Behringer Shares Plans For Cloning Roland System 100M Modular Synthesizer

Uli Behringer today shared his company’s plans for a new line of Eurorack synth modules, based on classic Roland System 100M designs:

The Behringer M100 modular system includes 13 module designs:

  1. SYSTEM 100 174 PARAMETRIC EQ
  2. SYSTEM 100 173 QUAD SIGNAL GATE/ PATCH BAY
  3. SYSTEM 100 172 PHASE SHIFTER/AUDIO DELAY/GATE DELAY/LFO
  4. SYSTEM 100 165 DUAL PORTAMENTO CONTROLLER
  5. SYSTEM 100 150 RING MOD/NOISE/ S&H/LFO
  6. SYSTEM 100 132 DUAL CV/AUDIO MIXER & CV GENERATOR
  7. SYSTEM 100 131 MIXER/OSCILLATOR/ HEADPHONE AMP
  8. SYSTEM 100 130 DUAL VCA
  9. SYSTEM 100 121 DUAL VCF
  10. SYSTEM 100 112 DUAL VCO
  11. SYSTEM 100 182 ANALOG SEQUENCER
  12. SYSTEM 100 140 DUAL ENVELOPE/LFO
  13. SYSTEM 100 110 VCO/VCF/VCA

Behringer describes the designs as initial drafts.

Behringer head Uli Behringer

“These are 13 MID’s or concept documents we create for every single product as part of our PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) process before we hand them over to our R&D departments for development,” he notes. “We haven’t decided yet which of these modules we will actually produce as it is important that we achieve a certain production volume.”

“This is just the beginning,” he adds. “Our Vision is to build both legacy modules but also come up with innovative solutions which we have demonstrated with the DeepMind or the Neutron.”

We are equally excited to cooperate with creative module makers and many have already contacted us. We believe that such co-operations are mutually beneficial and I am convinced that our efficient supply chain can help these makers to get their products into the hands of lots of people. We are looking forward to meeting as many designers as possible at SuperBooth.”

Pricing and Availability

Behringer shared the designs of the M100 modular series as drafts, so details on pricing and availability are to come. The target price, though, is expected to be about $100 per module.

54 thoughts on “Behringer Shares Plans For Cloning Roland System 100M Modular Synthesizer”

  3. All in!
    Including a handy case with powering and discounted prize …

    Only thing is the naming of patchpoints and knobs …
    Why can‘t they use the common words?
    In most cases it would look better and would use less characters!?

  5. Not interested in modular at all and won’t be buying but my hats off to the man, he is shaking up the synth market in a way I’d thought I’d never see.

  9. I’m in . . . as long as those jacks are really solid (unlike Behringer products of the past) because they’re going to get a *lot* of use.

  10. Not to complain, but given that it will be hard for me to say no to buying, that gray is just so plain and uninspiring. Can it be black, white, or MPC Cream™?? Make it glossy or something?

  11. I’m definitely in on this. There should be a lesser expensive route in building up modular systems without going bust. I’ve spent a moderate fortune on my two systems n I’m tired of the high cost. I’m in!!

    Thanks Uli

  12. “We haven’t decided yet which of these modules we will actually produce as it is important that we achieve a certain production volume.”

    BUILD THE WHOLE LOT OF THEM. They will sell, there isn’t a superfluous module amongst the whole 13.
    If you want to do it properly then do it properly.

    1. I agree. Aren’t those 13 modules more or less the minimum you need for a generally capable modular that’s more than an add-on for a Minibrute or a Neutron? I think so. I second the comment about the jacks being locked down properly, too. A modular’s patchbay gets more pokin’ than a cathouse; it needs added toughness. Instruments whose jacks, sliders and knobs hold up well lead to repeat purchases from that manufacturer, at least at my house.

  14. it’s the usual crap with Behringer : shows online a clone of whatever has gone in public domain, then say they’re not sure and will check for consumer’s input. As a result, we don’t even what theses guys release or not. And I dont care anymore about them.

  15. Tired of the same ol bashing of Behringer this n Behringer that….nothing productive, for the most part, in what’s being said….

  16. With the jacks not being fixed at the front plate with nuts, the pcb/soldering points will become damaged quick.
    If Uli things this would rise the production costs, he should at least use jacks with threads and put a pack of nuts in the box….

  19. The huge success of the Model D has nothing to do with patch points and modules and has everything to do with it’s history. Uli will sell twenty times less Neutrons and a hundred times less modules, because no one dreamed for 50 years to own a Neutron or some module. Uli should stick with good successful clones and he will slowly build a name in the synth industry second to none.

  20. Exciting stuff. Great entry point into eurack. I have held off for a long time, not so much for the cost of the individual units but the cases – so please also consider an affordable powered case, a stackable modular design users can build upon and add to.

    More competition is always good for the consumer and the more people that get into eurack the more the whole industry will benefit.

  23. Everybody wants a CS-80 clone, but very few would pay $5k to have the whole shebang the way it first appeared, pitch ribbon and all. $5k would be the CLONE price, too. What a beast it was. I don’t care much about what anyone clones, because I decided to commit my money and hair-pulling to the software world. It was the only sensible way to acquire a Mellotron, so it gradually won out.:D

  26. Roland themselves refused so long time to admit that people want analog gear and that it has future, so that they loose now market share because of this. And even if we speak digital, I almost always hear “Nord Lead 4 is better than System-8”, “Yamaha CP4 is better than Roland RD-800”, where is the next Fantom etc etc?

    1. “Roland themselves refused so long time to admit that people want analog gear and that it has future”

      I’m excited for what their next SE/boutique will be at least.

  32. Behringer, a name that will live in infamy among the synth nerds of the future. Not only for being cynical opportunists. Not only for worst-in-class build quality. But for failing to come up with any new ideas of their own. Let’s face it, this guy is not a synthesist or a musician. He has no clue what people want, and he lacks the confidence required to take a risk and put out a product that he’s passionate about. His goal is to create the Wal-Mart of the music equipment industry. It’s a shameful and uninspiring goal. Soon the Chinese OEMs will be eating HIS lunch with even cheaper clones, and the golden era of synthesizers that we’re currently seeing will come to an end, like so many thriving creative scenes before it.

    1. Uli owns a massive factory complex in China. No Chinese OEMs will be eating their lunch because his company can design the gear, make and populate the boards, fabricate the cases and packaging all in one building under the same owner. They even make the synth and FX chips used in their designs.

        1. I do. What happened is that my buddy, who developed their entire pro audio line, left the company. That’s why things have been so uneventful on their side for the last year or two.

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