Behringer Crave

I'm new to modulars/semi-modulars. When I received the Crave and started playing with it, my first thought was "Ok, this thing is a liiiitle bit more basic than I was expecting" - but that didn't last for long.

Soon I had Googled my way to patches for the very similar synth from another manufacturer that I won't name (you probably know which other synth has 32 connections) and it opened my mind and I realized the real potential of the Crave.

This thing can really make a lot of nice sounds, especially for something at this price level!

Pros:
- A LOT of routing options for a beginner's semi-modular
- The oscillator (and envelope) sounds very nice, powerful and punchy
- Build quality is top notch. It's built like a tank
- Very smooth potentiometers that feel like they will last for a long time. Very sturdy, with no play.
- Patch-compatible with the other very similar synth (you know which)
- The sequencer is more advanced than I first thought. I recommend to read the manual to learn it fully.
- Configuring the "Assign" output to "Sequencer random" and patching it through the "Multiple" I/O's (or stackable cables) to inputs like e.g. VCO mod, LFO rate and VCF mod gives hours of fun.
- The side panels seem to be wood or at least wooden laminate as far as I can tell (not plastic as a Youtube reviewer recently said)

Cons:
- A 6.3mm TRS jack output would have been nice instead of the 3.5mm TS in the patch bay
- Input level of "Ext. audio" is -5V to +5V (that means the output from other line-level gear will be very low in volume
- Maybe I'm just doing something wrong, but I wish the sequencer would act more like a 303 when setting the gate length to max (the notes don't quite merge with the next note when gate length is 100% and glide is on, there's a tiny gap)
- Thomann's product page for the Crave says it has an ADSR envelope, but it's actually ADS
- On my unit the D# key on the sequencer "keyboard" is a bit more difficult than the rest. It has to be pushed exactly in center to trigger, unlike the rest of the keys which trigger both in center and sides. I assume this something that can be easily fixed by re-adjusting the placement of the plastic keys slightly. But I won't try as it's not too bothersome so far, and it might just fix itself after more use.