Behringer introduces the KIRN Corksniffer: Vintage sourced cork-knobbed synth
3,4 / 5,0 | 
UPDATE: Since this post went live, Uli Behringer has issued a (now-deleted) apology in the wake of the fierce backlash against this video. Find out more here.
Erm… Not entirely sure what’s going on but Behringer appears to be taking a swipe at synthesizer snobs with a weird but funny video introducing the KIRN Corksniffer synthesizer. Update – the video has been pulled, comments below.
KIRN Corksnifer
Oh, I get it. Behringer is having a go at those people who reject Behringer clones by insisting that a synth is not just about the sound or the components, but it’s about the feel, the sense of history and, of course, the smell. Because you can sense the authentic vintageness of a synthesizer via the tickling of your nasal cavity.
So in this video you have a dribblingly thick French accent describing how they sourced the cork knobs from vintage wines to ensure that it smells as authentic as possible. It then has suitably smelly controls such as Smelly, Corked, Cat Pee and Acidity. Is that funny?
The “Chateau Neuf du Piere” seems to refer to a fictitious wine region in France – but maybe it doesn’t really need this level of analysis.
It’s been pointed out to me that this could be personally directed at Peter Kirn of the online news site CDM. He’s has been critical of Behringer products and the way they do business but reading through some of his articles he’s never personal, he’s only ever talking about his view of their products which is what you’d expect from an industry professional. He raises the same questions and makes the same points as I do when writing about Behringer synths. So if this is a personal attack against a particular critic then it very quickly, in my view, becomes less funny and more unpleasant and disturbing. If I was more directly critical of Behringer would I find a caricature of my face on a parody of a synth?
I guess the question is what’s the point of this sort of behaviour? Does this video make you feel more sympathetic to Behringer or less? If you were previously critical of clones do you feel convicted and now want to change your view? Or are they just having a laugh?
Who knows. It’s all got a bit childish really.
Update: Behringer has pulled the video. Facebook acts as if it never existed. Twitter is full of angry comments and allegations of anti-semitism. Good job Behringer, looks like you aced that one (sarcasm). I guess we have to put this one down to being the weirdest misjudged marketing move in the history of music technology. Personally I hope they go further and issue some kind of acknowledgment of their questionable judgement and an apology to Peter Kirn. Whatever the relationship is between Peter and Uli I think it was all a bit uncalled for.
More information
Video
https://youtu.be/PBFBGS0w1IQ
This might also interest you
28 responses to “Behringer introduces the KIRN Corksniffer: Vintage sourced cork-knobbed synth”
“Is that funny?”
Yes.
People need to get a sense of humor. Oh Wait ! Cork sniffers can’t do that. Nevrmind
This writer is your typical humorless, cerebrum-free Postmillenial flat-earther who scours the media looking for something to be an offended crybaby by.
I’m ordering something from Behringer today.
Trump is your President.
Sounds like you on Uli’s dick. Don’t neglect the balls while you’re down there.
haha, so harsh. i guess behringer is enjoying maintaining a love-hate relationship among the synth community. anyways.. where’s that 909?!? peace.
Nice try, Ivan.
I believe this is a U.K. based website, so no, Trump is not there president. This commenter is your typically poorly informed cerebrum-free Postmillenial bro-earther who scours the internet looking for someone offended (observant of) by something so they can be a crybaby about it. Kinda like lil’ Donny himself.
….nitwit
LOL. And you, murz? From your comment, you sound like the stereotypical soy-filled, soft-centered, self-appointed, condescending, pathetic paycheck-to-paycheck, no shower, blemished skin, dirty fingernails, bearded, rarely washed clothes, sexual confused SJW type that regurgitates its talking points from his favorite Bolshevik infested websites. Not that you are, of course. No, no. Your IQ must be between 80-90 at least. Hey, sorry. Since you were so quick to judge the commenter I figured you deserved a good look in the mirror. Cheer up, though. Out of pure desperation, the DNC will be forced to bring back Hillary.
