Behringer 1601 Sequencer arrives as a 16-step analog sequencer

Behringer has released the 1601 Sequencer, an analog step sequencer built on the classic 1601 from the 1970s. Retailer Thomann lists it at $206, £181 or €219.

The unit runs either as one 16-step sequence or as two 8-step patterns. Three separate gate buses, each with individual step switches, let a player build rhythmic relationships across several destinations.

Pitch, clock and control

The original 1601 is derived from the ARP 2500 1027 module. It was designed as an "extra hand" for keyboard players running an Axxe, Odyssey or 2600. In the 1970s it shaped electronic music, as Behringer's product text puts it, "without most people ever knowing its name". The Behringer version brings that workflow back, aimed at musicians who want hands-on control rather than menu diving.

Notes sit in a quantized two-octave pitch range. A free 10-octave CV range covers non-pitched jobs such as filter cutoff modulation or pulse-width control.

Skip and Reset buttons come with CV inputs, which gives live control over pattern length and direction. Clock FM and pulse-width controls each have their own CV input and change tempo and gate length on the fly, from tight staccato to flowing legato.

A Position 1 CV output fires external events when a pattern starts. Behringer says it can be used for chaining, or for arming the sequence to stop after one loop. Separate quantize inputs let external CV pass through the quantizer, and four multiples are there for patching.

Case and connections

The sequencer sits in Behringer's standard desktop case, which is also Eurorack-compatible. DIN MIDI out is on the top. MIDI in and thru are on the back, next to a USB-A port.

Behringer counts 42 controls and describes the MIDI and USB connections as including transport sync.

The company first teased the 1601 in 2021. Its release follows the Polyeight synthesizer and the surprise announcement of the RD-765 drum machine over the last few days.

Source: Behringer