Behringer has unveiled a new pedal for electric guitar and synthesizer with a name that pretty much says it all as to what it’s designed for, which is just as well, because with eight adjustable filters, selectable patterns and myriad ways of configuring them, the BM-15M has a lot going on.
As the demo video says, “there’s not really an easy way to describe what this thing does”. Ain't that the truth? But its full name, the BM-15M Murf Box, should ring a few bells.
The BM-15M Murf Box is an analogue filter pedal inspired by Moog’s now OOP MuRF (Multiple Resonant Filter Array) pedal, that was launched in 2004, expanded in 2009, and now is offered by the storied Moog as a guitar VST for digital creators. You can find second hand MF-105M units listed on Reverb for over a grand.
Behringer’s Murf Box shares many of the design features of the original Moog – the wooden side panels and black metal enclosure – though they have swapped the controls around, with the eight adjustable filter sliders located at the top of the pedal, the six dials (Envelope, Filter, Rate, Pattern, Drive and Output) and two slider switches (LFO, Freq) below.
It has eight individual filter bands. Adjust them, then add some movement, with 12 “dynamic patterns” to choose from, adding rhythm and motion to your filter sounds.
Users can dial in low and slow, woozy motion-sickness sounds, chewy weirdness that could work nicely with open chord guitar sequences, or funk rhythm figures, or the envelope could be set up for a super fast response, and choppy percussive sounds. It really is the kind of pedal that encourages – or demands – experimentation. Like the original, it is a pedal to create with.
The Murf Box is an analogue filter pedal but it can be digitally controlled, which is especially helpful if you are using this with a synth or drum machine, or playing to a click.
You can connect this via MIDI or USB and control settings with the accompanying Guitar Tribe software, making deeper edits with your laptop. There are also comprehensive options for controlling its parameters via an expression pedal, with all of its input/ouput jacks located on the top of the pedal.
The BM-15M Murf Box supports mono and stereo operation.
If those aforementioned secondhand prices for an original Moog unit give you the heebie-jeebies, Behringer’s £/$129 street price might make the M-15M Murf Box an attractive proposition. For more details, head over to Behringer.
