Clavia Digital Musical Instruments (Clavia DMI AB) is a Swedish manufacturer of

virtual analog synthesizer An analog modeling synthesizer is a synthesizer that generates the sounds of traditional analog synthesizers using digital signal processing components and software algorithms. Analog modeling synthesizers simulate the behavior of the original elec ...

s, virtual

electromechanical Electromechanics combine processes and procedures drawn from electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Electromechanics focus on the interaction of electrical and mechanical systems as a whole and how the two systems interact with each ...

pianos and

stage piano A stage piano is an electronic musical instrument designed for use in live performances on stage (theatre), stage or in a studio, as well as for music recording in Jazz and popular music. While stage pianos share some of the same features as d ...

s, founded in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden in 1983 by Hans Nordelius and Mikael Carlsson. Since 1995, Clavia's keyboards have been branded ''Nord''.

Company history

Digital drums

In 1983, Hans Nordelius and Mikael Carlsson began to work in the

basement A basement is any Storey, floor of a building that is not above the grade plane. Especially in residential buildings, it often is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the Furnace (house heating), furnace, water heating, ...

of a home located in the southern

suburbs A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of Stockholm, creating the world's first dedicated digital drum for the commercial market, called the 'Digital Percussion Plate 1'. In 1984 an improved version that could play four sounds from an EPROM was released under the '

ddrum ddrum ( ) is an American-based Sweden, Swedish company, currently a division of Armadillo Enterprises, Inc. that manufactures Drum kit, acoustic drum sets, Electronic drum, electronic drum sets, and Electronic Triggers. Ddrum was originally a br ...

' name with the now signature red coloring. The same year a drum system was released with several sound modules in a rack, each with its own EPROM. The pads used to trigger the sounds were unusual for the time, since they used real drum heads, whereas other electronic drum kits of the time used rubber pads. This, together with a separate trigger for the snare drum's rim, made for a more realistic playing experience. The ddrum brand and products were sold in 2005 to their US distributor Armadillo who continues to manufacture drum products under the name.

Nord keyboards

In 1995, Clavia released the Nord Lead. Called "a magic piece of electronics" by

Sound on Sound ''Sound on Sound'' is a monthly music technology magazine. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, and interviews with industry professionals. Due to its technical focus, it is predominantly ...

it popularized the

virtual analog An analog modeling synthesizer is a synthesizer that generates the sounds of traditional analog synthesizers using digital signal processing components and software algorithms. Analog modeling synthesizers simulate the behavior of the original elec ...

type of synthesis. In 1997 the Nord Lead 2 was released, with many improvements, including increasing polyphony from 4 to 16 notes. The Nord Lead 3 was released in 2001, with a reworked sound engine, better D/A converters and monophonic aftertouch. The most striking aspect of the Nord Lead 3 was that all the sound editing knobs had been replaced with infinite rotary knobs, where the value of the parameter was indicated by a

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...

'collar' around the knob. The rotary knobs, LED collars and keyboard with aftertouch made the Nord Lead 3 an "absolute delight" but because of its higher price, the Nord Lead 2 remained in demand. And as some of the parts of the Nord Lead 3 were getting harder to source, Clavia released an updated version of the Nord Lead 2, called the Nord Lead 2x, with faster processors, better D/A converters and an upgraded polyphony to 20 voices. The Nord Lead 3 was discontinued in 2007, but the Nord Lead 2x remains in production. In 1997 Clavia released the

Nord Modular The Nord Modular series is a line of synthesizers produced by Clavia, a Swedish digital synthesizer manufacturer. The Nord Modular series, in common with their sister range the Nord Lead series, are analogue modelling synthesizers, producing soun ...

, a virtual analog

modular synthesizer Modular synthesizers are synthesizers composed of separate modules for different functions. The modules can be connected together by the user to create a patch. The outputs from the modules may include audio signals, analog control voltages, ...

. Called a "landmark in synthesis" it allowed you to essentially build your own virtual analog synthesizer. It too was later upgraded with the 2004 release of the Nord Modular G2, that gave it the same endless rotary knobs as the Nord Lead 3 and a larger keyboard with aftertouch. In 2001 the

Nord Electro The Nord Electro is a series of electronic keyboards, developed in Sweden by Clavia, that digitally emulate electro-mechanical keyboards, such as electric pianos and electronic organs, while being much more portable. Features The original Nord ...

was released. It was designed to emulate the classical

keyboards like the

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

, the Rhodes Stage 73, the

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from 1954 to 1983. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptually similar to ...

and the

Hohner Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of musical instruments, founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner (1833–1902). It is a subsidiary of Matth. Hohner AG. The roots of the Hohner firm are in Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg ...

Clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

. The pianos are samples but the organs are modeled using a "digital simulation". Im 2005, Clavia produced the Nord Stage, combining the organ and piano functions of the Electro with some of the synth functionality of the Lead, while adding other piano functionality and a version with 88 weighted keys. In October 2007 Clavia released the Nord Wave, which adds sample-player functionality to the virtual analog engine of the Nord Lead series and in March 2012 Clavia released the Nord Drum, a virtual analog drum synthesizer. and the Nord C1 Organ, a dual manual instrument containing the organ section from the Nord Electro 3, to which an emulation of a baroque pipe organ was added in 2009. The Nord Piano was released in 2010, which contained the piano section from the Nord Electro 3 with an 88 key hammer action keyboard. Clavia has continued to update each of these models, and in 2025 the Nord range included the Nord Stage 4, the Nord Piano 5, the Nord Grand 2, the Nord Electro 6, the Nord Lead A1 and the Nord Wave 2.

Products

* Nord Lead A1 - Performance synthesizer * Nord Wave 2 - Performance synthesizer * Nord Electro 6 - Virtual

keyboard instrument * Nord Grand - Stage piano * Nord Piano 5 - Stage piano * Nord Stage 4 - Stage keyboard * Nord Piano Monitor - Monitor boxes * Nord C2D - Dual Manual Virtual Combo Organ * Nord Pedal Keys 27 - MIDI organ pedalboard * Nord Drum 3P - Modelling percussion synthesizer File:Clavia Nord C2D Combo Organ (rear angled).jpg , Nord C2D Combo Organ File:NSDrawbuttons.jpg, Nord Stage 2 Draw-buttons File:NSSynthPanel.jpg, Nord Stage 2 Synth panel

Discontinued products

Discontinued products list: *

Ddrum ddrum ( ) is an American-based Sweden, Swedish company, currently a division of Armadillo Enterprises, Inc. that manufactures Drum kit, acoustic drum sets, Electronic drum, electronic drum sets, and Electronic Triggers. Ddrum was originally a br ...

series by Clavia - sold in 2005 * Nord Piano - Stage piano * Nord Piano 2 - Stage piano * Nord Piano 3 - Stage piano * Nord Piano 4 - Stage piano * Nord C1 - Dual Manual Virtual Combo Organ *

- Virtual

keyboard instrument * Nord Electro Rack - Virtual electromechanical MIDI module * Nord Electro 2 - Virtual electromechanical keyboard instrument * Nord Electro Rack 2 - Virtual electromechanical MIDI module * Nord Electro 3 - Virtual electromechanical keyboard instrument * Nord Wave - Performance Synthesizer & Sampler * Nord Lead (1995) - Virtual analog synthesizer * Nord Lead Rack (1995) - Virtual analog synthesizer * Nord Lead 2 (1997) - Virtual analog synthesizer * Nord Lead 2X - Virtual analog synthesizer *

Nord Lead 3 Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

- Virtual analog synthesizer * Nord Lead 4 - Performance synthesizer * Nord Rack - Virtual analog MIDI module * Nord Rack 2 - Virtual analog MIDI module * Nord Rack 2X - Virtual analog MIDI module * Nord Rack 3 - Virtual analog MIDI module *

Nord Stage The Nord Stage is a digital keyboard or stage piano, manufactured by Clavia Digital Music Instruments of Stockholm, Sweden. There have been six editions of the instrument: the original Nord Stage in 2005, the Nord Stage EX in 2008, the Nord S ...

- Stage keyboard * Nord Stage EX - Stage keyboard * Nord Stage 2 - Stage keyboard * Nord Stage 2EX - Stage keyboard *

- Software-based semi-modular synthesizer * Nord Modular G2 - Software-based semi-modular synthesizer * Nord Modular G2x - Software-based semi-modular synthesizer * Nord Micro Modular - Software-based semi-modular synthesizer * Nord Drum - Modelling percussion synthesizer * Nord Drum 2 - Modelling percussion synthesizer File:Nord Modular G2 modwheel.jpg , Pitch stick & wheel
(Nord Modular G2) File:Clavia Nord Lead 3 knobs.jpg , Nord Lead 3 File:Nord Stage played (closeup).jpg, Nord Stage 88 File:Clavia Nord Piano 88 - Pimp your piano.jpg , Nord Piano 88

References

External links

Official Clavia website
{{Clavia Manufacturing companies based in Stockholm Synthesizer manufacturing companies of Sweden Musical instrument manufacturing companies of Sweden Manufacturing companies established in 1983 1983 establishments in Sweden