In a post shared to its social media accounts, Behringer has hit back at critics who have accused the company of only making "vaporware", products that have been advertised but can't yet be purchased.
"Do you remember the comments some people made not so long ago?" the statement reads. "They said 'Behringer only makes vaporware'. Well, time has certainly proven otherwise. Today, Behringer stands as one of the most prolific manufacturers in the industry. No other company delivers as many innovative and affordable products as we do".
Bear with me on this… I think this Behringer synth might be the cheapest analogue poly ever
Behringer is indeed a prolific manufacturer; the company announces (and ships) new products more regularly than many of its competitors, but has come under fire for teasing music-makers with instruments that are still in the development stage long before they become available for purchase, while offering no official release date. This has become so common that we put together an exhaustive list of these "vaporware" products earlier this year.
To Behringer's credit, many of the products it has teased have eventually come to market; the MS-5, a clone of the Roland SH-5 that was initially announced in 2021, shipped in April this year. Production has also been delayed by the same chip shortages that have plagued synth manufacturers globally in recent years.
However, music-makers are impatiently awaiting the release of many products that were announced several years ago, such as Behringer's planned Jupiter-8, CS-80 and Juno-60 clones. LmDrum, the company's LinnDrum clone pictured above, was first teased in 2019 and has yet to be released, though it's reportedly now in production and will be available imminently.
Behringer says it plans to launch several more products before the year is out. "This year alone, we've brought numerous exciting instruments to market, and the best is yet to come," the post continues. "We're on track to launch another 6 to 8 groundbreaking products before the end of the year."
"Behringer - the 'Vaporware Company'? Maybe. But only if vaporware means delivering more music-making tools than anyone else. Stay tuned. The journey has just begun!"
In a separate post, the company also announced that it will be returning to NAMM, the world's biggest trade show for musical instrument manufacturers, in 2025 after a ten-year absence. Behringer says it plans to unveil "groundbreaking new products" at the show.
