Behringer K2 MKII Behringer has updated its MS20 clone, including features like filter FM, PWM, Sync, and 1V/Oct for better integration with Eurorack systems. This is an interesting update, and the additional features for sound design make a lot of sense, as they significantly expand the flexibility of the K2 MKII (and theoretically, the MS20). Plus, they sound great! At the same time, the street price has been lowered to €190/$190, so there's almost no reason not to check it out. Regarding the authenticity of the sound compared to the original, I still missed that ultimate grittiness (growl) in the filter section, especially when combining high resonance settings on both filters and using ring modulation. But for me, the K2 (and MKII) is still the second-best-sounding clone after the Korg MS20 FS reissue and even better than Korg's MS20 Mini when it comes to that sound. However, it’s a great-sounding synth with a lot of character for less than €200/$200. Most people probably won’t care too much about the filter grittiness, but due to my love for industrial/EBM/Noise, it's an essential part of the MS20 sound. I’m super picky in that particular case, so feel free to ignore my rambling. Like its predecessor, the K2 MKII wasn't a keeper for me, but it is still a really good synth. I’ve also come across several forum comments describing strange behavior with the resonance. After the unit had been powered on for a while, the resonance seemed to disappear or at least fade significantly. Turning the unit off and letting it cool down resolved the issue, but it reappeared after some time. I hadn’t noticed this during the video shoot, which I did under a bit of time pressure, but one of the viewers pointed it out to me. I had initially categorized it as a 'nice-sound-but-not-really-growling' issue. It may only affect certain units, but it seems like the K2 MKII unfortunately is another product that Behringer will need to fix after it hits the market. I’d love to see them pay more attention in the future. After a great start, it seems more and more synths of their portfolio are hitting the market with room for improvement. At least most of the time, they respond and provide a solution, relatively fast. Behringer - If you're reading this (unlikely), please take your time with proper QC. There's nothing to prove, and no need to rush. TL;DR An affordable and flexible monosynth with character at a budget-friendly price. It gets close but isn't completely authentic in terms of MS20 aggressiveness, though you can certainly get lots of MS20 vibes from it. With all the extra features, it’s worth a closer look, even for MS20 purists. ___ ▶ Purchase Link Behringer Behringer K-2 MKII* (EU / Thomann): www.thomann.de/intl/behringer_k_2_mkii.htm?offid=1&affid=397 ▶ Purchase Link Behringer Behringer K-2 MKII*: (Sweetwater / USA): sweetwater.sjv.io/0Zr6aR ▶ Purchase Link Intellijel Sealegs Delay* (Thomann / EU): www.thomann.de/intl/intellijel_designs_sealegs.htm?offid=1&affid=397 ▶ Purchase Link Intellijel Sealegs * (Sweetwater / USA): sweetwater.sjv.io/zNEXve ▶ Purchase Link Eurorack Minicase * (Thomann / EU): www.thomann.de/intl/4ms_pod20_powered.htm?offid=1&affid=397 ▶ Book "Electronic Music Production": limbicbits.com/book-electronic-music-production/ ▶ Online shop with Patch Banks for Ambient, Techno, IDM and Electronica: limbicbits.com ▶ Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/limbicbits
@@na-dj6ob I perceived the MS-20 mini as tamer than the K2 (MKII). The MS20 FS was a different thing, though. It delivered the sound I liked so much on the three different MS20 versions, I've had over the time. Especially when it comes to that unique filter growl. The K2 (MKII) gets closer to that than the MS20 mini but it still isn't there 100%. I might as well be tricked by my memory, though, as it has been a couple of years since I last had played an original old unit. So I needed to go through older recordings as a reference.
