Clavia is very definitely best known for its bright red Nord pianos, which can be found under the digits of a legion of professional players thanks to a fantastic ergonomic design and a sound bank to kill for. The Clavia Nord Piano that’ll be right for you depends on the specific spec. For instance, the Clavia Nord Lead 2 is one of the most popular choices across the world thanks to its unique mathematical algorithms that digitally reproduce synthesis, allowing you to fire up and endlessly edit the sounds you’ll be using with 20-note polyphony, for playing either single sounds or layered-up concoctions for more experimental ideas. A gigantic number of presets run you through a tour-de-force of everything you might need to hand on the stage or in the studio, and performance loops and percussion kits are also plentifully included.
The Clavia Nord Wave, however, is something much, much bigger, a behemoth of an 88-note keyboard that allows you to blend soundscaping from analogue, FM synthesis, wavetable and sampled waveforms, as well as anything you choose to add in yourself from easily-uploaded samples. Those of you who need full control over your sounds need look no further. Similarly, the slimmer 61-note Nord Electro 3 has wave management functions that allow you to get to grips with any single sound you can think of, record and sample, and turn it into a fully-fledged instrument. This portable offering has a power that far exceeds its diminutive proportions.
The Nord Drum module has just made a welcome reappearance in the market, designed to bring back that unique percussion sound that has been used across a huge amount of electronic arrangements. Simply jack in your pads of choice and it’ll be just like coming home!
Studio users keen to take advantage of the astonishing possibilities that Nord products provide would do well to get a hold of the Clavia Nord Rack, allowing you all of the bells and whistles from an easy-use control panel.