Behringer wah

jp_nyc

jp_nyc

Kick Henry Jackassowski
Has anybody used Behringer's $50 optical wah? Will the body just disintegrate under my foot?
 
I just can't bring myself to buy another Behringer product. Could be awesome but I won't even look. They owe me for two keyboard amps I bought for the studio that suck.
 
I've voiced my thoughts on Behringer several times. I know lots of people have had issues with their stuff, and it's the overwhelming assertion that they produce low quality crap with pirated circuit designs etc...

Maybe that is true. I don't know. All I know is that every Behringer item I have has performed flawlessly, survived rigors that would put any product at risk, and all of it still works as it did when new. It also all has been shockingly great in terms of overall sound quality.

My little 12 channel mixer is 8 years old. It costs less than $100 and goes everywhere I go. It has been used to capture and mix tracks that ended up on multi-platinum records... even as far as using the onboard mic pre's to power mics on vocal tracks that I guarantee every single person here have heard.

The powered 16 channel mixer for the band is nearly 2 years old, has been used for weekly rehearsals throughout that time, and has performed perfectly at gigs.

My Autocomm 4 channel compressor/Limiter/Enhancer is a life saver. All of our vocal mics are run through it. It too sounds great, was dirt cheap, and is rugged.

The pair of passive mains I got several months ago are an incredible bang for the buck. Great sound, solid construction, easy to handle and stackable.

I have had no trouble of any kind with any of my Behringer gear. The bass player thought he smoked one of my mains after rearranging the studio and running them in series with his massive JBLs. It sounded like shit. 2 minutes with my engineer hat on lead me quickly diagnose the problem as operator error. The way he hooked them up, probably should have grenaded both of them, or any other speakers for that matter. A quick rewiring of the layout revealed that they were both just fine, and we're back to sounding great.

Now, here's the rub: For the most part, Behringer produces very affordable, entry level gear. Is it going to rival Mackie, EV, QSC, etc? No, not really. There's a reason that high end stuff is high end. However, in my experience, and in 90% of the scenarios they will be used, they not only outperform anything else that is anywhere near their price point, but they do what they do well enough for your audience to have no idea that it's not the crazy high end stuff that all of us buy, worship, and never really need or use to their potential.

I'm a fan.
 
My experience with Behringer has been mixed. Some of the products have performed well, some have been total POS. Their PA type equipment tends to be some of their better equipment. But they ripped off Mackie almost to the component level with some of that equipment so the designs were sound - just not not theirs.
 
Mark Wein said:
I just can't bring myself to buy another Behringer product. Could be awesome but I won't even look. They owe me for two keyboard amps I bought for the studio that suck.
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The only good stuff they make is the Bugera stuff. I still hate the main line Behringer stuff.
 
"It has been used to capture and mix tracks that ended up on multi-platinum records... even as far as using the onboard mic pre's to power mics on vocal tracks that I guarantee every single person here have heard."

With due respect, I'll make a general observation that if you make an appeal to the authority of your experience, you ought to cite them. There's no crime in dropping a name if it's what you've done, and it permits me (and perhaps others) to filter for your experience. As an example, I have experience in the early/mid 90's with then-alt-rock-champs Fort Apache Studios (where I did not work, but sent projects there) and Zippah Recording (where I did work on some projects) as well as other places. So if I refer to guitar sounds or some of the work of former friends, they can think "ok, Pixies / Dino Jr. / Lemonheads" and at least get an idea of my personal template.

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Is Behringer crap? Well, of course it is -- it's cheaply made gear that aims for those who can't afford what they really want. Since that's most of us at some point, you figure out the best compromise you can: can I work with this particular cheap gear? I have had good luck with Danelectro, bad luck with Behringer, and can't bring myself to break my Line 6 cherry.

My question to you, JP, is why cheap out on the wah? I could see throwing down $150 for a cheap preamp when the corresponding Mackie is $1,200, but aren't wah pedals all affordable, relatively speaking? I have a Budda Budwah and it's less than most Squier guitars.

Is there something about the Behringer that's unique?
 
Danhedonia said:
"It has been used to capture and mix tracks that ended up on multi-platinum records... even as far as using the onboard mic pre's to power mics on vocal tracks that I guarantee every single person here have heard."

With due respect, I'll make a general observation that if you make an appeal to the authority of your experience, you ought to cite them. There's no crime in dropping a name if it's what you've done, and it permits me (and perhaps others) to filter for your experience. As an example, I have experience in the early/mid 90's with then-alt-rock-champs Fort Apache Studios (where I did not work, but sent projects there) and Zippah Recording (where I did work on some projects) as well as other places. So if I refer to guitar sounds or some of the work of former friends, they can think "ok, Pixies / Dino Jr. / Lemonheads" and at least get an idea of my personal template.

*************
Is Behringer crap? Well, of course it is -- it's cheaply made gear that aims for those who can't afford what they really want. Since that's most of us at some point, you figure out the best compromise you can: can I work with this particular cheap gear? I have had good luck with Danelectro, bad luck with Behringer, and can't bring myself to break my Line 6 cherry.

My question to you, JP, is why cheap out on the wah? I could see throwing down $150 for a cheap preamp when the corresponding Mackie is $1,200, but aren't wah pedals all affordable, relatively speaking? I have a Budda Budwah and it's less than most Squier guitars.

Is there something about the Behringer that's unique?
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There are quite a few forumites that are familiar with a lot of the work I've done, and with whom. I learned a long time ago, the hard way, that dropping names inevitably leads to some level of shit storm. I work exceptionally hard on keeping a low profile. I go out of my way to insulate my personal life from my professional life. Another lesson that was learned very early on. I published my first book in 1994, under a pen name, because as soon as word got out that I had procured a publishing contract with a top publisher, I suddenly had tons of new "friends" and was inundated with people trying to latch on in some way. From the endless unsolicited advice and offers of "management" help, to the gold diggers etc, I was disgusted.

I was lucky enough to branch out into working with some of my teen idols on recording projects, which lead to more projects and then more still. It was a fantastic series of opportunities that I feel incredibly blessed and humbled to have had. I rarely "work" anymore beyond lending my time to friends or to local people that are just starting out and need a break. I enjoy playing in my silly 80s cover band of old dudes and just being a regular middle aged family man.

It was probably a mistake on my part to have included the above referenced portion of my response. I usually know better, but I don't have a very effective filter.

Anyway, I appreciate your point, and your curiosity, but for everyone's sake on the forum, I'm just going to leave the question unanswered.
 
Behringer, some of it's fine, some of it's average, and a fair amount is unreliable crap. You really need to research the specific individual bit of kit.

My band is currently using the drummer's Behringer 15" passive speakers and they rock. My mate has a pair of their active 15" speakers and they are great. My old drummer had a Behringer mixing desk and it was ok but not a patch on my old Samick mixing desk. I have a pair of their XM8500 microphones and they honestly walk all over the SM58 they're cloned from (I have one of those as well).

Reviews of the Hellbabe I've read have generally been positive. For $50, I'd go for it. If it is a gem then keep it, if not then sell it on, you can't lose a whole lot on the deal.
 
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I was attempting tact. .... look what happens ....

Get a nice optical wah. Shitty pedals are irritating. If you want something done with your tone, have it done right.
 
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