A Short History
Behringer was established by Uli Behringer in 1982. Uli was a Swiss music/sound engineering graduate, and had a track record of creating his own musical equipment from an even earlier age. By 16, he had already made his very first synthesizer: the UB-1. These early products were initially intended just for himself, but his friends were soon asking for their own too. With this ever increasing demand, Behringer went from strength to strength and started manufacturing gear for the wider market.
As well as synths, Uli developed a range of additional gear too – from drum machines and eurorack modules, to mixers and guitar pedals. With every single product that was released, the idea was to create durable, professional hardware that didn’t break the bank. Uli wanted as many people to use his creations as possible.
This ideal and philosophy has carried over to the modern day, becoming the brand’s most important ethos. It was spotting this gap in the market that has propelled them to new heights.
Why are Behringer Synths so Cheap?
Behringer follow their mantra of “double the features at half the price” to the letter. It’s this commitment to creating affordable instruments – that still remain deep and intriguing, but are also accessible enough to operate and explore – that have solidified the brand’s status in the analog synth world.
With such reasonable prices across the board, this has made their gear extremely accessible. If you couldn’t/can’t afford a synth from one of the brand’s competitors, Behringer offer a product range that’s varied and affordable enough where they’re bound to have something that suits your requirements. Basically, if you’re working with a budget or are a complete synth beginner, Behringer is suitable for you. You’ll be able to pick one up for as little as £120!
They managed to keep costs down by becoming one of the first music technology companies to relocate their production to the far-east. It’s from these state of the art facilities that Behringer manufacture their synths and more. However, just because each product they produce there is cheaper to make, this isn’t a detriment whatsoever to the overall build quality. It still manages to remain on a level with the majority of their competitors.