I own some other behringer gear and its never let me down...

so i got me a Behringer CS100 compressor/sustainer the other day... because I baulked at the more than twice the price Boss CS3 which was the alternative...

but the noise of this pedal. oh my god.. its practically unusable. the actual compression/sustain etc seems fine and it all works ok but the additional hum is way way too loud.

anyone else experiencing this?

or could it be that im using the provided power supply also, which has a german 2pin plug, so no earth pin..
is this a 50Hz issue im hearing here?? im not too well up on this stuff but i know the 50hz thing can kick in sometimes...

anyone else experiencing this??

cheers
d

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http://www.myspace.com/planetdoezer

Edited by DoeZer (21/10/08 07:02 AM)

Give it a go with a 9v batt.

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my music

If it is really a 2 pin plug (I.E. not a large round plug with two pins and a socket hole) the footpedal is double insulated and doesn`t need an earth.
People do tend to confuse 2 pins and a hole with "it doesnt have an earth"

On to the pedal. If it is that bad, send it back and buy the Danelectro equivalent, the Surf `n Turf.
Still dirt cheap and they work.
Just a bit flimsy like the Behringer.

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Me? But I`m such a loveable old bugger!

I have the same pedal, along with an EQ, and never had any noise from them when powered from the mains. Definitely try with a battery, really you should be using a proper UK spec power supply, look for a regulated, well filtered supply. If you can't stretch to a proper guitar power supply, Maplin do a fairly decent PSU which I used to use along with a 5-way splitter with this and other pedals.

I had several behringer pedals Graphic EQ, Rotary Speaker, Chorus, and Tuner. They all worked fine with or without PSU's.

I sold all but the tuner to get a Korg AX3000g.

It annoys me the amount of snobbery against these pedals. They are not flimsy at all unless you are a clumsy fat-footed oaf who lumbers around stage tripping over anything not lashed down with miles of gaffa tape: - ie a lead guitarist.

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http://www.myspace.com/cottonsalamander

I assure you its not snobbery at all...!

i wnat to use it - but the noise on mine is defnitely way too high. now way could i use it like it is now.

will try with a battery first, if that kills the noise then ill investigate a power supply for it...

thanks
D

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http://www.myspace.com/planetdoezer

The main thing wrong with Beri is not the design, but the quality control. May be you've just got a noisy one.
Send it back for another.

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Wild Hope FB

Yes & no in my view. I bought about 10 of their pedals and have given away 6, binned 2 and kept the vintage phaser and an OD . They're all plastic and prone to damage (not a pedal for the road) apart from the metal bodied phaser which has a wobbly knob !
Just binned my tube composer aswell..only 3 yrs old
You pays yer money etc but gotta say ded ded chuffed with the FCB midi footboard and the BCF2000 great kit

Quote DoeZer:

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I assure you its not snobbery at all...!

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I didn't mean you, I meant in general across the SOS forums there is much antibehringeristicness.

M

Quote martin randle:

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It annoys me the amount of snobbery against these pedals.

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hi,

at the risk of being called elitist, i am an anti-behringer snob. i've only had one behringer unit but it went south on me in an erratic fashion that took several weeks to track down in my (large) home studio. at the same time, a friend bought 4 behringer rack units and over the next yaer three of them went tits-up.

w/o belaboring the point (too late?) here's my position in a nutshell: we've all had recording takes that we loved but couldn't use because of a cable crackling or a tube blowing or whatever. on some of my tracks where this has happened, i typically have spent dozens of hours trying to comp a fix and failing. i'd gladly have spent several hundred dollars to have had somebody save these tracks, but of course it didn't happen. if i save 20-30% buying behringer (they're not THAT much cheaper than higher quality gear) but one of them fails at a crucially bad time, i've just proven the maxim 'penny wise, pound foolish'.

just my two pence...

d

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"Patsy had the drug tolerance of Keith Richards and the moral rectitude of Brian Jones." - Dr. Walter Bishop, "Fringe"

Hi DoeZer,

If there is a consensus about Behringer, it is this. You get what you pay for. Which means, in the broadest sense, some items will be amazing value for money, and others will be complete duds. And that fits well with your experience so far. If they work, brilliant. If not, you have the warranty to fall back on. So, if it's less than 28 days old, get back to your dealer and seek a replacement. If it's older than that but less than a year old, get in touch with Behringer.

I know of several pieces of Behringer kit that have been hired out several times a week for over a decade in self-op PA's with no problems. So when they work you can have no doubts about value for money. But once they are outside of warranty you are on your own. And, to be honest, they aren't generally worth fixing at that point. They are so affordable that it is more cost effective to throw them away and buy a new one with warranty.

