Behringer K-2 Reviews

If you are familiar with eurorack patching - you can try to explore the whole potential of this synthesizer. I was glad to have it, just a bit complex understanding of the patch section, but it is a matter of time and usage. Filter is quite good, a lot of instant groove. Did not compare it with OG korg, for me the whole sound was fine.

Perfect instrument.

I've owned quite alot of synths over the years including PPG, prophet, oberhiem, even fairlights and mellotrons and my mono synth was an EMS AKS, but I sold them all long ago. I was prepared to be underwhelmed by this as the price was so good. But not a bit of it! This is just amazing, for the price or otherwise. This really is a superb synth and I can't recommend it highly enough. What behringer is doing is truly great and I'm eagerly awaiting at least five more projects that are still a work in progress at the moment.

behringer k2

everything is fine, but the build quality is 6-7 from 10. need more solid build +keys :)

Great toy

If you like gritty 303 sounds the this is a blast

really nice synth on its own

Haven't play the original but based on online comparisons there are some minor differences. The filter on K2 seems more tamed when pushed, plus K2 has an extra filter (more smooth) which makes it a bit more diverse. Oscillators, envelopes, LFO seem identical.

K2 comes with no keys, which for me is a good thing since I can use any controller i want and integrates better with more complex systems and euroracks (yes, you still need to convert hz/Oct to V/Oct like the original). Plus you get midi and usb support and an extra 1/4" output on the back.

Build quality is excellent, heavy and sturdy. I would gig it with no concerns at all. Jacks and Pots also feel great with a good amount of resistance.

comparisons aside this is a great sounding synth on its own (cold and gritty). What you get for this price is insane. I consider it an improved version of the original.

Behringer K-2

Nice unit, Very similar to the Korg Ms20, which is why I bough it. I do recommend this, nice solid and great filters! Do it.

My favourite MS-20

Authentic patching and crazy good filters

Behringer K-2 (exact product)

it is a generally satisfying experience.

Behringer is creating very good factory machines.

Behringer K-2

This is a fntastic product and seemingly extremely close to the original Korg M20. Behringer has proven again and again that they are on the path of giving us teh experience as close as possible to the real authentic vintage synths. And they are only getting better and better at it. The color of the sounds and and its timbre as well as the powerful output is second to none. And it is built like a tank. The K2 has become a serious weapon of sound design in Mad Synth Scientists studio.

Behring K-2

Behringer's K-2 has tones of synthesis possibilities and can be used to compose all kinds of music.

A very trusted replica of Korg's MS 20 can produce big fat and aggressive sounds also the dual filters makes the difference on that compact synthesizer and of course you have the patch bay with opens the window for many possibilities.

At the cons side now I would prefer a most simple writing on the patchbay , and I thing I will be wright if I say that they are just to many knobs which is a bit confusing.

At the pros side I would say that if you are looking to make big fat sounds with an addition of a patch bay in this price area this is a no brainer.

A Go-To Synth for Gritty Sound.

I had the K-2 for quite a long time, and I wanted to make sure I understood how it works, before writing a review, because it has some quirks, in contrast to other more popular Behringer clones. I'd say, although it sounds fantastic maybe you should go with a Pro-1 or a Model-D if this is your first analog synth.

The good parts first: It is well built! The oscillators sound fantastic, and the low pass filters (two switchable types) sound really rich, with the first one, being able to produce some really squeaky sounds once you crank up the resonance. I was blown away by the sound I god right away. Need extra bass? Turn up the resonance of the HP filter and dial in the appropriate cutoff! Awesomeness!

On the other hand, due to cloning the old design, there are some important features missing, like PWM. EG2 behaves strange, and EG1 -although it could be used for many things,its only patched to OSC pitch. On the right side of the device, the patch diagram can get confusing and takes some time to learn. When you do learn it however, you'll be able to do crazy stuff.

It is an elementary addition to your gear, IMHO!

