Hey gang, we've migrated our blog content over from Blogger.com to a great service called Compendium that will greatly enhance our lateral bloggitude. 

Please head over to blog.behringer.com and give it a look-see! Also, please update your bookmarks accordingly and thanks for reading! This will be our last post on blogger.com.

BEHRINGER in Pictures - an Interview with One of the Founders of BEx-City.de
Uli Behringer recently pointed out a cool website to me. It's located over at BEx-City.de and was started by former BEHRINGER employee Matthias Kill and some friends. BEx-City.de serves as a sort of "niche" site in the Social Media world - connecting current and former employees of BEHRINGER for the sake of catching up, telling old stories, and just plain getting back in touch. Matthias has dubbed former employees "BExs," as in "Ex- Behringers." Uli and I both thought it was pretty remarkable that a thriving community of former employees has such an active online presence, with online discussions, photo trading, and meet-ups taking place from time to time. According to Matthias, a roster of over 300 members in the BEx database has accumulated. Some of the members had joined the company almost 20 years ago! Matthias was kind enough to answer my questions with some insightful and enlightening responses.


• Hello, Matthias what is BEx-City.de, and what is its goal? 

Matthias: BEx-City is just a small website, meant as a contact point for active and former BEHRINGER employees to keep in touch and share memories about our common time with the company. We are publishing photos from company events, like Christmas parties or trade shows and organizing regular get-togethers. If a BEx wants to contact another BEx, but cannot find him in social networks like Facebook or Xing, we are there to help. Our email address database is quite large. 


• When did you guys start it up? Who all founded it?


Matthias: The idea for BEx-City came up in July 2008, when Victor Melchor Casal, a former BEHRINGER Sales representative for Spain, had the idea to organize a meeting with current and former colleagues from the Sales department. Simone Falkenstein - current Sales Key Account Manager for BEHRINGER Germany – joined Victor in putting together names of former colleagues and searching for email addresses. The idea of such a meeting received enthusiastic critical acclaim and turned out to become a company-wide meeting, not only restricted to Sales employees. That was the moment when I had the idea for a website, and we formed the BEx committee. The term BEx is the combination of BE = active BEHRINGER employee and Ex = former BEHRINGER employee. 
 


• So, why Behringer? Do you guys host sites like this for any other former employers? What makes Behringer different in this regard?
Matthias: We are not hosting any other website like BEx-City. BEHRINGER is very special, as it was always fun working in this company because of the great colleagues. Regardless of how tough the job could have been, during the years we could always count on our colleagues and have a lot of fun with them during and after business hours. The combination of professional work and joking around for example during a lunch break or a short cigarette break made it fun working for BEHRINGER, and formed a unique spirit. Visiting a colleague from another department in his office and having a cup of coffee together without having an official appointment lead to enhanced communication - which in the end, was also very beneficial for the company. Keyword: look beyond one's own horizon. 



• How many members use the site, and how often do you get together face-to-face? 

Matthias: Actually, our “master table” of email addresses contains 307 records and is still increasing! I don’t have any statistics about the traffic on BEx-City.de but we receive regularly positive feedback from our members via email. We organized the first BEx meeting in 2008 and the second in 2009, but we are thinking about meeting more often in future – because it is so much fun to meet all the colleagues again and to share memories of the “old times.” 


• You guys also serve as a sort of "middle ground" for former employees to get back in touch, correct?

Matthias: Correct, we are a special service for BEHRINGER employees besides all the public networking websites like Xing, Facebook or LinkedIn. BEx-City is just meant as a contact point to enable the members to get in touch with each other again. Besides this, we are posting information about the next get-together and that’s it.


• What is it about the spirit of BEHRINGER employees that keeps them involved even after their professional tenure with the company has ended? 

Matthias: It's just that we continue what we did during our active time with BEHRINGER: meeting and having parties after business hours closed. The MI & PRO Audio branch itself is one big family. Even before BEx-City we met all our former colleagues once a year at the Musikmesse & ProLight & Sound in Frankfurt. This was neither organized nor planned - just that a lot of old colleagues showed up on the BEHRINGER booth for a chat. Most BEx are musicians and many of them are still working in this branch – so the biggest trade show for the MI and Pro Audio branch in Europe became automatically an unofficial annual get-together event.


