And often, Behringer’s versions offer features unavailable in the originals, like MIDI, or preset saving.
But is this kind of copying ethical?
And can these ultra-cheap devices help create a new wave of young musicians?
Behringer
The cheap build quality of these little devices is obvious from just looking at the images.
But that’s not really the point.
Ethics
Behringer’s knockoff strategy is far from universally loved.
Behringer
“Not much more than counterfeit, really.”
And those companies themselves often get involved in the fight.
Behringer, for its part, doesn’t always help its own cause.
Behringer
A few years ago, itpublicly ridiculed a music journalistwho is often critical of its products.
That’s a good result for everyone.
Fun Factor
But more than anything else, these devices look like fun.
These designs might feature the synthesized guts of classic musical instruments, but the interfaces are anything but classic.
They only have a few knobs, making adjustments easy instead of stressful and involved.
And those touch-sensitive keyboards, which are a mainstay of ultra-cheap music toys, are actually pretty great.
