Behringer BCR-2000
Twenty-four endless encoders with LED rings, a USB/MIDI brain, and a price that made every other control surface look overpriced.
Overview
The BCR-2000 is the rotary half of Behringer's B-Control pair. It's a desktop USB/MIDI controller built around 24 high-resolution encoders, each ringed with a 15-element LED collar so you can see the knob's position at a glance. The sibling BCF2000 gives you motorized faders. The BCR-2000 gives you endless rotaries. An encoder can follow a parameter that jumps around - a plug-in filter cutoff, a virtual synth's resonance, a DAW's pan - without the physical knob hitting a stop. The LED rings show where each parameter actually sits.
Behringer announced the B-Control series with a stated price of $199.99 for the BCR-2000, with the fader-equipped BCF2000 at $299.99, according to Electronic Musician (no month/year given in the source, p. unspecified). That was aggressive pricing. EQ magazine later pegged the rotary unit at $189.99 and the fader unit at $249.99 in its AES-season new-product roundup. That put a 24-encoder, LED-ringed surface well below what dedicated control surfaces typically cost. Sound On Sound (2005, p.129) described the UB Series USB control surfaces as offering fantastic value for money.
Beyond the 24 main encoders there are eight infinitely variable push encoders, also LED-ringed. They can be turned and pressed to send different MIDI data. There are also 20 illuminated buttons that send MIDI on/off messages. On the BCR-2000 specifically, two footswitch inputs give you hands-free control. A 4-digit LED display shows abbreviated parameter names and values, and write-in fields let owners label custom control functions. Everything can be assigned manually or through a MIDI Learn mode, which makes setup tolerable: point the software at a knob, wiggle it, done.
Storage runs to 32 user presets, each holding four controller groups. A single BCR-2000 can be reconfigured on the fly between, say, a mixer template and a synth-editing template without a computer in the loop. Both B-Control models double as 32-channel MIDI interfaces with one MIDI In and two MIDI Out ports, and a MIDI merge function lets owners cascade multiple B-Control units together for more control than one desktop unit provides. According to Sound On Sound (January 2005, p.63), the B-Controls handled Pro Tools LE functions like level-riding, pan, solo, mute and track-arm alongside basic transport operations. The reviewer found delays between control moves and on-screen action undetectable. The faders on the BCF2000 were judged good if a little flimsy, and the encoders on the rotary unit moved well.
The physical impression, per that same review, was of a nice chunky size without being too big, with loads of room for fingers between knobs.
The BCR-2000 is not a premium-feeling piece of hardware. The B-Control line was built to a price, and the period coverage makes clear that the appeal was function-per-dollar rather than luxury materials. The encoders are the good part. The plastic enclosure and button feel are the compromise. The 4-digit display is functional rather than generous, and the abbreviated parameter names take some getting used to.
The BCR-2000 works best as a MIDI brain, not a mixer surface. With 24 encoders, four groups, 32 presets, and the ability to cascade units via MIDI merge, it became a favorite for controlling virtual synths and effects plug-ins, where a mouse is a poor substitute for a knob. BE Radio described the B-Control series as fully intuitive computer-based recording tools supporting both PC and Mac, with the BCR-2000 offering control over virtual mixers, synths, samplers and effects processors.
For collectors and used-market shoppers, this is a USB/MIDI controller that works with PC and Mac and needs a computer or MIDI host to be useful. Its value today is almost entirely in its encoder count and LED-ring feedback. Behringer promised dedicated editor/librarian software and drivers for popular software at launch. Per Electronic Musician, these were "available soon" at the time of announcement. Units turn up regularly and cheaply. The ones worth buying have encoders that still track cleanly and LED rings that all light.
For a hybrid studio built around a DAW and a rack of virtual instruments, the BCR-2000 remains one of the cheapest ways to get 24 physical rotaries with visual feedback onto a desk.
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