And from your comment, you sound like another Trump-loving knuckle-dragging homophobic misogynistic mouthbreathing meat-eating ICE-driving “holier than thou” grade-school dropout who only wished that their I.Q. could reach as high as 80-90. I find it ironic you should accuse someone of regurgitating talking points, then start obsessing over Hillary Clinton yourself.
Hey sorry, please do not take this personally…no no…but I figured you deserved a good look in the mirror yourself because that is how you come across from the comment you posted.
True, Trump is not the UK’s leader…BoJo is and he is pretty much the same as Trump so it is an easy mistake.
Interestingly Behringer have now take the video down. Personally I think it’s pretty appalling for a large corporation to target an individual in such a way.
Some people confuse being an a$$hat with being a revolutionary. Uli could simply make interesting gear, but he chooses instead to copy ideas and mock the people who created what he copies. It’s just a marketing ploy and it’s working for him. I appreciate this article although you’ll likely get a lot of rude responses because that’s precisely the crowd Uli is marketing to and some are lapping it up.
Or Uli is offering timeless classics, that are no longer available new, at an affordable price. Beringer is doing nothing different than Arturia or U-he are doing…just in hardware rather than software.
And as far as Uli’s actions, they far less irresponsible than Elon Musk calling a hero diver a “pedo”.
Uli vs Elon? That is a very random comparison that actually means nothing.
https://youtu.be/7mgsIjQXZ7c
Its not funny. Bullying isn’t funny. Its utterly pathetic and irresponsible for any company to use their resources to target an individual in this manner..
It’s perfectly OK for everyone else to bully people though, right? Not that Behringer was bullying anyone. I think some of the Hollywierdos & Late Night show bozos call it SATIRE when they use it to bully people. Behringer was simply guilty of using SATIRE. Double standard much?
It’s embarrassing how are people easily triggered this days . First world retard problems for the comfortable ignorant moron’s slaves . Behringer is making cash morons hating on bullshit
“allegations of anti-semitism” 😂
Maybe some people at B just finally got bored about all this Behringer bashing everywhere, specially from “journalists” that never even tested a product (e.g. because it’s not yet available) but already “know” that it “won’t sound good”.
Particularly Kirn was nothing near neutral in this as a journalist should be.
The people who now see “anti-semitism” in the picture seem to have high preconceptions themselves, thinking “a man with beard and long nose, this must be a jew”. Embarrassing ……
I swear this website is like the Daily Mail of the audioworld…I don’t even know why I bother checking it out…
Let me clear this up for you: The nose in the picture is a reference to Pinocchio.
Yes and the Hakenkreuz, the swastika is just an Indian sign of good luck 🙁
The Hooked Cross was first found in Europe (modern day Ukraine) 12,000 years ago. The ‘Indian Swastika’ came from Indo-European Aryan tribes that invaded northern India.
If Behringer does not bully you, they will bankrupt you – so BURN Behringer BURN!
If Peter Kirn is such an industry “professional” he should be able to handle this all by himself. He is an adult, right? But sadly, in this day and age of keyboard activists hell bent on bullying everyone into submission of their small minded, selfish, ego-driven, Social Justice Bullshit, I say – fuck you, punks.
I’m in my early 50s. When I was growing up, in the 70s/80s/90s, you simply let idiots hang themselves with their own words. The very same words you pathetic Pronoun Police children fear more than the dark. YOU are the inheritors of your own failed future. YOU better wise up soon, and very quick, lest YOU become the victims of your own insanity. Until then, thanks for pushing us “old” people higher up the food chain, personally, professionally, and financially. YOU could be a lot better off if YOU choose to be.
Cork sniffers, calm down!! You can still buy the expensive synths if you need to, and leave the affordable Behringer versions for the rest of us plebs. We get to make spacey sounds, you get to smirk at us in your powdered wigs, everyone’s a winner!!!
Knobs.
Pfft, arf arf, whoop whoop. Who remembers Finbarr Saunders in Viz? (If you don’t, Google is your friend*)
” Other internet search engines are available.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Facebook. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Instagram. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from X. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information