Thank you so much for the honest review. I was thinking about pre-ordering at this price but if there are QA issues (a temperature sensitive analog filter sounds like it will need a significant rework of the hardware internals, not just firmware) I will hold off. As for the original tone, I had a 1978 model for a dozen years, it had a certain dark sternness to the sound, I think the reissues do it pretty well and this one is still missing it but isn't all that far off. I think Behringer's silent agreement is to not perfectly match what they're cloning and preserve value for the originals; here they are cloning something reissued already rather than out of print so nailing the tone would be inflammatory and poor form (they need talented people to be willing to work there). I am attracted to this for the price and size and CV flexibility and the Korg builds aren't great either for that matter. I have the Boog D and I like it and this would be a nice compliment. But I will let it settle down for QA before picking one up. I'll also need to hear the reworked filter, they might replace it with one further away in tone if that's most expedient.
Thanks! I hadn’t noticed that during the video shoot which I did a bit under time pressure, but it seems that you’re right. I had filed it under the 'nice-sound-but-not-really-growling' category. It may affect only some units, though, but it looks like the K2 MKII is another product that Behringer will need to fix after it hits the market, which would be a shame. I’d love to see them pay more attention in the future. It seems that after a great start, more and more synths from their portfolio are hitting the market with room for improvement. At least in most of the times, they react and provide a solution. @Behringer - If you're reading this (unlikely), please take your time with proper QC. There's nothing to prove, and no need to rush.
@@limbicbits same here. I just noticed it after I read about it in a forum, because normally I don't use my analog gear directly after turning it on (because tuning stability etc.). Hope Behringer will fix this, because the filter can scream (but only for five minutes in the morning).
So they added PWM, FM, euro rack compatibility, but have the filters improved? Like you said in your comment, the sound of the K2 was good, but it just didn't have that MS-20 sound. I was hoping they had improved the filter. You did a great job with these presets, it does sound good!
how does the envelope2 sound? is the decay snappy and fast enough for percussive sound? my ms20 mini env2 decay was too slow almost unusable for certain sounds.
¡Gracias! Parece que la influencia musical del pasado siempre nos persigue ;). El K2 MKII suena bastante bien. Personalmente, me faltaba esa agresividad que tanto me encantaba en el original cuando subes la resonancia en ambos filtros. Sin embargo, FM, Sync y PWM son modificaciones muy útiles que, por otro lado, echaría de menos en un Korg MS-20 FS (por ejemplo). Además, se vende a un precio bastante accesible, así que recomiendo echarle un vistazo. Pero un aviso de antemano: mi unidad (y varias otras, al parecer) sufría de un fallo. Con el tiempo, la resonancia desaparece, lo que resulta en un sonido mucho más flojo. Espero que solo afecte a algunas unidades, pero es algo que no toleraría.
@@VTOLKits Behringer stuff is absolutely fine for the price point. If my $150 TD-3 shits the bed, big deal I'll buy another one. Far better than spending 2-3k on a real or din sync clone
Behringer K2 MKII
Behringer has updated its MS20 clone, including features like filter FM, PWM, Sync, and 1V/Oct for better integration with Eurorack systems. This is an interesting update, and the additional features for sound design make a lot of sense, as they significantly expand the flexibility of the K2 MKII (and theoretically, the MS20). Plus, they sound great! At the same time, the street price has been lowered to €190/$190, so there's almost no reason not to check it out.
Regarding the authenticity of the sound compared to the original, I still missed that ultimate grittiness (growl) in the filter section, especially when combining high resonance settings on both filters and using ring modulation.
But for me, the K2 (and MKII) is still the second-best-sounding clone after the Korg MS20 FS reissue and even better than Korg's MS20 Mini when it comes to that sound. However, it’s a great-sounding synth with a lot of character for less than €200/$200. Most people probably won’t care too much about the filter grittiness, but due to my love for industrial/EBM/Noise, it's an essential part of the MS20 sound. I’m super picky in that particular case, so feel free to ignore my rambling. Like its predecessor, the K2 MKII wasn't a keeper for me, but it is still a really good synth.
I’ve also come across several forum comments describing strange behavior with the resonance. After the unit had been powered on for a while, the resonance seemed to disappear or at least fade significantly. Turning the unit off and letting it cool down resolved the issue, but it reappeared after some time.
