Behringer Toro Bass Synth First Look

Behringer shared this official video intro to the Toro, the first look at their knockoff of the classic Moog Taurus bass synthesizer.

Behringer says that the Toro is “an authentic recreation of the legendary Moog Taurus Revision 1”, but without the foot pedals. In case there was any confusion, they have copied the Taurus look and given the synth a knockoff name and logo.

The synth is a dual-VCO VCF VCA design, with envelopes for filter cutoff and volume. Like the original Taurus the synth features four preset sounds (Tuba, Bass, ‘Toro’ and Variable).

Features:

  • Analog Bass Synthesizer with 2 VCOs, Ladder Filter and Presets in Eurorack format
  • Recreates the circuit design of the Taurus I bass synth
  • Analog signal path
  • 2 VCOs
  • 5-octave range
  • VCO A and B mix fader for full control of the internal balance
  • Classic low-pass ladder filter with Cut-off and Emphasis controls
  • Envelopes for filter cut-off and amplitude
  • 4 ‘magic-sound’ presets: Toro, Tuba, Bass and Variable Glide, featuring Amount slider and a dedicated On/Off button
  • Large Filter cutoff and Volume knobs
  • CV, Filter cutoff and Gate inputs for external control
  • 16-unit Poly Chain allows combining multiple synthesizers for up to 32 voice polyphony
  • Eurorack format
  • 23 controls give real-time access to key parameters
  • MIDI implementation with MIDI channel and Voice Priority selection

Pricing and Availability

Behringer originally targeted the Toro with a $199 USD price point, but now says it has an estimated price of $349. They say that they are shipping the first units from the factory now, so the synth should be available soon, at least in limited quantities.

25 thoughts on “Behringer Toro Bass Synth First Look”

  1. i mean…. there are no pedals, they totally missed the point. no i dont want to attach a midi controller to it. Behringer always mess up the clone

    2. pedals are *obviously* outside the *low cost* vintage business plan. buy a crumar pedal board. win/win.

      the point is to deliver the core ‘vintage component’ in the lowest cost, least frills packaging. it’s no accident all the products are delivered in one of a small number of enclosures and packaging.

    3. You seem to miss the point. The competition here isn’t the Moog Taurus-1 it is the Moog Minitaur. At roughly half the price it does a much better job of emulating the original. As the other John points out, you can add the pedals

      1. The Minitaur does not emulate the original Taurus design.

        The Minitaur is a modern synth design, in the Taurus family, that does WAY more than the original Taurus. So you get real presets, CC control, the whole enchilada. None of which the ‘Toro’ will do.

        With the Toro priced at $350, you’d be a lot better off getting a used Minitaur.

        1. Not if you actually owned an original Taurus and knew how it sounded in comparison to the Minitaur. Based on your remark, I have to guess that you are a millennial or younger.

          1. JR, the original Taurus I had similar VCO’s as the 901. what made special was you could adjust the beat frequency independent of pitch – you get the same beat frequency at every octave and note. Minitaur, and the rest of the Moog VCO’s used the other 921-like VCO where beat frequency also varied with pitch.

            the difference has to do with the exp convertor location.

            1. i could not really tell from the video if this was the case or not. the voicings didn’t help. it’s probably not the 901 behavior, but if it is, that’s a plus.

              1. I believe that is the point of the “Beat” control. You can hear it when he does those octave jumps. I think that it is what I really didn’t like about the Mintiaur’s sound. When I had my Taurus, I played it with my feet (duh!). I was never an organist, I found it very difficult to synchronize three appendages at a time. So I never played many notes on the Taurus, except when playing bass ostinatos. Most times I played long drones and jump the one allowable octave on the pedals. The constant beat frequency really make a difference, especially in the very low registers, where you can count the beats.

          3. “millenial or younger”. wow, intergenerational warfare. i can tell you who’s going to win right now. it’s just a matter of time. be more respectful

        2. *$200. Also, since I don’t think you noticed, there is MIDI in right there on the front panel with CC control 😉

  2. I had a Taurus (1) back in the day. When I sold it in the early 80s I sometimes missed it. When Moog released the Minitaur, I thought about getting one if for nothing other than nostalgic value. Then, I heard it. Yuck!!! The only thing about the Minitaur that even resembles the Taurus is the name of the manufacturer. Until I saw this video, I wasn’t even aware that Behringer was cloning a Taurus. Given the excellent job they did with the Mini in the Model D, I would have been salivating over this one. As far as I can tell from the video, this appears to be an authentic clone of the Taurus, unlike the Minitaur. I haven’t had the original for over 40 years, so a mental A/B is probably impossible. However, with what sound memory I have of my Taurus, the Behringer sounds a hell of a lot closer than the Minitaur does. For $350 it will be worth a try, even if I have to sell it for $250 the week after I purchase it.

    1. To be fair to Moog, I don’t think the Minitaur was supposed to be the Taurus. All the demos of the Minitaur on the Moog site are electronica. It seems quite good at that.

      So, fair enough, Moog decided to cater for that market rather than prog rock, it is probably a much bigger market nowadays.

      I am wondering what the market is for this Behringer model.

  3. Yes, another synth Bass module
    How many does there need to be

    Think about it from your starting years in synthesis

    This will be a great option for many

    1. Excellent point! Yes, this is exactly what Behringer is doing to the purveyors of overpricing only on the basis of brand name or dead heroes!

    1. Good luck selling it, I could imagine that this would affect the prices and interest on the Moog Taurus downwards.

      1. I’m not so sure about that. What you say is probably true for people like me who don’t really need one, and are not really interested in their value as a a relatively rare vintage instrument, but would like to have one because of their uniqueness. But for the collector of historical vintage instruments willing to pay for one, I don’t think that market will ever dry up and even has the potential to expand.

      2. It will make the superior original go up in value. It takes nothing from the original. What value does a kit car take from a Lambo? Zilch

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *