Behringer Pro-800: perfect first synthesizer? Guided review & jam

The Behringer Pro-800 is not only interesting for advanced synthesists but also well-suitable for beginners that seriously want to enter the synthesizer universe. So, here I will provide a guided review especially addressing questions that you might ask as an interested novice. But I hope that my comparative approach to synth selection will also be inspiring for more advanced users.
00:00 Intro
00:35 Keyless
01:21 Price
01:46 Polyphony
02:28 Sound Engine
03:21 User Interface
03:47 Nymphes
04:38 Volca FM
05:17 Exclusion
05:42 Pro-800 UI
06:53 JX-08
09:21 Sound & FX
09:51 Perfect synth
10:41 Jam

[@jjrtech7806]

This really is the 2nd golden age of synthesisers, so much choice for so little money, it's insane

[@mikemeengs5720]

Yup. You'd think that we should start hearing lots of original and unique recordings right about now. But I suspect we're more likely to see a huge amount of inexpensive gear showing up at pawn shops everywhere instead. Just because you can afford a basketball doesn't mean you'll be able to play the game.

[@afxtwinreverb]

​@@mikemeengs5720there's too many tech IT bros in electronic music

[@jjrtech7806]

@@afxtwinreverb Guilty!(But I was way into this long before I became an IT tech bro!)

[@OpticalChaos]

I'd really like to thank you for taking the time to make this video. I'm a beginner trying to work out how to use synth equipment and I'm finding it daunting trying to find youtube videos for beginners. most of the videos just jump right in with all the terminologies and bamboozle me. I end up learning most from watching POV videos and fill in the gaps, as most of the videos with talking are like listening to someone talking a foreign language at 100mph. Your guide is very slow and cohesive and has been a great help.

[@PeteMidi]

Many thanks for the nice feedback! 😊

[@mainpage725]

I’ve had mine for 2 months and my goodness it has so many beautiful, lush and vintage sounds!!

[@PeteMidi]

😊

[@andrewdoucet3029]

Thanks for this Pete-I appreciate the thoughtful way you have navigated comparing various synths. Well done as always.

[@PeteMidi]

Many thanks for the nice feedback! 😊

[@marcfaur]

The more I look at the Pro-800, the more I realize I need it as my next synth.

[@PeteMidi]

😉

[@JonJenkins1982]

The Pro 800 is an incredible synth. It's got a bit darker of a sound compared to Oberheims but holy crap does it have a diverse range. You can channel Vangelis (as it responds to aftertouch), you can get big brass sounds, you can get ethereal pads, the Pro 800 really does it all.

[@712Jefferson]

Great insight. Have become a big fan of your videos, Pete. You always provide a unique, practical POV and back it up with tasteful compositions as well. You deserve way more subscribers. Keep up the great work!

[@PeteMidi]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@petercane6376]

You have sold me one!!! Together with the RD6 drum machine which is so well laid out xnd not one menu dive. You made your point but also gave good reasons, explanations and your own personal experiences with other synths as to why to choose the Pro 800. Not only is it good for beginners but also old gits like me ( 73) who like to have a bash with Synths. Also...not JUST beginners but BUDGET RESTRICTED!!!!! poor souls who can only dream of Moogs and Nords. Thanks Pete. Great video. I listen to you.

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks a lot! Such a great feedback is so encouraging! 😊

[@realzneo]

Good to see you Pete!! Great advice!! Great jam!! Analog filters, knob per function, delay and a seperate good reverb would be my first advice.

[@PeteMidi]

Many thanks for the great feedback! 😊

[@sandkipper1]

Lovely composition. Very relaxing. Also, great channel!

[@PeteMidi]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@mhonella]

As someone looking into my first synth purchase I have to say I appreciate the time you put into this video. Hard to choose the first piece of equipment!

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks!

[@longlostrobots8146]

Great video and awesome jam at the end

[@PeteMidi]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@chriswareham]

Definite mid 80s Tangerine Dream vibes from the jam at the end. The Pro 800 really gets so much right, with a clear interface and good features. The only other synths in that price range with such a good interface are all monophonic. It's also quite remarkable that the Pro 800 close in terms of features to the recent Sequential Prophet and Oberheim OBXa rereleases.

[@PeteMidi]

Yes absolutely, thanks a lot for the feedback! 😊

[@stoatystoat174]

Glad i started with second hand Volca Keys (and Volca Beats.) Getting used stuff is a small risk but most of the time saves money and you can sell used synth on for about the same amount you paid for it if you don't like it or are upgrading. I got coloured plastic nobs to go over the controls for the Volca Keys so i could see at a glance what all the dials were set at which helped learning a lot. The next step up once i had learned more was Behringer Pro-800. I already had a Midi keyboard for playing virtual instruments in a DAW. From what i have learned playing keyboard you frequently want two notes in your left hand (often and octave apart) and four notes in your right (enough to form a chord and also give the chord some personality) I couldn't afford any analogue synth with six voices so had made my peace with using virtual ones. Then the Behringer Pro-800 came out and I got it. Having great fun with it.

