Behringer DeepMind 6 Reviews

My first hardware synth

I’m primarily a guitar player, but I like to incorporate synth sounds into my music sometimes. Previously I’ve used vst plugins or synths on my ipad. Vst plugins I found to be unsatisfying and annoying to configure/edit sounds. Too much menu diving and mouse clicking. I got better results from the iPad synths…. But I was left with envy at all those people on YouTube with their hardware midi setups grooving away. So I wondered if investing in a real piece if hardware would be worth it for me.

It took me a long while to settle on the deepmind 6. From my research it seemed to have the right amount of ‘twiddlability’ to be satisfying to use.

I wasn’t wrong I’m happy to say… but also importantly it comes with a ton of ready made patches that you can instantly twiddle and work out how they are done… or simply use them. This is good… because you have all the options that a serious synth player demands, but less of a learning curve to get going. I was making obnoxious noises within seconds of plugging it in!

Construction wise, behringer have done a good job. Most of the chassis is metal with what appear to be fairly classy wooden sides. It’s heavy and reassuring. It does have a fairly noisy fan, but I expected this.

So being no synth expert, I’ll try and explain how I’m using it. So it is an analog sythesiser, but all the settings (so far as I can make out) are saveable as patches. What is also cool, and I didn’t expect, is that when I hook it up to my DAW to sequence the deepmind, it also records all the automation of sliders and other controls on the unit. So you can create a full performance in layers. This is an awesome thing. Endless fun trying the sequenced parts with different sounds and settings.

Syncing it to your DAW is very easy too. I’ve not worked out how to make the DAW the master for tempo yet, so I’m setting that manually for now. Not a problem for my use case in a recording setting.

The sounds are very good in the this machine and work well in a mix. Better for me than trying to get vst patches to sit well. I’m sure that’s due to my own inexperience with it, but this works well instantly. I find it easier to mix everything as audio for some reason.

Ok so one down side is that the audio outputs are a little noisy. This is not a deal breaker for me. This is a real analog piece of kit and for me it’s part of its charm. Practically speaking though it doesn’t affect any productions I’ve done with this so far. It’s not noticeable in the tracks. I’m just aware when I have the deepmind hooked up to my studio mixer I have a little electronic hum that isn’t usually there. So I press the mute switch on that input… job done. I do that anyway. I have everything hooked up to my mixer and mute them when I’m not recording them.

This unit offers the kind of sounds that I grew up listening to from the 70s and 80s, but I think your imagination would be the main limiting factor here. This machine is very powerful. Also it’s clear that the team that designed it really put a lot of thought into how it will be used in different setups. It’s also just incredibly fun and satisfying to move a slider and the sounds instantly changes.

So in conclusion, this is a great way to get into analog synthesis with enough options to let you grow as you become more proficient. I’m very happy with it.

Deep, man, deep...

Here is a review I wrote for a music magazine in CZ.

https://insounder.org/behringers-deepmind-6-convoluted-or-nestled-consciousness

Really good synth, even if a bit of menu diving is required.

Love the sounds you can get out of this thing and I've barely scratched the surface. Keys are good, faders and knobs are sturdy and pitch bend and mod wheels work perfectly. This being said, I had to send my first one back due to the screen not working and as a lesser issue, some of the keys weren't great. So not immune from the classic Behringer monday versions.

Very nice synth

I bought it to play it in the band. It has all the sounds i need + it is relatively easy to make sound you need. Someone says it requires some menu diving and that is true. But it is all logical so when you read manual and work on it for a while it all makes sense. Great bang for buck.

The best bang for the buck :)

I have owned this for a few months now .I wanted to stop using synth vst s

and have analog sounding synths in my productions and it sure worked with this guy , Also after buying pre-made presets online for deepmind 6 i fell even more in love,,wont be needing another synth for a while :)

Great Synth

I have been using it for a couple of months now in music production and sound design scenarios, and I can say it's a very good sounding synthesizer and it has become a very important tool in my workflow. You can get to a variety of sounds very quickly and tweak them easily once you get used to the workflow, and in case you struggle with getting used to it, there are a bunch of tutorials and videos on youtube that can help you. It is a very versatile instrument.

