Behringer MS-101 – Part 1

I’m not going to lie. When I first saw Behringer’s cheeky “leak” of the MS-101 a year or so ago, I may have soiled myself a little. There was this thing that looked like a Roland SH-101 but was definitely not one. Was Uli teasing the synth community or was this something that actually existed…

You see, Behringer play this game very well indeed. Sometimes they get right out there and announce something, even before it is built. Other times, they play a very close game, sneaking out little teasers to tantalise the masses. And, every now and again, they say nothing and hit us square in the jaw with something out of the blue, as they did last Sunday with their new ‘Crave’ synth. Say what you like about Behringer, and many people do, but they have taken a leaf out of the marketing strategies of some of the best in the business and are currently slaying, as the kids are wont to say these days.

So, we sat and waited and then at Superbooth last year, a fully operational MS-101 appeared and we heard it sing for the first time…

Nailed It

Now, aside from the fact that the video contained a single loop playing for almost the full 22 minutes which ended up making me go slightly bonkers, it clearly demonstrated that the guys at Behringer had pretty much nailed the sound and features of the original. Analysing the video closely, it was nice to see that Behringer seemed to have retained the 101 controls and, in a few cases, added some new stuff, such as the frequency modulation controls (that emulates a common modification that original 101 users used to make), external audio in, an expanded and enhanced sequencer and arpeggiator, an additional waveform, a separate timing control with Swing functionality and, of course, the addition of full MIDI connectivity along with USB, whilst retaining all the original CV/Gate connections.

Looking at the casing, Behringer had trimmed things back a bit, shaving some of the depth at the rear off and moving all the connections from the top plane to the rear. And, some might say, most importantly, the Mod Grip was there for that all important keytar action!

It Ain’t What You Know…

As NAMM approached, we got some more looks at the MS-101 and then, during the NAMM timeframe, Behringer launched it, alongside their Odyssey, RD-808 and VC340 instruments and we finally got to see it close up and in action. Just before then, I spoke with an old friend of mine who works at one of Music Tribe’s other brands and he was very helpful in putting me in touch with the UK representatives of Music Tribe who, in turn, fell over themselves to get me an MS-101 loan unit for review!! You can imagine the levels of anticipation!

Initial Impressions

So I’ve been playing with this for almost a week now and I have to say that I am yet to be disappointed in any way! I’ve mostly spent time properly learning the workflow and how each of the controls work and interact with each other. The beauty of the original and of this is the simplicity and clarity of that workflow. It is Minimoog-esque in the linear fashion of its features and controls, with everything flowing from left to right. It is incredibly difficult to NOT get something that sounds good out of it.

Teenage Dreams

All of this was hugely satisfying as I have something of a “thing” for the original 101. Back in late ’82/early ’83, I was flicking through the pages of some British music technology magazine, most likely ‘One, Two Testing’ when I happened upon this advert…

This ad had a profound impact on me. I saw it and felt that this was what I wanted. Here was a lad, about my age, not trapped behind a keyboard stand, but able to command the stage as good as any guitarist, yet use my preferred weapon of choice.

I had no idea what an SH-101 sounded like, or how to use one, but, much like the Fairlight, I knew I had to have one; that it would empower me musically. I felt the same when I saw this ad for Mattel’s Synsonics Drums…

I would go on to beg and plead with my parents to fund these purchases, to no avail. Who’s to know if it would have made a difference to my life and potential career? But, as time passed, I was able to buy some Synsonics from eBay a number of years ago, and we all know who I became one of the luckiest guys alive to become involved with, and a guardian of, the Fairlight CMI. And today, thanks to Behringer and their MS-101, I stood in my studio, struck the pose that lad made in the ad and ticked that box!

Coming Soon…

A full review will be forthcoming, both written and on video. I also have some other plans to see how well it stands up to the original, but more on that in the coming days and weeks.

The MS-101 will be available from March and is claimed to retail at $299/€299 which is an absolute steal. Red seems to be the first colour officially launched, but blue and black models are imminent, so I am told…

More info is available at the Behringer website.

Keep your eyes peeled here for more MS-101 action!