WASP DELUXE Legendary Analog Synthesizer with Dual OSCs, Multi-Mode VCF, 16-Voice Poly Chain and Eurorack Format

I am 55 and have been collecting and playing synthesizers since I got my Roland SH-101 in 1983. I have owned or still own a lot of the classics, including a Jupiter 8, Minimoog, Prophet 5, Polybrute and so on. i won't list everything, but my point is that I am very experienced at both analogue and digital sound design and a classically trained pianist. I thought there was little new left to find in analogue synths, though recently I have been going back to them again. At some point in 1985 my parents took me on a day trip to Bath and I vividly remember seeing a teenage new wave band busking with someone sat playing a Wasp on the floor going through some portable amp. That image has stayed with me for 40 years and was therefore curious when Behringer announced this remake. I have bought and saved up for the big name synths over the decades and basically didn't need any more analogue synths in the studio, but kept thinking that the Behringer Wasp Deluxe was only cheap, it would finally scratch the itch of hearing what the Wasp could do, and even if I sold it after a week at half price, I still wouldn't have lost much money and it would be a worthwhile experience to finally lay to rest that image I have been carrying in my head for 40 years, etc. So that's my background - experienced synth player, minimal expectations of this Wasp, thought it was going to be ridiculously limited and a one-trick pony, it would be a pointless waste but at least I would have scratched the itch. And this is why I am writing this review - OMG - it is vastly better than I was expecting and vastly more flexible and is not only an absolute no-brainer for the money, it is actually a really interesting synth. The build quality is absolutely fine regardless of the price. It's still new, so I can't say how it will last, but I have no concerns there. The sound quality is really interesting and there are so many little quirks that it has that the first time I opened the box and plugged it in I spent 3 hours exploring it and thoroughly enjoyed doing so - not what I was expecting from what /i thought was going to be ridiclously limited. It is really capable of some beautiful sounds and I wasn't expecting that at all. If you are a beginner, it is on the surface really simple to learn. If you are experienced, it really is more capable than you perhaps think. It only responds to a 3 octave range, even if you play it from an 88 note keyboard, but that isn't a limitation in terms of frequency range, just a quirk I wasn't expecting so I thought I would point it out. The note repeat plus hold function is another quirk i hadn't expected. Maybe I just hadn't done enough research beforehand, but my minimal expectations were absolutely blown away and as you can tell I am so pleased with getting it I wanted to leave a glowing review. Unlike other Behringer copyist synths where you can currently buy a (more expensive) original from the appropriate manufacturer (Moog Minimoog etc), you can't buy an original manufacturer new Wasp, therefore I for one am very grateful that they have made this and to have done so at this price is incredible. Most guitar stomp box pedals cost more than this. Very, very pleased with this indeed.

Easily the best musical purchase I've ever made. Recently spent nearly four hundred quid on modular synth stuff, and got tired of plugging leads in and out pretty quickly. Also the strength of various signal paths was very varied and inconsistant. Packed it all up, and bought the Wasp. What an amazing piece of kit! In the short time I've had it, I've come up with loads of sounds for songs and drones, plus it's so easy to use, and just as versatile as the modular stuff I had, but all in one neat package. Wish this sort of gear for this giveaway price had been around when I was a youngster. Don't think my Gibson Les Paul will be coming out as much now! At £115 you won't get any better value for any type of product anywhere. Build quality is excellent as well.

This was on offer for a really great price. It's a clone of a classic British synthesizer from the early 70s. The build quality is great with a metal chassis and wooden end cheeks. The knobs are solid and sturdy. I bought this for little over the price of a Korg Volca so it was an absolute steal. It's quite a simple synth, and very hands on. The simplicity means you can dial in sounds very quickly. It's got a very distinctive buzzy sound, but you can tame it using the filter cutoff. The two envelopes can be set to loop, and this - along with the LFO - can allow you to create simple rhythmical sequences. The filter has some nice harmonics when the resonance is set high. It won't self oscillate though. It has low pass, notch, band pass, and high pass settings. There's a lot of characters to it. It has a nice vintage sound, and you can get some great bass, and lead sounds. I really like this synth. It's architecture is simple, but you can get a fair range of usable sounds from it. It means you spend your time making music rather than scratching your head.

