Behringer Abacus vs. Make Noise Maths THE COMPARISON review by Penishead

[@letmefeelthevibes]

There are lot of stuff i dislike about Behringer as a company, but i have to admit there clones do allow a lot of people to get access to gear they could only dream off otherwise, because yes, eurorack is WAY TOOO EXPENSIVE, even if there are good reasons to explain why, it is STILL too expensive for what it actually is and does, and Behringer kind off fixes that.

[@Toughinger]

Exactly what I was thinking , without big B , for me it would be not impossible to do my music ….

[@Toughinger]

Sorry not possible

[@penishead_official]

Yes for sure! I like Behringer but if something has to be said then here for the RS-9

[@greencontact]

@@Toughinger Learn to solder.

[@chriswilloughby48]

I'd still buy Maths to support Make Noise. I like Behringer for remaking synths that aren't made anymore though.

[@joakimskurk]

If we stop buying the originals the companies will die and at the same time Behringer won't have anything to clone 😅

[@ordinateur7919]

@@joakimskurk I'm starting to be interested into modular synthesizers, and the prices of the modules are shocking to me. In my opinion, it doesn't seem justified, some individuals seem to be making a hefty profit. When you consider that a single module can cost as much as a full semi-modular synth from Behringer, it leaves me perplexed. I suppose the high prices are because people still buy them, possibly due to the addictive nature of modular synths.

[@penishead_official]

The prices are sometimes higher because these are low volumes from small companies. You can not compare these two categories.

[@ordinateur7919]

​@@penishead_official There is truth in what you're saying; however, that can't explain everything, especially today when modular synthesizers are gaining more popularity, thanks to Behringer and their semi-modular offerings showing the way. In my opinion, the main reason is that modular enthusiasts tend to be obsessive and addicted, almost captive to their passion. They are willing to do anything to acquire what they believe is their next missing piece. This phenomenon is being capitalized on. I've already seen a single individual building synthesizers by hand, with quality, features, sound and pricing better than those of larger companies. So, that isn't the final answer that explain it all.

[@penishead_official]

@@ordinateur7919 yes, that’s also correct what you say.

[@Taskuvesku]

the Abacus is for those who hate the font on Maths panel. I don't like that font. So perhaps my choice is Abacus then... >_>

[@amjourney7962]

Me too.

[@damianpinto3497]

one side of my maths died and i wont ship it back and forth so i got one of the abacus. now i have 1 and 3/4 maths

[@sporemusic230]

I have same problem with my maths one channel stop to work first from left if I’m not wrong, where do you repair it??

[@TangoDelta70]

Excellent video! Thanks for making it and sharing it with us!

[@danielbarbieri8199]

I have maths, but if I should by today, I would give a try to behringer. I like the look better. Make noise gear look like lab stuff.

[@penishead_official]

Yes this is an opinion

[@valdir7426]

Make Noise have a original aesthetic, which I love, and its part of their charm. Berhinger stuff looks fugly and generic imo.

[@warrenjinksyorke1495]

Hello, excellent review, I would be interested to know if I can use the abacus alone, I have a monophonic synthesizer, a drum machine and a midi controller, it helps me to be able to intervene in the signal and modulate or modify it, I have just started with the machines, greetings!!! !

[@penishead_official]

No MIDI usage for abacus! If your Synth has 3,5mm jacks for CV in and out then yes! You can use it. The same for your drum machine. The common rule is. Eurorack gear needs Eurorack gear or Eurorack voltage level. If your external gear has it then GO. If not it is useless to buy an abacus.

[@chrs1968]

ULI , his mission statement from the beginning. "Making music accessable for all, and I'll be honest he has, I could not afford a Roland system 100 nor could I afford the Arp 2500, now I work. Ignore buy what fits you and your money

[@Chasing_Thoughts]

Great comparison ❤

[@b-rockbeats4355]

I just bought an abacus. Which of you anti-behringer fanbois wants to fight me?

[@oo.182]

I say we battle abacus to abacus.

[@FreeThink1984]

Based

[@josephmcginnis8073]

you can buy 3 abacus for one math.... something aint adding up

[@greencontact]

@@josephmcginnis8073 Small independent company vs Mega sized music corporation, design and making the name vs cloning and using massive sales infrastructure, it adds up.

[@valdir7426]

Alternatively get a used function junction from cre8audio, or ataxia from dreadbox

[@meandmamusic]

Thanks mate !! Nice video

[@araguet]

Nice job, thank you very much!

[@penishead_official]

This makes me happy

[@vladsnape6408]

I prefer the appearance of the Behringer panel. I consider Make Noise panel designs to be too messy and chaotic.

[@fsuchs]

Cryptic is the word... For real, after 30mn of head scratching it will hopefully make sense :) Hopefully...

[@s-u-m-a-i-r]

Can you confirm eor and eoc outputs are gates but triggers on maths?

[@VinceFinemMusic]

Do you have Marbles to compare to Chaos?

[@penishead_official]

I have the Chaos here but I have no experience with the marbles. I not switched it on yet - no time.

[@Toughinger]

@@penishead_official wanna sell ?