• Any plans for future expansions to the site? What can we expect from BEx-City.de in the future?

Matthias: At this moment we are not planning any expansions for the website – except that we are encouraging our members to send us photos, which we would like to publish in the picture galleries. If BEHRINGER could provide pictures – especially from the early years – we would be happy to post them as well. 


• Matthias, thanks so much and keep up the great work!

Labels: BEX-City.de

Here at BEHRINGER, we're always busy planning new products, building said products, perfecting our shredding skills, checking out what people have to say about us on YouTube, and keeping our dealers and end-users happy. But recently, things are a little different. We aren't always THIS busy. Right now we're in what I like to call the NAMM SLAMM.
What's that mean, exactly? Right now we're ramping up for a serious NAMM presence that will undoubtedly be the talk of the show. Cool as that is, it takes a lot of work. Folks are arriving to the offices early and working late. People are sleeping under their desks. Believe it or not, any coffee shop within a 15 mile radius of a BEHRINGER office has stocked up on extra French Roast to keep up with demand.
In true BEHRINGER fashion, we see this as a growth opportunity, and are looking at acquiring some land in Cuba to grow our own coffee crops. Ultimately we look forward to brewing BEHRINGER brand super-lattes, with double the caffeine at half the price. We hope to have onboard FX processing in the mugs, too, but that might have to wait until 2011.
Anyhow, let's talk about what's coming up for BEHRINGER at NAMM 2010, without giving away TOO much:
• First and most importantly, we'll debut 50 NEW products! All will be available in the flesh and with knobs ready-to-tweak!
• We have a A MONSTROUS announcement that will be the biggest surprise disclosure in BEHRINGER's history. It will be more surprising than the endings to "The Crying Game" and "The 6th Sense" combined. You cannot possibly guess, but are free to try.
• Performances and demos from some true A-list talent, including long-haul career legacy artists and rising stars who are rapidly becoming top players in their genres. We will release more information on the "who's who" as the date draws nearer. Special thanks goes out to new Artist Relations manager Dave Hooper and his little black book of rockstar's cell numbers.
• A brand-spankin' new, larger NAMM booth, sporting a soundproof chamber to keep the NAMM decibel cops at bay, and a complete aesthetic overhaul in line with our new "Imagine Music" campaign.
• Punch and pie.
We understand that not everyone gets to come and experience firsthand the deep sonic jungle that is NAMM. For those whose networks don’t provide them with a NAMM pass, fear not - we’ve got something in store for you! A 3D “virtual tour” of the NAMM booth is on the way, and will be here on BEHRINGER.COM when the show starts! It will allow you to “walk” through a 3D render of the booth, and will be completely stocked with all of the new products that we’ll be debuting in the genuine booth in California. Of course, we will also be blogging from the show to keep you well informed.
Those of you lucky enough to attend NAMM are officially invited to come by the booth, grab a coffee, see the gear, and talk with us for a spell. We're making it nice and cozy for ya.
More cozy than underneath our desks, anyhow. See you in January!

Labels: NAMM

Unless this is your first visit to BEHRINGER.com, you've probably noticed our new look. We kicked off the new site Friday (September 3rd). Our web developers and copy-writers have just emerged from lockdown, and though their skin has paled and their eyes haven't quite adjusted to the light, the fresh air that's finally circulating is tinged with excitement.

The new website is a big improvement and we would like to thank our customers for their part in the project, as well.

In July, we asked our customers to vote on a new web design and to take a brief survey. The response was amazing. We received over 8,000 detailed responses. What we found was that, overwhelmingly, people preferred a clean design on a white background with bold imagery and lots of whitespace.

Armed with this information, we went back to the drawing board with the goal of addressing our customers' concerns and improving every corner of the website.

We've widened the page layout, reduced scrolling wherever possible, and improved access to documentation. The homepage has been completely restructured to focus on new products and company news. Every product page has loads of fresh copy, high-resolution images, and convenient access to documentation and software. On many pages, you'll find links to videos contributed by end-users and independent reviewers. Not to mention, all product photos are now scratch-n-sniff!*

Did we mention the website is a heck of a lot faster now? Go on, give it whirl.

