Waves Clavinet User Manual - page 4
4
CLA
VINET
1.1 Product Overview
The Clavinet is a keyboard instrument that uses strings, keys, and electromagnetic pickups to produce a unique, funky sound. Many
musical hits, such as “Higher Ground” and “Superstation” by Stevie Wonder and “Outta Space” by Billy Preston, fused the Clavinet
sound with funky music. By the 1970s, it became a classic element when making funky disco bass lines and choppy stabs.
The Clavinet is essentially an electrified version of a clavichord – an instrument popular from the Renaissance through the Classical
period. The clavichord was famously quiet, so it was not suited for performances with ensembles and orchestras. When the Clavinet
was introduced in the 1960s, it addressed the issue of amplification and opened the way for numerous sounds and effects. It was
manufactured in Germany until the ‘80s.
The Clavinet consists of sixty keys. It uses electromagnetic pickups to turn sound into electrical signals, ready to be amplified. The
overall sound of the Clavinet is a staccato pluck, followed by a rather quick decay. It features a damper that shortens the decay (a
mode we call “Mute”), or lets it die out naturally (“Unmute”). This produces a sound that is a bit more open and bright, especially in
its decay.
The Waves Clavinet is a virtual instrument, sampled from an original Hohner Clavinet D6 in both its Mute and Unmute modes. We
added some sound-shaping tools and effects, such as EQ and Compression. There is also an AutoWah effect and (as with other
Waves classic keyboard instruments) there is a phaser, chorus, and reverb.
1.2 Concepts and Terminology
• In the case of the Clavinet, the term “Mute” does not describe a full mute of the sound. Instead, it refers to the action of
a fader-like lever to the right of the Clavinet’s keys that mechanically chokes the sustain and introduces a faster decay and
mellower tone.
• The tuning of the Clavinet is equal tempered. Equal temper means that an octave is divided to 12 equal ½ tone or semitone
intervals of 100 cents each. This is contrary to the Justonic or other temperaments.