Behringer NEUTRON

I was looking for a budget semi modular and after a lot of search, I ended up with Behringer Neutron, one of the best budget choices to experiment with modular synthesis.

Neutron is equipped with 3340 VCO, the clone of the legendary CEM3340 found in analogue classics of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Lot's of other stuff you'd expect from a semi-modular synth are included. Sine, triangle, sawtooth and square with independent width control, an additional tone mod setting allows further tweaking. Furthermore, oscillator sync, white noise generator plus the ability to freely mix between the two sound sources and an external audio source to the oscillator mix, located in the rear panel; Neutron delivers, with sound-wise, amazing results and functionality! On top of that, the quite big patch bay, perfectly located. Connectivity with other modular synths is of course available, that renders Neutron an absolute component in bigger modular setups (connecting cable provided). Also, it can be mounted on a Behringer modular synth rack. Having said that, Neutron can be used as a standalone unit or connected with a keyboard/sequencer controller. But even without a controller, it can do amazing things.

Neutron has a con however, an annoying problem that I sincerely hope will/can be fixed in future firmware updates. It has to do with the onboard delay unit that kills some frequencies, making the sound duller when applied! In my case that is not an actual problem as I'm using an external delay, but nevertheless, it is a problem.

I'm a harsh noise artist, so I wanted something... harsh and believe me, Neutron can be quite harsh in a very positive way! That vitriolic little beast loves industrial music, loves noise, loves harsh stuff. Neutron can give you some scorching sonic annihilation, even without external pedals/effects but in the same, a full arsenal of quiter/softer sounds with endless tweaking possibilities. Of course, no save preset function is available, something expected from a modular synth. But fear not, huge databases with settings can be found online, making your experimentation horizon endless.

The overall sound of Neutron is spectacular, it delivers in any way possible and remember, it is a budget synth. There isn't something more you'd want in that money.

Last but not least, the design/color, which I personally love but has gotten some harsh criticism. But that is not a problem after all as you can buy an aftermarket faceplate of your choice.

Final words: a highly recommended piece of gear for the beginning of your modular synth experiments, if you are after a synth with a more modern sound.

After almost two years of more or less nightnday browsing, I noticed the Behringer Neutron module here at Thomann's web site in last April. I am no professional but I sure know what a real analogue synthesizer should sound like. After a few clips on YouTube I was in no doubt. I had a Roland Juno 6 a long time ago, good instrument with it's limitations but even though the Neutron is only monophonic/Paraphonic, it just takes real synthesis far ahead from the Roland Juno6, in my opinion. Sound is phenomenal, built as a real gadget... As for the controls etc., just start somewhere and you will end up in "another galaxy"!
Also I should mention Thomann GmbH, very good service, everything was 100%.

The light reflected by the red matte metallic paint under the light source is full of texture, and the black pattern effectively avoids monotony, simplicity and chicness. In terms of hand feel, the damping of the knob is moderate, the texture is sufficient, and the distribution density and position arrangement of the keys and knobs are quite reasonable, so there will be no mistouch caused by hand clamping guidance. The process treatment of imitation wood side and metal back plate is fine, and there is no picky at the same price.





The front panel marks the boundaries of various functional modules with lines, which is very eye-catching. It is very friendly to friends who are new to the module industry. The paintwork and printing quality are at the upper middle level

As a beginner and after two months of my use. I can say its a great synth for beginners to get into the analog synth world because its worth it, you can get many cool sounds and can also get chaotic with it. There are many possibilities to explore with the patchbay area and its fun to play with. Its good if you can get a sequencer or midi keyboard with it.

Pros :
- the patchbay area is easy to play with since its all over to the right side of the synth and does not overlap any of the knobs
- can get pretty wild sounds out of it like chaotic
- its worth for the money
- the sample and hold function is awesome
- you can also get cool musical sounds out of it
- dual 3340 VCOS are an advantage you can play around with the osc mix between two.
- awesome drum sounds with some easy patches

Cons:
- when adjusting the shapes or osc mix knobs there is a slight chance that your hand might touch the osc tune knob since the tune knobs are big, it happens with me sometimes but not a big deal but I have seen in some videos that changing those knobs (tune knob) with the smaller ones might help.

Conclusion - overall its a great synth, there are many great options to play with and many possibilities with the patchbay and it might also take you into an other world if if you go chaotic with it.
All these are from a beginners perspective since Im new into the analog synth and its my first one, still exploring it. I hope this helps someone.