A Complete Guide To The Behringer Crave Synthesizer

This series of videos, via XNB, offers a complete guide to the Behringer Crave, a standalone semi-modular synth design based on the Moog Mother-32.

The first video, above, offers a complete walkthrough of the Behringer Crave and its capabilities.

Topics covered:

0:00 – Intro
02:13 – Output VCA
04:55 – Envelope
10:53 – OSC
20:11 – Filter (VCF)
28:01 – Modulation (LFO)
29:50 – Glide
33:17 – Keyboard mode
37:16 – Rec a pattern
42:48 – Banks,Pattern,step,save
52:59 – Accent, Rest
56:43 – Edit patterns
01:02:26 – Gate and Tie
01:09:03 – Glide
01:15:37 – Ratchet
01:19:22 – Put in practice
01:23:04 – Step mode
01:27:26 – End,Reverse,Hold,Mute
01:31:35 – Arp
01:37:22 – Conclusion

The second video, below, takes a look at the Crave’s patchbay:

Topics covered:

0:00 – Intro
01:16 – LFO Tri, LFO Squ OUT
08:02 – Cutoff, Res IN
10:02 – MIX 1&2 IN, VC MIX Out
18:36 – OSC CV & OSC FM IN’s
26:07 – LFO Rate, Env, KB CV
38:26 – Multimeter
44:05 – OSC MOD
49:29 – EXT Audio, SQR & SAW OUT
55:09 – Mix CV & MIX VC Mix
01:03:43 – Multiple In & Out’s
01:07:47 – Gate OUT
01:11:29 – ENV GATE IN
01:17:42 – Tempo & Play/Stop
01:27:54 – Reset & Accent
01:30:09 – VCF, VCA CV
01:38:11 – ASSIGN

Note: Since the Crave copies the Mother-32 design, most of this discussion will apply equally well to the original Moog design.

Check it out, and share your thoughts on the Crave in the comments!

28 thoughts on “A Complete Guide To The Behringer Crave Synthesizer

  1. Who really cares?! closest thing to halfway decent for b-ear-ringer is deepmind-12 (keys still break, knobs fall off etc…) otherwise they blow folks

      1. If I had that option I would, always wanted a Fizmo. I do what the Behringer Odyssey though, best sound B clone.

    1. Hey, I made this videos. I have korg’s, Behringers, Hydra, Rolands, had a few moogs. So, 27 years playing and buying/selling instruments. Long time right ?

      My experience with Behringer ( Remember I have like almost all of their synths ) was good. Never had a broken key, knob ….nothing. There was one synth that came bad from factory, I stored it for 8 months in my closet, because I bought it on sale. So the warranty was over, and when I played a pre-wiring was doing something it was not supposed to, still the local dealership fixed it for free.

      Do you really think I never experienced a faulty equipment issue with other brands ? A few times I bought a +3k gear, from very very very well known brands and had to get a replacement. It’s normal…

      Either way….

      The CRAVE is not poorly built. It’s actually pretty solid. The only gear I could say it could break if you drop it, is the TD-3. Pure plastic, but again, it’s super cheap and the original wasn’t any better.

      I don’t support any brands, because I don’t care. I am musician/producer. I care about the final product…music.
      It took me a lot of effort to record these guides. I will release for other brands too, because again, I don’t support any brands.

      But…you start saying “who cares”…

      Who the F are you to crap on my work and effort to record this?
      Why do you go around hating things, have you ever stopped to think about this ?
      Do you think people will like you more if you rant and hate the whole time ?

      My friend, if you do the opposite, you will do good in life, be nice and cooperative. No one likes or want to work with a guy with your attitude, take my advice or good luck living your bumpy life by getting rejected.

      1. Thanks for doing these videos. I found all 3 of these videos (Crave, Deepmind & Neutron) incredibly helpful. I love the Deepmind particularly. It’s like a purring panther in my set up. I look forward to going deeper. Thanks for your efforts. Ignore the haters. I’m sure they don’t own any Behringers.

    2. Me. I care.
      I have a Crave and enjoy using it.
      I’ll watch this video when I have some spare time and hopefully learn something new.
      Take your hate elsewhere.
      Thank you Synthtopia for sharing this.

