Three New Electric Piano Sounds for Nord Electro

After the release of the Nord Electro Virtual Electromechanical stage keyboard in 2001, Clavia now releases three very special electric piano sounds. These new sounds are being demoed at the upcoming Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, USA, on January 17-20.

The Clavia Electric Grand Model G

Clavia always felt there was a shortage of electric grand piano models on the market, so they decided to build their own. The first out Clavia custom built electric piano is the 'Clavia Electric Grand Model G'. It's based on a 1930 Gerbstedt grand piano fitted with electric piano pickups. After the modification Clavia sampled the instrument at numerous velocity levels to cover the whole dynamic range - from soft to hard keystrokes. More custom-made electric grand sounds will follow.

Rhodes Mk II 73 Stage Piano (Shallow)

The new Rhodes sound for the Nord Electro is sampled from a 1981 Rhodes Mk II Stage Piano with the 'Shallow' pickup adjustment. This characteristic sound is distinguished by pure overtone content and a suppressed fundamental frequency - especially noticeable at higher velocities. This sound was very popular in the mid 70s and was frequently used by great keyboard players like Chick Corea.

The Clavia Cross Roads

The Clavia Cross Roads are two electric pianos in one. The Clavia Cross Roads is built up by samples from a Rhodes Mk I Stage Piano and from the Rhodes Mk II 73 Stage Piano with the Shallow pickup adjustment. The samples are crossfaded from the Mk I to the Mk II Shallow when you increase your velocity. This means that when playing soft you'll get the very delicate soft sound of the Mk I and when playing harder the punchy Shallow Mk II samples are gradually introduced. The crossfade feature makes the instrument extremely dynamic and responsive.

These sounds will be released as free downloads on Clavia's web site. They are expected to be available in March.