[@PeteMidi]

Yes, good idea to start with second hand gear 👍

[@RadiAsian]

Excellent video and great jam ..subbed

[@PeteMidi]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@Alan_Watkin]

love the jam Pete,, tidy stuff

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks a lot! 😊

[@anderssundqvist]

Great video and explanation of the PRO-800. I think this is gonna be my next buy (As a drummer). It would be nice to se a video on how you connect the RD-6 and sync all together and make the final JAM on this video

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks a lot for the nice feedback! 😊

[@someonewhobitthedust9124]

I would also say that the Crave is another great possible “first synth”. Amazing video.

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks!

[@rayderrich]

I do not want to like a Behringer product but you make this one sound great, good jam!

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks a lot! 😊

[@ryantowell]

Superb demo pete

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks a lot! 😊

[@Jux925]

Very good analysis on what a good beginner synth is

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks a lot! 😊

[@Jux925]

@@PeteMidi as somebody who has made a next step from beginner level -- I am having hard time picking pro-800 vs Minifreak. I guess there is no simple answer but if you had a video on that, I would gladly watch :D

[@exionem]

Great video. I was thinking about getting the MicroFreak as a beginners synth but this seems a better choice.

[@PeteMidi]

Many thanks! 😊

[@turquoisecapricorn]

Very nice end jam Pete! Maybe I will buy me this Pro 800. greetz from Belgium Jason Basson

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks a lot! 😊

[@GrahamFMcElearney]

Hi Pete great video. I really love what you're doing at the end by the way - in the jam section. The Pro 800 sounds great, buta also may I ask - are you driving all the sequences from the arturia? That's amazing if so - i didn't realise that the Keystap could do so much with its sequencer!

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks a lot, yes for this track I just used the keystep 37 arpeggiator!

[@sarahhey8654]

Korg Minilogue XD...4 voices can still sound massive with the free deep reverbs and user oscillator

[@RealityShiftUK]

I have an xd but still think this is worth it as I don’t have an analog synth with 8 voices

[@lwpweb]

i sold the jx-08 bwcause the sliders f-e- cutoff jumps when using it after loading a preset and further its hard to store a preset while determing the preset number, you neve know if it is a factory preset.. Factory presets can be overwritten and further on the start stop cannot be eliminated for external sequencing, so the jx always in any case starts the sequencer.

[@NTRSN-Archive]

Great sequences reminds me on the early IDM years .

[@PeteMidi]

Many thanks! 😊

[@JoeJohnston-taskboy]

Ha! I love the Volca FM2 and Nymphes so much!

[@davidwalters3548]

Hey Pete, Great vid with some solid advice. Would you mind explaining how the synth, keystep and drum machine are connected. Are the units synced in anyway? Dave

[@PeteMidi]

Many thanks! 😊 Direct MIDI sync in this case: Keystep (out) as clock master, Rd-6 (in) as slave!

[@mastaboog749]

I see you sweeping the knob on the keystep, do you have it plugged into the computer? And if so what function is the knob sweeps doing? Is it actually effecting something on the synth? Or is it a digital after effect sort of deal? I've been looking at the keystep 37 for a while...

[@PeteMidi]

No computer control involved here, it's the chord selection knob at the keystep.

[@bonaventura_AKA_ben]

Nice presentation Pete. The new Uno synth X is the closest they’ve gotten to the knob per function UI, but it’s ‘only’ paraphonic. I also own the Roland JX-08, but the UI is typically Roland opaque, but not as bad as their SH4D-ah Roland, made by engineers for other engineers. So what’s left. The Pro 800 unfortunately carries the behringer baggage-honestly if the company was owned by Big Pharma or Big Tobacco, could it possibly be perceived to be any more odious? You might want to check out the Audiothingies Micromonsta which is not only polyphonic but bi-timbral!

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks - yes the micromonsta is very versatile but for me the UI is a bit to display-centered...

[@triggerwarning5762]

I don't know. But I know I will enjoy Pete's analysis.

[@PeteMidi]

😊

[@danielhooglandt1620]

How do you use an expression pedal with it? My midi keyboard has an expression pedal input, but the pro 800 just treats it as a sustain pedal, same case when I connect the exp pedal to the footswitch input on the pro 800 itself

[@PeteMidi]

Yes, the Pro-800 has no valid expression pedal input, just sustain... I have a boss ev-1-wl, which can send adjustable cc via midi.

