Behringer Swing

Sources split. Most who play one — AMAZONA's tester, iNNovational and most Thomann, Amazon and Reddit owners — find the 32 compact keys pleasant, with velocity that works (and can be curved in the Control Tribe app) and aftertouch that is rare at this size, though AMAZONA found the aftertouch stiff to control finely and the springs audible. Several owners, some of them KeyStep owners too, say it feels at least as good as the Arturia. A consistent minority report the opposite on their unit: uneven velocity from key to key, individual keys that need hitting harder, or velocity that went erratic after months. It reads as unit variation more than design, so test every key while returns are easy.

Sources split, over the sequencer rather than the knobs. The performance tools get credit — one-press MIDI-channel selection on the top 16 keys, gate and swing amounts on the others, and two things the KeyStep lacks: ratchets (repeat a step 2–4 times) and a random-gate option, plus a front-panel key combination to pick the sync source instead of the KeyStep's rear DIP switches. The 64-step sequencer divides people: it is step entry only (no real-time recording, which the KeyStep has), there is no display to show which step you're on, chords can't be stored in it despite the manual, and one owner calls editing it a guessing game. AMAZONA also found the mod strip easy to brush by accident, and with no freely assignable knobs it offers little hands-on control of software instruments.

Sources split, and the split is reliability. It is class-compliant, most owners have it working in minutes, and the free Control Tribe app (Mac/Windows) exposes a lot of settings and delivers firmware updates — one owner's inaccurate 1V/oct CV was fixed that way. But a sizeable minority report a flaky unit: hanging notes that need a replug or power cycle, USB that isn't always recognised or needs the right cable, trouble slaving it to external clock, and a lost first MIDI-clock pulse. By design it transmits on one MIDI channel at a time, won't arpeggiate incoming MIDI, and an iPad needs external power. Its early bugs were largely fixed by firmware 1.1.36 in 2022, but hanging-note and USB reports continue from newer buyers.

Nothing is bundled — no DAW, no instrument, no sound library — where the KeyStep ships with Ableton Live Lite and Analog Lab Intro. The only software is Behringer's free Control Tribe editor. The free Music Tribe DAW announced alongside the Swing had not appeared when AMAZONA tested it in 2022. Documentation is the other gap: the printed guide is a multilingual quick-start, and owners and AMAZONA alike describe digging for how the sequencer and shift functions actually work.

“Zugehörige Software gibt es derzeit noch nicht”

AMAZONA.de (Stephan Merk) — 'there is no accompanying software yet'

“Admittedly, the user's manual leaves much to be desired, as I've found is typical with Behringer products.”

Bruce · Sweetwater owner review

The strongest single reason to buy it: the KeyStep's full hybrid I/O at a lower price. USB, 5-pin MIDI in and out, Mod CV, Gate and KB CV outputs, sync in and out and a sustain jack, so one keyboard can drive a DAW, a hardware synth and a modular system. The caveats are physical: the port is micro-USB (called fragile by several owners and picky about cables by iNNovational), the 9 V adapter isn't included, it won't run from an iPad without external power, and MIDI and CV outputs can't be addressed separately.

“The MIDI in and out connections are great and extremely useful.”

Gene · Sweetwater owner review

“this keyboard is very picky with USB.”

iNNovational (YouTube)

“The usb is indeed fragile as hell, holy crap.”

u/Sonof8Bits · r/synthesizers

Built to travel: a 49 cm slab that runs from a laptop's USB port, which owners pair with grooveboxes and small DAWless rigs on the go. It is heavier than it looks — 1.5 kg on a metal base, which owners describe as chunky — and runs away from a computer only with the optional adapter or a USB power source.

“My use case is that I wanted a small form-factor midi controller to use with my portable devices like Roland MC-101 groovebox on the go.”

zwara · Thomann owner review

“Kinda chunky for it's size, actually, I was surprised.”

Oogie Wa Wa · Keyboard Forums

Sources split, along the familiar line between review units and owners' units. AMAZONA, iNNovational and most owners describe a solid box — metal bottom, plastic top, firm knobs and backlit buttons, heavier than it looks — and several say it is as sturdy as the KeyStep. Against that, a steady minority of owners report dead or intermittent keys, a chassis or keybed bent enough to rock on a flat desk (twice in a row, for two buyers), a dead mod strip, or a unit that died within weeks. AMAZONA's own unit rocked on the desk until the case was flexed straight. Most buyers report no trouble, but checking a new unit over while returns are easy is the practical advice.

Sources split, and not mainly over the hardware. On features for money it is hard to fault: AMAZONA calls it a lot of MIDI keyboard for little money, owners who paid well under $100 are delighted, and it adds ratchets and front-panel sync to the design it copies. The other camp's case is partly practical — the gap to Arturia's KeyStep (now the KeyStep mk2) has often been small, a used KeyStep can cost the same, and the KeyStep brings a software bundle and real-time sequencing — and partly ethical: it copies a product that was still on sale, which Arturia called unfair competition and many buyers treat as a reason to boycott it.