Following in the footsteps of the immensely popular CRAVE and EDGE, the next step in Behringer’s outstanding “Producer Series” semi-modular synths has arrived. The first in the series to utilize a hybrid design, the Behringer “Grind” combines vintage-era late-70s digital wave generation and analog signal flow with essential modern updates. The result is best-of-both-worlds sonics and creative potential in one amazingly affordable 21st-century Synth.

Grind can fill any role within your imagination with digital brains and an analog heart. Conjure virtual vintage analog-style subtractive synthesis, wavetable synth pads, Karplus strings, TD-3 style bass, powerful drum and percussion sounds, noise, and more. Versatility beyond the scope of the typical analog mono synth begins in the multi-engine digital oscillator section. You can quickly select and identify up to 24 digital sources and three sound engines using the simple selector pad with an LED indicator. In Synth mode, choose Virtual Analog, Waveshaper, FM, Grains, Additive, Chords, Speech, Karplus, Hypersaw, and Wavetable. In Percussion/Noise mode, access Rain, Noise, Dust, Modal Strings, FM Drum or individual Bass, Snare, Hi Hat, Toms, and Cowbell. An additional 4 extended-mode sound engines, including DX7, TD-3 bassline, wave generator, and Vox, have room left over for future expansion. Also, in the oscillator section, the control Morph allows seamless character changes to each wave shape. Timbre and Harmonics dials intelligently adapt to each selected sound for more complex sound shaping, and a frequency dial controls pitch.

In the Analog section, the digitally generated sound sources benefit from a classic 24 dB ladder filter with frequency, resonance, modulation controls for pin-point sonic tweaking and dual-mode Lo or Hi-pass setting. Crave includes an EG (envelope generator) section with attack decay and sustain controls, LFO (Low-Frequency Oscillator) with triangle and square glide, and multi-function VCA. Across the control surface top, Crave is fitted with a 22 x 12 I/O matrix for an even greater wealth of old-school analog flexibility. Players with years of experience patching CV cables on modular and semi-modular setups will love the depth of creative control. Musicians looking to begin exploring semi-modular synths will appreciate the no-patching necessary operation that enables “learn as you go” real-time experimentation.

Performance-inspiring enhancements include the easy-to-use modern 32-step sequencer with 64 onboard storage slots and an advanced wide pattern Arpeggiator. Connectivity options include 5-pin MIDI in/out/thru capabilities, USB (Type-B) with Poly-Chain compatibility, linking up to 16 compatible synths for polyphonic capability, and more. CRAVE is affordable enough to be a high-value foundation or addition to any musician's arsenal.