Why Behringer Copying Music Gear is GOOD // Swing MIDI controller // Music Producer Diaries

Many people are upset that Behringer has copied the Arturia Keystep with their new product Swing. It looks to most like an almost exact replica. What's more strange to me is how everybody is criticizing Behringer when in fact they're not unique by copying the product of another company. It happens all the time. Cars, cameras, clothes, furniture, cosmetics... you name it. This is free-market capitalism 101 and in the end, we as musicians stand to benefit from companies duplicating, improving, and lowering the prices of things they produce.
Behringer has come a long way with their quality and in the last few years has been relentlessly releasing new products- many new and unique to them, as well as a slew of synthesizers that were longed for by many and owned by few. Now people are able to get their hands on the gear they've always wanted and with modern technology, these products will likely last twice or thrice as long as their vintage brethren. Synthesizers made in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and even 90's, used older technology that didn't last as long as modern components do. Considering these new music products are made to replicate the sound of older gear but with newer technology, the end user will likely get a lifetime of usage with minimal part replacements needed.
For the price of ONE vintage synth, you could have 5 or 10 Behringer synths. You could have an entire symphony of analog gear, so what's to hate?
How do you feel about Behringer copying music gear? Does it bunch your panties? Ruffle your feathers? Or are you excited to have one less hurdle in between you and a studio full of gear? Let me know in the comments below!
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#behringer #swing #keystep

[@JayHendricksWorld]

I just got a Behringer Swing and it's absolutely brilliant. Behringer allows me to get a range of products and functionality that would otherwise be out of my reasonable reach and so far I've yet to be disappointed by anything of theirs I've bought.

[@tonywharton5220]

Same here bud ✌️

[@pablowentscobar]

A lot of people hate Behringer simply because they have made hardware music making affordable. Now the barrier to entry is low enough so everyone play. This is the same thing as DAWs way back in the day.

[@reflexsoundz]

I totally agree with you....I love the way you have broken this down.

[@tonywharton5220]

I'm a huge Behringer fan. Just purchased the wasp. Never had a problem with any of their gear ✌️

[@pauljeavons8878]

I have absolutely no problem with this midi keyboard. It's a shame there's so few of these keyboards that have built in sequencers. Well done Behringer. Keep up the good work. Love their kit. Have many synths thanks to Behringer.

[@gyra44]

In my country, keystep are almost twice as expensive as swing. So if I had to choose between the two, I would be swing.

[@riley6875]

its quite simple really, where i am the swing costs almost 100$ less than the keystep

[@SuzetteLouw]

I have pre-ordered a Swing. In Australia where I live there is beween a AU$40 and AU$100 price difference. It is like generic medicine, why would you reinvent an ingredient that works. Also, it is not as if Beringer copied the Arturia instrument very shortly after its release.

[@kittydyson]

Dislikers are the gear elitists that are butthurt that their purchase was undermined, not real logical musicians.

[@HazeAnderson]

I appreciate you making this video, sorry so many downvotes. The keyboard community is still waaaay behind the guitar community and has yet to catch up. There is no stopping Behringer. The haters can hate all they want. One market you failed to mention is the GUITAR PEDAL MARKET. Once you study this market you fully understand how circuits can be legally cloned and how to "get away" with using familiar names (such as JHS Pedal's Muffuletta, a 5-way Big Muff Pi clone). People really get upset about their "brands" don't they? Wait till they find out that most of their precious synthesizer makers get their parts from Behringer in the first place!!! 😂 In time people will hide and deny the fact they even attack Behringer and the people who use their products. In the meantime I will patiently await my Isla Instruments S2400. 😅👍(Haters are so busy hating that they just don't get it ...)

[@ScottBrio]

You're absolutely right! Most products are copying something else and it's very rare that anything is completely new and innovative. Everyone's just making their own version of XYZ thing and it's fine! That's what breeds innovation. Stoked you got an S2400 coming to ya- you're gonna love it!

[@ActionlessLoveless]

i dont have anything against behringer, but really can't understand why not to spend few thousands to hire industrial design freelancer who would make it visually unique (and mb even to play around Wing/Swing situation)

[@ScottBrio]

Because most of these parts come from China. If you want to own the product mold outright you pay a lot more. Most companies “lease” the mold for a few years and then it becomes available to the public and other companies will start using it. Some don’t pay for exclusivity at all which is why you’ll see 15 of the exact same products with different labels. This is just what I’ve gathered from reading about manufacturing in China anyways.

