Behringer Equipment??

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Franky 2000

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I am starting to put together a small home studio to record my own music and also my band. I have already started to get some bit and pieces. I picked up a Behringer catalogue and i am interested in several things they have for sale. Also the price for the equipment seems very reasonable!!

Has anyone used Behringer before and got any comments about it?? Good and Bad Points??

I realise that this might not be top spec gear but i am looking for equipment that will do a decent job and then over time as my recording/mixing abilities improve so will my equipment! :)
 
With Behringer products you get what you pay for. Some of the products are great for a beginner and when I first started out I was quite happy with some Behringers products that I purchased (1604A mixer and 1000 Virtualizer). For the price I was happy with what I got, but when I was trying to lay down some tracks the sound/reliability just wasn't there. The channels were bleeding all over the place and the pre-amps were really tinny. Then I got a Studiomaster board. I'm happy now.
 
Try a search on Behringer here. It's very rare that people will have many good things to say about Behringer gear although I'm sure there are a few pieces that would have their uses. I don't own any behri stuff so I can only talk about reputation, the reputation however is the reason I don't own any.

All of my gear is pretty much entry level budget stuff but for every bit of gear I've bought there has usually been something that is near equivalent to Behri stuff in price but better in quality.

Why don't you list the gear you're thinking of buying and maybe people will recommend other stuff at a similar price point? Maybe then you can audition some other brands next to the Behri gear and decide for yourself.
 
Behri Behri Blueberry

Hi,
I was doing the exact thing your doing. I was starting out, looking for an inexpensive yet effective way of recording up to 8 tracks of audio simultaneously. Before I bought my Behringer MX3282A Mixer, I never even heard of them. the people at music stop never told me they were a bad company, but I also wasn't a part of this BBS.

When I got my MX3282A Mixer, I was so proud of myself. "Now I can record the whole Band!", I said, and I did. At first I just mixed everything down to one stereo track because I didn't have my
Aardvark 8 channel Audio Interface, but I didn't care. I was "mixin' on the Big Board". here I had a 32 channel, 8 Subgroup Out, 8 aux, with a whole bunch of other bells and whistles, that just seemed to "turn me on". Then, things started to happen.

The Service shop that they had opened in Darthmouth, Nova Scotia, closed and moved south of the border. After doing a "Live" show in Shubenacadie (don't even try to pronounce it), all my faders got sticky, and I mean REAL bad from all the dust blowing around. I voided my warrenty by trying to clean my faders myself cause I didn't want to wait the four months or so to get my mixer back from the Dealers. Then, a main fader blew out and I had to pay to get it replaced. During our live show I had trouble with my monitors, They didn't want to work. the whole system kept shutting down every so often during one of the Bands songs. They (The Band) got pretty pissed at me. It was beyond me.

I'm still using my MX3282A, at home. It's not going outdoors anymore. I heard about weak Pres on the board, but I figured that since I bought my Aardvark Pro Q10 that the pres on there would compensate. that company went out of business by-the-way.

Today, I'd like to get a good Board, I'd like to get a reliable Audio interface with good support and good pres. I'm looking elsewhere. Not at Behringer, anot at Aardvark. I feel these two companies really let me down. I hear alot of mention about the poor quality electronics in Behringer products and that the pres are all of low quality. I'm still waiting to try out some "good" quality pres on a "good" mixer. Maybe even some out-board pres.

Think about your signal-chain. What kind of mics, what kind of pres, what kiind of mixer, what kind of software/hardware. Try, and I mean really try, to find the "Best Affordable" equipment that you won't be regreting two onths down the road. this business can get real expensive real quick, especially if you start choosing the wrong equipment, like I did.

There's alot of information about equipment people bought in here. Use the "Search" function on here to look up any subject. You won't have to do so many postings to ask questions. Most of everything you need to know is contained someplace in here. if it isn't, then ask, surely someone will know and offer an easy to understand explaination. they're great.

Don't get mad, don't give up trying, and always seek out your answers. they will come, maybe not as fast as you'd like, but they're there.

Keep plugging away.

George
 
Here is a list of the equipment i would like to buy over the comming year. I will have to buy it a bit at a time as i am not quite flush at the moment!! :D

Behringer: Ultagraph Pro FBQ6200 31 band graphic equlizer £165
" " : Tube Ultra T1953 Mic pre amp £163
" " : Ultra DI Pro DI4000 4 channel DI box £95
" " : Virtualizer Pro DSP2024P 24 bit multi effects £110
" " : Powerplay PRO-8 HA8000 Headphone amp system £116
" " : B1 condenser mic £70

just a few things from the catalogue that i though looked a good price. if anyone has alternative suggestions please let me know.
 
How are you recording? Do you have an all in one multitracker or a PC or a standalone recorder?

Behringer: Ultagraph Pro FBQ6200 31 band graphic equlizer £165- I wouldn't bother with a graphic EQ for recording. They're more for live use. Your alternatives will depend on how you're planning to do your recording.

