too slow to wake up for fast attack percussive sounds, and… I would swear it’s voice stealing on big chords and fast sequences. The envelopes re-trigger in a way that sounds a lot like the ProVS Mini running out of breath in the four-voice, single-filter architecture/
Why does Behringer Vintage really exist, then?
Behringer Vintage – 0723-AAD – has another mission. It’s drawing attention to a charity, the Playing For Change Foundation, that Behringer works closely with. The mission is to get musical instruments into the hands of children who otherwise wouldn’t have access to such creative tools, and part of that access is enabled by the incredibly low cost of Behringer’s synths.
The spin that Behringer put on the current campaign is that they lowered the price of the UB-Xa, so anyone who could afford to might want to donate the difference to the charity – but you could consider Behringer Vintage to be donationware as well. Until December 2024 Behringer are matching any donations made, up to $1,000 per donation, effectively doubling your contribution as they aim for a $1,000,000 target.
Among the top donators are Ellie Goulding, Alexandra Roedy (wife of former MTV Networks’ head Bill Roedy), the Natalie Cole Foundation and a couple of casinos. Behringer and the Play for Change Foundation gamble on something I believe in as well – perhaps not quite as succinctly as Uli’s quote. From a privileged perspective of Western consumer society, I feel strongly that parents and teachers should give every child access to any instrument they want to try, without expectations, as a creative toy as much as they should become a discipline to learn.
There is absolutely no reason why the next musical genius should come from a country with disposable income and infrastructure, beyond the idea that in developing or war-torn areas, that genius may never even see a musical instrument in their lifetime.
Should you add Behringer Vintage to your virtual studio?
Honestly, I really wouldn’t bother. There are so many free VSTs and apps out there that simply do more, to a higher standard, with a clearer user interface and greater dynamic quality/more flexible sounds. You’ll waste time learning it when you could have been mastering Surge XT, or exploring Full Bucket Music’s virtual synth museum.
Behringer’s USP is bringing real hardware back to life at a price many developers charge for aVST. Hands-on, no licences, no operating system restrictions, no host software.
But if you want to support the Playing For Change Foundation, you can just donate without downloading the synth. If you can afford to do so, that seems worthwhile.
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