BEHRINGER BCR32 open for pre-order

If you haven’t already seen, Synth Anatomy posted an article announcing that the BCR32 is finally available for pre-order https://synthanatomy.com/2026/08/behringer-bcr32-bcr2000-midi-controller-comeback-with-built-in-zaquencer.html

I have no insider info on this and am only going off of what I see from Synth Anatomy. You can read all about the announcement from their site, but I’d like to share some of my thoughts on this product as I have discussed it before in my previous article https://www.databroth.com/blog/in-search-of-the-perfect-encoder-array

I’ll avoid rehashing any details, if you just want the info read their article, if you want my thoughts read ahead.
First off, WOW, LED rings and a fair price. My biggest gripe with the Launch Control XL was the single LED brightness, actual LED rings will be so nice to use. The one tradeoff is color assignment, I’m guessing the LED rings will simply be red at all times. Color assignment would be very nice for different layouts, I think I prefer rings over custom colors if I could only pick one. It does look like the buttons have color, we’ll have to wait and see if this is assignable, or maybe it is just printed on.

Second, Zaquencer. One of the huge selling points of the BCR2000 was the alternative firmware “Zaquencer” which turned the BCR2000 into a robust sequencer. This is now built into BCR32. I hesitate to comment on the ethics of this, I have no personal information if this was done with permission or not, but for many this will be a great inclusion. My personal concern is for those who would rather opt out of this feature. It looks like the Zaquencer settings are printed directly onto the controller, we can always sticker over these, but still I imagine there are others like myself who would like clean blank option where we can project our own workflow into things.

Finally connections. It looks like there are a ton of connections, two USB ports (one dedicated to power), physical midi and CV outs. For anyone working with hardware this will be a great addition to their setup. One thing I am noticing is missing here, just like LCXL, is a power switch! Please include a power switch for USB powered devices! Some of us have desktop setups and don’t want to constantly live with blinky lights or have to plug/unplug devices all the time. Sure some hardware offers a sort of “sleep mode” but from my experience, this mode doesn’t actually work when the computer is asleep. It’s a minor grievance, but the extra friction prevents me from actually using the vast majority of midi gear.