[@ActionlessLoveless]

@@ScottBrio btw, already after writing a comment i saw official announcement from behringer - and they decided to change the controls' layout a little bit in the final product

[@ScottBrio]

@@ActionlessLoveless fascinating! Well that will make people chill out a bit lol. People get so angry about “copied products” when companies do it all the time. In every industry. Thanks for the heads up- I’m gonna look for that announcement!

[@ActionlessLoveless]

@@ScottBrio they also added ratchet notes and one more thing (i forgot)

[@ScottBrio]

@@ActionlessLoveless that’s huge! Such a timesaver and great performance feature 👌🏼

[@jumpingman8160]

The problem isn't that they blatantly copied an affordable midi kb that has become a standard. The problem is that they blatantly copied it even down to it's low points, when the product is STILL being sold AND want to sell it for 10 Euros less than the original. Behringer gloated for having multiple R&D departments/teams. Does't seem like they used any of it to make and sell a better product when they could and should. You are getting the exact same product with ZERO innovation for 10 bucks less. Connectivity to their DAW? Any Midi KB will work. And the Arturia KS will work with it as well. They could and should make a better overall product, but no. Lazy. PS - I own some of their synths and other gear, but this one is a hard pass.

[@ScottBrio]

That's a completely valid opinion and I can see why you feel that way. I know mine is a spicy one! 😜

[@jumpingman8160]

@@ScottBrio Nothing against Behringer. Quite the opposite. I'm a denizen of their FB page and contributed to some ideas [Theremin, desktop sequencer, desktop or rackmount Multi-FX] and have nothing to gain or lose with them. Some criticism is just noise. On the other hand, some of the defense is fanboy-ism. When talking about a corporation such as Behringr/MusicTribe we have to take into account what the corp says and what they acually do. Making affordable vintage synths with modern updates is fantastic [and people should be able to get them]. Making affordable paraphernalia is also a must [400 bucks for a midi kb? makes no sense]. However, copying a product that is affordable , still being sold and call it an innovation is downright silly. You know those Waza Craft Boss pedals? I have the same stance: why would I want to pay 80 to 100 bucks more for a switch and a transistor/chip? Makes no sense.

[@New_Zealand_Music]

@@ScottBrio apparently they have according to the Behringer of course an agreement with the designer which wasn't 100% Arturia; to make virtual copy well it's not exactly virtual is it. I wonder if that's true, interesting? 🤔

[@ScottBrio]

@@New_Zealand_Music it’s almost certainly a generic Chinese design that both companies payed to use. That’s generally what happens. You pay for exclusive rights for the design and if you don’t, other companies can use it too. Very interesting indeed!

[@New_Zealand_Music]

@@ScottBrio hi Scott, I noticed over the past 6 months lots things, especially synthesizers. The Behringer gear prices bottomed out here in New Zealand. Were close to half price for some of them. Did that happen where you are? Oh and thank you for the reply is very appreciated. Have a nice day dude.

[@New_Zealand_Music]

Thank you very much for your review Scott I appreciate it very much. I already have the original key step but I think I'm going to get a swing as well. Excellent work absolutely agree that's exactly how music evolves as well, Johnny Cash is a prime example head takes songs and re work them. Do you have an opinion on the Polly D Scott :-). Sadly my only polyphonic synthesizer died I'm now I'm stuck with a bunch four drum machines, and much of monos lol ( that could be taken the wrong way lol). I love how open-minded in optimistic you are. Thank you for the valid opinion it's important to me. I think it's fantastic that Behringer are getting their QC under control. Some of the newest mixers aren't too bad.

