Behringer Studio Effects

4-band parametric EQ Detented knobs, not very solid look, but it works fine for now. You can see the two tubes. It has 2 buttons to warm up the sound by passing through the tubes. Bypass on the front panel. UTILIZATION OK, it's easy to use for anyone who has fiddled with a plug-in SOUND QUALITY I've been into computer music for 10 years and believed in the plug-in revolution, thinking that it was no use to go back to hardware gear...haha. I have all plug-ins there are for mixing and mastering, I looked like a madman for them 24/7. And then I said to myself: I'm fed up of having a sound that doesn't please me after all these years, despite using all the plug-ins ever conceived. This Behringer was the first I tried, even if 8 years ago I was quite disappointed by the composer pro, which was really not good. Well, this one is totally different, it's pretty impressive, very, very heavy, it's serious. And when I tested its sound, well, it sounds better than any of my VST plug-ins The warming up, which acts as an exciter, is good. But hey, I'm not saying it's awesome but so far I haven't tested anything better. I have a Yamaha CD player that goes through the t1951 and then into a Bellari tube compressor/limiter. It's not the best gear and yet they sound better than the plug-ins. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. Maybe it's the 4 tubes? My Bellari doesn't limit enough, but the 1951 does an acceptable job. The result is that my sound is really louder than with plug-ins (waves ssl, ozone, kaerjus, elephant, etc...) and nicer. I'm not trying to disparage the plug-ins, which I love and are very useful to mix, but in this case, the hardware sounds really well and undeniably better. I'm eager to have more money and buy more! (especially an Akai dr16 to give my recordings a good punch!) OVERALL OPINION What I like most: -The tube stage, which serves as an enhancer - Ease of use - The sound is louder, and better than all parametric plug-ins (yes, yes, even better than the Waves lynn) - German design What I like least: - Fragile buttons - Too sharp at times (must be adjusted) - It's big (but I love big things!) ¨And to conclude, it's not expensive because it's made in China. However, I can tell you that the Chinese have made lots of progress in the last 10 years, they are awesome in everything, cars, computers, TVs, etc. But I think they are not well paid and that's what makes this baby so cheap. But that doesn't mean that it's not worth more. I hope soon we'll be making cars, computers, TVs and the like again locally, otherwise the future doesn't look very bright for us.

I bought this unit based on good reviews. I bought it for my guitar rack which is run through the effects send and return of my Bias guitar amp. I also bought the Behringer FCB1010 midi foot pedal to control both devices. The reviews were correct. The reverbs are lush, the echoes convincing and overall the sounds and build of the unit are great. Unfortunately, as a midi device, the FX2000 sucks! There are non-editable factory presets and user presets. Although I can access the non-editable factory presets via midi, I cannot access user presets via midi. This defeats the whole purpose of midi if you cannot access your custom programs. Also, the midi thru sends the same midi messages to my Bias amp. This is useless. With my Marshall JMP-1, I could access all programs and decide via the Marshall menu which midi thru signal to send to my old Digitech multi-effects device. This is NOT possible with the Behringer. The manual is useless and MUSIC Tribe provided incorrect/inadequate information on the midi setup. What a load of junk!

Need a cheap, rackmountable compressor with 4 channels? Then you've come to the right place. The Behringer MDX 4600 can take 1/4" or XLR inputs and outputs and can switch from -10 to +4. The MDX 4600 has the standard settings found on a compressor: set the input, the ratio, output, and limiter and whether each channel is going to compress, gate, or expand. There are two settings for the speed of the dynamics processing, which can not be manually set, as well a setting for limiting interference from the bass frequencies in triggering the processing. There is also an "exciter" setting for each channel. Each channel can be used independently, or channels 2 and 4 can be daisy-chained with the previous channel for stereo processing. UTILIZATION Just plug it an and you're ready to go, the manual is there for someone who doesn't know a lot about dynamics processing. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality is OK, provided you don't push the compressors too hard. Once you start to dial in pretty harsh ratios, things can get a little funky and jumpy due to the lack of being unable to manually dial in a speed for the processing. That being said, so long as you aren't trying to overcompress, things will usually turn out OK, as the unit is relatively quiet and does a decent job -- just don't expect it to work miracles and you'll be satisfied. It's not really a transparent compressor. OVERALL OPINION It's good for the money, but because it's Behringer don't expect it to hold up forever. I have two of these units in my studio, but they'll be replaced with far superior (and far more expensive) dbx compressors soon. Because these aren't very transparent, and during tracking it's easy to miss some of the small details, I would avoid using this compressor while recording and save it only for mix-down. You don't want to get caught up in a situation where this compressor did too much, or dialed in too late, and screwed up your recording.

