Behringer Proton

So the two issues first:
* My synth did not come with a US power adapter. I have lots so I plugged it in with the one from my old Neutron...
* It did not power up, so I opened it up and saw that the ribbon cable from the daughter board was completely disconnected from the main board. Simple fix and it started up.

So I am not sure whose fault that is but I was glad I could avoid returning it.
Once it was running, my experience was all positive.

The dual filters is a dream come true, especially paired with dual LFO's and dual looping ASRs. I love the multishape LFO/OSC with morphing control. I don't know why the default is to step them, but once that was set up properly, I am getting so many great complex musical sounds. It even has dual VCA's which offers some interesting ideas for a stereo path (VCA2 is normalled to the output of the VCF2 with VCA1 handling a mix. Simply using them as a stereo pair, you can have two different filters in parallel.

Missing are the excellent bucket brigade delay, sample and hold, and overddrive, but the additions allow for a richer set of sounds than the Neutron, (and I still have those features in my OG neutron... along with a stupid amount of eurorack modules).

I consider an instrument worthwhile if playing it helps creativity and performance. My experience in a few days of use is two new songs based on patches I came up while exploring.

tldr; The synth is great. The quality of the unit including power supply and detached daughter board was disappointing and could create real struggle for a novice.

The Proton is a very well thought-out instrument. The patch bay is excellent, the modulation possibilities are extensive, and the waveshaping options give it a wide tonal palette that can move from classic analog warmth to more modern and aggressive textures.

Having two oscillators with their own filter paths is a strong design choice. It allows for complex layering, interesting stereo movement, and detailed timbral sculpting that you do not always find in compact semi-modular synths. The routing encourages experimentation, and it is easy to go from structured sounds to more exploratory patches.

I also appreciate that this is an original Behringer design. It does not try to be a clone but instead offers its own identity, which is refreshing in a market full of recreations.

That said, speaking personally, this is probably the unit I use the least among my setup. Part of that might be because I already own instruments like the Neutron that cover some similar ground, and I simply have not spent enough time pushing the Proton as deeply as it deserves.

But every time I power it on, I recognize that it is a serious synthesizer. The sound is solid, modulation is rich, and there is a lot of potential waiting to be explored. With more dedicated time, I am sure it could easily become a centerpiece for many producers.

In short: maybe not my most used machine, but undeniably a very good one.