Behringer Model D Analog Synthesizer

In case you might think I just gave this a cursory try, I purchased it at GC. Hated it and sold it. Purchased it again a year later on a price point similar to what is up now. Same problems: oscillators very hard to keep in tune with each other. I have over forty Moogs, Arps, Sequential, Oberheim, Korg, Waldorf, Roland, Yamaha etc vintage and recent boards, and also a few Behringers. The UBXa is quite nice as is the Monopoly. So I am not anti-Behringer, but I do know a low end synth when I play one. Anyone who claims this thing sounds like a Moog Minimoog, be it a reissue or original either hasn't played a real one or this is their first synth. Nobody in their right mind A/Bing this side by side would ever think this is anywhere close to a Minimoog. There is a solidity to a real Moog (the Model D is a fragile plastic toy) and a richness to the oscillators in a real moog that this is lacking. The positives: This is an interesting beginner synthesizer that can do some things other cheap synths can't due to the three oscillators. It has the same general layout as a minimoog which is good for learning synthesis on. The negatives: tuning is a mess. I had an oscillator go dead nearly immediately. Generally fragile and sketchy build quality. You need a midi keyboard to run it. The fact there are a TON of these on Guitar Center Used should tell you something. Definitely not recommended for a main synth but if one is really cheap and you are in need of a second synth, give it a try. But remember, I warned you.

As the title says: this thing needs a lot of warmup time. It's not ready to play until about an hour after being turned on, it takes that long (at least on these cold winter days) to stabilize. But once it does, it's wonderful. So far there are no Minimoog sounds that I've heard that I've been unable to replicate. Given the low cost compared to the real thing, it's a great synth to have around.

Since my childhood in the Sixties, I have always been a knob turner, toggle switch flipper and button pusher. The analog synths of the seventies offered plenty of opportunities for those who were proficient at the activities listed above. The Behringer Model D offers the modern day musician or synth enthusiast the opportunity to experience and discover the mini-Moog's Classic sounds by touching the instrument and making the instrument an extension of themselves at a fraction of the price of a Moog synthesizer. This is no toy. This is the real deal. Get yours!

I paid $3k+ for a Moog Model D Reissue and I couldn't believe my ears when I heard this. I was able to sell my Moog and buy 3 of these and still have cash left over for other gear. Build quality is better than expected at this price. I also bought the Behringer Poly D but frankly, this rackmount version sounds better because of the way they lowered the output on the Poly D.

Inspirational, great sounding and absolutely unbeatable at the price. Even apart from being MIDI-fied, it's even better than the original in one sense, in that there are enough CV I/O's that it's robustly semi-modular. I have some Doepfer equipment as well as a set of Moogerfoogers, all on the 1V/octave standard and they play together like old friends. Made for 3AM! Seriously, if you want some analog/CV to play with you just can't go wrong with this little sweetie, either as a starting point or an addition to an existing system.

Great sound for the price. The Oscillators drift a lot though. After a little over a year, Oscillators 1 and 2 are dead. Since I never registered, 3 year warranty is void. Guess I'll throw it in the recycling bin and stop buying Behringer.