We won't stop there. At BEHRINGER, we're committed improving the customer experience. Let us know what you think of the new site. We're always listening.

*BEHRINGER not responsible for scratched monitors. Scent may vary. Side-effects may include: Monitor Nucleosis, Nasal Gingivitis, Olfactory Sclerosis and Rapid Onset ESD.

The Winning Design (Design 5 - July '09)

We've chosen the winner of the "I Rock Behringer" Flickr.com contest! The winner is "Roman V." for his entire set, but in particular for this very photo:

Thank you, Roman, very much, for a funny, clever concept.

To all who entered, keep in mind that all contests are hard to judge. We had hundreds of photos to go through. We had some extremely high-quality, professional-caliber photographs submitted that were not chosen as the winner. Remember, however, that the criteria for this contest was not "professionalism."

Creativity and diversity of product shots were our judging criteria here, and that's what we received from Roman V. Opinions around the office were actually quite divided between the sets submitted by Roman V. and "FiveSevenp90" as the two best contestants. Ultimately Roman's "Ear Logo" won out because it was just so damned clever.

If you're disappointed that you didn't win - guess what? We're going to have ANOTHER photo contest coming up in a few weeks, with an entirely different submission process and judging criteria - stay tuned for that!

Anyhow, let's have a look at some of the other entries that came in for the contest, because we've got some honorable mentions.

• First of all, FiveSeveNp90's photos, as mentioned earlier, are straight up awesome.

I sense a career in photography if this candidate doesn't already have one. Bravo for serious.

• Now HERE's a BEHRINGER fan. There's at least 25 of our rackmounts in this shot. Awesome, that's all I have to say.

• Aaaaaaaaaaand..... last but not least - Wow. Just wow. Umm, cool Behringer hat.
  

Thanks again to all who entered, stay tuned right here for more info on upcoming contests and promotions from BEHRINGER!

Labels: contest winner, Flickr

Using the VIRTUALIZER DSP 2024 to it's fullest potential.


An old adage states that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket, lest you fumble said basket and produce something of an impromptu sidewalk omelet. Wise, to a point, but I think it's OK to carry all your eggs in one basket as long as you do so cautiously and thoughtfully. This will also save you the time and energy that could have been spent on multiple trips to the chickenhouse; it's all about efficiency.

The VIRTUALIZER rack-mount multi-effect processor is a prime example that lays this old adage to rest. Featuring no less than 71 different effect algorithms, this device is a one-stop-shop for studio effect processing needs; eliminating the need to purchase multiple specialized rackmount effects.

I recently took a VIRTUALIZER home for a couple days (Thanks, Leanne!) and put it through its paces. My favorite aspect of the VIRTUALIZER is not in regards to any particular effect, but instead the device's intuitive ease of use. My rule of thumb regarding User Interface is this: if I want the machine to perform feature "X," the first effort I intuitively take to get "X" to happen should be the one that works. That's exactly how this device performs, every time.

Not like some of the competition's "hidden feature" layouts - "Hold this button, then tap that one, then stand on one leg and pray," know what I mean? The large control knob on the right selects presets/user patches and effect categories, and then the smaller 4 controls are used to modify effect parameters like delay time, gain, and EQ. Once you have dialed in a sound you really like, the "Store" button writes it to a user section with a single touch. The next step? Create another patch and store it, too! Repeat x 98.

The VIRTUALIZER is a piece of rack-mount gear that is perfectly at home in the studio or on the stage. It features an array of bread-and-butter effects like delay (echo), reverb, compression, and distortion, but also features even more esoteric special effects like psychoacoustic processing, a wave designer, and a ring modulator! Many of these effects can be combined upon one another for truly innovative sonic possibilities.

For live applications, the best locale in the signal path for the VIRTUALIZER is in the effects loop of your guitar amp. For studio use, I recommend placing the VIRTUALIZER in the channel insert stage if you are using its compression, gate, or expansion settings. Otherwise, it will be right at home in the FX send path of your mixer.