Tube Ultra T1953 Mic pre amp £163- Don't be fooled by budget gear with "toobs" in them. It's not the same as vintage gear with proper valve circuitry. I'd recommend the M Audio DMP-3 as an alternative.

Ultra DI Pro DI4000 4 channel DI box £95- I use my pres when I need to DI in the studio so I won't comment on this.

Virtualizer Pro DSP2024P 24 bit multi effects £110- Lexicon MPX100 or TC Electronic M300 can each be had for around £100 used on ebay and are both very nice sounding for the money (they're both £140 brand new at digital village). I've not heard the virtualizer myself, do a search for opinions on here.

Powerplay PRO-8 HA8000 Headphone amp system £116- Probably be OK with this. Obviously it's not a part of your recording chain so sound quality isn't such an issue.

B1 condenser mic £70 Studio Projects B1 is £63.99 and is a very nice sounding mic for that money. Lots of peopel on here like it, I've not heard too many good things said about the Behri B1.

Hope that helps, I can vouch for all the alternative gear I've mentioned as I either own it or have had a good bit of experience using it. I can't say that I know it to be better than the Behri stuff because I've not used any of that, like I said though the rep isn't good.

Hopefully you'll get more opinions and some direct comparisons.

Digital Village is a great online shop where you can buy all the stuff I mentioned.
 
Behringer gear is mostly used by satanic cults.

Behringer=EVIL


Behringer SUCKS.
 
On your list the DI and headphone amp would be the only two Behringer items I'd consider buying. Avoid the rest, there are certainly better products available rom other manufacturers.

I agree with Kevin' advice, avoid a graphic eq unless you need it to eq a PA in a club or other live venue.

For fx, the MPX-100 or 110, or TC M300 would be an improvement over the Behringer fx unit.

And by all means avoid the Behringer preamp and mic. these are two of the most important items you are buying, and you should put more money into those units if at all possible. Studio Projects makes good mics that are inexpensive, and there are tons of affordable preamps that are better than the Behringer stuff. DMP-3, Rane MS-1b, Studio Projects VTB-1, even some of the Presonus stuff in my opinion.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. It just looked an attractive option mainly because of the price!! Glad i checked it out before i sepnt any of my money.

I still think that i will go for the DI and the heaphone amp as they are cheap and seem quite a safe bet. I will look into the lexicon and studio project gear.

I do live pa work for bands in my local area and would be using the graphic eq for that but from what you guys have said, i will look for another make of eq. Any suggestions?? Just out of curiosity, why dont you use a graphic eq in the studio??

Looks like i will have to do more work to get some more money!! ;)

Thanks
 
also is there a reasonably priced dynamic processor that you would reccomend??

:)
 
Can you give me any more info on the RNC?? i cant find one anywhere or any info on it??

thanks :D
 
Hard to get hold of in the UK - they do have a distributor ... I'll look it up in Sound on Sound, they usually have an ad in there. The RNC is a stereo compressor though - you can't use it on two different sources at once.

You can usually do better than Behringer at the price point, or for just a coupla quid more. Rather than a Behringer preamp unit, get the JoeMeek threeQ which is £115 and has the same pre in it as the expensive new Meeks. Rather than a Behringer mic, get a Studio Projects or SE Electronics one. ADK have a lot of admirers too. Get using that search function!!

If you're getting Behringer DIs, get four of the DI100s - one of their very much better pieces!! For FX, get the TC Electronics M300 for about £170. The headphone amp will probably be fine, but look up the ART and Samson alternatives to find out which does what you want for the cheapest.
 
OK show me some gear with the same price as Behringer with the same fetures or more. I own a eurorack ub1622-fxpro. I know macki can not offer this. I know many have said "you can get better gear for the same price".
 
YAMAHA MG 16/4 AUDIO MIXER - $142.00
Lexicon MPX 110 - $110
Drawmer LX20 Compressor - $78.00

$330 - all ebay

So, $130 more than the behringer board, but, infinitly better quality, and modular, and you'll be able to use this for much longer.

Come on, Drawmer and Lexicon. Sure the MG is great but still better, quieter, and larger. You get 16 channels, 10 mic pres, 4 buses, sends, inserts.
 
I am not looking for a mixing desk as i already have one. A soundcraft Spirit FX8. But thanks for your advice on the other items.

Is there any other basic gear i should look to get for setting up my own home studio????

Thanks guy i really appreciate the help!! :D
 
my post was for altiris, for less expensive alternatives to the all in one behringer board. But, the lexicon and drawmer, are still good units you may want to look at. Hell, I may get em, only another couple hours left in the auctions.
 
Franky 2000 said:
Just out of curiosity, why dont you use a graphic eq in the studio??
Click to expand...

Graphics are a bit of a lucky dip as each frequency is preselected. With a parametric eq you can select the precise frequency to be cut/boosted and also over which bandwidth the adjustment is made. Very useful for pinpointing specific 'problem' frequencies.
 
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