Behringer BCF2000: Motorised Faders and Mackie Control Mode
· re:union Radio editorial · 3 min read
Behringer BCF2000: eight 100mm motorised faders, LED-ring encoders and Mackie Control emulation. What this USB/MIDI controller can do in your studio.
The Behringer BCF2000 puts eight motorised 100mm faders on your desk – and back in 2005 that turned heads. Sound On Sound wrote at the time that motorised faders were unheard of in this price range. The question for you today: what can this grey box actually do when you want to ride your DAW with your hands instead of a mouse?
At a glance
- 8 motorised 100mm faders, 8 endless encoders with LED rings and push function, 16 + 4 illuminated buttons
- USB plus MIDI In, Out and Out/Thru – works without a computer too
- From firmware 1.06 it can act as a Mackie Control, Logic Control or Mackie Baby HUI
- Behringer now lists the BCF2000 on its website as a “Legacy” product
Motorised faders that write your mix
The heart of the BCF2000 is its eight motorised faders with 100mm travel. Because they are motorised, Behringer says their movements can be recorded as automation – and on playback the faders follow the curves on their own.
Above them sit eight endless encoders, each with a ring of 15 LEDs and a push function. Four “Encoder Groups” buttons switch this row, giving you 32 encoder assignments per preset. On top of that come two rows of eight buttons with red LEDs and four freely assignable buttons that usually handle transport functions in the factory presets.
“While computer-based music creation has done much to eliminate the need for hardware, it has left a big void in the realm of tactile, real-time control – a void the BCF2000 is more than happy to fill!”
— Behringer, BCF2000 product page
Specifications
| Faders | 8 × 100mm, motorised |
|---|---|
| Encoders | 8 endless encoders with 15-LED ring and push function |
| Encoder banks | 4 (32 assignments per preset) |
| Buttons | 16 + 4, illuminated |
| Memory | 32 presets |
| Display | 4-digit LED display |
| MIDI | In, Out, Out/Thru |
| Computer connection | USB |
| Pedal inputs | 1 × footswitch, 1 × continuous pedal |
| Emulations | Mackie Control, Logic Control, Mackie Baby HUI (from firmware 1.06) |
| Editor | BC Edit (Java, Mac, Windows, Linux) |
How the BCF2000 talks to your DAW
Behringer names Cubase, Cakewalk, Logic and Ableton as targets. The quickest way to assign controls is the Learn button: move a parameter in your software, touch a fader or encoder, done. Program changes, controllers, notes, pitch bend, MIDI Machine Control, NRPNs and SysEx strings can all be assigned this way.
Emulation mode goes deeper: hold the right buttons at power-up and the BCF2000 identifies as a Mackie Control, Logic Control or Mackie Baby HUI. You then page through your channels in banks of eight with the preset buttons – in Pro Tools LE, according to Sound On Sound, including level, pan, solo, mute and track arming.
Who the BCF2000 is for
According to Sound On Sound, the BCF2000 also works without a computer, driving synths, samplers or effects directly over MIDI. The faders even double as drawbars for software and hardware organs. You can link two units via MIDI and connect both to your computer with a single USB cable. If your studio runs drum machines like the Behringer RD-8, you get one central mixer surface for hardware and DAW.
Be clear, though: this is a studio and production tool, not a DJ controller with jog wheels. For hardware better suited to DJing, read DJ controllers vs. CDJs. Sound On Sound found the faders good if a little flimsy and warned against pressing the encoders too hard.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Behringer BCF2000 replace a Mackie Control?
From firmware 1.06 the BCF2000 emulates Mackie Control, Logic Control and Mackie Baby HUI. You choose the mode with a button combination at power-up.
Does the BCF2000 need a computer?
No. Via MIDI In, Out and Out/Thru it controls hardware without a computer. Connected to a computer, it also works as a basic MIDI interface.
Does the BCF2000 have an audio interface?
No, it only transmits MIDI data. Behringer announced a separate unit for that, the BCA2000.
Source: Behringer – BCF2000, Sound On Sound – Behringer BCF2000 & BCR2000
