As part of the company’s traditional NAMM Show counter-programming from ‘Banaheim‘, Behringer today shared a sneak preview of its planned RD-78 Computer Controlled Analog Drum Machine, their copy of the Roland CR-78 CompuRhythm.
The original Roland CR-78 was a pre-cursor to their classic TR-x0x drum machines, and is a transitional design, between earlier preset rhythm boxes and the first modern drum machines.
It’s best known for being used iconically on a few classic 80s tracks, Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight, and Hall & Oates’ I Can’t Go For That:
Roland CR-78 drum machines are rare, and now sell for thousands of dollars, in spite of their limitations.
In this video, synthesist Alex Ball shares a great overview of the CR-78, describing it as ‘the first famous drum machine’:
Behringer says that they’re using the exact same circuitry in their version, but they’ve repackaged the drum machine into a form factor similar to Roland’s TR-606.
Pricing and availability are to be announced, but Behringer says that the RD-78 is “up and running”, and that they’re working with beta testers to ensure the unit sounds spot on.
I don’t know how much more of this shocking news i can take from Behringer, yesterday i found out my mother is really my father
Guessing her knobs were loose and her pots were scratchy.
Looking at the comments on the fb post, It would seem that spouting venom about behringer makes people want to purchase their stuff. Collectors despise them, musicians like them
You might not realize this yet, but companies use Facebook for marketing and they delete critical posts from their pages. So yeah, you’re going to see a bunch of fanboy comments there!
Based on your comment, you seem pretty ignorant of what musicians think of Behringer. Many love the cheap gear, but many others have had bad experiences with Behringer gear and think it sucks. And others just think that the company sucks because they act like dicks.
When you say “Collectors despise them, musicians like them,” that makes you sound like either a noob, a fanboy, or Behringer ‘astroturfing’.
Via Wikipedia – not hard to find:
In June 1997, the Mackie company (now LOUD Technologies) accused Behringer of trademark and trade dress infringement, and brought suit seeking $327M in damages.[33][34] 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.[35] 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.[35] The Mackie suit also mentioned similar cases filed by BBE, dbx and Drawmer.[35] 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.[36][37][38]
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.[39]
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.[40] In 2011 the Music Group filed a countersuit against Peavey for “false advertising, false patent marking and unfair competition.”[41]
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.[42][43]
“Kirn CorkSniffer”
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”.[44] The apology was deleted the following day.[45]
I’m so tired to read in this site behringer (add product) × knockoff. Dude if you hate behringer so much stop posting their stuff……otherwise be objective and just knock it off the ‘knock off’ addendum…..feel sorry for your lack of professionalism when posting about behringer….
Please
You’ll have to try harder, if you want to troll Synthtopia, ‘Uli’.
Synthtopia categorizes various types of product copies, because this is useful information for readers in understanding new products, whether they are original designs, reissues, clones, knockoffs, etc.
Behringer has stated that their core business model is copying other company’s designs as closely as possible. Behringer describes this as their ‘market follower’ strategy. Many of their products are textbook examples of the term ‘knockoff’, as a result of this focus.
This is something that is obvious to most readers, and has nothing to do with ‘hating’ the company. The fact that Behringer specializes in these ‘copycat’ type of designs is something that makes them newsworthy, and a significant part of the appeal of their products.
damned behringer.
Can we have the moog delay now, please?
And yet they sell like hotcakes.
Yep even Tyrone Williams from sweetwater says as soon behringer products are in stock the first 50 back orders are guaranteed, they literally can’t order enough
History full of examples of seccssfull horrible actions.
I’m a musician and I’ve got the Behringer monopoly. It’s absolutely fantastic.