[@PspiralifeTutorials]

Please do that!

[@nickmarkham3743]

Is the abacus "comfortable" to use? Those small attenuverters look like they'd be difficult to tweak without messing up the envelope settings.

[@penishead_official]

I think there is no difference between having just a bigger knob in it. So, yes!

[@Chasing_Thoughts]

You don’t twist them as much as you would assume, and you can always put a bigger knob on top.

[@nickmarkham3743]

@@Chasing_ThoughtsYeah, that's probably fair enough. My concern was actually that they were too close to the time parameters and that one might knock them around a lot, trying to use the tiny attenuverter. I don't suppose you've got experience with that?

[@nickmarkham3743]

@@penishead_officialThanks for the reply. ^^ I'll take that to mean you don't really bump into the attack/release controls when adjusting the attenuverters then? Watching you use both modules side by side does make it look like there's not a huge difference in space between the two modules, so maybe I'm fretting over nothing.

[@intothewonderful]

Since the ABACUS is an exact clone of MATHS, there is no need for a tutorial, all you have to do is watch the MATHS version. 👍

[@penishead_official]

Correct

[@s-u-m-a-i-r]

Are channels 2 and 3 independent of both 1 and 4 channels? they are using input and output seperately.. lets assume i put signal input in channel 2 and will that control rise and fall or cycle also?

[@penishead_official]

2 and 3 can be independent but there are mix functions within different channels. So yes and no! Maths is one of the most complex modules. So I can not give an exact answer

[@s-u-m-a-i-r]

@@penishead_official i see in your video you didnt demo that option with chn2 and ch3 with rise fall and cycle..maybe they are independent just offer attenuverter and offset when not using inputs only sum / or

[@c4shguy224]

how did they manage to make an interface that's MORE unintuitive than maths???? that thing makes me wanna claw my eyes out

[@Lance_Arn]

You must be a user of the Maths. I have neither the Maths or Abacus and I find the cleaner UI of the Abacus easier to follow. With my local store selling the Abacus on sale at AUD-$99 and the Maths at AUD-$495, I shall opt for the Abacus.. I may buy 2.

[@jandobbelsteen8953]

I'm a bit underwhelmed by this: Is it a great feat to just copy an existing module but then cheaper? The Chinese have done this already for ages.

[@spiralmoment]

No, thats just blatant stealing and not giving a fk about other people and their work. But thats behringer in a nutshell, and thats what the company was built on.

[@Chasing_Thoughts]

Yes, if I can do what you do while expending less energy then I win.

[@Toughinger]

@@spiralmoment uuuuh think they give a fuck , cause otherwise they couldn’t clone it , no? ….aaaaand of course , if big B wouldn’t clone it , I can’t do my music, cause I can’t afford the expensive things, like Moog for ex..

[@NoirEater]

Penishead answering the hard hitting questions

[@penishead_official]

Which ones? I answer always questions in the comment

[@penishead_official]

The Abacus is a 1:1 clone of the maths with 66% discount. What do you need more?

[@NoirEater]

Unfortunately I need a new Behringer brains mine broke a few months ago. Could replace it easy was just hoping for holiday sales. Been taking this time to use the sampler in Distiling mk4 more.

[@NoirEater]

Finally ordered an abacus it arrives Tuesday I'm super excited

[@i_never_asked_for_an_alias]

Normally i trust a penis, specially when they older age, but this is a good effort video.

[@penishead_official]

Thank you for the shower of positive vibes

[@Rustik1722]

What is the module with the blue buttons?

[@penishead_official]

www.modulargrid.net/e/synthrotek-arcadian-rhythms-

[@aaronstclair2423]

Omg how dare they...Im gonna buy one because I can't afford Maths. Sorry make noise. Looks like you still have plenty of modular snobs to supply, so it won't be too bad for you.

[@sfiche]

in skate terms, buying the Abvffdvhhb is like getting a Veriflex.

[@Chasing_Thoughts]

And with the hyper black finish you’ll be blind before you can even think about buying a new dual LFO

[@sameddy2729]

I think my maths has a stroke as only 1 side still works, I can't see my self shelling out for another so maybe behringer?

[@penishead_official]

Yes do it.

[@SamanthaRemmer]

Love your reviews. I just need to ask about the elephant in the room…

[@penishead_official]

What? Which elephant?

[@SamanthaRemmer]

That I can’t use the abacus to assist with counting

[@chitlun]

I have a Maths and would love another one so, to hell with it, I’ll buy 2 Abacus!

[@cypheremusic]

Buena comparación

[@Hikove]

If I had 20HP available and in need for a function generator, I will choose the 4ms Shaped dual EnvVCA instead.

[@penishead_official]

Perhaps not a bad choice if you need more extra

[@budgreenwood9359]

I just don`t get the Behringer "bashing" thing at all. Ever since Fender released the Stratocaster and Gibson released the Les Paul thousands of guitar companies have ripped off their designs even to this day and beyond but nobody ever mentions that!

[@InFamousProductions]

Isn’t baths based on bucla?

[@penishead_official]

Yes, but not only. Serge also

[@dynatwenty]

Hey you look like Uli B.!

