Behringer Shark DSP110

# How easy is it to get a good sound out of it? It is not, the manual is comprehensive and good, however..... I tried it on Bass, Guitar and on Mike. There is a considerable insertion loss in level which can't be got back without introducing hiss from the unit. The Sound quality is poor, with significant loss of Bass even with the Bass filter off. A straightforward plug in plug out of the unit for mikes show just how poor what is sent out of this box of tricks is.

Setup is easy and intuitive, I used all the parameters apart from delay trying to get a good sound out of it. I used it with several amps, including a few PAs, an Acoustic Image Chorus, and a Guitar AMp

Don't know, I tested it, (well three actually I thought the first two might be an error) boxed it up and sent it back, but it has Behringers usual plug in the back, so sooner or later you are going to have to work out how to repair or replace a 6mm diameter plug with three lives and an earth jammed into it.

I play Jazz, Big Band, Blues and Rock.
I had it for a total of about a week. I would never ever replace it, I wish it did what it said in the box, it gets in the way of making music, and the power supply is Behringers usual stupid multiway plug which we all know with a bit of use breaks, leaving you with several unnatractive options

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it? DIFFICULT!
How about Editing patches? HUH?
How is the manual for it (if there is one)? SIMPLE BUT EXPLANATORY
Do you know the firmware revision number? NO
Has your unit been upgraded? HUH? AGAIN ...

Setup: vocals - I have large volume differences between low and high vocals. Some of us must sing much louder to get out the high notes. I might try it with my fretless basses to get pre-recorded compression as my bass amp is way too monstrous for the my sound card. Guitars? Maybe.

Is it noisy? It can be in high input gain. So I dropped the gain way down and passed it through a direct box - and Voila. That makes it sound good. And I had to pass it into the mic jack on the sound card otherwise just not enough recording level volume. Post recording amplification using software tends to introduce large amounts of horrible noise.

Not using an amp. That might help right? It records my voice work and is much easier bouncing backwards and forwards from the mic. That's just irritating and more or less impossible to get right.

I might depend on it if it didn't get so freakin' hot. Chances are I won't use it on stage but perhaps with practice. Backup? Who can afford that?

Appartnyl they suck!

Good match for my loud high voice
Palying 30 years
I would by something else if lost
I like that it actually does compress properly, if set up correctly. It needs some serious amplification though. Feedback is still an unknown quanityt though.

I'll agree with everyone else that this unit takes some time to learn, but once you've gone through all the parameters (and there's not too many!) it's quick to set up. Mic gain on the back, bad when you have big dynamic range in your performances, say something like singing vs. tap dancers!

I'm using five of these, rackmounted, inline with my mics, into a Mackie 1642 mixer followed by two Mackie M-1400 amps. I'm using mic level, never have used line level, so I can't comment on the quality of the preamp in that mode. Relatively quiet, feedback supression does color sound output significantly at higher cut levels. I try to use -6 to -9dB, unless it really needs more. I don't use the compressor or delay. Lo cut works great. Feedback destroyer only gets me an extra 2-3dB usable gain. It often mistakes any loud noise for feedback and sets a filter, especially string instruments.

Never again. Had one of five fail in the middle of a show. Something that no one else has complained about, there is no bypass! NONE, therefore, my main vocal mic was out until I went in back of my rack and mechanically bypassed the unit. It overheated and fried, screen stayed on, phantom stayed on, but no audio in/out. I had left a single rackspace open above, but after 8 hours, I guess it had had enough. I immediately removed the remaining four from the rackmount and spread them out. Behringer's own rackmount BLOCKS THE VENTS, by design! I've had these three years, but they probably have less than 60 hours on them total!

I'll see whether they'll do anything for me regarding the above problem. I really think that this is their fault, a design flaw. We'll see, otherwise, I've never contacted them before.

I do live dance/musical shows 2-3 times a year, overall I've been pleased, but never really excited about this product.
I really only wanted these for feedback supression, and it was the price that attracted me, but I don't think I'd buy this product again. I had a Sabine FBX-Solo before, and it was the best that I'd ever used. Oh, and it had all the controls on the front, including a mechanical bypass! But sadly, it was damaged in a fire. But I got 5 Behringers for the same price as 1 Sabine...