The Wasp is one of the cheaper Behringer synths, in part because it's using digital technology. Like almost all the others - with the exception of the Neutron - it's a clone of a long-forgotten (for most musicians) attempt at making a cheap 'analogue' synthesizer that could do more than the typical basic synths of the time for less money. Sound familiar? Edit: I've docked this two stars because Behringer issued a software update which on some units (including mine) knocks them into DFU mode on the Mac (through several revisions of their software since I reported the bug). Getting customer service is not fun with Behringer, and the Wasp Deluxe is no longer part of my setup because of this. Shame, but they can and should do better. The original design dates from the early '80s, around 1981, when British electronics inventors were really playing with new shapes and ideas. The Electronic Dream Plant (EDP) Wasp was like the SInclair ZX80 of synths; a flat membrane keyboard, a cheap vacuum-formed case, and power for under £200 (in 1980s money) beyond any previous synth. It had connectivity for chaining, a built in speaker - think 'MicroFreak's cranky great uncle' and you're there. The Wasp's sound can harsh, bright, powerful - it cuts through mixes and is precise, capable of distortion and yet not without warmth, in part due to the highly flexible multimode analogue filter that can shape and slice sound with a variety of approaches when most rivals only offered one. The original was immensely fragile though, and few survive. These days a good original one will cost seven or eight times the price of the Behringer. The Behringer Wasp: It's an accurate clone - and this isn't a surprise because the Wasp has been cloned many times, but never for such a low price before. Sound-wise you'll find it amazingly accessible and easy to program; it can distort and sound harsh and metallic quite easily. Shove it through some effects and you'll get a lot of mid-80s basses, solo leads and industrial-style percussion. There's no patch storage or sequencer, but you do get MIDI - you don't get CV because the Wasp isn't analogue. There is, however, an external audio in so you can use the Wasp's analogue filter, which can be pushed to the harsh, screaming industrial anger side or warm gloopy Moog-like sounds. You can also tap the two oscillator outputs individually. You want something different to all those warm analogue clones anyway, right? For beginners: What sets the Wasp apart is the filter, which can do low-pass (like a 303, cutting off the high frequencies), band-pass, notch or high-pass. This means you can do the classis 'head going underwater/covering your ears' cutoff sweep, the 'slicing the bass out' sounds like overhead headphones, and also enhance or suppress a narrow band of frequencies with a very excitable resonance around that band if you want. These effects can be applied to other small instruments, as an effect on a mixer, or to music/samples via the audio in. The actual voice of the Wasp is also pretty good - two stable oscillators that don't need a warm up time or overly faffing to adjust the tune of. Simple waveforms and mixing can be augmented with noise and pitch modulation as well as the filter and amp envelopes. It'll do fat basses but can also indulge in a bit of retrogaming chiptune silliness too. Wasp is very easy to get to know. It's not full of complex routings, but has some neat features such as filter envelope repeat that can make weird and wonderful or gated dance sounds with ease. MIDI control is available through old-school DIN or USB, and it doesn't need much setup - start with the basic patch, and play. You can set MIDI channel in the software, or use little dip switches - great if you're polychaining or using these in a touring rig where the security of hardware MIDI channels ensures easy setup. You'll need a controller - just a basic Arturia KeyStep or Behringer's compact MIDI keyboard will do as there's not much need for anything more than note input; the original Wasp only had touch pads, and they also add sequencer features. For pros: For the price you're not going to get anything like this as a set of modules - the multimode filter is worth it alone. There's no external triggering though unless via MIDI, so you're going to have to get creative to integrate the envelopes in your sounds. The oscillators are stable with good waveshapes that ultimately formed the basis of many Novation synths (the designer of the Wasp went on to design the Nova/BassStation and the architecture of the Peak/Summit). Early examples of the Wasp had multi trigger bugs, so buying new is worthwhile over grabbing a used one. At this price you can get four and polychain them for a very impressive, versatile four-voice, eight DCO polysynth. For use in a rack the USB and MIDI ports are on the front, as is a 3.5mm jack audio output, the oscillator outputs and the audio in; there's also a 1/4" output. On my Wasp background noise is present when the gain's up on the mixer but few patches need that kind of staging, it's quite loud and easy to sculpt sounds. Rackmount ears are not expensive, and you can get creative for an angled mount - check the pics. Personally, I always wanted an original EDP Wasp and thought I'd break it, and they're very expensive. The Behringer's not just 'an acceptable substitute', it's an excellent instrument in its own right.

Over the years I’ve owned lots of analog synthesisers . Moog,ARP,Jens & so on. I have to say that Behringer have done a wonderful job on this unit and some others. I will be purchasing the pro one at some point. But I have to say the wasp deluxe is excellent value. you can get your hands on analog classics for a super cheap. And you don’t need to get them fixed and you don’t need to turn them off when they overheat. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve used old analogue keyboards. Anyway don’t mess about grab one of these for your recording Studio,1978 vibes 1980s new wave sounds. Does it sound like an original wasp? Yep it does.

There must be a bad batch of these wonderful EDP Wasps. I have had to return two that both have corrosion on the screws and seized selector knobs due to condensation I am surmising, even though there are silica gel packs in the bag. I have been after one for ages and am very disappointed. I am going to have to wait as I am not willing to order yet another to be further let down. Ib

The Behringer range of synths are generally superb. Great fun and simple to set up an unlimited range of sounds...even kick, snare and hi hats are simple, using white noise and a fast attack and decay times. Record these into your daw and create a basic retro drum kit. I haven't yet made convincing Tom sounds though. Great for wild bass sounds and lead sounds. Bear in mind its monophonic, but by retuning oscillator 2 you could make duophonic sounds, but with limitations. I love this so much, that the Model D is next on my shopping list....roll on pay day.

I had been wanting this for a while. But now i have it i hardly ever touch it. The sounds are not as varied as i thought i remembered from the original (way back in the before time). And the sounds it does have are on the thin side as well. I don't exactly feel cheated, as this is not expensive. But i do feel disappointed, and i would urge people to get something else instead. .

Einfacher Synth mit tollem Sound! Der Filter ist mein Highlight. Reagiert von den bisherigen Behringer Synth welche ich habe am besten. Nicht umsonst gibt es ihn wohl auch separat für Eurocksysteme. Kaum Patchmöglichkeiten ist der kleine Nachteil.

Increíble sintétizador, es una maravilla por el precio tan accesible

El Behringer Wasp Deluxe es un instrumento único. Su sonido grueso y agresivo no tiene igual y su filtro multimodo te dejará sin palabras. Muy bien que además el número de serie de la unidad que me han mandado empieza por S20, lo que significa que es la versión v2 del hardware con el problema corregido de las notas que se disparaban solas. Muy contento con la compra y más a este precio tan bajo.

good and cheap thx

This is a great rework of an odd bit of synth history. The original EDP WASP was a very basic dual digital oscillator synth, with dual envelopes and a single, switchable (low-, band-, and high-pass settings). Since it was controlled via a 2 octave ribbon-style keyboard controller, this model will play around an octave below, and about 1 and 1/2 above middle C. Even with that, it is definitely a unit to consider. Very unique sounds and a really good price.