    3. The tons of people who own Behringer synths, or are considering buying one of these probably care. It seems like an obvious answer to the most casual of observers.

  2. Well, I’ve had really good luck with my Behringer synthesizer. Really love the Poly D and I think the Crave is really well built. No, I don’t have a big budget and for all the haters out there, there’s other forums that you can wax poetically about how they “blow”.

      1. I have no idea what you are talking about. Les paul and oreo ? I mean, I had a couple gibson’s but I don’t understand the oreo part.

    1. Yeah, It’s actually pretty solid.
      But people like to repeat what others say…. So if an influencer or someone they like says something, we shall repeat because we have no idea, but we still want to have a say and share an opinion. So we repeat what we know.

      When you grow up and learn to create you own opinions, it’s when you realize how dumb you were back then.
      Haters, will hate…there is no stopping that. Now we notice this “haters vibe” because everyone can comment and have a tiny voice.

      So we hear that voice in comment format. Pre internet, where would you rant ? to you mom ? friends ?….Haters a not new, they are and will be always present, it’s just the way it is.

    2. DeepMind 12 owner. No issues or probs and am very happy with it. BTBH, have gotten away from hardware synths the last few years. Phase Plant is so awesome and just got the new Novum, which is freakin’ amazing.

    3. The problem with Behringer gear in general is that they cut so many corners to make things cheap that they build in unnecessary failure points.

      Not panel-mounting jacks, knobs and switches is an example. This will 100% lead to your synth’s controls failing down the road, because every time you use a control, you’re flexing the solder connection between the control and the circuit board it is mounted to.

      Some will say that they they haven’t had any problems with their Behringer synths. It’s just a fact that, though, you will eventually be faced with scratchy audio and connection problems. These synths will have significant problems within 5-10 years and will probably not be worth repairing.

      1. I sort of agree with you on this.
        The patch points on the Crave & Neutron are just soldered into the PCB with no panel mounted nuts to keep them in place.
        Constant plugging and unplugging will overtime weaken and potentially break those solder joints.
        However, knowing that it’s not too inconvenient to just resolder a broken joint.
        I have a Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) that is nearly 30 years old. I’ve taken that thing to countless friends houses back in the day. Last month it stopped working because one of the power port connections became unsoldered from from the PCB. A quick solder and 10 mins later it was fixed.
        I think what I’m trying to say is that even though a lot of these Behringer synths are cheaply made, you may be surprised how long they last, and even when they do go they’re probably quite easy to fix.

  3. I’m a big fan of my Neutron. It’s a great piece of gear. I’ve had it for years, use it often, and have had zero problems with it. I’ve contemplated getting a Crave as an add-on to the Neutron. I’m waiting for the Proton, looking forward to that one.

  4. Hi guys. I made this guides, hope you like them. I am preparing other cool things you might like.
    I want to thank Synthtopia for posting my content. I really appreciate it.

    1. Thanks for creating these, I own both the Crave and the Mother-32. I’ll definitely be checking these out to see if there are some things about them I didn’t learn yet.

  5. I’ve had my Deepmind12 since they were first released….solid build….nothing ever broke…it’s .running like a champ…

    All the firmware revisions loaded smoothly…

    I love it….

    1. +1

      Me too. If it gives me another 5 years awesome, if not whatever. The display on my TD-20 is starting to fade, my beloved Triton Studio finally died(over the years I have spent close to a grand on repairs), the display on my Alesis DMPro died, JP-8000 needed repairs, etc., etc.

  6. I’m coming late to the party but looking forward to watching the videos, in the hopes of learning about the NEW Crave I just received. My first step into hardware synthesis. I had been looking at the Moog Studio 3, but , as everyone knows, a lot more expensive. So I jumped on the Crave.

    I was surprised how small it was, but its somewhat heavy. The build is pretty darn good imo. Its metal and wood. The knobs seem to have just the right amount of tension, the switches flip nicely. This is actually the 2nd one, the first had a bad key – #8 on the keypad. It sort of worked if you hit the side of it but not straight on. I would assume using a keyboard via midi would still allow you to use it though.

    Anyway, just wanted to share my initial feelings and looking forward to playing this and the release of the Edge. 2 of the 3 Moog emulators … Hopefully Spice will show up soon as well.

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