Behringer “revives a legend” with the MS-5 – a “faithful reproduction” of the classic Roland SH-5
Featuring a smorgasbord of controls and I/O routing options.
Credit: Behringer
Behringer has released its first product in a while – at least by Behringer’s standards – the MS-5, an unofficial nod to Roland’s classic SH-5 monophonic analogue synth.
Touted as a “faithful reproduction of the original SH-5 circuit”, the MS-5 represents one of the older synth designs in Behringer’s current lineup, as the original SH-5 was launched in 1975.
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It boasts the same functionality as the original SH-5, with 37 full-size semi-weighted keys, two VCOs with four waveshapes and hard and soft sync modes, a multi-mode VCF with HPF, BPF and LPF settings, and an additional bandpass filter, too.
There’s also a ring modulator – which was largely responsible for giving the original SH-5 its signature sound – two fully analogue LFOs, ADSR and AR envelopes with VCAs, a sample and hold circuit with lag control, portamento and bender controllers beside the keyboard, and a flexible routing path and signal mixer.
The functionality doesn’t stop there though; the MS-5 also sports a host of I/O options on the back including MIDI, CV, external audio input, a servo-balanced stereo output and expression controller inputs.
Additionally – in a feature for the “geeks”, as Behringer explains – there are several access points for PCB trimmer controls.
Of course, sometimes you want to play seated, and sometimes standing, so the MS-5 also features a foldable format – like Behringer’s Poly D and MonoPoly synths – with three angled positions as well as a flat mode.
Behringer promises “tremendous bass tones” and a “purely analogue signal path” perfect for “pushing out fiery riffs for that next sci-fi masterpiece”.
Price-wise, it doesn’t break the bank either, clocking in at $599.
For more information, head to Behringer.
In other Behringer news, the company has dropped a selection of other products this year so far, including the Spring Reverberation 636 Eurorack module, and teased the likes of a replica of the classic Roland Jupiter-8.