Shark DSP110
Easy to manipulate/operate/understand but definitely hard to make things work out.
If you're not able to at least "operate" this unit without manual, you should leave the job to someone else.

Mine was new and 100% functional out of the box (gate,comp,low cut and delay were turned off) so I guess Behringer react to customer complaints.
I'm floored so many people here (including so-called sound engineers) were unable to figure out how to turn off the delay ...

Features are 12 filters, phantom power, line delay, preamp, compressor, noisegate and a low cut filter.
It has both mic and line level inputs and outputs on both 1/4" jack and XLR connectors.
I don't know if they can be used simultaneously. I doubt.

Input gain on the back ... bad idea ...

The external powersupply is horrible. Weights a ton is about as big as the Shark itself.
Seems to supply 2 different voltages simultaneously (7V and 11V or so).

The signal goes : vocal mic -> digitech vocal300 -> dsp110 -> mixing desk (mic level)
The vocal300 and DSP110 are on stage.
Most soundmen around here are idiots and I can only count on myself.
Hence the audio devices being next to me on the stage floor.
Mixing desk is either our own (on stage) or a venue desk (using additional DI's then).

I had noise when using the box at line levels whether at the "in", "out" or both connectors.
No noise/hiss problems when using ins AND outs at mic levels instead and pre-amplifying only at the desk.

As usual, the key to success is getting the levels good :
With clip level knob set halfway, the LED's show the actual input signal, thus set your input level at the rear accordingly. You can then further fine tune the INTERNAL LEVELS ONLY (i.e. the digital signal path) with the clip level knob but that's kind of pointless
once your input level at the rear is set right ...

Main features :
- Line delay. For distant speakers. Next time we play stadiums I'll use it, thank you Behringer ...
- Compressor. Works well and smooth when used "sparingly", a key word in audio processing.
- Noise gate. Below average. The unit can also set the noise gate treshold automatically according to the room.
Attack and release are always unnatural sounding. Not smooth at all.
- Low cut (high pass) filter, adjustable 20-150Hz. A nice bonus.
- Fixed FB filters. You can only define sensitivity (for detection), initial notch depth and how many filters you dedicate to this job. Filters can only be set by the unit itself (not manually).
It sends clicks through the freq spectrum to create feedback and uses the previously defined number of filters to suppress it. The outcome is more headroom and the more "dangerous" frequencies are taken care of even before you start the show. Works like a charm but club owners will slap your butt for stressing his speakers for 10-30 seconds.
You cannot "add" several runs (i.e. to include several configurations like : mic alone, standing in front of the mic, vocal effects activated/deactivated etc ...) because every time you engage this automatic process, it resets all previously defined filters. Bad design IMO.
Sensitivity and notch depth are the most important parameters on the entire box. Trial and error.
I have currently a sensitivity of 50 and a notch of -12dB (factory defaults)
- Roaming FB filters (total fixed+roaming filters = 12).
Sensitivity is same as fixed ones, notch depth is set automatically.

The unit doesn't detect high frequency FB at all (say above 4-5KHz).

Well it's a Behringer ... plug-play-throw away
I have/had a few units.

Rather good :
- mic's
- all the rack multiFX units
- DSP110

Rather bad :
- mixers, both small and big ones (reliability and noise but OK for the price though ...)
- B300 powered speaker (thermaling, I strongly discourage people from buying these at any price)
- tube composer (reliability)
- tube ultragain (reliability)

The heat topic in the Shark is nonsense IMO. One side of the unit runs "hot" indeed, but nowhere near to the point where you'd have to remove your hand for instance.

From my personal experience, Behringer Germany are not easy to deal with and not very helpful

The FB suppression performs reasonably well. Don't expect miracles. If your levels are stupidly high (like using roaring halfstacks in a 50 people club) you'll get nowhere : all filters will get busy and feedback will still occur at all frequencies ..

