Almost exactly a year ago, Behringer announced the Toro - a budget emulation of the Moog Taurus Revision 1 bass synth. The good news is that we now have a proper demo to look at and listen to; the bad news is that the Toro is going to cost significantly more than originally planned.
Behringer had said that it hoped to bring the Toro to market for $199, but that projected price has now risen to $349. This means that, while it’s still pretty affordable - particularly in comparison to Moog’s own Taurus III, which was released in 2010 and cost a couple of grand - the Toro is on longer the bargain basement synth you might have been hoping for.
The sound, though, seems right on the money. This is a pure analogue instrument with two oscillators, a low-pass ladder filter and two envelopes, plus four quick-access preset buttons. Although it’s primarily a bass synth, the Toro has a five-octave range, while connectivity includes MIDI, USB and CV. There’s Eurorack compatibility, too.
What you don’t get are the original Taurus’s trademark foot pedals. These made the synth a firm favourite with prog bands such as Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd and Rush (Geddy Lee is a particularly notable Taurus player).
In truth, a lot of Behringer’s potential Toro customers won’t miss them - foot-controlled bass synths have niche appeal, and you can always plug in a set of MIDI pedals - but their absence certainly represents a big point of difference in comparison to Moog’s original.
Check out the video above to find out what Toro is all about. A release date has yet to be confirmed.
