Behringer Pro-1

The Pro-1’s 4-pole low-pass
filter is the main attraction here for
many, as it sounds great when
both open and almost completely
closed, giving it a lot of flexibility.
Given that the filter has its own
ASDR envelope, it’s possible to
create sounds that similar synths
like the Roland SH-101 just can’t
reproduce. The Pro-1’s filter can
also self-resonate and act as a sine
wave oscillator, allowing it to be a
third oscillator.
One area where Behringer have
improved over the original is the
new duophonic ability of the
Pro-1. Each oscillator can be
triggered to play a separate pitch
by flipping up the somewhat
strangely labeled “Poly” switch on
the front panel, though both
oscillators share the same
envelope and filter settings.
Setting the Glide to Automatic, as
opposed to Normal mode, allows
for legato sounds when several
notes are held down at once.
Original is best?
Further improvements over the
original include the fact that the
Pro-1 can now be used with MIDI,
as it has both full-size DIN jacks
and a USB MIDI connection which
effectively functions as MIDI
interface. As mentioned, the Pro-1
also features Eurorack-compatible
patch points on the top of the
front panel. It’s also possible to
remove it from the case and use it
in your Eurorack case, with power
coming from your power source.
Just like the original, the Pro-1
gives users the ability to store two
sequences, each of which can be
up to 40 notes. These are retained
in memory even after shut-off.
Programming in notes is a bit
archaic but it works fine. The
arpeggiator is identical as well,
with just two choices (up and up/
down) and no ability to change
octave range.
And just like our Model D, our
Pro-1 came to us out of the box
with some tuning issues. Oscillator
2 didn’t track properly across,
even an octave, and the oscillators
were set to two totally different
pitches with both pitch knobs set
to noon. Opening up the unit and
tweaking two internal calibration
knobs fixed both of these
problems, but it did take a bit of
fine-tuning to get right.
THE PROS & CONS
+
Behringer’s
superlative Pro-1,
can go from vintage
to gnarly in seconds
Eurorack patch
points and
mountable design
will make a lot of
users happy
Sequencer and
arpeggiator, although
minimal, are still
nice additions
Small tabletop
format means it can
slide into almost any
studio setting
-
Early units were very
in need of tuning
calibration when
sent from the factory
No saving of presets
at all
Behringer haven’t messed
with the successful formula
too much
FM VERDICT
VALUE
••••••••••
BUILD
••••••••••
LONGEVITY
••••••••••
USEFULNESS
••••••••••
OVERALL
8.7
If youre looking
for a rip-roaring
monosynth, it’s hard
to not wholeheartedly
recommend the Pro-1
MAKING SENSE OF THE MODULATION MATRIX
The Pro-1’s modulation matrix is
where much of the heavy lifting
gets done. Sources range from the
Filter envelope, the LFO, and Osc
B; each can be routed to five
destinations (both oscillators’ pulse
widths and frequencies, as well as
the cutoff of the filter).
Impressively, you can route the
sources to each destination either
directly or via the Mod wheel,
giving a lot of room to modulate
your sound. The Pro-1 can also be
used with external LFOs and
envelopes in your Eurorack case for
a very flexible synth voice.
Behringer Pro-1 | Long term test
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