Introduction
Following hot on the heels of their Wurlitzer release, Rhodes have added to their range of ‘electro-acoustic’ plugin instruments with the release of the Clav Pro. Thank-you so much to Rhodes for sending me a copy to play with!
Clavinets were first introduced by Hohner in 1964, modelled on that popular 14th ceuntury practise instrument, the Clavichord.
They really came to prominence in the early 70s, when artists like Stevie Wonder added a touch of overdrive, a phaser, a wah pedal. Superstition was released in 1972 and suddenly Clav’s became became part of the funk canon. By the mid 70s, they were adopted by Billy Preston, EWF, Herbie Hancock, Parliament / Funkadelic and many others.
Overview
The Rhodes Clav Pro plugin looks to be primarily modelled on the less-common Hohner E7 and is laid out in that now familiar Rhodes way, with the instrument image, mic and speaker cab options on the left and the effects on the right. This particular plugin offers a Preamp, EQ via Pickup settings, a compressor, envelope/wah filter and velocity controls across the top, with Chorus, Phaser, Delay and Reverb being the primary effects across the bottom.
First Impressions
Even straight out of the box with no effects, I was instantly impressed by the clear tone and at how easily it can slot straight into a track. The sound has plenty of bite, that can be enhanced even further using the onboard preamp, compressor and velocity curve controls. Boost it even more with the pickup switches, which allow you to switch between softer and gritter tones.
Dial in some phaser and wah and you have instant funk.
Favourite Features
There’s a lot to play with in this plugin and it’s going to take a while to fully explore all of the features, with lots of scope for creating some unique tones. For this initial demo, I opted to create a Stevie-style riff
There are three amp choices (Duo, L5, JC) and two mic choices (Cardioid, Dynamic). I’m quite enjoying the L5 / Cardioid combo.
The damper slider in the same panel is a fun addition that cuts the sustain, giving a clippier, even funkier sound that’s great for comping.
A touch of Chorus and Phaser were added, along with a smattering of Reverb to give it a more 70s psychedelic vibe.
Final Verdict
For maximum funk, I’d recommend setting up with a Wah Wah or expression pedal and I’ll be playing with both options in future recordings.
This is going to be a fun plugin to fully explore and it will probably end up playing a part on quite a few future tracks.
You can get a two week trial demo at Rhodes – https://tinyurl.com/49wukdsb (aff link)