A lot of fun synth

I'm using it for two months or something. I'm really satisfied playing with this synth so far. I like how it sounds and feels. Unfortunately I can't compare to original ms-20 or ms-20 mini as I've never owned them. Anyway, there are a couple of great video reviews online, including comparison as well as those who just presents all the features and limitations. I suggest checking them. From what I can say for sure: synth sounds great, there's two filters in two revisions, each of them sounds great. Patchbay has a lot of fun stuff. I also like to have pitch modulation, something you can't find in most inexpensive synths. The biggest issue I guess is the poor MIDI implementation, which makes it harder to use in Eurorack. Other than that, this synth is really good.

it is a tribute, not a clone.

The unit come in a nice package, with all the necessary to test it right away. The construction is quite sturdy, apart the CV connection which seems a bit more fragile than others.

Sound wise... it is ok -- despite being analog, it is a bit cold. It does not respond or is not stable as the synth it is inspired from, which i do have for comparison.

Nice gear, not a game-changer.

Top synth

Behringer its doing such a great job with this new replicas, and the k-2 is not the exception. Great quality building and connectivity. Looks cool on black (way hot that the red of the"neutron") And finally, the sound, it's pretty nice. I used for drone and ambient, textures and sound landscapes. Pretty amazing machine for not much of money. Also good for people that want to jump in to modular synthesizers.

Excelent!

This simply will not dissapoint, great build quality, fantastic sound, and just another great Behringer clone (with additions)

Good but not good enough.

I never had the chance to play a real MS-20 so my opinion is clearly with the K-2 in mind. This is by no means a comparison.

Sound & Synthesis:

- The oscillators and filters sound great.

- The envelopes have a very weird behavior and sustain is not behaving like the sustain we all know and love. This is the case with the original MS20 it's not a Behringer issue.

- There no gate input as it should be considering that this is Eurorack compatible. To trigger an envelope an inverse signal is required so keep in mind that you 'll need a trig converter if you plan to use it with Eurorack.

- The relationship between the max and min behavior of the modulation knobs seems so unstable and unpredictable. It's really hard to find those sweet spots.

Overall design and structure:

This is by far the cheapest of Behringer's synth creations.

- The chassis itself is pretty good. Same as ModelD and Neutron.

- Kobs feel really stiff. I mean really stiff. Some times it's so hard to turn them around that my fingers often slide around the knob.

- The MIDI input doesn't look very stable. I have the feeling that if I'm not too careful while patching a cable in and out I could end up damaging the connector.

Yes, I love my Neutron, ModelD and Deepmind 12 but this looks nothing like them. I think I should have bought the Pro1 instead. Not happy at all.

Can't beat the price!

For $300 this thing does more than you can get from any other MS-20 clone!

solid, recommended

MS20 in module form. Solves space issues in the studio and provides both filter types. Type 1 moves into distortion easily, sounds raw, at the cost of some noise in the audio path. Type 2 is more tame, but still squeals, and has no noise. Having both is great, use as needed.

You do lose the modulation wheel from the original design. This may or may not bother you. Build quality is pretty good, knobs feel great in use. I do have one jack that works but clicks loudly when a patch cable is inserted. Also noticed that the octave switch on VCO2 will throw the vco slightly out of tune (difference between perfect and slightly beating), I don't think its calibrated perfectly. But it's an analog synth, I'm willing to forgive this stuff.

If you are looking for MS20 sound, I'd pick this up. Recommended, does the job, nasty.

MS-20 Mini, but more usable

Used in studio, as an external synth module connected to DAW.

When controlled over MIDI or USB, all fine and perfect. The sound is beefy and rough. The additional clean filter makes it even more versatile than the original MS-20 with its noisy filter.

Note that modular patch points might not be compatible with the rest of your modular rig, because Korg uses different cv ranges for pitches and (probably) gates.

Excellent MS-20 clone

I have played with on Original MK1 MS-20, and I can safely say that this is as fun and creativity-inducing to play as that one. There are sonic differences between the two, but then again there sonic differences between two MS-20s.

Sound design is very comfortable on this synth, and I would also recoomend it for people looking for a way into modulars, as it provides a nice first experience with the module mode of thinking, without overwhelming. I use this a lot with a BeatStep Pro to create bass and lead sequences and it has proved a lot of fun to use. Form factor is also quite nice, with comfortable to work with pots, and no cluttering.