There are several reasons why the Boss CS3 comes in at twice the price. One of which is that you won't find a thread here headed 'Boss foot pedals - are they really this bad?'

There are plenty of players who regard Behringer as disposable. Use it until it breaks then get a new one.

Andy

PS. The 1st comedian to post a thread entitled 'Boss foot pedals - are they really this bad?' Owes me £100. The second, £200. And so on

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Quote zenguitar:

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Hi DoeZer,

If there is a consensus about Behringer, it is this. You get what you pay for. Which means, in the broadest sense, some items will be amazing value for money, and others will be complete duds. And that fits well with your experience so far. If they work, brilliant. If not, you have the warranty to fall back on. So, if it's less than 28 days old, get back to your dealer and seek a replacement. If it's older than that but less than a year old, get in touch with Behringer.

I know of several pieces of Behringer kit that have been hired out several times a week for over a decade in self-op PA's with no problems. So when they work you can have no doubts about value for money. But once they are outside of warranty you are on your own. And, to be honest, they aren't generally worth fixing at that point. They are so affordable that it is more cost effective to throw them away and buy a new one with warranty.

There are several reasons why the Boss CS3 comes in at twice the price. One of which is that you won't find a thread here headed 'Boss foot pedals - are they really this bad?'

There are plenty of players who regard Behringer as disposable. Use it until it breaks then get a new one.

Andy

PS. The 1st comedian to post a thread entitled 'Boss foot pedals - are they really this bad?' Owes me £100. The second, £200. And so on

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I've always found the foot pedals to be less than impressive. However, I've had one of these for a long time and it works a treat (and built like a tank).

http://www.dv247.com/invt/6360/product.htm?gdftrk=gdfV2356_a_7c416_a_7c118 1_a_7c6360

Quote thenaturallevel:

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I've had one of these for a long time and it works a treat (and built like a tank).

http://www.dv247.com/invt/6360/product.htm?gdftrk=gdfV2356_a_7c416_a_7c118 1_a_7c6360

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One of those could take my onstage tap dancing to new heights.

If you have £100 to spend on an overdrive pedal, or even £300 to spend on a boutique overdrive pedal - lucky you. If you have your own recording studio that is making money and you lose money if a cable or pedal goes wrong - again lucky you, I would give my left ear to be in that position.

Unfortunately the reality is, an awful lot of people - me included - plus students, kids, the unemployed, underpaid, and those who just have to support families and pay mortgages, simply cannot justify spending £300 on an overdrive pedal (for example).

I don't have a Gibson guitar - I'd like one - actually I'd like several to go with the boutique amps I also can't afford. So I compromise, and if compromising means having to buy behringer then so be it. I'd rather have a £15 Behringer overdrive that sounds almost identical to a Boss than have no overdrive at all.

I have never had a single problem with any Behringer item. I have however, had problems with much more respected manufacturers gear. Over the years I have bought Behringer rack gear, mixer desks, a V-amp various pedals etc. all without problems. OK, so they don't always feel as good as their expensive equivalents but for us mere mortals, they do a pretty good impression.

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http://www.myspace.com/cottonsalamander

lol, usualy i would support behringer to the hilt, but i bought one of their delay pedals recently when i neded one fast at a gig....

it's crap - first one didnt work and melted the battery, lol, second one doesnt always activate on/off on 'stomp-down'

the vamp2 on the other hand (and other behringer stuff i own or have used) is excellent value for money

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You might think that... but I couldn't possibly comment.

Do Behringer make decent quality pedal boards? I've been looking at their PB1000 which takes 12 pedals, but am a bit worried about the build quality...

Any first hand experiences?

I've used the Behringer comp before and also found it incredibly noisy, I would say unusable. As has been said you get what you pay for and of the range some are going to better than others as certain pedals are much easier to make right. I agree with getting good value if you are on a budget but going to low can just be shooting yourself in the foot.

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http://www.williammorrismusic.com

Behringer bashing is fun and 'fun' is scientifically proven to be good for us! So lets all get good and healthy.
My experience of Behringer stuff is sadly all good. Bit boring really and not at all in the spirit of a healthy Behringer bashing thread.

I have a Tube Overdrive TO100 pedal. €9.99, (that's euros) must be five years ago now. The printing has rubbed off. Prepare yourself now - it sounds bloody marvelous!! Fantastic with my single coil. Loads of boost for pocket money. Never used it on stage - but it has been kicked around a bit and still is working.

Yeah, definitely a case of picking and choosing: they're not all good, they're not all bad. My Beh Ultra Tremolo sounds crap (and it's the second one, I couldn't believe the first one, but that's how it's 'meant' to sound), Acoustic Modeler & Chorus, er, OK-ish. I don't use them, but they're still hanging around behind a piece of glass marked 'In case of emergency'.