[@penishead_official]

Yes, your are right!

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

Well, maths is a clone as well, I went with Function Junction originally, and just go abacus, so using both are yielding more interesting results!

[@anthonybrett]

True. It's essentially a clone of Serge's Dual Universal Slope Generator with some attenuation, Sum, OR etc thrown in.

[@steveturner1815]

Great comparison. I still find it very hard to buy Behringer who are copying the research and development of the small businesses they are copying. These are luxury items - not food or health necessities. I think we need to make sure the true creative companies (especially smaller businesses) are viable. Remember, the profit made from a Maths helps the designers take risks on less profitable modules (which Behringer would never consider copying). I think for luxury items it is 100% worth investing in the future, and not funding ripoffs. Remakes of things out of production are a total different topic.

[@penishead_official]

Yes, I agree

[@anthonybrett]

While I certainly don't mind supporting developers, its important to note that a MATHS is literally a clone of Serge's Dual Universal Slope Generator with some attenuation thrown in.

[@mjr2451]

You could at least call the channel Dick Johnson.

[@penishead_official]

Yes, there could several useful names!

[@aeon136]

What is THIS -an F'ing 'Football Game'?!🤨 If I'm building a modular rig IDC WHO makes the module!🙄 As long as it does what I want it 2 DO & I can get it 4 on the CHEAP -Who cares?! What a WASTE of ENERGY -U could be RECORDING new music Right NOW -Instead Ur acting like 2 Football teams in a brawl over who's team's 'The BEST'!🙄 Get OVER it & Write Some MUSIC!🎹💻🎼🎵🎶🦋✨👽

[@SlaserX]

Leave it to Uli to steal from another company and innovate nothing.

[@Rustik1722]

Competition of simple and rudimentary electronics. . We live in a quantum computers and AI. “Innovation” is an illusion at this point. Every product in your life is modified or modeled after an existing one-just like this.

[@ecdysview]

Serves MakeNoise right, since MATHS is a rip-off of the SERGE DUSG

[@goonfish]

​@@ecdysview but of course that's not what this is _REALLY_ about to the hivemind...

[@duncan-rmi]

@@ecdysview the counter-argument to that is this: the DUSG & the maths are both approaches to a standard modular synth component. what behringer have done with the abacus is choose the one they thing more people will have heard of &/or tried, & clone it, right down to putting the knobs in the same place. are you suggesting that make-noise did anything as low as that? or that every company that makes (for example) a VCO is copying moog/serge/buchla? the abacus is an absolutely shameless knock-off. no amount of thought experiment is going to fix that.

[@stolencoats63]

​@@ecdysview Maths is inspired by the DUSG and MN added functionality. Abacus is a straight rip off. Big difference.

[@MrBatraaf]

Close enough for the difference in price.

[@penishead_official]

Read the customer feedback at Thomann. It is really exactly the same

[@stephanmobius1380]

Behringer is a non-existant company to me.

[@AkkiSan23]

well, iDONT like this little knobs on Abacus, sucks a lot

[@penishead_official]

I have no problem with these little knobs

[@ophirs9635]

Indeed, Behringer have become incredibly proficient at reverse-engineering and stealing intellectual property. I, for once, choose to spend more money and buy from original manufacturers (within my price range) if only for the main reason that while Behringer make everything more affordable to the consumer, they are chopping the legs of the original manufacturers and by that they are killing the industry. And this is even before what I know about their overall conduct.

[@ig88andribs]

Yeah making things from the past other munufacturers won't is one thing. Cloning a little firm like Make Noise obviously sucks.

[@mallek1989]

This is so fucked up. It doesn’t take much to emulate without ripping off. Behringer really needs to be held accountable for stealing.

[@Juan-jw5tf]

Ok boomer

[@mallek1989]

@@Juan-jw5tf dude they’re not stealing from a big corporation. They’re stealing from a tiny indi manufacturer. That’s all Behringer does now. They only steal

[@spiralmoment]

Mackie tried when they copied their mixers. But most companies have no chance of fighting a huge multinational company like behringer who employ more lawyers than engineers and budget with lawsuits. A lot of the companies they rip off are really small, some times one man. They can't even afford the thought of suing.

[@sachaleuenberger6418]

How many copies of the classic guitar models like the Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul, SG, etc have been made? How many copies of tube screamers, klons, big muffs, etc. In the guitar world this is a common and accepted thing to do. Even make noise copied the concept for maths from the Buchla models 257 and 281. The greatest musicians have started by copying their idols. Stop complaining and make some music!

[@mallek1989]

@@sachaleuenberger6418 that’s not the point. MakeNoise is a small company making a unique device. Behringer absolutely has the right to make their own similar device to compete with MakeNoise. HOWEVER, Behringer’s parent company Music Tribe, which is a massive $2 billion company, does NOT have the right to make a clone of their devices just because they’re aware that MakeNoise does not have the capital to legally go after Music Tribe. They could literally litigate for years; which would bankrupt Make Noise. At what point to you get your head out of your ass and stand up for what’s right? But sure. Go ahead. Be a scumbag and enjoy making your music.