It's well built, fells really solid and I haven't experienced any reliability issues so far.

One thing to bear in mind is that some patches use two or three voices per note, so polyphony might be compromised. If this is an issue for you, consider getting a Deepmind 12. For me it wasn't much of a throwback, so I appreciate the extra space that the DM6 gives me.

In conclusion, I'm very happy with it.

Best Value for Money

It's incredible what this synth can do. Great analog sound, good solid construction. Based on 2 DCO workflow and a 2/4 pole LP filter it provides a very big sound palette. Superb on board effects provided by TC Electronic and Klark Teknik put any patch to the next level.

Deepmind 6

Perfect size and precisely what I was looking for. The sound comparison with my long gone juno 6 is fantastic and the effects makes it even better. The only drawback would be that the engine of 6 voices runs out quickly when playing layered sounds. That would have been easily solved by DM12, but then again that extra octaves would not have fitted the free space in my setup. Anyway, the sound is rich, analog and fat as #*$$ and the synthesizer build as a tank at an unbeatable price!

First synth – love it!

I was looking to get into sound design for a while, but moving around knobs with a mousepad in a VST isn't exactly inspiring, so when the second lockdown came, I decided to invest into an actual synth. After some research, I went for the DeepMind 6 because of the amount of options that you get from the Mod Matrix.

Pros:

- The potential of this thing is amazing. You get sweet retro vibes right of the bat, reminiscent of the Juno-106, but you can get really deep into sound design with the Mod Matrix

- It looks and feels inspiring. The feeling of sitting down and using all the knobs and sliders to get sounds is incredible.

- The knobs and sliders are high quality and feel good to use

Cons:

- You run out of voices easily; when playing 7ths or 9ths chords in Pads while running in Unison-2, you have to get creative with your chord voicings because you can only play 3 notes at the same time.

- The keyboard is a bit small at times

- The controls aren't super intuitive. Without reading the manual, you're going to struggle quite a bit.

Overall I'm really happy with it so far, despite the drawbacks – especially with the amount of voices, it does force you to be creative sometimes. Also if you're looking to emulate retro sounds, this is going to create a more genuine feel.

Fantastic synthesizer

The DeepMind 6 is a really great synth for those on a budget. It has a really versatile sound, and can be used for just about anything from soft pads, to hard-hitting, deep basslines. Really easy to configure, and even easier to integrate with a DAW. I use FL Studio and have had absolutely no trouble in setting it up for recording. Once you have the setup worked out, it takes just a few seconds to prepare it for recording in a session.

It really does a great job in creating an analog sound, and it's no wonder so many people trust in it. Sure, it emulates iconic synths in many different ways, but it has its' own sound, which is what makes it so special.

I have used it on countless major-signed records & will continue to use it on my tracks. It really helps you to shape your OWN sound too, as you can save your own presets & start bringing them into all your records.

Great synth

Amazing synth, I have bought 3 years now and I'm still very happy with the purchase. It's very powerful and versatile synth. Spend so many sleepless nights with it.

Couple of minor cons that might bother some.

- On some presets you can hear a buzz when not playing

- There is some menu diving, not too much but there definitely is some.

But those are only two little minuses in sea of positive things.

Great synth

Amazing piece of machinery, I bought it 2 years ago and I'm still very happy with the purchase. The only down side is the lack of a proper midi sequencer, if it had that feature built in it would be close to perfect.

Absolute powerhouse of a synth.

Some people may say that 6 voices are not enough especially compared to the Deepmind 12, but 6 feel almost like a luxury to someone whose gear has this synth as their most expensive piece. Absolute pleasure to play and create sounds with, the faders are smooth and accurate, the mod and pitch wheels are very responsive. The FX system provided is incredibly in depth, and overall very high quality and professional sounding. For anyone worried about the DSP FX affecting quality, this synth has direct bypass of the main voices, so you can have a totally analog signal path if you choose to add your own effects externally. Overall, this has been one of my best acquisitions in recent years. Incredibly satisfied with the work that Behringer has done to bring us such a great synth at such a reasonable price.

