It's reported that Uli Behringer was introduced to the world of music and electronics in his very early years.

One of our sources suggested, hours and hours sitting on his bed trying to learn the chords to "Smoke on the water" before moving on to "Stairway to heaven".

But another source countered that by indicating that he would have been far to young, at the time, to be effected by those old songs.

Press release material from his company states that he actually received a Masters Degree in Sound Engineering and is a classically trained pianist with a passion for jazz.

Hardly the type of guy to be building compressor/limiters for thousand watt PA stacks or complex distortion/effects pedals for your guitar, you think?

Fact is, Uli is a bit of a techie nut. He likes to fiddle with bits of wire and stuff. So much so that, in 1989, he started his own company and called it (guess what) Behringer. The rest, as they say, is history.

Note: It is only a wild, wicked and unfounded rumor that Uli Behringer is related to Maria from GearPlus (on her Mothers side).