On the other hand, if you expect to win a couple dB's and there's only really one or two frequencies feeding back because of a peculiar room layout, then you might get happy.
The Behringer gives me just a LITTLE more headroom. I'm grateful for every dB I can grab.

No experience with moving mics. Mine stays at the same place, same angle all night long.
No experience with "regular" use of the DSP110 at mixing desk level either.
And no experience with using the Shark in monitor paths.

When you have 3-4 filters in use, your sound WILL be different, no matter how narrow Behringer claims the notches are.
That's the price to pay. Also the unit slightly colors the sound, even when bypassing all features.
Nothing major, you only notice it when A/B'ing with a direct signal.

Gripes :
- no time no where you can see the frequency a filter has been set at,
- nor the depth of the notch.
- You can't set/adjust/remove filters manually !
Would have very handy to be able to adjust manually the automatic settings.
All you can do here is to release ALL filters at once. Period.
- The bulky power supply. Would pay twice the price if it had a built-in adaptor instead.


In short, all features work reasonably well for a unit that sells at a ridiculous price.
Buying again ? Yes, probably, unless I could afford something better.

There's one page on the manual which tells you how to set it up... If you're not the kind of person who reads the instructions you'll have a nightmare! Read the instructions!!! Trying to just suss it out by fiddling with it will be a nightmare. Once it's set up and ready to go, it's OK. I'm still not clear on what the 'clip level' knob does, but it's not keeping me awake at night...

The output level is not loud. I'm currently using it as a mic preamp, with the +4db button pushed in. I tried it in the FX loop of my mixer and PA amp, and it just deadened the sound completely. Having said that, i don't hear any of this hiss that people have mentioned, so many that's the way it's been sorted.

If you try and use maximum compression at high volume in an enclosed space, it's not going to work. Used sensibly, it works really well. Setting it up gave me a headache, you basically have to sit in the room with your fingers in your ears while it clicks and shrieks to itself. Not fun. Once it's set up though, it definitely kills feedback, I knw this because i pressed reset and had to go through the EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! routing again.

I'm using it for reverby female vox in an small rehearsal space. An interesting side effect is that it decided that some sustained very high notes were feedback, and reduced the level accordingly, giving a more even sound generally. The vocals sound a bit processed, but in a quite nice way, kind of like a really good recording.

The 'accidental eq' effect plus compression (only use a bit) are totally useful for evening out the balance between different pitches of note. ie, low notes tend to be quiter, high notes are louder...

Haven't had it long enough yet to comment on reliablity. It's metal, but it has no feet so it slides around, and it weighs nothing, i can see it being pulled onto the floor easily. The power input worries me a little, it's like a PS2 computer mouse/keyboard socket, i can see the little prongs on the plug getting bent... It would be OK as a rackmount, they should make a pedal-board type box or something for it...

It nearly got sent back because it was so hard to learn to use. I think it's going to become invaluable though. Go mad with the settings and it will drive you nuts... It was the cheapest thing of its type i could find, and for the money it's great as a mic preamp that evens out levels and cuts back on feedback. Which is what i wanted. If you want that, then buy it. If you want a multi-fx for vocals, then don't...

This unit would probably be very easy to use (as long as you already know about the available processes and their settings) if the manual was... a manual. It's so poorly written that it's almost useless. Once I figured it out, though, I found the unit easy to set up and use.

When used with correct input levels, and with an adjusted "clip" level, the sound is suprisingly clean and noise-free. I didn't notice any of the hiss others complain about. Did they check their input levels..?

Can't tell because I took it back after testing it.

Can't tell.

I've been testing this unit thouroughly, with singing mikes and violin mikes, in real live situations during a long, relaxed sound-check. I was quite disappointed.

I don't consider this unit as a real feedback destroyer. It seems to look for bumps in the frequency response and not for actual feedback. It's rather effective for problems under +/- 5Khz, but forget it if your feedback problems are over this frequency. It actually never found a loud, obvious, in-you-face 8.5Khz feedback (with 9 available auto filters... and nothing happening). What the..?


