Behringer BDS-3 – Name Change and Now Shipping!
4,0 / 5,0 | 
Renamed as the Behringer BDS-3, this recreation of an early Simmons drum synth is finally shipping!
[Update: January 5th, 2025] It would appear that someone, somewhere, got the hump about Behringer using the SDS moniker on their new drum synth. Chances are that it was Guitar Center, who now own the Simmons brand.
Either way, Behringer does what they normally do, replacing a letter with a ‘B’, and they’re back in business. And they’re now finally shipping from retailers. So if you’re on the hunt for some old school synth drum vibes, look no further!
[November 4th, 2025] It’s been more than two years since Behringer first teased the SDS-3 (now BDS-3), but now it is here and ready to buy!
If 2025 has been the year of anything, it has been the year for drum synths! And now we can add the Behringer BDS-3 to that list. Unashamedly a clone of the groundbreaking original from 1978, designed by eDrum legend and pioneer, Dave Simmons.
It was a precursor to the iconic Simmons drum sound and look that dominated the 1980s and is still sought after to this day. Behringer claims to have authentically reproduced the original’s circuits and they’ve certainly nailed the look and design!
The Behringer SDS-3 (Now the BDS-3)
The BDS-3 is essentially four identical drum synth modules that can be tweaked and tuned to replicate regular drums, albeit in a very analogue way, plus an effects section that provides an LFO that can be used on each drum module separately.
The sounds are, as you might expect, very much of their time, but that makes them super interesting and hugely enjoyable to play around with. Each module has pitch, decay and two-way bend controls, an Impact level that changes the attack of the transient, and noise generation for cymbals and such like.
Each module can be triggered by individual voltage controls, as well as MIDI, but the most interesting trigger mode is the MIC trigger. This allows you to hook up a mic to use as a trigger, so you can, for example, mic up your snare drum, send that mic signal to a snare-type sound on the synth and trigger it from your acoustic drum.
Around the Back
On the rear, there are the usual USB and MIDI Thru connections, as well as audio out, plus a very useful Pitch Pedal input and a Decay Kill input for use with a Hi-Hat pedal to simulate closure. Everything is housed in the now familiar Behinger desktop unit, with the main unit also being Eurorack compatible.
More Information
The Behringer BDS-3 is available to order now for just €249.
*Note: This article contains advertising links that help us pay for this site. Don’t worry: the price for you will always be the same! If you buy something through these links, we will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
This might also interest you
3 responses to “Behringer BDS-3 – Name Change and Now Shipping!”
Ready to buy? Or “ Available in several months” as it says on the sponsored Thomann link. Sick of the clickbait. Keep it accurate please.
Would love to get this. Not actually available yet, it says it will be in a few months on Thomann.
Ready to buy and to be delivered in several months as usual…