Nord Electro Rack 2 Now Available
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(Click for a close-up) |
September 25, 2002
The 19" table top, rack mountable version of the Nord Electro 2 stage keyboard - the Nord Electro Rack 2 - is now shipping. Now, you can have all the exclusive Nord Electro 2 piano and B-3 organ sounds in a compact 19" unit. A lot of keyboard players and studio musicians like to use a master keyboard for all their synths and samplers and a for those, a rack mountable instrument is probably the best choice. The Nord Electro Rack 2 comes with all the sounds and features of the Nord Electro 2 keyboard models - except for the key bed.
The organ in the Electro 2 is based on a digital simulation of the mechanical tone wheels of the B-3 organ. It offers new solutions to mimic the typical B-3 sound, for example:
- A complex digital model of the original chorus and vibrato scanner.
- Modeling of the individual random contact bounces for each partial.
- Modeling of the unique frequency characteristics of the built-in pre-amplifier which forms the "body" of the B-3 sound.
- Simulation of the energy stealth on the tone wheels that results in the typical compressed sound.
- Authentic tuning of the tone wheels according to the original -B3 design.
The piano section comprises five carefully multi-sampled electric piano instruments: Rhodes Mk I Stage Piano, Rhodes Mk I Suitcase Piano, Wurlitzer 200A, Clavinet D6 (with 64 filter and pickup combinations) and the custom modified Clavia Electric Grand Model G. Clavia also included an acoustic Malmsjoe Grand Piano - in stereo. The Electro features a unique multi-sample playback, catching every nuance throughout the whole dynamic range. The unique piano sample playback engine also made it possible to digitally model the sounds you get when you release keys on a piano instrument. For example, the Clavinet and the Wurlitzer have very characteristic key release sounds. In Nord Electro Rack 2 this is modeled. Additional piano sounds can be downloaded at www.clavia.se - free of charge!
Technical specifications
Organ section
- Polyphony: Full polyphony
- 9 electric drawbars with memory functionality: The drawbars of Nord Electro 2 are represented by up/down buttons and LED bar graphs instead of ordinary mechanical drawbars. This gives you a big advantage: when you change presets, the correct drawbar settings are shown immediately by the LEDs. In other words, no need for the regular 'trial and error' method. It's very easy to get the hang of changing the drawbar settings in a natural way with the buttons.
- Drawbar settings presets: 9 drawbar presets in ROM and 9 user configurable drawbar settings.
- Effects: Swell (the characteristic B-3 volume pedal function) - Percussion (2nd, 3rd, normal/soft, fast/slow). Chorus/Vibrato (C1, C2, C3/V1, V2, V3).
- Split: Makes it possible to play an organ sound with two different drawbar settings (Lower and Upper manuals) on a single MIDI channel.
- Dual manuals: The Nord Electro Rack 2 organ section is also designed to receive on two separate MIDI channels: one for the "Upper manual" and one for the "Lower manual". This makes it possible to play the Nord Electro Rack 2 as a 2-manual organ with different drawbar settings for each "manual" without any split point.
Piano section
- Instruments: 5 multi-sampled electric piano instruments in Flash memory: Rhodes Mk I Stage Piano, Rhodes Mk I Suitcase Piano, Wurlitzer 200A, Clavinet D6 and the custom modified Clavia Electric Grand Model G. As a bonus, an acoustic Malmsjoe Grand Piano in stereo is included.
- Effects: Presence (or Filter and Pickup selectors for the Clavinet D6 sound).
Global features:
- Memory: 48 user memory locations (6 Banks holding 8 Programs each) in which you can store complete setups, including instrument settings (organ or piano) and effects settings.
- Effects: Tube type Overdrive, Rotary Speaker simulation (slow, fast, stop), Equalizer, Chorus (2 types), Flanger (2 types), Phaser (2 types), Tremolo, Wah-Wah (2 types), Auto Wah, Auto panning and Ring modulation.
- Connections: 2 Audio outputs, 1 Headphone output, 1 Control pedal input, 1 Sustain pedal input, 1 Rotary -Speaker speed switch pedal input, MIDI In, MIDI Out. USB interface for fast and easy download of new piano sounds.
- Size: 19" wide and 4 rack units high.
Price: Approximately US$ 1,700 or Euro 1.800
For more information, visit their web site at www.clavia.se. |
