Since the timbre of pulse waves can be affected by minute changes in their duty cycles (and those of my vintage Minimoog have drifted over the past 40 years), the similarity between the two modern synths was remarkable. ![]() The shark’s tooth and ramp waves were all but identical across all three synths, and - to my slight surprise - the square wave and both of the narrower pulse waves were the same on the BMD and the Minimoog Model D. Starting with the triangle wave, I found the BMD’s and the Minimoog Model D’s to be indistinguishable, although rather brighter than the vintage Moog’s. With the BMD sitting next to both my original (1970s) Minimoog and 2016 Minimoog Model D, I compared their oscillators, both audibly and using an oscilloscope. (The specification quotes the maximum detune to be ☗ semitones, but I found it to be somewhat wider: from ‑9 semitones to +8 semitones in both cases.) As on the Moog, you can also use osc 3 as a modulation source, either connected to the keyboard CV so that the modulation rate tracks the notes you play, or disconnected so that it runs at a constant rate. All three also offer the Moog’s five audio footages and low‑frequency option, with detuning of osc 2 and osc 3. The Oscillator & Mixer SectionsĪs you would expect, the BMD’s oscillators (which are based upon the original Minimoog’s 3046‑based ‘Rev 2’ oscillators) produce the same six waveforms as those of the Minimoog Model D triangle, shark’s tooth, ramp and three flavours of pulse for osc 1 and osc 2, whereas osc 3 replaces the shark’s tooth with a sawtooth wave. They were also largely immune to drift once warmed up. I had it sitting on top of an 88‑note MIDI controller keyboard for much of the time and, while I wouldn’t expect its scaling to be perfect over seven octaves, all three of its oscillators stayed in tune with one another and were correctly scaled over five octaves or so, which was impressive. (I would later find that the long wait was unnecessary because the tuning settled more quickly than that.) Some people have reported tuning issues and even attempted recalibration of the pitch and scaling before using it, but the review unit was fine in this regard. I followed the manual’s instruction and left the BMD switched on for 15 minutes before using it for the first time. Like the knobs, the sockets lack support from the control panel so, after that, I decided to treat them more gently! Its switches are also positive in action and, although I’m no great fan of 3.5mm I/O sockets, these also worked well with the exception of one that needed an enormous push to insert the cable the first time, but thereafter was fine. Its knobs are firm and smooth, although I’m a bit concerned that they’re not secured to the panel itself because that would have reduced flexing of their connections to the PCB. ![]() Weighing in at less than 2Kg, the BMD feels solid despite being small and light. ![]() The manual even states that the Behringer Model D (which, from this point on, I’m going to call the BMD) is, “an ultra‑affordable homage to an iconic synthesizer, with all the features of the original”, and that “great care has been taken in designing the Model D including the true to the original ‘D Type’ circuitry with its matched transistors.”. To deny this would be ridiculous its underlying architecture, features and panel layout are almost identical to the Moog’s, and the use of blue switches where the authentic Moog has red ones (and vice‑versa) isn’t going to fool anyone. And let’s be clear, the Behringer Model D has caused such uproar not because it’s a well‑specified analogue synth at a keen price but because it’s a copy of the Minimoog Model D that was launched in 2016. On the other, there are those who have qualms about a manufacturer that is comfortable copying designs from elsewhere, especially when the original products are still in production. ![]() On the one hand there are those who think that, if the company is able to manufacture good instruments for a fraction of the price of its competitors, it should be applauded. I doubt that there has ever been an analogue monosynth as contentious as the Behringer Model D. The very existence of the Behinger Model D has divided opinion, but just how good is this “homage” to the Minimoog?
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