“Korg Odyssey vs Behringer 2600” by Friendly Noise

Video sections:
00:06 Sawtooth and pulse waves.
01:04 Pulse width modulation
02:31 Filter sweeps
07:13 Filter tracking
08:54 Different filters
13:35 Percussive sounds
16:44 Biggest differences between units
19:08 Envelopes
21:27 Sync sounds

Behringer 2600 playlist:    • Behringer 2600    

No effects or processing added. No EQ, no limiting… nothing.

Both Korg Odyssey and Behringer 2600 synths are based on classic analog ARP synthesizers. At the risk of simplifying things, you can say that the Odyssey was a more portable and easier to use version of the classic ARP sound, while the amazing 2600, still maintaining the sound print of the brand, was the experimental model, with more sound shaping capabilities due to the added sub-modules and multiple patch points.

Sound wise, the only advantage of the Odyssey was its oscillator sync option, which in fact made it to great signature sounds of the Odyssey.
Today, having not one, but two syncable oscillators in the B2600, the big patchable brother should be able to generate every sound that the Korg Odyssey makes, and then some…, right? Does that means that the B2600 is the modern ARP-based synth to get?

Because you can easily find out about all sound engine differences between both models reading the manuals and looking at the many great videos out there, I won’t make a detailed description here. Also, coming from two different manufacturers and having different engines, I don’t care about which one sounds better (which is ultimately subjective) or more authentic. That kind of conclusions is up to you, guys. And everyone is allow to disagree. Instead, I have tried to set up similar sounds in both synths and listen to possible differences in sound texture, envelopes, …

The results of that try are not scientific at all. Why? Moving just one slider a single milimeter can get you big changes in the perceived sound. And you can’t be sure that putting the sliders in the same positions will result in the same amount of modulation for both synths. For example, it seems that you have to push further the resonance on the Korg Odyssey to affect the sound, while the resonance slider on the B2600 will be effective sooner. And the manual pwm slider of the Odyssey goes from 50% (down) to full effect (up), while the equivalent control on the B2600 goes from 50% in the middle (square wave) to full effect when moved completely to the right or the left.

So the questions to be answered here are:
How similar do both synths sound if you select similar settings on both units?
Do I still need the little brother Odyssey if I have the B2600?

Please look at the video and decide yourself.

Please subscribe to my channel and activate the notifications if you like the video.