MusicRadar

• Review

Sounds

So what of the sounds? Well the new pipe organs are superb and, coupled with the onboard reverbs, really transport you into the grand surroundings of cathedrals, churches and concert halls. The samples are excellent, the tremulants are authentic and it's incredibly easy to use. We can see many a church organist and new players alike having fun with this instrument, but it also works brilliantly in a recording context.

Same goes for the B3s, Voxs and Farfisas - they are all superb. We really can't find fault with any of the emulations - they are authentic throughout and very inspiring to play. In comparison with our 1958 Hammond B3 and 122 Leslie, the C2 really does capture the mojo and overall tone/feel.

Effects and more

The onboard amp models (Roland Jazz Chorus and Fender Twin) work well and are great for that un-Leslie'd straighter rock sound, while the drive control sounds rich, and full, allowing some real power-organ playing or subtle grit.

The delay, three-band EQ and five reverb modes are musical, high quality and flexible, bringing realistic and natural sounding acoustical support to all the sounds. In particular, the delay is great for reggae or dub, especially along with the tap tempo function.

One of our favourite additional features is the ability to add a set of MIDI bass pedals to control the pedal manual. Further to this, the Synth Bass mode adds a synth bass sound to further beef up the low end. Perhaps in the future, Clavia could augment this feature with some different synth tones, plus the ability to turn the full lower manual into a synth bass.

To conclude, as far as B3/Vox/ Farfisa/Pipe Organ emulators go this board cannot be beaten in terms of sounds, playability and portability. Put it at the top of your list immediately!

Listen to the Nord C2 in action:

B3 rotary

B3 soft drive

Farfisa

Vox drive

Pipe organ

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liked this? Now read: The 11 best DAW software apps and The best hardware synths available today