Jean Michel Jarre he reveals that Korg is currently working on a 1:1 clone of the classic ARP 2600 synthesizer. For more go to https://www.gearnews.com/jean-michel-jarre-says-korg-are-building-an-arp-2600/

 

Few years ago Jarre himself dedicated efforts to create a Synthex replica, but the project failed to reach a proper budget.
For Korg it will be much easier to create any replica.
The only cons I see is the price.

 

You are right, however, any manufacturer of mass-produced synths will have to take Behringer's prices into consideration. Behringer biggest contribution may not be its synths but the competition and challenge it created for other manufacturers to make good AND affordable gear. Competition drives the prices down and forces the quality of products to increase. On the other hand, smaller, boutique manufacturers like Dave Smith, Artisan Electronics, Modal Electronics, Future Retro, etc are going to be under increased pressure to release synths that sound like nothing else. The cloning synth market is taking on a different shape.

 

The Behringer 2600.

Choices, choices.

 

I can't agree with that. Behringer aren't exactly known for their quality generally.
Whereas Korg? C'mon.
Korg are an actual synth manufacturer, whereas Behringer aren't. I'd hope that Korg could out-do anything Behringer put out.
I somehow doubt Korg need to adhere to anything, especially if they do a good job on this!
We shall see.

 

Add "and selling it for $300" and I'm in. Otherwise, thank you Arturia...

BTW I really think that Behringer is low quality rap is outdated... been loving their stuff for years now without incident and if something they sell does crap out they'll replace it. Admittedly if it wears out sooner than the real thing- say, after 5 or 6 years, who can complain really. Everything I own by them right now is going strong, but the Model D is admittedly too new to call yet.

 

Fair enough.
Admittedly, it's their line of mixers that I don't admire.
But if all of y'all are happy with their synths, then I'm inclined to believe they obviously can do something right.
Either way, the Arturia ARP 2600 is nice; agreed.

 

Hmm. But isn't that the problem in the world now?
My amps from the 70s, and synths from the 80s are still pretty much going strong.

 

What's nice is to have a choice.

 

In the pre-Behringer era, finding cheap gear that actually did what it claimed was very rare. Shopping for keys and synths it was mainly the usual suspects (Roland, Korg, Yamaha, Moog, E-mu etc) and you 'd pay for them big bucks, even an almost shitty keyboard like the Roland D10 was sort of expensive. And then came '93-'94 and everybody i know (including myself and my grandma too) went out and bought 2 things: a Behringer Composer and a Eurodesk MX8000. Many bought the Composer the same way you buy eggs. A dozen of 'em or two lol. Looking back now, the Composer has sold something like 500k units, which is astronomical for a compressor, and the Eurodesk was a complete game changer. Uli offered a 24ch console visually (and almost internally) similar to the Mackie 24ch but it was an inline design with a whole row of an additional 24 inputs (for your multitracks' outs), so it was a 48ch design all for less than half the price of the Mackie. It didn't sound bad either, that is if you didn't have to use EQ in more than 3-4 channels or a lot of gain on the pres, because then it became apparently hissy and noisy. The Mackie was almost as shitty anyway too lol. For me, the Behringer desk was just the synth/sampler mixer for my rehearsal room (i was rocking a Soundcraft Europa at the time) but i was surprised at how feature rich was such a cheap product.
Yes Behringer as a brand, is associated with cheapo products for most of their line up. Some of them known to break sooner than later. But if it wasn't for Uli we'd be paying an arm and a leg for the tech we use. He made it happen. And now look at Roland,Korg,Yamaha etc. They too make 50 dlr gear as well. Competition.
Honestly, i'm ready to see some really high end gear clones from Uli, he's still young enough. Gimme a Behringer Massive Passive please heheh.

The concept of consumer products being intentionally build-not-to-last is not new, it was invented around the end of the 19th century/beginning of the 20th with the story of the first electric light bulbs. Manufacturers found out that their first models were too good and their sales had dropped significantly. So their next models were made to faulter in much less time. I mean consider this, how many times did you have to change a light bulb hehehe.
But fast forward to the 70s. Back then, quality electrical and electronic components, were rare and expensive, anyone with a high end schematic had to use mostly military grade components to build something or even worse make them themselves. This fact alone, led to some really sturdy builds across all platforms of audio equipment. Imho, gear was sturdy out of nessecity not because of the manufacturers' honesty and commitment. This started changing in the 80s with the Japanese electronics invasion and cheaper products being introduced and by now almost everything is made in China by the tons. And with mass production comes availability and with the latter comes affordability as well. As mentioned, choice is everything my friend. You can always opt for your Manleys and SSLs and Neves etc. I do too whenever i can. When i can't though, it's good to know i have options.
Like as i said in another thread, i recently came across a DeepMind12 and i am sold on that synth, its solidly built too. The only thing that sort of bothered me was the old school screen though it's rudimentary functional ok. But hey, 12 analog voices for 750 euros is unheard of, i'm gettin one asap. That thing gives my Prophet a run for its money honestly.
Cheers

 

Last edited: Dec 17, 2019

It's called planned obsolescence.

 

I find it crazy that Jarre is another propononent of non-panoramic video.

 

Any owner of the NEW Behringer synths or person with some knowledge of the fundamentals of economics will agree with what I said.
It is a fact that competition does, and in this case, it will drive the price down until it reaches marginal cost. The only way for prices to be higher than the marginal cost is when we as customers value the differences among products, and their respective manufacturers. Behringer has done a magnificent job of counteracting that. This brings us to the question of whether Korg, Roland, etc can do exactly the same as Behringer in re-educating the customer. In other words, can Korg, Roland, and company convince us to spend more money on the same synth or drum machine that Behringer sells because they are built better? More importantly, how much more are we willing to spend on an "elastic" good such as a synth or drum machine? You have implied as much. You stated that you "hope that Korg could out-do anything Behringer put out." Yet, it is easier said than done. Any way you look at it, and analyze what currently is taking place, the clear winner here is the consumer. The competition will result in better products and better prices. I'm loving it.

 

That gave me an insight that hasn't occured to me before. I totally see what you're saying.