The issue at hand, vis-a-vis Behringer is the assumptions that the consumer-base make about their intentions. Citing a list of legal accusations is not as meaningful as the fact that the company has survived beyond them. Behringer are interested in one thing and one thing only: Making money. Reasonably priced boxes that produce sound has always paid off for these companies and the market proves that. Pay attention to the videos released by these companies to hawk their wares:
Latest youth fashion : Check
Reference to Coffee : Check
Product use in public : Check
Snazzy Graphics : Check
Reference to sub-culture that is completely manufactured : Check
Industry-Beautiful models using gear: Check
Ikea Home Studio: Check
Lo-Fi Hip-Hop is the only genre of music in the world: Check
When Synthopia makes the headline “Behringer teases knockoff” they are sheepishly making an ideological judgment about the business practices of Behrigner while still promoting them. “Hey guys, here’s another copy-cat product…..but please look anyway, thx”. On the other hand, Synthtopia never snarks about small companies who make a product that is clearly inspired by previously existing gear as it doesn’t violate the “support small” ethos this site seems to have. I’m not opposed to that, generally, but you can’t have it both ways.
How about this, Synthtopia: put your money where your mouth is and just stop posting anything by “big synth”? On the other hand, perhaps Behringer requests this treatment specifically (no such a thing as bad press), which makes Synthopia their #1 shill.
Which is it?
L.T – you’re making a lot of strange suppositions that aren’t supported by reality.
Synthtopia covers the products that we know synthesists are most interested in, and that ranges from inexpensive knockoffs to expensive ’boutique’ gear.
Readers are interested in both of these things, and the comments that you see on the site highlight that fact. It’s not that complicated!
PS: It’s interesting that you think that Synthtopia is either unjustly criticizing Behringer, or that Synthopia is “their #1 shill”. Which is it?
“but companies use Facebook for marketing and they delete critical posts from their pages”
This part is correct, I got blocked from their Facebook page, because Behringer re-posted an end-user’s performance and I shared my opinion and said that I found the performance boring.
I find it a bit shame that Behringer don’t allow their user-community to have their own opinion on Facebook. You don’t always have to agree with the masses or share the same taste.
Repression of honest opinions is a bit weird for an western firm, but common practice in countries like Russia and North Korea.
This happens.
Back when Behringer still participated in events like Superbooth and Knobcon, some of the company’s engineers told us that they were banned from talking to Synthtopia and several other media outlets.
This was straight from Uli Behringer, per our Behringer contacts, and it was because our coverage was perceived as not being favorable enough.
All big companies strive to influence the way their products are perceived, but some are more heavy-handed about it than others.
Nice essay, no one cares mate…
I thought the slogan from Behringer was “We hear you”?
Maybe Behringer should correct it to something else then, because that is misleading.
And behringer are doing more for young and impoverished musicians than all those companies put together, by a massive margin.
Anybody that thinks Behringer cares about “young and impoverished musicians” has drunk the Kool-Aid.
It’s called capitalism, b****es.
Behringer is good at pumping out cheap copies, but they’re not interested in doing anything original.
Youtube is being flooded now with videos by musicians that have collected a lot of Behringer knockoffs. But they’re generally navel gazing – doing things that were done much better, by more talented musicians, 40 to 50 years ago, when the original synths were new. Most experienced musicians just want gear with better quality and build.
If you disagree, prove me wrong by sharing a link to somebody actually doing something original with Behringer gear, or even just a musical performance.
Erik Dice is spot-on.
There are many more examples of B-Word’s terrible behavior.
It is a lousy company and I’m NEVER going to buy their products ever again.
Does the world *really* need a CR-78 clone?
As much as it needs any other new thing that reproduces/invokes/”is inspired by” an old thing.
I don’t know if there are all that many analog reproductions of the CR-78. Cyclone Analogic’s TT-78 has the sounds, but not the functionality (it’s really their TT-606, but with different sound circuitry).
Afaik, nobody is forced to buy products from any vendor…
there isn’t (yet?) a law for this 🙂
I asked the same about the TR-808 and TR-909 clones as they are already perfelty cloned [Nava, acidlab..etc..], but still no good CR-78 clones…so yes…the world needs it.
