> Some Eurorack modules are more or less literal clones of "famous" designs. The only difference is the graphics. So cloning is not exclusively a Behringer issue.
Typically clones are made for vintage and hard to find gear, which Behringer (and many others) have done for years without issue. The specific recent problem with Behringer and why it's angering many members of the synth community is Behringer is actively cloning and undercutting products being made right now.
In the link above about the TD-3, the "DevilFish" mod is a mod Robin Whittle does for the out-of-production Roland TB-303. Behringer cloned the TB-303 to make their own unit, the TD-3. Not many people are upset about this.
They then contacted Robin Whittle, who created and sells kits for the DevilFish mod, and after being unable to come to an agreement with him, simply used his mod in their synthesizer. This is legal because there are no patents on the mod.... Kind of a dick move though.
Purely speculation, but they feel like the kind of company that would clone a Mutable Instruments module and conveniently ignore the GPL portion of the license when it suits them to.
They also hype product announcements in a way that seems like they're trying to poach customers. They didn't announce their Model D clone until just after Moog put up pre-orders for their re-issue. Then Behringer took over 2 years from announcement to sale. They've done similar things with Roland announcements. Releasing a "We're working on something very similar!" image on Facebook the same day as a sale announcement for a new product, and then never releasing the Behringer item.
And Lastly, Uli Behringer is a bad member of the community. He constantly has posts deleted by GearSlutz moderators for having false information. He attempted to sue several members of Dave Smith Music for talking negatively about him on forums outside of their day-jobs.
> I expect they'll produce some original synth designs when they've exhausted the clone market
They already have some lovely original designs like the Neutron or Deep Mind by the way.
Typically clones are made for vintage and hard to find gear, which Behringer (and many others) have done for years without issue. The specific recent problem with Behringer and why it's angering many members of the synth community is Behringer is actively cloning and undercutting products being made right now.
In the link above about the TD-3, the "DevilFish" mod is a mod Robin Whittle does for the out-of-production Roland TB-303. Behringer cloned the TB-303 to make their own unit, the TD-3. Not many people are upset about this.
They then contacted Robin Whittle, who created and sells kits for the DevilFish mod, and after being unable to come to an agreement with him, simply used his mod in their synthesizer. This is legal because there are no patents on the mod.... Kind of a dick move though.
Purely speculation, but they feel like the kind of company that would clone a Mutable Instruments module and conveniently ignore the GPL portion of the license when it suits them to.
They also hype product announcements in a way that seems like they're trying to poach customers. They didn't announce their Model D clone until just after Moog put up pre-orders for their re-issue. Then Behringer took over 2 years from announcement to sale. They've done similar things with Roland announcements. Releasing a "We're working on something very similar!" image on Facebook the same day as a sale announcement for a new product, and then never releasing the Behringer item.
And Lastly, Uli Behringer is a bad member of the community. He constantly has posts deleted by GearSlutz moderators for having false information. He attempted to sue several members of Dave Smith Music for talking negatively about him on forums outside of their day-jobs.
> I expect they'll produce some original synth designs when they've exhausted the clone market
They already have some lovely original designs like the Neutron or Deep Mind by the way.