Analog Cravings with the Behringer Crave

The Behringer Crave is a semi-modular analog synth that offers a wealth of sound-shaping possibilities for a very affordable price – currently retailing around £140/$165. Although this synth is inspired by the classic Moog Mother-32, it brings some unique features to the party too. You will often find it has a central role to play in the jams on the DAWLESS YouTube channel.

Ambient Live Looping with Behringer Crave and Valeton GP-200

Design and Features

The Crave has a compact and sturdy design, with a plastic case and metal front panel. It has a single oscillator with a sawtooth or square wave, which can be mixed with white noise or an external audio source, you could connect a guitar for example! The oscillator can be modulated by an LFO or an envelope generator, which can also modulate the pulse width and the filter cutoff. The filter is a 24 dB/octave low-pass filter that can be switched to high-pass mode. The filter can self-oscillate and create some interesting effects. The Crave also has a voltage mixer/balancer, which can be used to scale and offset incoming voltages.

The Crave has a 16-step sequencer with buttons for pitch and time entry, as well as a mode selector, a tempo knob, a run/stop switch, and a pattern group selector. The sequencer can store up to 64 patterns, which can be transposed and ratcheted in real time. The Crave also has an arpeggiator with eight different patterns and a swing control. The sequencer and the arpeggiator can be synced with other devices via MIDI or the 3.5 mm sync input and output. I tend to sequence it externally from a Circuit Tracks or a Keystep Pro, as I find it hard to remember how to use the sequencers on every bit of gear I have. However, I do often use the built in arpeggiator, since a quick double tap on the arp button locks it in and then you can experiment with the filters whilst the arp continues,

It is semi modular since there is a patch bay with 32 minijack patch points, which can be used to connect and modulate the internal modules, as well as external gear. The patch bay allows for a lot of creative and experimental sound design, and it makes the Crave compatible with Eurorack and other modular systems. The Crave also has a MIDI input and output, a USB port, and a 1/4 inch audio output. It can be powered by a 9V adapter or by USB. Lastly the Crave also can use Behringer Synth Tribe app, which can be used to edit the sequences, change the tuning, update the firmware or set the synchronization settings. Also in the App is a handy setting for using the Crave with a Modwheel

Sound and Performance

The Crave sounds very warm, rich, and punchy, with a lot of character and attitude. It can create some classic analog sounds, such as basses, leads, plucks, and drones, as well as some modern and experimental sounds, such as pads, textures, and noises. It can produce some smooth and creamy sounds, as well as some gritty and distorted sounds, depending on the settings of the filter and the tone knob.

The Crave is very easy and fun to use, especially if you are familiar with the subtractive synthesis workflow. The patch bay is probably the highlight of the Crave, as it opens up a whole new world of possibilities and interactions.

Sound wise, as with any mono synth I find that it is best paired up with some FX. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but I always like to add some reverb and delay to enhance the tone. Here is a Video, where I paired up the Crave with a TC-Electronics M300 Reverb and Delay

Adding Reverb and Delay to the Behringer Crave

You can also make some interesting rumbles by taking it down a few octave.

Summary

The Behringer Crave is a fantastic little synth for learning sound design and in a DAWless and live environment the one knob per function is exactly what I am after. Perhaps the downsides can be having to work the patch panel to create more interesting sounds and no way of saving presets and only having a single oscillator, but when you want things to get more complicated, there are plenty of other synths to choose from.


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