This unit has everything that you need to master your mix, or compress individual tracks before mixing your total project. Price paid: $75 USD UTILIZATION If you understand gates, and compressors you shouldn't have any problems. This unit is designed for professionals that know what their doing. SOUND QUALITY Great Compressor. The intergrated tubes sweeten up the highs a lot. You can even switch the tubes out for something more aggressive. Sounds clean as my 1000 compressor! OVERALL OPINION Rock solid. Buttons knobs and switches are locked in hard. No shake in the unit whatsoever! I love the analog look with the UV gages on the front that bump up and down as its sweeting your signal. Love this unit and about to rack one more of these for the studio. Originally posted on FutureProducers.com Posted by: Smoothbassman (January 2-, 2005)

The Ultragraph FBQ 1502 is a 15 band stereo graphic equalizer that will give you full control over your audio signal. It is great for live and studio recordings because of all of its functions. It has a low cut filter that will get all of those low end muddy frequencies out of your mix or out of your live sound depending on where you are using it. It also will do a great job with your feedback frequencies and eliminate them so you will be feedback free! UTILIZATION This EQ can be racked and should be racked if you want to get the best use out of it. We have it in our rack case that has about 8 racks total in it so we never have to take it out we just carry the whole case with us when we go to perform or work a set. The FBQ 1502 could not be easier to use, you will not need a manual to use it as long as you have some basic knowledge of how EQ works. Using this EQ is even better in my opinion than using a similar EQ in a VST version because I feel like hardware just works better and you do not ever have to worry about it crashing. SOUND QUALITY Sound quality is amazing when working with this EQ. You can get it to create any sound you want. It may take a little more work though if you are use to working with computer based EQ. OVERALL OPINION We have also used this in a studio as the main equalizer and we loved working with it. It gave use the sound we were looking for when using it as our master EQ. There are not bad things to say about this unit, it works great and has no problems. For the price that it cost it is a must have for any live musicians or studio musicians because it only cost 100 dollars. You will love the sound you can get with it, you cannot beat this value for the price.

Mars Music (out of business now) Currently $75 at Musiciansfriend.com. Audio Geeks relax! Of course it's just a Behringer. But for $75 it's simply amazing what you can get these days. I record acoustic instruments and vocals in my home studio. One main problem for self-recording is focusing on good playing and singing without clipping the signal. (Staring at the meters while you're performing just kills the emotion in the music!) The MDX 2200 is two-channel, inexpensive compressor/limiter that meets the challenge nicely. It is relatively easy to use, if you understand the basics of using an audio compressor. It's another LONG article to explain their use, but essentially, their purpose is to keep sounds from be being too loud or too soft. Used properly they canb add desirable sustain to instruments and more pleasing dynamics to a recording. I've used Alesis and DBX products with the same features, and the DBX is aurally better, but costs double and more. If you're on a budget, don't let the Audio Geeks scare you. This unit really does the trick nicely without discoloring your music, IF you learn how to use it. The price point is for beginners, but the manual is not. Behringer should include a primer for first-timers. Inputs and outputs are laid out a bit awkwardly. It would be easy to put the wrong plug in the wrong jack. Read Carefully! So far, it works great and seems built well. Built in power supply (no wall wart) with a typical computer-style power cord. Rackmount case. Excellent beginner unit. Great for experimenting and learning about Compressor/Limiter/Noise Gate effects. And, by the way, I've used the MDX 2200 on several home CDs that have sold more than enough to pay for all my recording gear (and instruments) and no customer has noticed or whined about my "cheap compression." This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Behringer Ultragraph Pro Series is an analog effects unit that is exactly what the name states. It is indeed a rack mountable piece of gear and it will take up two rack space units. UTILIZATION The make up of the Behringer Ultragraph Pro is really basic as it simply has ten sliders set at fixed frequencies that you can cut or boost, as you would expect with a graphic EQ. It also has two other knobs to control the level of output coming out from the unit. If you have any experience with graphic EQs, the Moog Music 10-Band Graphic Equalizer is a cinch to understand and figure out. I've never seen the manual for the Behringer Ultragraph Pro so I can't speak to how helpful it would be, but the unit is easy enough to figure out without one. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality of the Behringer Ultragraph Pro is pretty good overall, but isn't anything all that crazy in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, it is definitely a clean sounding EQ but sometimes I feel like Behringer products get hyped up a little bit so maybe I was expecting more. Either way, the Behringer Ultragraph Pro is a great EQ that will output just as clean of a signal as you send into it. While I usually prefer to use parametric EQs as I find them to have more control over your sound, this unit does provide a good amount of options and plenty of bands. OVERALL OPINION I've only been using the Behringer Ultragraph Pro for about a year. I'm a huge fan of all products made by Behringer so I decided to check out this EQ and while Moog clearly isn't known for their signal processing gear, they definitely did a great job with this unit overall. While I wouldn't recommend it if you are looking for a single EQ to use for your home studio, it is a great addition to any studio looking to expand their outboard gear. The only problem is that these are extremely rare and hard to find and I really just got lucky. If you are a fan of Behringer and are also an audio engineer, the Behringer Ultragraph Pro is a must try.

