The Behringer product announcement wave continues with the Toro, Behringer’s desktop Eurorack take on the Moog Taurus rev1 analog Synthesizer from 1975.
Update: Behringer Toro is available now for pre-order for 239€ on Thomann and for $249 on Sweetwater.
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Article From March 3rd, 2023
Exactly one year ago, Behringer debuted the Toro, an authentic clone/replica of the Moog Taurus, not in the original design but as a Eurorack module. Today the news, the chips are also available for this synth.
Like the Solina String Ensemble, MS-1 Mk2, Pro-800.. . the Toro is also in production now and will be shipping to dealers soon.
Official Behringer News (Facebook)
And here’s the next gem. The awesome Toro, which is an authentic replica of the Moog Taurus pedal MK1. If if you want earth-shattering and gut-wrenching bass, this is the one to go for.Warning – the Toro is highly addictive. Please consult your doctor before switching it on.
Article From March 2nd, 2022
The first day of March was very colorful and packed with new announcements and releases. There was also again news from Behringer, even twice and I almost forgot one. It came very early in the morning.
Besides the new upcoming Proton, a Neutron semi-modular Synthesizer on steroids, Behringer also announced Toro, a clone/replica of the Moog Taurus rev1 circuits.
Behringer Toro
Toro is authentic recreation of the legendary Moog Taurus rev1 from 1975. Interestingly, Behringer changed the design for this clone/replica. No foot-operated analog bass Synthesizer module but as a Eurorack desktop device. Again in the well-known cloned Moog case. Old story, moving forward to the features that interest you most.
Like the original, the Toro is a bass Synthesizer with a pure analog signal path with two VCOs, ladder filter, envelope, and more. There are also presets that are implemented digitally. 2 VCOs are onboard with detune option, glide and octave controls (5-octave range) for intervals. A mix fader allows you to control the mix of levels of VCO A and VCO B.
Then, it offers a recreation of the legendary Moog lowpass filter with cutoff, emphasis (resonance) and contour operable with sliders. A big filter cutoff knob is on the right side for those who find the sliders too fiddly. You get an attack-sustain-decay envelope for the loudness (VCA) and an attack-decay (AD) for the filter. An LFO is not included, nor in the original from 1975.
Presets
Four buttons on the lower third are the presets, with which gives you the “magic” sounds “Variable, Toro, Tuba, Bass” with a click. Besides this, you get buttons for instant glide on/off, decay and octave. The volume, like the cutoff, can be adjusted with a big Moog-like knob.
On the connection side, you will find on the interface a MIDI input, headphone socket, CV/gate in and a filter cutoff CV input. On the back, you get an audio output, a MIDI thru connection with a MIDI slider matrix, USB connection, and a power supply input with an on/off button. It’s a pity that it lacks an audio input in the filter. It would be nice an addition to use the ladder filter with external sources.
According to Behringer, it comes with a comprehensive MIDI implementation with MIDI channel and voice priority selection. But MIDI CC for all parameters will probably be missing. That was the case with the other all-analog Eurorack format synthesizers.
Toro also offers a poly chain function with 16 units that allows you to build the ultimate Toro Synthesizer with up to 32 voice polyphony. If anyone does this in the future please make a video, I’d love to see and hear it.
Availability
The move to take the legs away from the Tauraus design is interesting. The foot pedals are what made this Synthesizer popular, especially among non-electronic musicians. This “modular” version will surely appeal to more pure Synthesizer players. Certainly an interesting take on the Moog Taurus rev1 and better than a banal 1-to-1 clone.
Available now for pre-order here
Mr. B, it is not 1975, it is 2023. Where is the Proton!?
it was announced around the same time frame – should have an update very soon. stay tuned.
Not for me. I have a Moog Minitaur. Costed slightly less than 500 EUR but its bass capabilities are much more than this Toro. It has full MIDI specs, all of its parameters are remotely controllable and on the device itself, it has memory, dual waveshapes, an LFO, 2 ADSR envelopes, velocity sensitivity etc…
Okay the Moog may be double the price, but it’s triple the capability. Behringer is too expensive for such basic product, I’d say.
The foot pedals were the best part, not being midi they were latency free.
Behringer completely missed the point of the operation and allure of the machine.
MIDI latency is a problem, on bass? oooookay!
The Toro and Solina look very simple and sad, like Soviet music machines from the 1970s.
when will there b pre order on MS-5!?