The Behringer Brains eurorack oscillator gives users ultimate tone-shaping power

Two days after a video from Behringer teasing a new product called Brains, we finally have an answer as to what the product actually is. After initial speculations suggested a possible new DAW or sequencer, we now know neither of the above are the case. Brains, in fact, is the company’s latest eurorack hardware oscillator for synth systems. While it looks unassuming at first glance, Behringer promises some heavy power out of this new module.

Behringer Brains Eurorack Oscillator

For inspiration on its latest oscillator, the Behringer team borrowed from the open-sourced code of Plaits from Mutable Instruments. The same code, in fact, that aided Arturia in the creation of its MicroFreak. While users will find many of Brains’ components similar to that of Plaits, there are also several stand-out unique features. Size-wise, Brains takes up noticeably more space than its inspirator. Likely, this has to do with Behringer’s inclusion of new jacks such as an included USB-B port, as well as a larger in-depth OLED display.

Behringer Brains also comes complete with a whopping 20 oscillator modes onboard. While these include many of the engines found on Mutable’s original build, we do also see a few Behringer originals. Included among these are Virtual Analog, Waveshaping, Speech, Supersaw, Rain, and an array of drum engines. Much like the Plaits oscillator, the majority of Brains controls come down to its set of four main knobs — timbre, morph, harmonics, and frequency. Between this set, users can easily dial in the perfect sound for their project. Finally, it includes a set of ten 1/8″ patch points allowing further integration with other units.

While we don’t yet have a confirmed release date from Behringer, we can assume it will show up in stores sometime soon. Price-wise, Behringer made its new multi-engine oscillator hard to beat, ringing up at just $149. To read up more on Brains, or the company’s other exciting projects, head over to its website here. Otherwise, we look forward to more from Behringer this year and can’t wait to hear what music comes from utilizing the Brains oscillator as shipments begin rolling out.