Behringer BM Series: Modular Pedal Patching for the Adventurous

Behringer’s BM Series pedals aren’t meant to be lone wolves. As the video opens, we’re invited to consider these boxes as an ecosystem – a set of devices designed to interact, exchange signals, and push sonic boundaries beyond what any single pedal can achieve alone. The emphasis is on play and exploration, not just stacking effects in a linear chain.

This approach sets the tone for the entire demonstration. Instead of the usual pedalboard fare, where each stompbox does its own job, the BM Series encourages lateral thinking: sending control voltages between pedals, letting one pedal’s behaviour shape another’s, and opening up a world of cross-modulation and interaction. It’s a philosophy that will feel instantly familiar to anyone who’s ever lost an afternoon in a modular patching session.

The heart of the BM Series is its CV connectivity. The demo shows how control signals—like envelope followers and LFOs—can be patched between pedals, turning the board into a living, breathing system. For example, the BM-11M Lowpass Filter’s envelope out is used to control the sweep of the BM-13 Phaser, making the phaser’s movement directly responsive to playing dynamics. This isn’t just about stacking effects; it’s about interaction and feedback.

Such cross-control means the pedals can shape and modulate each other in ways that blur the typical boundaries of pedalboard logic. By routing the LFO output from the phaser back into the filter’s cutoff, for example, you get evolving textures and motion you’d never achieve with fixed controls. It’s a modular mindset, but in stompbox form.

The real meat of the video is in the live patching examples. One moment, an envelope follower from the BM-17 Frequency Box is steering the BM-15M Resonance Filter, making filter transitions react to how hard you play. Next, an LFO from the BM-13 Phaser is modulating the filter’s rate, introducing a layer of evolving rhythmic complexity. These aren’t just theoretical options—the video walks through the cabling and the resulting sonic changes, step by step.

We then see a patch involving the BM-14M Analog Delay, which features an FB insert for routing the delayed signal out to other effects and back again—classic feedback-loop trickery, but with a modular twist. Later, the BM-18M Cluster Box and BM-17 Frequency Box are combined so that the Cluster Box’s mix control responds dynamically to picking intensity. It’s all about giving your playing new dimensions of movement and unpredictability, using CV as the connective tissue.

What stands out is the sheer flexibility and the encouragement to experiment. The video is quick to admit it barely scratches the surface of what’s possible; the combination of available I/O and creative routing begs for deeper exploration. For those used to modular systems or complex pedalboards, this approach will feel like home.