[@danielhooglandt1620]

@@PeteMidi Ahhh allright, do you just use the 3.5mm Filter CV IN on the front of the PRO800 then? Do you need a 1/4 inch TRS to 3.5mm TS cable, because I'm assuming the filter CV of the PRO800 is a TS input right? The midi keyboard I'm using has an expression pedal input, but the PRO800 is barely reacting to it, and I found no way of mapping any parameters to an external expression value in the PRO800 manual.

[@vggtfdfgbbjii764r45yy]

What are you opinions on the ASM Hydrasynth Explorer and Arturia Minifreak?

[@PeteMidi]

Both sound great, the hydrasynth user interface is more complex, not quite my favourite one... . The MiniFreak shows a very good compromise of a rather complex sound engine and a UI that for me is still intuitive enough.

[@jaypkock]

Pro-800 or Model D is what i am choosing between as my first synth... Cant really decide if i want poly or mono though

[@MrVoonix]

I would argument, that a mono synth isn't the best first synth. For me it's the Arturia Minifreak. It provides different oscillator engines, all controllable with 3 knobs. You don't have to understand how those engines work and instead play with these knobs and learn by sound. It provides a super simple to use sequencer and effects so you don't have to buy those (which you usually don't own if its your first synth) and it has a VST that can be used stand alone or to control the synth (also perfect for your first plugin). Not only that: Arturia provides extensive video tutorials and free preset banks.

[@PeteMidi]

Yes, absolutely, I fully agree, may be for absolute beginners the MiniFreak is a bit of a challenge...

[@MrVoonix]

@@PeteMidi I think you don't really have to understand as a beginner what the engines are doing. just select some random and listen to your ears whats happening. - I owned the OP-1 as first synth (I got it used for 400 back after a few years it was released). I never understood the engines, but it was so fast to select some and play around. it really got me interested.

[@joaquinoa_]

what midi controller/sequencer would you pair with the Pro-800, as a beginner?

[@PeteMidi]

Very difficult to provide a general answer. I had some good experience with the arturia keystep 37, but this will not fit for all...

[@blueeyedsoulman]

This synth is smooth. Uli should build a ARP Pro/DGX solo synth and a Quadra.

[@SonicVibe]

that preset menu though needs a update tiny lcd something

[@vegettoblue8705]

Def , thid synth is also the best starter synth for shure High end , you can compared it to almsot evey synth , is better than junos

[@kostyakonstantinoff]

Hello. Could you please tell me what equipment you use to connect this synth to the computer?

[@PeteMidi]

I used the zoom ams 44 to record audio on my iPad.

[@OpticalChaos]

I see you have the Artuia linked via midi to the drum machine, but could I ask how you have the Artuia connected to the Pro 800 ? is it via a computer? I want to avoid linking to a computer. and just play live (as I'm not interested in recording, only interested in playing for fun and experimenting). If you were doing this I guess you take an extra midi from the RD-6 to the Pro-800?

[@PeteMidi]

In fact, you do not need a computer for midi routing: Arturia midi out to rd-6 midi in (for clock sync), rd-6 midi thru to pro-800 midi in.

[@OpticalChaos]

@@PeteMidi thank you so much for the reply, very much appreciated. that's great, I have a Behringer Swing keyboard and a Pro-800 arriving this week and your video is the only similar clear setup I could find. Now I've just got to work out the best way of linking the MS-1, and a couple of TD-3s into the mix, as currently I have the RD-8 at the start of the midi chain. I'm not a musician, nor do I know any, so this gear is all Alien to me, but I'm keen to learn.

[@zap7759]

Definitely unless you specifically don't like vintage flavor because this sounds legitimately vintage. I'd suggest a VA if someone likes modern sounds or a straight up digital poly if they want more abrasive sounds.

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks, that's true - if you dont like analog sounds, it may become more difficult, but yes, the Pro-800 is not a perfect choice in that case...

[@zap7759]

@@PeteMidi It's all a matter of taste. Funny because to me the Pro-1 sounds much more modern than a Model D for example, yet a similar poly like the 800 sounds so vintage overall. 800 is the perfect vintage poly though... It's even rackmountable 🙂

[@Sonikbytes]

For a beginner an analog style 2 or 1 VCO/DCO/DSP per voice programming due to simplicity to learn in addition to an integrated keyboard, basic FX, a basic arp or step sequencer, and not too heavy to carry around. I would say modules are for advanced users as the wiring can become tedious and annoying for many (I often feel that myself) I would agree with synths that can play chords which are important in music. Music should touch hearts not being a single fart sound tweaks galore.

[@PeteMidi]

Good point, wireing is not trivial for a beginner, and yes, sometimes also tedious for an advanced user 😉

[@ekimako]

🖐️ 🖐️

[@MikeA0110]

PeteMidi started out on a MonoPoly?

