Any comments on a Behringer BCF2000 Control Surface?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 10 Nov 2009 6:27 am

I know it's a Behringer, but I can't afford or justify the $$$ for a Mackie or some other high $$ unit.

I would be using it with Sonar 8.5.

Michael Maddex · Post by **Michael Maddex** » 10 Nov 2009 5:44 pm

Jack, I haven't tried the Behringer BCF2000 Control Surface myself, but Linux Journal gave in a good review in the January 2009 issue. Here's a link to the online version of the article:

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/10240

HTH.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 11 Nov 2009 5:19 am

Thanks. I've read several reviews I found on the internet and on-line music "store" sites, but you can't always go by them.

A lot of the Behringer stuff is "knock off's" of some other similar brand device but I haven't been able to correlate that either.

Doug Frank · Post by **Doug Frank** » 12 Nov 2009 2:42 pm

This is a decent unit for a fair price. Even most diehard Behringer-haters grudgingly admit that it is a capable unit. I use it with Cubase 4 with no problems. It is the best bang for the buck out there for control surfaces.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 13 Nov 2009 3:13 am

Doug, thanks for the response and review. That was what I was looking for, someone that has actually used it.

I saw one review that also mentioned that even though it was a Behringer as it wasn't actually handling any audio, just control, that it did a good job. I'm going to check on it this weekend at the local Guitar Center.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 14 Nov 2009 3:28 pm

After more research the Behringer BCF2000 is out for my application - Windows 7 64 Bit and Sonar 8.5. From info on the Cakewalk Sonar forum it will work somewhat but there is a lot of manual programming needed to get it working. Even though I'm a computer "techie" it's not something I would want to tackle.

Gene Wilcox · Post by **Gene Wilcox** » 14 Nov 2009 5:28 pm

You may want to consider the Faderport from Presonus

http://www.presonus.com/products/Detail ... roductId=2

partial copy from specs:

The FaderPort has been tested and approved to work with the following software:

Native Mode:
Studio One
Nuendo 3 and later
Cubase SX3 and later
Digital Performer 4 and later
Logic Express/Pro 7 and later
Samplitude 10
Sequoia 10
Sonar 6 and later

I have one. Works slick even wth Cubase LE.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 15 Nov 2009 3:15 am

I have a Frontier "Tranzport" which is a wireless DAW controller that I use for recording. It's similar to the Faderport.

Scott Denniston · Post by **Scott Denniston** » 18 Nov 2009 6:19 pm

I use the BCF2000 to mix with Reaper. I think it's great. The programming isn't really too deep (I'm pretty midi illiterate and it only took 1/2 hr or so). It has moving flying faders that work fine and you can go from preset to preset if you're doing more than eight tracks OR you can daisy chain multiple units together. You can spend a lot more & get less. There's nothing wrong with these (except they're Behringer of course). Here, scope this out--http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php? ... ef&t=46524

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 19 Nov 2009 3:25 am

I did get a BCF2000 and after screwing with it for hours (and using all the info on the Sonar forum for how to set it up) all I could get was the basic lights on the unit that come on when it's powered up. Windows 7 64 bit did recognize the unit and "install" it on USB. Sonar 8.5 did allow me to set it as a control surface but that was all the further I could get. I had it set for USB 1 and Mackie mode, what the Sonar forum instructions said to do but still no control or anything other than the basic power on lights.

An outside chance the unit was defective, but I doubt that was the problem. Being a computer "techie" I even tried things not in the book and still could not get anything other than the power on lights.

I didn't try the MIDI interface as it is supposed to work with the USB. I sent it back to American Musical Supply.

Scott Denniston · Post by **Scott Denniston** » 19 Nov 2009 6:19 am

I'm away from home & the studio for a while & don't remember the details but I couldn't get things working in "Mackie Mode" either. I ended up creating three presets by assigning each dial, button, and fader to corresponding functions in Reaper. It works flawlwssly now. I wouldn't know how to do that in Sonar but I bet it can be done. It IS midi through usb as I understand it. I don't know that Windows 7 would be the problem.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 19 Nov 2009 3:09 pm

The "USB2" and the Mackie mode was specifically noted as required to get it working with Sonar 8.