Behringer Timbre Behr, the $99 desktop Akai Timbre Wolf clone: development update LEAK: Timbre Behr, Behringer's $99 desktop take on the iconic Akai Timbre Wolf Synthesizer

According to a new leak, Behringer is working on the Timbre Behr, a $99 desktop take on the legendary Akai Timbre Wolf polyphonic analog Synthesizer. 

Update: Exactly one year ago, Synth Anatomy exclusively reported on the Timbre Behr Synthesizer, Behringer’s clone/replica of the Akai Pro Timbre Wolf. The topic is still top secret because it is a prestige project with which they would like to celebrate Behringer’s 35th company anniversary in 2024.

So a lot is currently happening behind closed doors. But you can read in private forums for fans and beta testers that B is super excited to revive another blast from the past. An insider says the lead developer (a synth fanatic himself) is working all night long on making the fine-tuning more authentic.  It’s already shockingly close to the original, but that’s not enough for the team. The chips are already reserved for the badges in 2024. Not much new at this point, but the project is ongoing.

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Article From April 1st, 2022

Now all Behringer users need to hold on tight. There is good but bad news, especially for those eagerly awaiting the buy now button for the UB-Xa, Pro-16… There will be further delays, yes. Chip shortages or supply bottlenecks are not the culprits for the delayed delivery of these long-awaited clones/replicas this time.

There is another project that has been pushed forward. Just out of nothing. According to a Synth Anatomy exclusive leak, Behringer is working on the new Timbre Behr, a new polyphonic analog Synthesizer.

My informant, who doesn’t want to be revealed, says the developers are working on this product with the highest priority. More, it should become the prestige product of the company. He hasn’t been able to send me a sharp picture yet, but we know the features.

Akai Timbre Wolf History!

It is very obvious which product Behringer is replicating this time. It’s the Akai Timbre Wolf, making its debut at NAMM 2015. Due to an unfavorable presentation, the instrument was quickly voted by many musicians as one of the worst synthesizers ever built. The TW’s reputation could no longer be ironed out with new marketing offensives, and it quickly went out of production. So it became a vintage device in less than two years.

It was only much later that many musicians explored the unseen potential of the Timbre Wolf. YouTubers such as AudioPilz elicited organic, analog sounds from the instrument like no other. The logical consequence: the prices rose enormously. On the one hand, because there is a great demand; on the other due of the super small batches, it is considered rare today.

The hard-working Behringer research team recognized this demand and is now bringing Akai’s problem child back onto the market. Without a keyboard, not for $499 but in a desktop for an unbeatable price of $99. According to the leaker, the product and price decisions are mainly due to the current #synthsforall and #WeHearYou campaigns.

Behringer Timbre Behr

According to my informant, Behringer taught great value in replicating the circuit as faithfully as possible, however, not without giving the design a few major improvements. Like the original, it has 4 independent voices featuring 4 DCOs with saw/square waveforms. New is an all-analog novel DJ-style filter per voice that gives you creamy filtering effects. The 1-knob controlled snappy filter/VCA envelope remains in the circuit to keep the signal as authentic as possible.

In the original, there is no LFO, but the TB gives you the option to flip voice 3 and 4 to LFO mode. Great addition. The synth has four playing modes: mono, paraphonic, polyphonic for juicy 4-voice pads, or super flexible in multi-timbral. You can also use a dedicated MIDI channel for each part giving you four independent mono synths.

Analog Refinements

In addition, the developers promise many analog refinements to take the synth to a new level. Including a vintage knob (shift combination) that pushes the warm, wobbly, detune feel of vintage synths in the TB circuit. A function we all love in the premium Sequential synths, now in a $99 synth affordable for everyone.

Then, you get a brand-new auto-calibration functionality right built into the circuit. That should solve the often-reported calibration problems without using a screwdriver before your first jam. The overdrive effect has been updated and should give you a bit of the crunchy Neutron feeling that many love. No arpeggiator but a 64-step Timbre Wolf-inspired sequencer with parameter automation that takes the sequencing concept further.

The backside is interesting: the synth takes its power exclusively from the micro-USB socket, says the leak. Plus, you get a front-panel MIDI input, MIDI output on the back, MIDI panic button, individual part outs, and a headphone output.

First Impression

Unfortunately, there is no sound demo of the Timbre Behri. The informant says it is a 2-year development and the most ambitious project of the young developer team so far. They guarantee that it perfectly matches and harmonizes with their latest state-of-the-art MIDI/CV controller. And they only use “hand-picked components” for this release.

An exciting project. Here Behringer brings back a very oddly Synthesizer from the past. I’m curious how close the $99 desktop version is to the original. But we won’t see it anytime soon either because the important chips to replicate the organic, juicy character are missing.

More information will follow here: Behringer

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