Late last year, Native Instruments released Claire, a virtual instrument for Kontakt 8 that captured the sounds of a Fazioli F308, a 10-foot Italian concert grand that also happens to be the world's largest grand piano currently in production. We spent some time with Claire following its release, and we're big fans of the instrument's expansive sound and versatility.
This week, Native Instruments has announced Claire: Avant, a new "avant-garde" instrument also featuring the sounds of the F308, but with a more experimental spin. Designed to be "as expressive as it is unconventional", Claire: Avant is said to explore a variety of unorthodox articulations and preparations that reveal unexpected resonances, overtones and percussive textures in the piano.
Recorded with the piano's lid off, these unique playing techniques and sound modifications alter how the strings are struck, plucked or dampened, expanding the instrument's sonic palette beyond traditional piano tones. Each note has been equipped with up to 13 different velocity zones and three round robins in order to create a "living, breathing" instrument that creates evolving and complex sounds.
If Claire: Avant's samples aren't quite off-the-wall enough for you already, they can be processed with the onboard Particles engine, a granular effect that generates shimmering textures, or a selection of additional effects that includes reverb, delay, compression, saturation and EQ. Its sample library also features a number of different microphone placements that can be blended via a slider on the instrument's interface.
NI has described the F308 as "the crown jewel" of pianos, an instrument that delivers "immense power and harmonic richness", with an extended string length that contributes to its exceptional clarity and deep low-end. Rather unusually, the F308 equipped with a fourth pedal, which allows the player to soften the sound without changing its timbre, by reducing the distance between the strings and the hammers.
Claire: Avant is available now for $99/€99/£89, or as part of a bundle with the Claire grand piano.
Find out more on Native Instruments' website or watch a walkthrough video below.
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