I returned this unit because I found it rather useless. Maybe it will help if you have cheap monitors with lots of bumps in their frequency response, but with reasonably linear monitors, it's of no help when problems arise in the upper frequency range.

It's still a fairly good and low-cost mic preamp with phantom power, the noise gate is effective and easy to set up, so all in all it's worth its price, as long as you don't rely on it as a feedback destroyer. Which is the paradox as they sell it as one...

Read the manual. Twice. Then play with the thing, and read the manual again!
Manual is typically badly written for Behringer, but a few minutes playing and you'll soon figure it out.
Once you've got the hang of it, it's actually quite easy to use. You have to use the 'Learn' function in an empty venue - if a band is already setting up, you can gaurantee that the drummer is going to try and play along with the calibration clicks, or the guitarist will try and match the feedback as it starts, thus messing up the filters...
Also, RESIST the urge to drop the volume as it sets itself up!

Not used the preamp on this unit, as it's only ever used with an insert point on a mixer (+4bDu level). Later versions apparently have a quieter preamp in there.
There's a tiny amount of digital noise if you have the gate turned off, but pressing 'gate learn' with no input fixes that! On the analog side, there's no hiss worth mentioning.
As for its feedback destroying capabilities, does what it says on the tin. By setting very fine notch filters, it solves most feedback, but sometimes struggles with singers that insist on leaping about the stage, hanging over speakers, etc, but that's to be expected.
Compressor works, but we've only used it with drum mics (it's a bit primative, only having 2 parameters).

Has a nasty external power brick, and the unit itself has a 5v power regulator screwed to the case, which gets rather hot. I'd never mount 5 of these in the Behringer rack mount kit!
Having level switches on the back is a nuisance, as they get pressed by patch leads!
So far, they have been mostly reliable. The oldest one has a slightly dodgy Gate button now since it was hit by the blunt end of a flying drumstick, and I'd not trust them in an enclosed space without decent air cooling.
If looked after, I suspect they'd be fine.
We usually carry 4 of these units, often only using 2 or 3, but if we didn't have a spare and one failed, we'd just revert to killing feedback the old way!

Behringer support is either very good, or very bad. Nothing inbetween.
Known issues are dealt with very well, but anything a little odd is rarely dealt with at all.

If you can figure out how to use it, and you're using line levels, rather than mic levels, it's a very nice little unit.
Feels rather plasticky, and I'd prefer it to be bigger and have an internal power supply, as 4 external packs and cables takes up a lot of rack space.
As usual, the manual could be re-written by a user rather than a developer.
If you are using one (or more) of these gizmos in a live environment, and there are backline guitar amps, don't use the autolearn feedback killer (flashing red lights). It desperately tries to cancel out the guitar feedback on the vocal channels, and leaves you with dead zones in the vocal frequency range!
We can do without these gadgets, but it's easier to let them worry about feedback while we worry about the music!

DON'T BELIEVE THE GUYS BELOW!
This thing is pure hell! Absolutely harder than rocket science, and I'm no newbie in the effects world.
In fact I wanted this to solve feedback problems when playing with my electro acoustic guitar (piezo with eq system, yamaha aex1500) and YOU CAN ALL FORGET ABOUT THIS! Pure crap, absolutely ineffective, hey it's even worse!
DO AS I DO: BUY A ZOOM 504 FLOOR PEDAL WITH A REMOTE SWITCH, THIS WORKS WONDERFULLY IN THE SECOND YOU HAVE THE FEEDBACK PROBLEM, NO JOKE
Oh, and what did they think about the mic gain on the back??? Stupid!!!

?Because of horrid feedback problems it gets a one.
But if you use the device for compression and preamplifier it gets a solid 8.
The sound is fresh and clear, and the compressor is easy to use while quite effective with reduced side effects (it is actually better than any of the floor effects I checked). I used the comp to smoothen the piezo tone, and it did a good job at this. With the fretless bass it was also very useful to obtain a softer, rounder tone with more sustain.
The delay line is fine, too, ez to set. I did use it when mixing down guitar tracks (panning dry even and slightly delayed odd on another track) : great for the wall-of-sound.