I hadn’t noticed this during the video shoot, which I did under a bit of time pressure, but one of the viewers pointed it out to me. I had initially categorized it as a 'nice-sound-but-not-really-growling' issue.
It may only affect certain units, but it seems like the K2 MKII unfortunately is another product that Behringer will need to fix after it hits the market.
I’d love to see them pay more attention in the future. After a great start, it seems more and more synths of their portfolio are hitting the market with room for improvement. At least most of the time, they respond and provide a solution, relatively fast.
Behringer - If you're reading this (unlikely), please take your time with proper QC. There's nothing to prove, and no need to rush.
TL;DR
An affordable and flexible monosynth with character at a budget-friendly price. It gets close but isn't completely authentic in terms of MS20 aggressiveness, though you can certainly get lots of MS20 vibes from it. With all the extra features, it’s worth a closer look, even for MS20 purists.
___
▶ Purchase Link Behringer Behringer K-2 MKII* (EU / Thomann): www.thomann.de/intl/behringer_k_2_mkii.htm?offid=1&affid=397
▶ Purchase Link Behringer Behringer K-2 MKII*: (Sweetwater / USA): sweetwater.sjv.io/0Zr6aR
▶ Purchase Link Intellijel Sealegs Delay* (Thomann / EU): www.thomann.de/intl/intellijel_designs_sealegs.htm?offid=1&affid=397
▶ Purchase Link Intellijel Sealegs * (Sweetwater / USA):
sweetwater.sjv.io/zNEXve
▶ Purchase Link Eurorack Minicase * (Thomann / EU):
www.thomann.de/intl/4ms_pod20_powered.htm?offid=1&affid=397
▶ Book "Electronic Music Production": limbicbits.com/book-electronic-music-production/
▶ Online shop with Patch Banks for Ambient, Techno, IDM and Electronica: limbicbits.com
▶ Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/limbicbits
Curious why you think this is better than the ms20 mini, but not the FS?
@@na-dj6ob I perceived the MS-20 mini as tamer than the K2 (MKII). The MS20 FS was a different thing, though. It delivered the sound I liked so much on the three different MS20 versions, I've had over the time. Especially when it comes to that unique filter growl.
The K2 (MKII) gets closer to that than the MS20 mini but it still isn't there 100%.
I might as well be tricked by my memory, though, as it has been a couple of years since I last had played an original old unit. So I needed to go through older recordings as a reference.
Thank you so much for the honest review. I was thinking about pre-ordering at this price but if there are QA issues (a temperature sensitive analog filter sounds like it will need a significant rework of the hardware internals, not just firmware) I will hold off. As for the original tone, I had a 1978 model for a dozen years, it had a certain dark sternness to the sound, I think the reissues do it pretty well and this one is still missing it but isn't all that far off. I think Behringer's silent agreement is to not perfectly match what they're cloning and preserve value for the originals; here they are cloning something reissued already rather than out of print so nailing the tone would be inflammatory and poor form (they need talented people to be willing to work there). I am attracted to this for the price and size and CV flexibility and the Korg builds aren't great either for that matter. I have the Boog D and I like it and this would be a nice compliment. But I will let it settle down for QA before picking one up. I'll also need to hear the reworked filter, they might replace it with one further away in tone if that's most expedient.
That 3rd one all I could hear was a nasty break beat coming in and turning that into a huge beast of a track head nodding the lot..
Yes the filter is screaming on the same way 5:01 I tested here the Pwm Malevolent but he can’t tip on the Ms20’s or K2’s industrial musical sounds.
Uu father..Antony ❤
Korg developed a great synth!! I can see one of reasons why Behringer chose to clone it
A synth so nice, they cloned it twice
Nice! But it sounds like your K2 is losing the resonance on filter rev1, too.
Thanks! I hadn’t noticed that during the video shoot which I did a bit under time pressure, but it seems that you’re right. I had filed it under the 'nice-sound-but-not-really-growling' category.
