Starsky Carr Throws Down: Behringer BMX vs. Sequential Drumtraks – Vintage Hype or Modern Muscle?

Starsky Carr wastes no time diving into the deep end, pitting the Behringer BMX against the vintage heavyweight Sequential Drumtraks. Forget the DMX – it’s off the table, thanks to wallet-based reality. The real question here is why we’re still obsessed with ancient 40-year-old boxes when modern kit does the job for a price that doesn’t require selling a kidney.

He breaks down the basics: both machines offer a dozen sounds, with the Behringer BMX flexing eight outputs to the Drumtraks’ six. You get more channels, more flexibility, and, crucially, the ability to sample straight into the BMX. On paper, the new kid looks set to steamroll the retro veteran, but as always, the devil’s in the dirty details.

The BMX doesn’t just match the Drumtraks – it chews it up and spits it out feature-wise. Sixteen banks, 120 samples per bank, and 2020 more samples than the Sequential. There’s a proper distortion, sample direction tricks, looping, and a stack of performance controls. Mutes, solos, panning, and assignable knobs give you hands-on power that vintage heads could only dream of.

Programming patterns is a breeze with 16 songs and 24 patterns per song. Visual feedback is clear, and navigating the banks is quick. The BMX brings a performance-ready vibe that’s more street weapon than museum piece. For anyone wanting to customise, sample, and twist their drums in real time, this thing isn’t just ticking boxes – it’s kicking them down the stairs.

Here’s where things get nerdy. Sampling Drumtraks sounds directly into the BMX, Starsky finds that, despite identical source material, the BMX brings its own flavour. The tone isn’t a carbon copy – the Drumtraks’ analog filters and subtle quirks add character you can hear, especially on the toms. Frequency analysis exposes those differences: the Drumtraks sounds brighter, the BMX a bit darker and rounder.

Sample-rate detuning gets a close look, too. The BMX tries to mimic that vintage pitch-down sound, and while it’s close, it’s not always spot-on. Still, it’s a solid effort, and for most in the rave bunker, it’ll pass the dancefloor test. Some nuances are best judged by ear – so if you really care about the micro-details, you’ll want to watch the full video and hear the difference for yourself.

It’s not all sunshine and sample banks. Starsky calls out the BMX for some classic Behringer foibles. Pad sensitivity is a sore spot – you’ll need to give them a serious wallop to trigger reliably, and fast finger-drumming is more hassle than it should be. Clicks between samples pop up when playback isn’t finished, and waveform glitches can creep in, making things less than pristine.

Then there’s the SynthTribe app debacle: it’s basically MIA, which means loading and managing samples is a slow-motion nightmare. Firmware bugs don’t help, with occasional recording envelope weirdness and missing envelopes for hi-hats making some creative tasks harder than they should be. For all its power, the BMX still needs a few updates (and a working app) to truly rule the street.