The hits keep on coming from Behringer as the latest in its series of budget clones of classic guitar effects pedals brings us the B-Tron III Envelope Filter, an homage to the Mu-Tron III that’s priced just $69.
Like the Chorus Symphony, Behringer’s “faithful recreation” of the Chorus Ensemble that was released last week, the B-Tron III had been teased some time ago. There was even an announcement on the brand’s social media.
Behringer copped some heat for the no-show; critics had labelled them a vaporware company, accusing them announcing products but not bringing them to market. Behringer bit back in December last year, defending itself on social media and arguing that “no other company delivers as many innovative and affordable products as we do”.
Those products, it said, you could check out at NAMM 2025, where the brand returned after a 10 year absence. Anyway, as things turned out, all good things come to those who wait. Enter, the B-Tron III...
Designed by Mike Beigel, launched in 1972, Mu-Tron III is one of the world’s legendary effects, and it was not just for electric guitar. Stevie Wonder used one on Higher Ground. You can use it on electronic keyboards. You can use it on your bass guitar – Bootsy Collins did, as did Chris Squire of Yes. When you think of guitarists who used it, Jerry Garcia and Frank Zappa come to mind.
Behringer’s recreation assumes much of the same unit’s functionality – and there’s more than a passing resemblance with that (metal) enclosure design. It features an all-analogue optical circuit.
But there have been some concessions to modernisation. This is a true bypass design. The power has been updated. The original required two 9V batteries; this only needs one. Though better still, just feed it 9V from a quality pedalboard power supply
As the three in the designation suggests, the B-Tron III has three different filter modes – Low Pass, Band Pass and High Pass, selectable via a three-way rotary dial. There are plenty of wahs, sorry, ways to add some auto-wah vocalisation to your playing.
Funk players are a core demographic. But this is the kind of effect that would reward any open-minded experimentalist. Just remember it’s a dynamic effect – it responds to how you are playing.
The Drive switch allows you to set it up to wah or to “wow”. The Rate switch can be set up to emphasise low vocal sounds or to tease out some more high-end overtones. Adjust the Peak dial for the intensity of the effect.
The Gain dial is a sensitivity control and is used to set it up for your instrument, be it bass, electric guitar, keyboards – or, as in Stevie Wonder’s case, a Clavinet.
The B-Tron III Envelope Filter is officially here. You can check out more pics and details at Behringer. And it’s worth mentioning the price again, £/$69. If that price is familiar it is because Behringer is repeating the trick it has done with its Klon clone, the Centaur Overdrive and the 69 Vibe Uni-Vibe clone.
