Yeah it’s a custom case that the person who I got it from got made for it. It does have threaded mounting points for screws, but I don’t use them as I want to be able to quickly lift it out of the case if I need to.
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My Grey Meanie just arrived! I only will be able to plug it tomorrow though. It’s quite beautiful, the hardware feels good. I’m happily surprised. First B ever…
Edit: ah no, I had a BCR2000 for many years, many years ago!
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I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun with it! Be sure to let us know how you get on
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I get a bit of the grey meanie envy here too.
It was tough choosing Blue Marvin, but thinking of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and depressed Marvin, definitely helped with making my decision.
A 2nd one wouldn’t be such a bad thing either.
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I’ve seen the Marvin a bit cheaper than the Meanie but that grey/red combo does look good
Here the grey was like 50 euros cheaper than the blue. I préfères it anyway. I’m thrilled!
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After a few days, here my impressions.
This is my first semi-modular synth. I had bought a Syntrx and liked it for a while and ended up not using it that much. I sold it in anticipation of buying a 2600 to replace it as my “weird synth”. I couldn’t be happier with the decision. The Syntrx, while giving me interesting sounds, some fun, felt a little claustrophobic to me. Not that it’s a bad synth, but after a while the matrix wasn’t so much fun, kind of leading me in a certain direction (probably my fault, in short, not for me).
Back to the B2600. I find the grey meanie esthetically beautifull. The hardware feels solid, the sliders are great, the switches could be more satisfying but aren’t bad. I can feel the “emptiness” of the enclosure, it resonates a bit when switching switches or patching cables but not in a way that I’d say is bad. I perceive it as a quality instrument and feel as compfortable with it as with my Moog or OB6, though different. For reference (this is all personal) I had a hard time to deal with Arturia hardware, from a pure tactile point of view.
Sound-wise, I couldn’t be happier. Again I’m beginning the exploration, and constantly arriving at sounds that amaze me, satisfy me, amazing bass patches, wierd melodic stuff, weird-period-great-sounding stuff. The osciallators sound great, the filter as well, very much so.
I’m systematically learning it and it’s fun to do so. I’m reading the originial Arp manual and following it, I’m not new to synthesis though a late bloomer with lots to anchor, and even basic things I knew are growing with new perspective thanks to the Arp interface and flexibility.
I’m glad I chose this and not the Korg for all the additions there are here. I find it considerate and that changes my perception of Behringer as a synth maker (not talking about business practices, but pure product design): The 3 speeds switches for the envelopes are super welcome for short percussive sounds, the extra LFO for obvious reasons, the Portamento, the extra two waveforms on OSC3, the slider for CV input in the Envelope…
This synth widens my understanding of synthesis, certainly brings a sonic palette that I already love and know will expend in many ways, it’s definitely a keeper and a right addition to what I have, in terms of variety (I also have an M on top of the Sub37 and OB6). A welcome new family member.
I still haven’t explored the audio input and envelope follower, nor fully understood the voltage processor (beyond simple inversion which is great!), nor the switch.
Talking about voltage processor: the interface suggests that inputs 1 and 3 aren’t subject to the attenuator sliders, but they are? I need to dive a bit more into it.
What a design! I understand Arp had great talent and am not suprised this synth was used in educational context. And this bass! 
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I’m glad you feel you’ve made the right decision and that you’re happy with your Meanie! I played around with mine for a while when I first got it but it really came into its own when I got it in the mix. It just sounds as if it ‘should be there’ for want of a better description. It’s like it’s greater than the sum of its parts if that makes sense? Regarding build quality I think it’s perfectly fine and in line with their other semi modular stuff. You’re right that there’s a decent amount of fresh air in the case but size and depth wise if feels right and I wouldn’t want it any smaller as it would feel cramped.
I’ve not really used it for intricate evolving patches with lots of modulation (those sounds aren’t really my bag) but I’m pretty sure is well capable of that stuff. I have this thing whereby when I get a synth I try programming percussion/drum type sounds and I was really impressed in that department. Ideally I like a BPF and HPF but I got some really solid sounds without having to patch in other gear. Admittedly kick sounds are fairly easy to get with most synths but the B does an awesome kick! Hats and metal type sounds worked well too using the three oscillators to create the partials and judicious use of noise. The switchable envelopes really helped here too. I’ve not used the envelope follower with external sources yet but the ring modulator can give some pretty good non analogue sounding sounds too.
Afaik the voltage processor sliders all affect whatever is plugged into their relevant inputs and the lag processor is really handy on slew generator duties. It’s a shame the switch can’t be sync’d externally but I think that’s true to the original too. It can be mitigated a bit by using an external clock source for the S/H and using that for tempo synced stuff. The filter sounds great on both settings but the differences become more apparent when it’s breaking into oscillation. Again, careful fine tuning here can yield some really good results.
If you haven’t already read this it’s a good primer for the OG and can be used with the B too
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Thanks for the PDF, I wasn’t aware of it!
Agreed on all accounts. Percussive sounds (and it’s also often what I try first) come out brilliant on this synth.
I was coming up with a very modern bellish/noisy percussive sound using the ring modulator with two square waves, and other stuf.
I will plug it with the rest of my instruments later this week and make a track, I’m curious!
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This was my feeling exactly. I use the extra stuff all the time, including features that come from the add-on keyboard of the original ARP. I’m not sure why Korg thought it was more authentic to just eliminate all the keyboard panel’s features when they decided to sell the 2600M without the original keyboard.
Behringer did a better job this time and I appreciated that.
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Give this a try!
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So now I’m thinking, I’d like to build/buy a rack for my 2600 so that it sits at a steeper angle (but not vertical), so it’s more convenient for me to use, and also takes less table space.
Any advice? seems like getting two pieces of wood cut the right angle could just do, screwing directly in the wood. Has anyone done that? Or, screwing rack mounts on pieces of wood…
If there’s a cheap ready made option I’m all for it. I say some on Etsy and they are around 90 euros, I find it expensive.
I’m in Europe, Berlin, for recommendations 
There used to be an older version of these Adam Hall stands, slightly less angled, which I liked better. I’ve got two of those and they’re pretty good. Not sure if the current ones still have the same quality.
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Yep
Happy with the layout too, same angle as the og and I can put my PSU on the wood which connects the two sides
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I’m not sure if the LackRack is big enough for the B2600, but should give you some ideas.
You can also get various desktop racks from Amazon or your local IT supply shop. (Ideally second hand, IT/Office recyclers often sell high quality rack gear for peanuts.)
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Nice! I don’t have tools nor skills for cutting wood so I was thinking of going to the shop to get it cut, meaning that I’d go for a simpler design, just triangles.
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You might also find my adventures with laser cutting interesting. TL;DR: Make measurements, create a design in Inkscape, go to your local makerspace for cutting. In my case, the public library has laser cutters and various grades of wood to cut.
(I do have basic shop skills, but my living situation precludes a proper workshop, so most of those skills are irrelevant to this project)
If you have access to a garage or alley way, then a battery powered (or even corded) driver/drill, a backsaw and miter box is about all you need for the vast majority of woodworking projects. It’s nice to have a folding table, but that could be a pair of sawhorses and a thick piece of plywood.
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Nice! I don’t know any such shop in Berlin, only Baumarkt that sell would and have a wood shop but as far as I know they only cut simple angles.
I just searched for “berlin makerspace” and got a number of promising results. Find out what the correct German term is and you will probably get better and less expensive results.