Excellent from all point of view- No further comment !

For that less money , you will get a very fine and powerful 6 voices synth + a very much features that all makes it a very very good device , look great , souns perfect , so I'll give 5 stars !

Amazing synth

incredible piece of kit, its on par build quality and sound quality with much more expensive and vintage stuff

Deepmind 6

Sounds really good as itself, but it's quite difficult to fit it in the mix. Probably not the best synth to play along guitars.

Deepmind 6

I was initially worried about the 'hidden functions' but the interface is very intuitive. Do not think of this as a Juno clone; it goes so far beyond that it's not worth comparing. The dual (note tracking!) LFOs are a joy for modulation purposes (allows some great FM options). The filters are exceedingly musical or (if you want) aggressive and produce some great harmonics.

Pros:

Versatile

Quick tonal changes easy to achieve

Good construction

Immersive

Cons:

Keyboard octave transpose buttons felt in the wrong place for me

No ring mod

Brilliant as a starter synth

I've not really fully got my head around synthesis yet and took the plunge on the Deepmind 6, from a friends recommendation. I love using aftertouch to operate the filter, To be honest most midi controllers of the same size with full sized keys and aftertouch cost almost the same price. This thing is built like a tank, so quality and value for money of the Deepmind is really incredible. The sound of this synth is really amazing, it inspires you to fiddle and learn because it generally rewards you with something awesome, such is the design and layout of the Deepmind. I had struggled to get decent sounds with some other synth engines so and felt like I was just reading text books to get anything useful. The Deepmind 6 is a great tool for me as a start in proper synthesis.

There aren't any significant cons as far as I'm concerned but I'm not really qualified to comment on synthesis. I do find some controls sound a little bit scratchy and digital, maybe because the sliders are fairly short as you don't hear any artefacts when using modulation. The keys feel nice enough although I'd have preferred a little more of that pop as the key goes down, it's weighted but a rather linear action.

Great

This is great vercitile easy to use (if a bit menu divey) sped up my work flow tenfold

Wow.. What can say.

The Sound - I'm no synth expert but a quick look on-line and you'll soon see that the Deepmind is being compared to some of the much higher priced equipment and with good reason. The proof in is the pudding.

Ease of use - No one likes to have their inspiration sapped because of a complicated menu system with loads of levels to have to edit. Forget that with the Deepmind. There's plenty of control on the surface but when you do have to use the menus they have been written and layed out in such and intuitive way that it's an actual pleasure to use. USB to a PC and use the outboard app and it's even easier.

Specs - As per the title. Flexibility is what this synth stands for. There's so much for money and everything can be edited, configured, routed, modulated and changed to how you desire.

Build Quality - This is where I most expected to have to compromise but as it sits in my studio it's not going to get knocked about. Again, how wrong I was. This thing is build like a tank. It looks absolutely beautiful in the flesh and every control from the sliders to the mod wheel to the keyboard feel nothing less than top quality. I've only ever had a couple of Behringer bits and never, personally, had any issues. I suspect the case will be the same with the Deepmind.

PRO's -------------------------------------

Quality, Quality and lets not forget quality

Comparable to Synthesizers 3 and 4 times the price.

Ease of use. A total beginner will get a lot out of this but put a pro in the driver seat and watch this Synth fly.

Effects are amazing and not only fully editable but can also be modulated down to the parameter.

Mod matrix - So flexible and involved but easy to get your head around.

Sound Quality.

CON's -------------------------

The only one I've found thus far is the Occolator section could be more flexible. There are two of them but OSC 1 only has Sawtooth and Square. OSC 2 only has Square.

A waves section would be icing on the cake.

I'm into music and sound experimentation so a synthesiser with open and intuitive control is essential. I simply didn't have the budget for spending £000's so The Beheringer Deepmind was easily top of the list for spec.

I expected to be having some kind of compromise with the Behringer as per previous revues of some of their early hardware. How wrong I was.

Fantastic Job Beheringer.