[@ScottBrio]

Thank you dude, I'm so glad you enjoy the video. I take pride in being open-minded and optimistic! Originality is always better, but improving on previous products and inventions is how things progress. Market competition is a good thing! I think the Polly D is fantastic- the look, feel, and sound of the original with some improvements and vastly more affordable. If Moog wanted to keep selling Model D's, they shouldn't have stopped making them. Good for Behringer :)

[@New_Zealand_Music]

@@ScottBrio funny we're all human beings we're kind of Clones to, in lateral way. All distantly related. Sorry bro I have a very silly sense of humour. Totally agree with your Moog comment. A lot of synthesizer companies really dropped the ball on analog Revival. Oh my gosh I looked at the price of my tacam four tracks, going for crazy prices on eBay my gosh

[@synthetic24]

The Behringer Swing is definitely not good as the Arturia Keystep. The sequencer on the Swing is awfull and terribly bad. Just try to make some sequences in step time with rests and ties on the swing, it's a big disaster. Playing notes on the sequencer in realtime is also disastrous. The sequencer in the swing is full of errors. Glad I got rid of that and switched to the Keystep.

[@MorwenWhyte]

I'm not a big fan of Behringer but I'm pretty decided on getting a SWING as a revenge buy on Arturia after experiencing first-hand how shitty is their only importer / "authorized retailer" in my country. They sell defective products and treat customers like morons but their most disgusting fault is selling Arturia products overpriced AF by taking advantage of their monopoly as the only "authorized retailer". To put things in perspective: you can buy a Korg Minilogue XD from any of the many local stores here for U$D 600, but a Keystep Pro from this only retailer/importer that Arturia has here will cost you U$D 1,000. WTF?! I only regret not being able to record a video addressing this because those bullies totally deserve the 'boycott'. Thanks Uli for giving us at least an option and I hope we soon see a SWING 37 and a SWING Pro in production.

[@ScottBrio]

Oof, I had no idea that was happening in other countries. That's terrible- sounds like extortion! I'm torn because I've heard both sides- Behringer copying exact schematics of devices and reselling them, stomping out the little guy competitor. However, they're also giving people a chance to own gear that they couldn't previously and making studio equiptment cheaper and more affordable for everyone. I for one am super excited to be able to afford vintage-recreated Behringer synths at a fraction of the price. I guess there's no good answer here but I'm glad you'll be able to get a SWING soon anyways. They look awesome and I'll probably pick one up too! Cheers!

[@MorwenWhyte]

@@ScottBrio Thanks man. I think the problem here is that Arturia lets their "official retailers" do whatever they want, even if it's bulling the customer. I was about to buy the 37 for various reasons (one being the strum mode) but they realized they had no stock after I already bought it from them (that's how serious they are), so they tried to sell me the OG which doesn't work for me and TBH if I'd had to pick a 32 keys version I'd rather go with the two new features and software the Swing has to offer instead. But, hey, at least they didn't have the guts to offer me their overpriced Pro... for a couple extra bucks I can get a Moog GM, that's ridiculous.

[@agst2006]

I came across this discussion when I was searching for MIDI controller to purchase. I never considered Behringer initially but now I become interested in finding out more about their Swing. I wonder why this created so many discussions while I do not see the same number of pros/cons discussions when Behringer released their Poly D (I may be wrong given the amount of information that I have). Somehow I do not sense the same level of "hate" when people comparing Poly D and Minimoog. I will keep my ears open ...

[@MadAsgardian]

Your “spicy take” is just dumb. If I copied your music note for note and made money with it, I tend to doubt your response would be “oh well, that’s the free market for ya.”

[@ScottBrio]

You're conflating patent with copyright. Two very different things. You wouldn't even need to copy my music note for note, you could take a small snippet sample and you'd be liable for copyright infringement. Product patents don't work like that. Neither copyrights or patents protect ideas. Inventions can be patented. Unfortunately this product invention wasn't original to Arturia either which is why it's free to be copied.

[@jukkauh]

@@ScottBrio You might want to look up the term "Design Patent" first. What you're describing is a "Utility Patent".

[@ruslanr.6171]

Good point, we all should copy best songs too, not only classic hits, but also modern ones to the benefit of listeners. Imagine, youtube videos would more fun and illustrative, movies would be much cheaper in production and many more benefits for everyone! You know what? I'm heading to your spotify now to select best tracks to release them as my own and upload them for free on bandcamp in favor of the end listener and music industry.