[@PeteMidi]

Yes, my very first synth! 😊

[@fakshen1973]

I think that the Behringer Deep Mind 6 or 12 would also be a great first hardware synth. The patches are savable. I think that's important if you're trying to learn by exploring othe peoples' patches. Also, it's a joy to use other peoples' patches, especially when filling out a song based on my own original patches. The synth can be controlled by a computer via usb or even WIFI. Effects are saved with patches, so you can also learn how integral effects are to synth sounds. The Deep Mind has enough individual contrls. Plus it has an adequate display to help adjust all functions.

[@longlostrobots8146]

I just get the deep mind 12d and it’s a huge step up from the ju06 .for me I learned more from the 12

[@PeteMidi]

Deepmind 6 was on my list, perhaps a bit too much menu-based functionality for a beginner. But if I would increase the price limit the DM6 would definitely become a best candidate - together with the MiniFreak 😉

[@valdir7426]

deepmind is more interesting I think than this one; even if it has limitations.

[@godot5082]

Had the nymphes, soundwise nice but ui sucks, volca fm1 great for 80eur used and unofficial update, behringer is overall the best sounding analog polysynth for under 400eur ui is a little weird with the touch buttons.

[@stoatystoat174]

0:15 Pete Mini

[@PeteMidi]

😄

[@danielroberts2364]

How about Minilogue XD? Includes keyboard and effects. Fewer voices but I don't think 8 voices are really needed.

[@PeteMidi]

The xd is top in terms of features and UI but with the current price slightly out of scope for that comparison...

[@leftmono1016]

With 8 voices you can play simple chords with longer decay times. This is why I went for the Pro-800 instead of the Minilogue. Each to their own 👍

[@wolfgangdevries127]

Dexed

[@valdir7426]

the problem I have with this kind of synth is it has very limited features. The sound is absolutely there but if I'm gonna go to the trouble of buying hardware I want a bit more depth. I have like a dozen of VST synths that can do "the analog sound" convincigly; I can map them 1:1 to a controller; and here we go. If you're doing live acts with it or are in a band I see the appeal. But as an alternative to software for me the features and UI are as important as the sound. I know you can cover quite some ground with this kind of synth; but that still doesn't justify buying it or its real estate. Give me at least two LFOs and a mod matrix (things the Nymphes does better than the pro 800 btw); and we're starting to have a case. But for this you have to go into minifreak; hydrasynth; peak or rev2 territory; which means a different sound or a different budget. I love my prophet emulations; I made quite a lot of patches with them; but I know if I buy this I'd make a few patches and be bored quite fast with it.

[@PeteMidi]

Thanks for the feedback. I also think that for advanced users with a higher budget there are better solutions, but this was not intended to be the focus of this video.

[@valdir7426]

@@PeteMidi sure; wasn't meant as a critic of your video

[@rodtronics771]

This is probably more for someone who wants a great sounding synth to play keys with, rather than a synth that's useful for boatloads of sounds. I've discovered while playing my hydra, that I truly love playing keys, and what I really want is a synth that sounds fantastic (in that 70s/80s way) to enjoy playing keys with.

[@valdir7426]

@@rodtronics771 fair enough. It does sound good. I'm ok doing that with plugin though and for me what I'm looking for in hardware is a good interface for sound design; enough possibilities; and of course a good sound. Also if I was still in a rock band I'd probably be all over the pro-800. this would have been the dream 15 years ago.

[@rodtronics771]

@@valdir7426 the hydrasynth is so good when it comes to interface and sound design, it's so well thought out. imo the downfall with the hydrasynth is trying too hard at the oscillator end to give endless waveforms and mutations. and compared to this, loading up a preset doesn't result in a million knobs all at the wrong setting, the hydrasynth manages to minimise menu diving, while also making switching patches easy, pretty much only the filter knobs end up being at the wrong setting. I really like my synths to have the knobs showing what is going on, I have a moog minitaur and for all intents and purposes I choose to never use presets so every knob is always correct. it works on that device because its so simple. this pro-800 might give me headaches in that department. but damn I am keen on this.

[@yasunakaikumi]

Roland Boutique synths are really a stupid move from Roland, they could have those at least 6-8 poly since it's VAs anyway... and they charge for a hefty price which just made is worst for potential new synth owners that are looking for their first budget synths, to be honest, another choice synth for first synth folks will be Korg Minilogue XD and Minimova

[@PeteMidi]

I think the boutique synths really differ a lot among each other and the jx is one of the rare good realizations of a suitable beginners synth

[@HOLODECK-MUSIC-PROJECT]

I missed the special, somewhat druggy German accent 😅

[@PeteMidi]

😊

[@idnagoogle6541]

The Best 1st Synth (with or without DAW) is "Bass Station 2". And I have a lot of blinking synths in here. collecting for years. BS2 i= bang4bug