Behringer Wing - 4 Reasons I Love It and 1 Reason I Don't

After using the Behringer Wing at our church for almost six months, I've gathered some insights that I wanted to share. This video covers what I like and what I don't like about this audio console from a non-professional audio engineer's perspective. While there are many professional reviews out there, this one is from someone who's usually on stage playing guitar rather than behind the console.

Reasons I Love the Behringer Wing

1. Ease of Setup and Configuration

Setting up the Behringer Wing was surprisingly intuitive. Despite not reading any manuals or watching setup videos, I found it easy to navigate through the menus and configure sources, channels, and outputs. This separation of sources (inputs), channels (signal paths), and outputs (destinations) made perfect sense to me and simplified the process of routing audio.

2. Customizable Layout

One of the standout features of the Wing is its highly customizable layout. You can create custom layouts for different banks of faders, and even set up personalized user presets for different operators. This flexibility allows for quick access to the most frequently used controls, tailored to each user's preferences.

3. Channel Strips and Processing

The layout of the channel strips on the Wing is excellent. It provides a clear visual representation of the signal flow and makes it easy to access and adjust various parameters such as gain, EQ, compression, and effects. The intuitive design allows for quick adjustments and seamless navigation between different processing sections.

4. Onboard Effects

The onboard effects on the Wing are a significant upgrade from the X32. Setting up and tweaking effects is straightforward, and the variety of available effects, including delays and reverbs, enhances the overall sound quality. This capability eliminates the need for external processing equipment, simplifying the workflow.

The One Thing I Don't Like

Physical Layout

My main gripe with the Wing is its physical layout. Certain sections of the console, like the custom control section and some additional buttons and knobs, are underutilized. I wish the console had more faders per bank, specifically 16 channels instead of 12, to allow for a more comprehensive control surface. This change would improve accessibility and streamline the mixing process.

Upgrading from X32 to Wing

For those considering an upgrade from the Behringer X32 or M32 to the Wing, the transition is relatively smooth. The Wing is compatible with existing Behringer stage boxes, which simplifies the upgrade process. In terms of audio quality, I noticed an immediate improvement when switching from the X32 to the Wing. The sound quality was superior, even without any EQ or compression applied.

Live Stream Mix Potential

If we had the Wing during the early days of COVID-19, I would have used it to create a dedicated mix bus for our live stream, controlled via an iPad. The onboard effects and superior audio quality of the Wing make it a viable option for achieving a great live stream mix without the need for additional DAW software.

Conclusion

Overall, the Behringer Wing has been a fantastic addition to our church's audio setup. Its intuitive interface, customizable layout, excellent channel strips, and onboard effects make it a powerful tool for live sound mixing. While there are some aspects of the physical layout that could be improved, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

If you have any questions or comments about the Behringer Wing, feel free to leave them below. I appreciate you watching, and I'll see you in the next video!