I most definitely need a CR-78 and or a good clone, please.
Would y’all be saying the same things to people learning to play in their bedrooms on budget Gibson or Fender guitar copies?
Back when starting out, it was those ‘knockoff’ guitars, cheap anonymous plastic keys and badly made drums too that got me and millions of others started.
Vintage synths can be beautiful and revered and heaven knows I’ve invested in too many over the years. It upsets me though to think that people with money (or entitlement) feel they are the onlyguardians deemed worthy of having fun with or appreciating similar instruments.
If the Behringer stuff REALLY is as bad/cheap/unethical/unexceptional as many seem to say, just ignore their products entirely. Let your shoulders drop, breathe in, breath out, forget this silly debate, dig out one of your favourite precious originals and have some fun.
Fender’s designs (specifically body shapes) are in the public domain by now. Gibson on the other hand is trying – with all its might & enforced by lawyers – to protect their trade dress copyright in court. We’ve seen this numerous times in the past with lawsuits against Heritage, PRS, Dean Guitars, DiMarzio pickups recently ….and a few other brands which I forgot. Ultimately, Gibson will lose their trademarks eventually. Just as Fender did!
With modern electronics (read: synthesizers) it’s still a different story. While I believe Bob Moog has lost his trademark to the Minimoog once before, in the early 90’s, as of today all has been renewed and (I suppose) all trademarks are now firmly in the hands of inMusic Group. Roland as a company haven’t released products under their own name before 1972, despite being in the drum machine game since the mid 60’s. So their trademarks are probably still going and we all know that Roland lawyers are quick on their feet.
I had a CR-78 when I was a kid and of course I was a fool and sold it. I’d love those sounds but in a modern and more easily programmable context.
Cyclone Analogic TT-78 is exactly what you’re looking for.
I heard that it doesn’t sound good.
i have one and it sounds great, but i guess people do love to hairsplit about obscure minutiae so maybe it’s not to everyone’s taste. i like it.
Cool device, especially if this gets a price point of around ~$200. This should be competing against stuff like Korg’s recent KR11. The last couple Behringer releases have been quite visually unappealing however, particularly amateurish and cheap looking.
I want, where can I preorder this?
I think the vast majority of musicians love affordable gear since most dont really earn money from music and most are not rich.
Having said that and without being rich i made a conscious choice to never again
buy anything from them as the stepped on any common sense and rule of aesthetic and self contain.
Just because you can do a lot does not mean you should do anything you want without regard of others. They killed the word „Elegant“ for me the way they moved in the last 3-4 years.
I had a Neutron and its a great synth but i sold it because i did not want to even see the brand name inside my home.
I am open for them to change in the future but i don`t see it happening.
It almost feels like they have an A.I making all decisions for the company without any
pride and also no respect for others
Now I imagine they made/make some lemons but I am happy with my price points and performance of my FOUR LFO and ( Thank you!) EDGE.
Yes, mine died years ago and I would buy this.
I like the form factor and if it sounds good I’m getting one. It’s always interesting the hate Behringer gets because it is not about the product itself but rather some Googled essay about corporate behavior, legal assumptions and other things that are very detached from making music. Its weird to think some people would stop making music to think “Damn you Uli” and then keep on working.
Its because they are such important people
Especially the VIPs… They get “big mad” about it
4000aud for a 46 yr old machine albeit wonderful, or a couple of hundred for this.
ugh more ugly old drum machines.
Internet people make me giggle. Behringer synths make me smile.
Pricing and availability are to be announced. This is all Behringer keep saying.
Why not keep the announcement until the things are actually going to the shops, ffs
The TT-78 is a great, fun little piece of kit. My pal has an original CR, and we’re going to do a direct comparison at some point but, in all honesty, whether the sounds are exact doesn’t bother me. It sounds right for what I want it to do. Only problem I have is that it doesn’t seem to have the CR78’s rimshot sound. Or, if it has, I’ve not been able to find it.