Behringer Enigma Sneak Preview (Buchla Music Easel Copy)

Behringer today shared another preview of their upcoming Enigma synthesizer, designed to be an inexpensive, unofficial copy of the classic Buchla 208 Stored Program Sound Source.

Details are still to come, but they say “We’re excited to share our latest Enigma prototype as we get closer to the final product. It’s a very complex design, particularly with the addition of total patch memory. “

The Buchla 208 is the voice of the classic Buchla Music Easel from 1972. The Music Easel pairs the 208 with the 218 Touch Keyboard in a suitcase-style case. Modern reissues of the 208 are available from Buchla USA.

The Behringer Enigma is not a straight clone of the original 208. It follows the format of Behringer’s other Euro-format synths, scaling the original design down to Eurorack-compatible format, trades the program card connector of the original for patch storage, and adds DIN & USB MIDI control.

Pricing and Availability

The image that they shared is of a Behringer Enigma prototype, so no time frame for availability has been announced. Behringer expects to price the Enigma at $399 USD.

36 thoughts on “Behringer Enigma Sneak Preview (Buchla Music Easel Copy)”

  1. I’m seeing a parallel in tactics with what Music Tribe is doing to synthesizer companies with what Amazon did to the book market. Am I missing something about this? Am I way off or is there a better metaphor?

    1. Behringer’s way of doing things is annoying, but people don’t stop buying gear from other brands. Also, books are simple media, hardware gear are tools to be used over a couple of decares. They’re moer of an investment. Though the amount of gear people think they need for making music has become ridiculous. Behringer can jump in that GAS gap for all I care.

      There’s money to be made in music gear. Not in making music. It’s just a money pit,

      1. No one complained when kids bought or were given cheap copies of Fender and Gibson guitars did they? In fact, letting
        Kids learn on these started many lifelong careers.

        Synths are no different and anyone who thinks differently maybe doesn’t want others to acesss their entitled status.

        1. The elitist attitude of Behringer fanboys is hard to understand. Nobody is keeping you from making music – there are no ‘gatekeepers’.

          And Behringer isn’t making it more affordable for you to make music. They’re making if more affordable for you to collect a bunch of synth knockoffs.

          Behringer fanboys are always dissing ‘entitled collectors’, which just tells you that they’re not very self-aware.

          1. The pro anti/bashing Behringer side is also hard to understand.

            What you mentioned above is just pure generalisation, as there are also users who make music with these remakes from Behringer.

            1. Where did I suggest that there aren’t some Behringer fanboys that are making music? Nowhere.

              Sorry Andreas, but you are just confirming my statement that fanboys are always dissing ‘entitled collectors’ and not very self-aware.

              2. “And Behringer isn’t making it more affordable for you to make music. They’re making if more affordable for you to collect a bunch of synth knockoffs.”

                Behringer isn’t making it more affordable for you to make music? For those who prefer/use hardware synths, yes, they are.

                1. Even if we consider only analog synths (because, of course, you can’t make “real” music unless it’s analog), there were many affordable options available long before Behringer entered the market like DSI Evolver, Tetra, Mopho, Prophet 8, Arturia MiniBrute, Korg MS-20 Mini, Novation Bass Station II, Vermona Mono Lancet…. These are just a few examples of budget-friendly analog synths that were accessible before Behringer started making synths.
                  Moreover, if we consider digital hardware synths, there have been numerous affordable options since the 1990s. Additionally, there is no shame in buying second-hand equipment, especially for beginners.
                  In fact, Behringer’s presence in this market has made affordable synths with advanced capabilities and digital control more rare.

    2. Amazon just expanded from only selling books……like Yamaha, Roland, Korg, Casio and any other store in the whole wide world…

    3. Intel and DEC. Itanium talk killed more than a few Alpha sales when it was nowhere near ready to ship, and it was nowhere near what was promised when it finally did.

      1. Ah, no, that was done by the Big Box music stores, starting with Mars Music, Sam Ash, then Guitar Center. Now Mars is long gone, Sam Ash is closed/closing and GC probably isn’t far behind, with the help of Sweetwater. But those three did a lot to kill themselves without Sweetwater’s help. The mom and pop stores that survived had to rethink how to compete.

        2. Wow. blaming the victims is a real way to look like a rapist and a shitty capitalist as well as looking IGNORANT of the hedge funds and what they did to these brands.

  2. Without a spring reverb in there it’s not really a clone.my 208 was nothing without it.

    Other wise. Great. I can afford to replace my 208 I sold to pay the bills.

  3. In regards to this one no, there isn’t too much crossover between people who are actually in the market for an easel and the Behringer market.

    In regards to the knockoffs of in-production midi controllers and Moogs, Behringer most definitely takes the form of a capitalist predator not unlike Amazon killing small book stores.

  5. Behringer has announced what, like 30+ new synths in the past 4 years? And shipped maybe 5 of those. AFAIK the global chip shortage is largely over and has been for at least a year. Yet they haven’t even shipped relatively simple devices like the BCR32 MIDI controller. This is ridiculous.

      1. If home schooling learns you to use an Oxford comma in a list, I raise a glass of white lightning to y’all.

        1. “Let’s eat kids.”
          “Let’s eat, kids.”
          Punctuation saves lives…

          (and yes, i know this is not strictly an instance using the oxford comma; but similar examples do exist.)

    3. This just isn’t true and I’m sure that deep down you know it. Just looking at Sweetwater’s site there are presently at least 18 different Behringer synth models in stock and available to ship. That’s not including variations on a theme (like three colors of the 2600, or desktop versions of keyboard units).

      There are plenty of things one can legitimately criticize Behringer for, but playing fast and loose the facts only serves to undermine any reasonable allegations one might make.

  7. Ah… nice. Just waiting for the first Behringer dishwasher. Or – what if they started producing cars??

    Joke aside – I am deffo getting this one.

  8. Yup this is the one. I just hope my interest doesn’t wane by the time this comes out. I was super stoked for the pro 800 and then when it was released I no longer cared.

  9. Yeah but ots all BS. None of these new Berginger synths are actually available. My local music retailer has 302 Behringer products listed but when you filter by in stock items only, the number is 4.

    1. What is this mythical ‘local music retailer’ that lists 302 Behringer products?

      Behringer only sells through a handful of ‘super retailers’.

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