From bt1955@aol.com Thu Sep 27 07:14:33 2001
Subject:Re: Nord Electro

Several months ago when I learned of the Electro, I called Clavia and asked
them if they would send me a prototype, and they did. The unit was a very
early version, without any software upgrades, or even the Clav. but it did
have the Wurli and Rhodes in it. I put this unit on top of a friend of mine's
A-100 which is a very early one. Mark Longo has heard this A-100 it really is
sweet. So I started the comparison. I used an old Dan-electro accordion amp
with a 15 in it as a sound source. I wanted a straight sound. I also plugged
the A-100 into this amp and set the volumes. Here were my findings.

1. tone settings Bass + 3, treble -10 all the way off. No Leslie simulator.
Sound was very close to the A-100 from the 2nd octave all the way up.
1st octave became to bass heavy. Still the top 2 octave's could use a little
more beef. NOTE....
( There is a EQ sweep on the piano section that goes from 200hz to 4K and has
a -18 to+18 DB of gain, if they rewrite the code and let that EQ get used
into the organ side, I think the Organ will be totally tweekable along with
the Bass & treble control's to the point you will be able to say, this is a
killer instrument.

C3 Chorus vibrato sounds real close to the A-100 , just a shade to deep.
Percussion, Sounds real good, just a shade pingy, but I think if they
incorporate that Piano EQ into the organ, it may clear up that slight
pinginess, but still it is a very good perc.

Leslie simulator, I wont comment on because the unit I had, was the first
version, which had been upgraded since.

Keyboard, LOVED IT.

Construction, I think its roadworthy, as long as you don't abuse it. I talk
to rental companies that rent out some of the TOP Keyboards on the market to
bands, and they say those $3000-$4000 keyboards don't hold up very well at
all. They break all the time, so I guess if you take care of the unit you
should be OK. The chassis is all metal with wood end block. UNIT IT IS SO
LIGHT, WHAT A GIGGING MUSICIANS DREAM.

WE put the Wurli against a 200-A and really got close. The EQ sweep lets you
dial in the Tambour of the instrument. I was very impressed. Same with the
Rhodes, great sounding. Started to crunch when you smacked it. Very nice.
Vibrato was great. Along with the other effects on there, it is really a
killer keyboard.

NO REVERB......to bad.\
YES I would have liked to seen the separate outputs for organ and piano's its
a must.
USB port for upgrades.
You can use all the effects from the piano's on the organ section.

Drawbars, different, but you get use to them very quick. I let at least 15
Hammond and piano players from the city, including Black Gospel players on
this unit, and they had no problem with the drawbars. There are plenty of
presets also to do what ever you want. They were very impressed with the
instruments sound's including the piano's.

Conclusion.
With most digital instruments, I feel its prudent that you use a tube
amplifier with them. Tubes just make the instrument sound better, or use a
tube pedal that will give you a richer tone, to take off the edge from
digital. I think 12 or 15 inch speakers without a treble driver is all you
need. Treble drivers except for a Leslie, tend to magnify digital hiss. If
you go back to the 70's the old keyboards were played thru Fender Twins ,
Etc., there were no treble drivers in most amps back then and they sounded
great, They gave the instruments responsiveness and soul, so why change. The
problem is today, yes they give you 400 watts on a particular monitor, but
the SS amp, combined with the new speakers that can handle the power, are
very cold sounding. No character at all to them. I still think its better to
mike a good little tube amp, and use your monitors for volume Just like you
do with a Leslie.

The Elctro is not perfect, but I see some real potential with it, and with
Clavia as a company. If they research and tweak the product to perfection,
and give you the upgrades as they say, then its a winner. If they don't then
they are no better or worse then what is already out there. I think, they are
a better company, and will keep working on the product.

Tony

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