Behringer has shared another sneak preview, this time for the POLYKEYS 61 — a 61-key MIDI controller built around polyphonic aftertouch, with a target price of $199. Specs are still preliminary, release timing hasn’t been announced, and the preview doesn’t say whether this is a social-media teaser or an official press release. What is confirmed: the firmware will be open source, continuing a pattern Music Tribe (Behringer’s parent) has leaned into across several recent products.
What’s been shown so far
The preview lists:
- 61 keys, described as “mini keys,” with true polyphonic aftertouch (each key sends its own pressure data, rather than one value for the whole keyboard)
- A ribbon controller
- 16 pads
- 9 faders and 9 rotary controls
- A display
- Pitch and modulation wheels
Polyphonic aftertouch is the headline feature here. Instead of one aftertouch value applied to every held note, each key reports pressure independently — meaning a chord can have one note swell with vibrato while the others stay static, if the receiving synth supports MPE or a similar polyphonic-expression protocol. It’s a feature historically reserved for premium keyboards; putting it on a $199 controller is the kind of move Behringer has built a reputation on.
One commenter on the original post claims the keybed is the same full-size unit used in Behringer’s UB-Xa, which would contradict the “mini keys” description — that detail hasn’t been confirmed either way.
Part of a pattern, not an isolated tease
This is at least the fourth Music Tribe product in recent months to carry an open-source firmware commitment, following the BCR32, the AGPL-licensed IGNITE sequencer, and the Behringer KICK. Whatever POLYKEYS 61 ships as, it’s arriving into a company-wide habit of releasing firmware source alongside hardware — a habit this site has been tracking since the original firmware-communities coverage in October.
No CV control has been mentioned for this keyboard, and with no release date set, the realistic range for polyphonic-aftertouch controllers at this price point (compare Roli and Expressive E hardware well north of $500) is what makes this one worth watching even at the teaser stage.