Uli Behringer
Uli Behringer (born 1961) is a Swiss pianist and the namesake of his audio company Behringer.
Early life
Behringer was born into a musical family in Baden, Switzerland in 1961. He began studying piano under the guidance of his mother at the age of four. He quickly developed a passion for music and all things electronic. His father, a nuclear physicist and church organ player, built the world’s first electronically controlled pipe organ in 1966 as the young child watched intently.
Behringer’s prowess in electronics spurred him to set up a rather sophisticated repair shop in his bedroom, where he began fixing everything from coffee makers to TV sets. His passion for both music and electronics lead him to design and build his own synthesizer at the age of 16.[1]
Career
In 1982, Behringer moved to Düsseldorf, Germany to further pursue his piano studies at the renowned Robert Schumann Conservatory, and to work toward a Sound Engineering degree at the Fachhochschule. While at the latter, he discovered that the equipment maintained by the University, was inadequate for the number of students enrolled in the engineering program and that it would be impossible to get the required practice. Uli started to dream about his own recording studio.
One day when repairing a signal processor made by a reputable manufacturer, Uli Behringer realized that while the device sold for $2,000, the internal components could be had for about $100. Being strapped for cash, he sat down at his kitchen table, designed and built his first signal processor. Word got around about the high quality of his designs and soon he went into production, selling equipment to his classmates and fellow musicians.
Taking those very ideas and designs from the kitchen table,[2] Uli Behringer started the Behringer company in Willich, Germany in 1989. His personal, as well as company mantra soon became, “Double the Features at Half the Price”, creating a new “Prosumer” or home recording market that had not previously existed.
In the early days, Behringer focused on studio audio processors, such as noise reduction systems and compressors. Soon the company’s product lines grew to include PA amplifiers and loudspeakers, mixing boards, guitar amps, recording interfaces, microphones, digital pianos, guitars, lighting equipment, etc. The appeal of Behringer products was the package of performance and reasonable price.
Over time the company developed the Bugera brand of boutique-style, handmade, tube guitar and bass amplifiers, as well as adding high-end brands Midas Consoles , Klark Teknik and Turbosound under the newly formed Music Group, with founder/CEO Uli Behringer at the helm.[3]
In addition to holding a rapidly growing, long list of high-level patents, Mr. Behringer has been recognized by leading industry publications and organizations, receiving numerous awards for product excellence and innovation. [4]