MIDI implementation is a breeze - which, as any MIDI junkie would know, is a rarity in the MIDI world. Simply connect your FCB1010 to the Virtualizer's MIDI IN port, and program its pedal buttons to match the patches you have saved in the VIRTUALIZER. Then you can call up your stored settings with a quick stomp. This is a great way to save multiple settings for different songs - enough for an entire setlist! Variable settings like delay rate and filter cutoff can be assigned to the 2 expression pedals on the FCB1010 as well.

When it comes to bang-for-the-buck, the VIRTUALIZER is hard to beat. Dedicated reverb units from the competition can soar in cost to several times the VIRTUALIZER's price point - and you're only getting reverb! I mean, reverb's cool and all, but with the VIRTUALIZER 2024, you're getting a lot more functionality for a lot less cash.

Labels: behringer, DSP2024, FCB1010, midi controller

Compressors are often misunderstood. In some ways they are only really well understood by high-level users of pro music equipment. The difficulty in understanding compression is largely due to the fact that it's neither tone nor time-based. Distortion calls a lot of attention to itself; that's kind of the point. A radical delay setting really stands out. But compression is a little less obvious. So what is compression, exactly?

In order to understand compression, we first need to understand dynamics.

Dynamics, in the musical performance sense, deals with the quiets vs. the louds. A musical piece that is "highly dynamic" includes lots of increases and decreases in volume over time. Lots of quiets, lots of louds.

Traditionally, of course, dynamics are simply controlled by the person playing an instrument - by playing harder or softer. That begs the question - who needs compression? Can't a skilled musician just play with more control? The answer is "not always," and there are other reasons for "leveling out" the quiets vs. the louds.

Let's take a look at a common usage of studio compression - on vocals. We'll use a rock song with a lot of dynamics - loud choruses and calm verses, for example. Listen closely to the vocal dynamics. At one moment, the vocalist may be whispering, the next he may be shouting. There is a distinct difference in volume, to be sure. Now, using this recording as a frame of reference - imagine someone 5 feet from you whispering. Could you even hear them? Now imagine them screaming like the chorus of the song. The dynamic range (from quiet to loud) of a real person in a real room is much, much broader than that of a song on the radio.

Why? Well, because it would be obnoxious if you had to keep turning your stereo volume up or down every time the volume changed!

How about compression for guitarists? On the guitar, compression serves two purposes. It can amplify the attack of notes, rendering a more percussive sound, often heard on many Nashville "Chick'n' Pick'n" style performances. When routed through a compressor, a guitarist's long notes also sustain much longer than they would without - as the notes decay, compression increases the volume to compensate. Compression devices targeting guitarists are often labeled "compressor/sustainer" for this very reason.

The bass guitar is also broadly dynamic instrument. Big, meaty strings that are farther away from the fret board have more movement potential and momentum than guitar strings, and impacts of the string against the frets are very loud. Slap-style playing is a great example of a circumstance that greatly benefits from compression; such players generally make use of high-transient slaps & pops alongside subtle muted notes. In most studio settings, compressing bass tracks is a standard procedure.


The waveform on the top is uncompressed; the waveform on the bottom has had compression applied. Notice how the volume level has flattened out.

After reading all the above - resist the temptation to over-compress everything. Governing dynamics is appropriate to a point, but don't forget that interesting dynamics are also what makes a piece breathe and feel human. So, don't overdo it, but give compression a shot at your next home recording session.

BEHRINGER offers stompbox compressors for every stage of recording and performance. For the stompbox set, we offer the COMPRESSOR/SUSTAINER CS100, the classic-styled DC9 DYNAMICS COMPRESSOR, and the CL9 COMPRESSOR/LIMITER - a limiter being something of a compressor on steroids. Any of these guitar pedals are suitable for making compression part of your on-stage arsenal.

For the professional audio equipment demographic, we offer many compressor options as part of our recording studio gear lineup, including the 2-channel AUTOCOM PRO-XL MDX1600 and COMPOSER PRO-XL MDX2600, as well as the 4-channel MULTICOM PRO-XL MDX4600.

I hope this helps to de-mystify the sometimes clouded understanding people have of this technology. It may be helpul for you to think of compression as less of an effect, and more as a type of polish. With judicious use and experimentation, you may wonder how you ever got by without it.