Topic: Behringer Flow 4v Recorder

[pohaku]

https://www.behringer.com/behringer/product?modelCode=0603-AFE

Inevitable I suppose.

And with an expander, lol.

https://www.behringer.com/behringer/product?modelCode=0606-ADZ

I don’t see it available for sale just yet.

[grawk]

seems like a steal.  I've been reasonably happy with the behringer gear I've bought over the last decade or so.  I imagine the preamps are similar to what's in their mixing desks. 

[goodcooker]

I really like the idea of the single cable expander. Would be very handy for a lot of the things I do like placing multiple mics on stage then taking a board feed from the stage box at side stage. I have questions about how this can be done over a single DMX/XLR cable though...

[grawk]

I missed the stage box.  That's fantastic, and makes it easy to make it an 8 channel recorder, in a bag, or with 4 inputs/outputs farther away.  Good chance the preamps are equal to mixpre/flow/deity/etc

[pohaku]

I saw some comment that it has Midas preamps, but I don’t see that in the product promotional literature.

[grawk]

I saw some comment that it has Midas preamps, but I don’t see that in the product promotional literature.

The farther we get away from their purchase of midas, the less that matters I think.

[goodcooker]

I saw some comment that it has Midas preamps, but I don’t see that in the product promotional literature.

After Behringer purchased Midas their products markedly improved from the fairly bland offerings they had in the beginning but it's still gear marketed towards a low price point for hobbyists and (now) prosumer level buyers and some pro gear for venues that's competitively priced A friend of mine has the newish Behringer Wing console and it sounds really good. At least as good as the Midas X32 at another venue that I frequent.

In general the quality of built in mic preamps has improved by leaps and bounds with new surface mount ICs that sound good even in cheaper gear. Brands like Presonus and Behringer can compete with some of the big companies now at a much lower price point.

[2manyrocks]

Behringer built their own factory in china to get better quality control in place.  That's another one of the key reasons why X32s started popping up everywhere because they were delivering a lot of features at a good price point with reliability. 

The Flow 4  looks to have a stunning amount of features, especially for $279.  Honestly, I was still on the fence about keeping my Deity PR-2 for a choir video recording until I saw the Flow 4 which so far looks like more what I want.   

[Billy Mumphrey]

4 channels of dual-ADC 32fp, with timecode, and USB interface abilities? For $279? Very cool.

AND for another $200 you can add a separate expander box that adds another 4 identical channels? Pretty darn cool IMO.


EDIT: expanding on what goodcooker says above:
To add to the preamp discussion, I know Doug Oade has talked about the huge leap in quality that audio chips have made in the last 7-8 years or so. I suspect this is why companies like Zoom and other consumer brands are able to put out some high quality products at consumer level prices. Tech experts please weigh-in and correct me if I'm wrong or inaccurate (a very real possibility).

[grawk]

Apparently it’s 48k only if that matters.

[Billy Mumphrey]

Apparently it’s 48k only if that matters.

Not a deal breaker per se BUT that's definitely worth mentioning.

I still primarily record at 48k, but have been reading a lot about the DSD format and it's high sample rates. I've been running 96k more often lately, and I want to try some 192k stuff but am scared to ruin a recording. (slightly off topic, but still relevant if this recorder maxes out at 48k).

[goodcooker]

It has sort of a "My First Recorder" toy look to it. Kinda like a first gen Nintendo NES.


Can't beat the features for the price but someone will have to bite the bullet and see how it sounds when it becomes available. After being the early adopter on the Marantz 706 and getting burned by it's quirks I tend not to be one of the first any more.

I'm looking for info about latency on the breakout box and not seeing it. There has to be some even if it's only a ms or 2. Not a big deal for most users as long as you aren't splitting a main pair/feed across the two devices - like using channel 4 for L and channel 5 for R.

[grawk]

It has sort of a "My First Recorder" toy look to it. Kinda like a first gen Nintendo NES.


Can't beat the features for the price but someone will have to bite the bullet and see how it sounds when it becomes available. After being the early adopter on the Marantz 706 and getting burned by it's quirks I tend not to be one of the first any more.

I'm looking for info about latency on the breakout box and not seeing it. There has to be some even if it's only a ms or 2. Not a big deal for most users as long as you aren't splitting a main pair/feed across the two devices - like using channel 4 for L and channel 5 for R.

Says 1ms

[pohaku]

https://cdn.mediavalet.com/aunsw/musictribe/WZN169UOxE-CxMe1pln0ww/HBUz2xY-m06IJalUFZotCg/Original/QSG_BE_0603-AFE_0606-ADZ_FLOW4V_4VIO_WW.pdf

Quick Start Guide

Lord knows, I don’t need another recorder, but at that price it might be worthwhile to have as a just in case spare for certain gigs.

[Niels]

I am not familiar with Behringer.
A search does not really show any history with recorders as far as I can see.
Almost a "too good to be true" price for what they claim to be offering.
Great if they can deliver but I would probably not want to be first mover on this one.

I actually quite like the very clean layout.