(Originally written by moody13/translated from Audiofanzine FR) No effects Tube technology. 1/4" jacks and XLR connectors, rack version. UTILIZATION Very simple configuration, no sound editing like in a synth. SOUND QUALITY No effects, only sound adjustments. OVERALL OPINION I can't use it because the product has been discontinued. I thought it was because of technical problems but it's (once again!) because of a lawsuit from the technology owners who have been dreadfully despoiled by Behringer (it's not the first time for them)... I don't think this product will be produced again in the future because even if Behringer wins the lawsuit, it will be too late to try to reintroduce it in the market. So I can't really rate this product.

This is a rack mounted digital reverb processor. It is digital and solid state electronics. You can edit all kinds of parameters, so there is a lot of flexibility in this prodect. There are just standard audio connections for this, so it operates in the analog realm though it is a digital processor. It is rackable, it takes up one space. UTILIZATION It is not hard at all to set up, you pretty much just screw it in to your rack, plug in a few cables and you're ready to go. Now editing the effects is a different story. This isn't just a reverb, it can also provide you with compression, chorus, flanging, and other stranger types of effects. The downside to having one box with limited controls do so many things is that it can get a little bit confusing. You are definitely best off just spending a while experimenting with this, and figuring out what it does. The manual is short and does not explain the functions very well, so you are kind of on your own in terms of utilisation. SOUND QUALITY The reverbs are fair. They compare pretty well with reverbs from many 15 years ago, but today there are much higher quality reverbs out there. They tend to sound a little grainy and over-processed. Really, they just sound a little too fake. The compressor is quite transparent and works okay, and the other effects such as the chorus and flanger are all functional but certainly not noteworthy. I have used this mostly for the reverbs for vocals, but I have also used it for guitar effects like the chorus and flanger. Overall the sound quality is just about fair. OVERALL OPINION I have had this for nearly 2 years now I believe. I like the amount that you can do with it, it's definitely more than it really advertises. Also the value here is huge at less than $100. I don't like how confusing it can be to edit the settings on the effects. Also the sound quality is not really that impressive, though it does serve my purpose okay. I have tried a bunch of other reverbs, and this one is not outstanding. The price definitely makes it very attractive for someone with a small budget though. I probably wouldn't get it again since I have a different reverb now.

The multi-band program-adaptive compression plus limiting, and intuitive operation. Great to have to clean up and give the extra kick. The peak limiter, 3D stereo surround processing, noise reduction, transparent compression, exciter, and super-bass enhancer are all great effects to use. It's a digital powering 24bit resolution. I don't have this hooked up to my computer yet but I use it before the audio goes into the interface. I like to the best quality go in first, rather than later. It is Windows compatible. I use the XLR's in and out. Great output and yes, this is rackable. UTILIZATION You do have to play around with the setup but when get the hang of things it rocks. Different instruments calls for different settings. It is very easy to set the effects. Mostly just press the button of the effect and spin the wheel to edit it sounds right. Honestly, I don't read the manuals. I do browse over them, but I like to discover my own way on how to use the equipment. If I'm really stuck, I'll go to the manual. SOUND QUALITY Great effects. Good output resolution. 24bit. 20Hz - 20kHz frequency response. MIDI compatibility. The effects I use the most of the high frequencies and low frequencies. You can really get rid of that hiss or add it. You can turn a muddy sound into a clean, clear sound. Now the low end, the bass. Let me tell you, it rocks. I use this for drums and bass guitar. You can add so much extra bass, it really kicks your heavy sound up. Works great on the foot kicker on the drum set also. The one I don't like to set is the compressor because I always have a hard time deciding how long a sound should last. Do you hit the cymbal and have it ring to 3 seconds or 7? The more compression you use, effects the quality of the audio. OVERALL OPINION I've had this for 2 years and used it for both of my CD's. It really helps in bumping the sound levels up. I like the piece of equipment in general. Good to use, and user friendly. There are not too many sound enhancers out there and I knew Behringer was trust worthy for sound. $99 to purchase. No problem. I would buy another and use two if I could.