Nord Electro
Clavia Nord Electro 2 is an electronic keyboard developed in Sweden, by Clavia.
Like its predecessor, the Clavia Nord Electro, consists of carefully sampled electro-mechanical keyboards: Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos, Hohner Clavinet and Hammond A100 organ.
Unlike many other keyboards that feature tonewheel organ emulation, the drawbars of the Electro 2 are represented by LED bar graphs and up/down buttons instead of the traditional mechanical drawbars. An emulation of an acoustic grand piano has also been provided, and other piano samples can be downloaded from Clavia's website.
There is an effect section that emulates popular "stomp box" effect pedals from the '70s and the famous Leslie rotary speaker cabinet. These can be applied to either piano or organ. Additionally, the pianos contain a "presence" control, and the Clavinet includes settings to emulate the various switches found on the original instrument.
The Electro 2 has been released in 61 and 73 note keyboard versions as well as the rackmount Electro Rack 2, which features all the same knobs as the keyboard versions. As with other Clavia products it is distinctive for its red coloration. Unlike the Clavia Nord Stage, it can only play one instrument at a time, although a second keyboard can be attached via MIDI as an additional organ manual.
One of the most prominent users of the Electro 2 is virtuoso keyboardist Derek Sherinian, formerly of the progressive rock group Dream Theater, and now touring with artists such Billy Idol and Yngwie Malmsteen in addition to a solo career. Khaled Tabbara of indie rock band The Zou has been touring with the keyboard for years. He stands out as one of the only lead singers to play the Nord Electro 2 while fronting a band. Sherinian has played Nord products for more than ten years, including the Electro 2. Keyboard/organist Jimmy Bloniarz used the Electro 2 both touring and in recording to achieve the vintage Wurlitzer keyboard sound with the Chicago-based Fair Herald. Johnny Whitney and Morgan Henderson of The Blood Brothers also used the Nord Electro 2 heavily to create the carnival organ noises created in their last tours before the group disbanded. Accordion player Claude Bernard of The Gourds has extensively used the Electro 2 both live and in the studio.