It may affect only some units, though, but it looks like the K2 MKII is another product that Behringer will need to fix after it hits the market, which would be a shame.
I’d love to see them pay more attention in the future. It seems that after a great start, more and more synths from their portfolio are hitting the market with room for improvement. At least in most of the times, they react and provide a solution.
@Behringer - If you're reading this (unlikely), please take your time with proper QC. There's nothing to prove, and no need to rush.
@@limbicbits same here. I just noticed it after I read about it in a forum, because normally I don't use my analog gear directly after turning it on (because tuning stability etc.). Hope Behringer will fix this, because the filter can scream (but only for five minutes in the morning).
At what point can you hear it?
Was the "Tanz Lead" patch supposed to sound like Gesaffelstein, or is it just me?
I guess it's more that Gesaffelstein is likely being influenced by EBM
So they added PWM, FM, euro rack compatibility, but have the filters improved? Like you said in your comment, the sound of the K2 was good, but it just didn't have that MS-20 sound. I was hoping they had improved the filter.
You did a great job with these presets, it does sound good!
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▶ Purchase Link Behringer Behringer K-2 MKII* (EU / Thomann): www.thomann.de/intl/behringer_k_2_mkii.htm?offid=1&affid=397
▶ Purchase Link Behringer Behringer K-2 MKII*: (Sweetwater / USA): sweetwater.sjv.io/0Zr6aR
▶ Purchase Link Intellijel Sealegs Delay* (Thomann / EU): www.thomann.de/intl/intellijel_designs_sealegs.htm?offid=1&affid=397
▶ Purchase Link Intellijel Sealegs * (Sweetwater / USA):
sweetwater.sjv.io/zNEXve
▶ Purchase Link Eurorack Minicase * (Thomann / EU):
www.thomann.de/intl/4ms_pod20_powered.htm?offid=1&affid=397
▶ Book "Electronic Music Production": limbicbits.com/book-electronic-music-production/
▶ Online shop with Patch Banks for Ambient, Techno, IDM and Electronica: limbicbits.com
▶ Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/limbicbits
What's that little mixer you've got at the top right?
how does the envelope2 sound? is the decay snappy and fast enough for percussive sound? my ms20 mini env2 decay was too slow almost unusable for certain sounds.
I wonder if it also sounds different than the k2 mk1, which I think its sound very gritty tbh...
No velocity?
I turn always the velocity off .
the first patch sounds like an early nitzer ebb track
DAF, no?
Moreso DAF who Nitzer copied. Love em both
@@cray56I couldn’t agree more wholeheartedly! (Especially so regarding DAF)
Oh my goodness this thing rips 🔥🔥🔥 excellent programming
Excelente demo, muy EBM el principio. 👏👏 Le tengo ganas a este bicho.
¡Gracias! Parece que la influencia musical del pasado siempre nos persigue ;). El K2 MKII suena bastante bien. Personalmente, me faltaba esa agresividad que tanto me encantaba en el original cuando subes la resonancia en ambos filtros. Sin embargo, FM, Sync y PWM son modificaciones muy útiles que, por otro lado, echaría de menos en un Korg MS-20 FS (por ejemplo). Además, se vende a un precio bastante accesible, así que recomiendo echarle un vistazo.
Pero un aviso de antemano: mi unidad (y varias otras, al parecer) sufría de un fallo. Con el tiempo, la resonancia desaparece, lo que resulta en un sonido mucho más flojo. Espero que solo afecte a algunas unidades, pero es algo que no toleraría.
@@limbicbits 3:25 it sounds all very DAF 😂
Behringer 🤮
You are right 🤣
You’re so silly. What are you ,like eleven or something.😂
@@PeresD We only have money for quality! 😁🤑😎
@@VTOLKits Behringer stuff is absolutely fine for the price point. If my $150 TD-3 shits the bed, big deal I'll buy another one. Far better than spending 2-3k on a real or din sync clone