[@ScottBrio]

Copyright and patent laws are two very different things. You can copy a product but you can't copy a song. Patent laws exist to encourage innovation, copyright laws exist to discourage theft of originally created works of art. But don't take my word for it- you should read more about the difference between the two :)

[@producewithjt]

@@ScottBrio I think it’s lawyering loophole hoopla. Design is design, whether it’s visual, audio, etc. This status quo in music just hasn’t been shaken up yet (as Spotify couldn’t do anything against copyright owners to enter the market). As a matter of fact, they chose to invest in AI to grow their catalogs instead. Gear buyers are simply hypocritical when it comes to spending THEIR money.

[@snidedj]

They should have dropped it as a 49 key to have some difference I reckon at least. I have a Deepmind but this was a bit too blatant for me.

[@snidedj]

Def agreed with you on them single handedly bringing us all of our dream (read: dead) synths at an affordable price.

[@ActionlessLoveless]

Though, personally, i would wait for Swing Pro

[@Just_Ve]

Murders happen all the time.... So??? The camera example was really bad, first of all, photographers can tell the difference, Sony was not the first one in the mirrorless game, Sony in fact used to make sensors before even started to make cameras.... anyways, it was a terrible example. Dude, the price of this Swing is what??? 30 bucks cheaper than the original keystep and does not comes with any great software as Arturia does, not to mention the huge difference in quality and support. Don't take me wrong, Behringer has great gear and they also have quality stuff, but one thing is to copy something that is not even produced anymore.... now copy something that still up and available everywhere??? Why they didn't at least spend some time redesigning the shape of the product or maybe the placement of the knobs and so on... the internals could be the same but at least they would show some work put into it. If a company doesn't care to take the time to at least do their own midi keyboard chassis, if they cut corners even on that, well I can't imagine how "great" are their quality control and consumer support.

[@ScottBrio]

You can't possibly be equating Behringer copying a product to murder!? 😂 Many Chinese manufacturers make a mold for a product and give buyers the option to pay more to own the mold outright, or to pay less and be allowed to use it for a number of years before it's sold to other people, which is why you see many products in the world that have the same parts. I would imagine that's what happened here with Behringer and Arturia's product, which would explain why even the holes for the buttons are the same.

[@ScottBrio]

@Sam Yaza yeah I really don’t know how he came to make that connection LOL

[@TrainOp213]

Too*

[@jimlong8077]

Old discontinued gear: good. Ripping off new current gear: bad. The Swing is a blatant rip-off. Be inspired. Dont be a theif.

[@electrikm38]

I’m glad to see this and I feel Behringer is on a great path.I wouldn’t want to see anything bad happen in the future and love the idea of them getting the patents to re-release these iconic synthesizers and seeing the light of day again especially the Arp brand which made an big impact on the music industry.Also the learning aspect of these machines to keep us engaged.I own a Behringer Model D and never thought I could own one which Moog is out of my league.I would say if Moog dropped some of theyre prices I think I would have one.So Behringer is on my Top list with the affordability which these others company’s could take a tip from Behringer.

[@harrymckenzie3725]

Copiers destroying the innovators. I'm not buying

[@mattb4640]

shill.

[@nevets68]

But the swing is a 1 to 1 copy of the Keystep. Sure make a midi controller..but not a exact copy.

[@bobwolanin1607]

It's nice to hear your voice of reason. Most people who complain would do well to educate themselves in detail about marketing and industry before making claims and comments without understanding the subject. Thanks Scott.

[@peterpeper4837]

What a tedious and lame Behringer advertisement.

[@ScottBrio]

Not an ad, I just like what they’re doing 🙂

[@New_Zealand_Music]

I never looked at it this way but when he talked about guitars and things, it kind of clicked. Makes sense. Been looking at the Pro-1, hhmmmm.

[@MagicCyclops]

Exactly

[@rockhead11]

Thank you for an intellectual response to Behringer’s marketing strategies. I have read countless statements on music forums and I am embarrassed by the lack of intelligent arguments. I have removed myself from some of these simply because I can’t take any opinions about music gear from people with such low IQs. I’d like to write a broadcasted statement on some of the forums stating that “if you are incapable of using proper grammar or spelling to the point to where you can’t even SPELL guitar or synthesizer, your opinions are worthless”

[@ScottBrio]

The best part about the internet is everybody gets to have a voice. The worst part about the internet is everybody gets to have a voice 😅 Glad you enjoyed my take! 🙌