It seems reliable, but I can't tell because I don't use it much because of feedback problems.
IT gets hot, make sure there is enough space around it( I surely wouldn't put five of them in a row as the advertisement suggests...)
I never had problems with "studio" equipment from Behringer, but I had many with their guitar gear. So no opinion here

Full-time crap, they could sell ties for all they care about their products!

It gets in the way of making music, that's for sure. Too complicated, not effective at all considering feedback, bad manual, and so on.
If you play amplified acoustic and want something to solve feedback issues, GET A ZOOM 504!!!
If you need a decent mic preamp(with phantom power), a fine compressor or 100%wet delay, then you do a not so bad purchase.
Since it is marketed as feedback suppressor, it gets a one here

The manual is a bit eccentric in places, but otherwise it's straightforward to use as long as you apply a little common-sense and logic. Step 1 is to reset all the delay, gate and compressor settings to turn them off. 5 minutes spent with the manual quickly sorts this out. The delay is a "delay line" - it's intended to delay the output for large venues. A nice trick, but not terribly useful for most people, I suspect. The manual is quite clear about this, but if you just read the box you might get the wrong impression. Editing is easy, once you've sorted out the up/down buttons and the speed setting - the manual isn't terribly clear on this. If you want to increase the speed of the "up" button, hold it down and briefly push the down button. Each push will make the up button go faster. Likewise for using the down button.

It sounds fine to my ears. I play amplified blues-harp, with valve amps, so I use the Shark to help manage feedback problems. I set it up in Filter Learn mode, and once it was finished, I activated the filters and all was well. The trick is to set a reasonable number of filters for learn mode (e.g. 9, rather than the default 12), set the sensitivity to medium (50, instead of the default 100) and just use moderate cut to start with (say, -15 to -18dB). I was very impressed at having a huge amount more headroom with feedback effectively gone. I haven't used the delay, gate or compressor since I don't need these things.

So far, so good. I will definitely be gigging with it and won't use a backup. Like any electronics device, I expect to have to be careful.

Haven't needed to use customer support yet. The downloable manual from the Behringer is a nice touch.

For my style of harp playing, this is a breath of fresh air. Feedback is a harp-player's bugbear. The Shark, if you use it properly, fixes the problem. I'm impressed. The value-for-money is absolutely amazing when you think of the multiple hundreds of dollars you can pay for feedback eliminators. I paid GBP55 to HW Audio in the UK, which included postage - I think it's a bargain.

This unit it easy to use, once you figure out how to speed up the up and down buttons. I've recomended a revision for the manual.

Can't say I'm sold on the pre-amp, but it's passable. I think I'll try using it as an insert, and see if that improves things. I admit the delay is annoying upon first listen, and especially frustrating, since the manual so poorly describes how to speed up the arrow keys. BTW- I don't think the delay is intended as an effect, rather to be used for delayed speakers and such. Although the other features would probably work in a pinch, I bought the unit for my feedback control on my church's lav mic. Horrible experiences at first. Although the unit claims to cut out 12 thin 1/60 octave slices, the cumilitive effect when allowed to suck out 27 db of feedback (44db is the max) is that a giant high mid canyon was cut out, and the unit is self defeating. The more it cuts, the more you push it, and the more it searches for feedback, the more it s_cks. I've had much better results starting the feedback search with 9 or 12 db of cut. The sound is MUCH more natural. This is not a cure all unit, but it is a great bandaid. Do not expect to do miracles with feedback suppression. You will still have feedback.

Within reason, I would rely on the feedback suppression, but don't throw your ears away.

NA

For $69, I am satisified, but I do feel I have justifiable complaints. If they'll take my suggestion on the manual revision, that will take care of one complaint. I think they could be more thorough in explaining what the unit is capable and not capable of doing, and in explaining how the unit accomplishes it's functions, and in what order. This would help in knowing how to apply it to my specific function.