Hellbabe Wah was OK, but went South in a year.

OTOO just bought a Boss DD-7 delay and loved it from the word go - amazing pedal, amazing sound!

But the Behringer FCB1010 controller pedal has been a regular on gigs for years and years without a glimmer of trouble and controlled my rig & amps flawlessly. A bit of a fiddle to programme, but once it's done it's done.

So I'd say if you can try the pedals out before you buy you could be saving yourself a wasted, ooh, £15 or so. That won't tell you if it's going to last more than five minutes, of course.

I think their controller pedals are better than their audio-processing, frankly.

I've never bought the argument about buying cheap gear because 'boutique' gear is just too expensive.

All the time I've spent in bands, the ones that have worked and actually gotten paid.
We've just made a plan somehow.
My last band being a perfect example, I had a job full time, I could afford to buy things.
The other main member, was a student, with no income other than what he could spend on fuel and textbooks.

He owned more pedals/vintage amps and guitars and than anyone I've ever known.
(He still does this, he moved ot the US last year and his band is touring all over the place. He is recently married, the wife and he both work small jobs, but he still has AMAZING gear)

Because it was important. We had a sound in mind, we worked to get it.
We used some cheapr gear too, if it suited us.
We had a plan, we needed to make music, we used the gear we wanted to use.
But there is often a very good reason for the price of high end gear.

Price is certainly no indicator of quality.
I mean, I don't buy into the price of a 'vintage' (1995 counts vintage?!?!) Klon. But I have paid premium for all sorts of OD/Fuzz pedals. Custom made, off the shelf, vintage... whatever.

I have never owned a Behringer pedal. They are too flimsy for me, and I've never seen a touring band using any. (Cept maybe noise artists using them for circuit bending where they are specifically bought as cheap things to be destroyed). I have owned a Behringer PA, which worked fine.

Rambling aside...
If you are a musician, and know your instrument inside out, no matter what it is.. you end up using gear for a very specific.
Price has NEVER and will never be a good reason for me.

If I've researched something, and I do actually NEED it and it is expensive then I'll find a way to get it.
If it is cheap... well that's a major score isn't it...

Truth is there are sounds you will get out of cheap pedals that you won't get out of more refined ones, just as a cheap guitar can sometimes give you a sound that a more refined one can't. What's the sound in your head? The one you are looking to come out of your amp? If its a raw, in your face kind of sound you might well find some cheaper gear will deliver the goods better than boutique ones (assuming your fingers can play their part and walk the walk). If the sound you are after is more 'polished' the cheap stuff might not be able to cope as well. A jazz quartet playing punk standards may be very interesting but it won't sound like punk!

Personally I've never had a Behringer pedal and the only Boss one on my board is the TU3. Its all boutique. And not because I'm a pedal snob but because I'm after a refined sound. However, my compressor (which does exactly what I want it to do) is personally signed by the guy who made it, built like a tank and I know if it craps out I can send it back to him, even years later and he will fix it like new. And probably not charge me. But for what it cost I could probably have bought 4 Behringer ones and who knows? Maybe one of those would have been a keeper and gone on forever. You pays your money and takes your choice. But I agree the best place to start is knowing the sound you hear in your head and tracking down the gear that is going to best help you realise that sound. Your sound. Which doesn't necessarily mean the most expensive.

Mind you, I have been told those Behringer pedals can have a very special 'crunch', especially when you step on them for the first time...

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Strictly project and just for fun

price shouldn't come into it when you're comparing £100 with £30- if it's really important, have some patience and save up. Ok £300 for an OD pedal is a bit much, but if it's important then it's worth waiting a year or even a few years for. Or borrow one... I do think that buying the cheapest of anything often turns out to be a false economy in the long run and maybe our manufacturing industry wouldn't have disappeared if more people realised this.
back on topic, i've not tried that particular pedal, but the other guitarist in my band has one of their delay pedals, and I think it's so noisy it's unusable, total rubbish. On a battery. He quite likes it though...
I always thought behringer gear was something that benefits from being tried in a shop rather than bought online (if that's still possible!) because, as others have mentioned, quality control is the main problem, not design as such...

Quote Billum:

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But the Behringer FCB1010 controller pedal has been a regular on gigs for years and years without a glimmer of trouble and controlled my rig & amps flawlessly. A bit of a fiddle to programme, but once it's done it's done.

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That's a relief to hear since I took delivery of mine on Thursday. To say that it's a "bit of a fiddle to programme" has to be the understatement of the year. I went straight for the PC editor but you still need to be Michael Flatley to get the thing ready to receive sysex messages.

