[LAU] Behringer and Linux

[david]

On 03/31/2015 10:25 PM, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
> On Wed, 1 Apr 2015 18:03:08 +1100 (EST), Patrick Shirkey wrote:
>> On Wed, April 1, 2015 5:46 am, Chris Caudle wrote:
>>> That type of problem is indicative of poor circuit reference
>>> conductor routing (colloquially called "ground loop" or "pin 1
>>> problem") and can sometimes be improved with judicious use of added
>>> wire or copper foil tape connections, but often requires a new and
>>> proper PCB layout to correct. It is basically just sloppy layout
>>> work by the design team.
>>
>> So you are saying that Behringer manufactured and released an entire
>> range without testing *any* of them before they went out the door for
>> ground loop issues at the board/design level?
>
> Regarding a chronically shortage of money I needed to buy Behringer
> gear in the last ten or so years.
>
> When I got a brandnew Behringer Modulizer Pro it caused loud ground
> loops, so I sent it back. The repaired Behringer Modulizer doesn't
> cause ground loops anymore, but ever since the data wheel jams.
>
> The switching power supply of the Eurorack UB2442FX-Pro is assembled
> with capacitors of too less voltage, so when they get broken I
> replaced them with the correct capacitors, but the mixer more or less
> can't be used anymore, because all switches don't work correctly
> anymore. It purposely is designed to fail at the end of the guarantee
> period.
>
> The power supply of the ADA8000 gets too hot to mount it in a rack.
>
> The X V-Amp LX1-X plastic case degas, it cause a disgusting smell.
> The foot switches are noisy, not in the signal path, but any noise is
> unwanted.
>
> Regarding the operability of Behringer gear, a lot of it can't be used
> on stage or under deadline pressure. It's tricky to use and sometimes
> lettering is difficult to read.

My UCA202 just keeps chugging along. I use it for recording on stage. 
Lettering is clear and easy to read (compare with note below about my 
Yamaha keyboard).

One of our band's bassists' had a Behringer active DI box with assorted 
amplifier modelling built in. We had a lot of trouble when we tried to 
use it on stage. So that particular bit of equipment wasn't any good.

(Or maybe it's that bassist's curse. He has a knack for acquiring things 
other than basses - he uses a very nice Rickenbacker - and invariably 
picking something not very good. For example, he bought a used Variax 
guitar (all kinds of hardware-based digital modelling built into it). 
Yet it never works for more than a few minutes at a time before it 
starts spitting out barrages of static, or intermittently cuts out. 
Appears to be a flakey cable connection in the guitar. Unfortunately, 
the Variax uses a weird cable of its own that powers the on-board 
processor. Dropping and restoring power to the processor resets the 
processor to its default setting ... so whatever previous setting you 
were using is suddenly gone ... )

> The product range does change very often, after a short time you can't
> get it anymore, assumed you like and need one of the products. You even
> can't get the free software from their homepage for this gear anymore
> and support doesn't reply to a request.
>
> I also own very old brand-name products. It is easy to use those
> products, everything is readable and it seldom failed, most of it never
> failed and at least some of the stomp boxes for stage usage are still
> sold nowadays.

Yah, I have a brand name product here - Yamaha PSR-225GM. Not pro stuff, 
but I must say that the colors they chose for the stenciling on this 
keyboard make it impossible to read the labels under almost any kind of 
lighting.

> IMO there's only one reason to buy Behringer gear. The sound quality
> often is good. It's cheap, so if you don't have much money and you are
> aware about the drawbacks, it sometimes is better to get a crappy
> device instead of no device.

That's why I got the UCA202. It was like $20 and works out of the box 
with Linux. Sound quality is quite good.

I'm more inclined to suspect cheap production-quality for the Behringer 
equipment the original poster mentioned, not fundamental design problems.

> YMMV!

Agreed! We have a 12-port Presonus Firewire interface at church, it 
worked fine until a newer Windows (Windows 7, IIRC) on our sound tech's 
new laptop no longer provided a driver, and wouldn't allow the 
manufacturer's Windows XP driver to install or run ... and I no longer 
have a laptop with a Firewire port.

-- 
David W. Jones
gnome at hawaii.rr.com
authenticity, honesty, community
http://dancingtreefrog.com