I've only had one Behringer pedal that I can remember, a bc100. Felt flimsy but never actually broke. I don't use it because it coloured the sound (not what I wanted from a switch pedal). I have owned, and in many cases outgrown, various Behringer kit over the years. I can't remember any of it failing.

You generally get what you pay for and Behringer serves the budget end of the market. If it works for you (I love my GI100 for recording bass) then great, it's a bargain. If you quickly outgrow it or it doesn't last the duration on your next world tour, then it's false economy. We all know that, it's just sometimes we don't have the funds to buy the best, especially not in younger life.

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http://www.random-thought.co.uk/

Quote Music Wolf:

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Quote Billum:

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But the Behringer FCB1010 controller pedal has been a regular on gigs for years and years without a glimmer of trouble and controlled my rig & amps flawlessly. A bit of a fiddle to programme, but once it's done it's done.

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That's a relief to hear since I took delivery of mine on Thursday. To say that it's a "bit of a fiddle to programme" has to be the understatement of the year. I went straight for the PC editor but you still need to be Michael Flatley to get the thing ready to receive sysex messages.

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And that troubles me as I was thinking of getting one. Are there any alternatives to the "Einstein requirement"?

Quote Pin:

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And that troubles me as I was thinking of getting one. Are there any alternatives to the "Einstein requirement"?

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The biggest problem I've had with the software editor was getting it to talk to the Midi interface (nothing to do with the FCB1010). To get the FCB to receive data you have to power up whilst holding the down switch, then press up twice, then 7. After sending the data from the PC you have to hold the down for a few seconds. Let's see if I can remember that in a few months time.

The pedal appears robust enough but the switches are quite close together and there's a lot of them so remembering which sound is where and getting things into a usable layout is the challenge.

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http://www.random-thought.co.uk/

The Uno firmware upgrade lets the pedal talk SysEx any time. It also adds a stack of other features which might be useful to you, including some bugfixes to the original firmware.

Quote grab:

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The Uno firmware upgrade lets the pedal talk SysEx any time. It also adds a stack of other features which might be useful to you, including some bugfixes to the original firmware.

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That sounds interesting Grab, how do we get hold of this firmward update? Is it direct through Behringer support like the old days, or is there a better (i.e. easier & cheaper?) way now?

-- ooops should have looked online first, it's here: http://www.ossandust.be/

Behringer themselves haven't updated the firmware for over 10 years.

Edited by Billum (14/05/12 08:55 AM)

Yep, Google is your friend. You just get a chip in a little box which you replace the existing firmware chip with.

Earth yourself by touching a radiator, then open the pedalboard up to expose the innards. Note which way round the chip goes. Earth yourself again, then extract the existing chip from its socket. There's a capacitor in an awkward position which makes this hard, and the hot-glue holding the capacitor in place may have clagged up the firmware chip, so you might need to chip off this hot-glue. (I hope it's superfluous to say that you need to do this carefully!) Then use a chip extractor (cost: a couple of quid from Maplin) to take the chip out. You can lever it out with a screwdriver, but you'll probably shag up the legs, which isn't great if you want to keep it as a backup option.

Earth yourself again, then open the chip box up. *Carefully* bend all the legs inwards slightly using the pedalboard's metal case as an anvil, until the chip fits the socket (offer it up a few times until you've got them bent right). Double-check you've got the chip the right way round. Then push it into the socket, making sure it goes in straight vertically.

So it's not rocket science. Main thing is just to earth yourself regularly, so that you don't zap anything with static.

Edit: FCB editor software - go to http://www.voes.be/fcb1010/software.htm Ripwerx only works with Uno firmware, and it's not so user-friendly, nor stable (for me). Ed Dixon's graphical FCB interface is nicer to use and works with the original Behringer firmware. Unfortunately Ed Dixon's website seems have vanished, so we're reliant on places like Patrick Voes' site for old copies of that software, and I guess we're not likely to see any more improvements/fixes.

Thanks Grab

Useful information. Looking through the list of 'fixes', at the moment, the only benefit to me would be receiving sysex messages without the tap dancing so not enough reason to part with 16€ / void warranty at this point. Maybe I'll come back to it later if I start to use the pedal in different ways or get frustrated.

I used the board in rehearsal for the first time last night. I had been slightly concerned about the spacing of the switches / how positive their operation would be but it was fine in practice. I even remembered which switch did what.

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http://www.random-thought.co.uk/

Yeah - TBH I'm not sure the Uno firmware has done much for me apart from avoiding tap-dancing. The main bonus is the "stomp box" setting, and I don't really have a use for that at the moment.