Claire by Native Instruments

by Native Instruments · $149

Overview

Claire is a vibrant concert grand piano, meticulously sampled for pristine tonal clarity and rich sound.

Key Features

  • Particles engine
  • Dynamic control
  • Sound sculpting controls
  • Pedal noises
  • Velocity editor
  • Kontrol S-Series integration
  • Una corda pedal
  • Tonal color control
  • Richness control

Technical Specifications

Library Size
29.2 GB GB
Mic Positions
3 mic positions
Plugin Formats
VST, AAX
Standalone
Yes

Ideal Use Cases

  • Film composers needing a pristine piano sound for emotional scenes and main themes.
  • Pop producers seeking a rich, clear piano to anchor ballads and contemporary tracks.
  • Classical pianists desiring an authentic-sounding virtual instrument for practice and recording.
  • Sound designers manipulating organic piano textures for experimental and ambient soundscapes.
  • Songwriters looking for an expressive and versatile piano to compose and arrange new material.

Insights from Real-World Use

Strengths

  • particle engine
  • endless possibilities
  • great effects section
  • sound great
  • more clarity
  • more bite
  • total flexibility

Weaknesses

  • pretty limited (Session guitars)
  • muffled (Noire)
  • bursting (sound)

Tone: darker sound, clarity, bite, loud, clear

Review Snippets

  • Longer strings produce rich overtones and 360° resonance when using sustain pedal; unique compared to other libraries
  • Notes ability to customize piano sound, mentions presets and main macro controls
  • Particle engine produces extra harmonics; blending controls allow mixing piano and particle sources
  • Effect impact on piano sound, ambient/ethereal texture
  • CPU performance, responsiveness, low CPU usage
  • Claire's interface is user-friendly, well-labeled and enables quick sound design with minimal guesswork
  • Close, mid (3 m), and far (10-11 m) mic recordings and the blending slider's impact on sound
  • Sample source and product lineage (successor to Noire, sampled from a 10-ft Fazioli)
  • Particle effect, synth engine, integration with piano
  • Overall positive impression; compares Claire to other popular piano libraries and says it fits well
  • I tried this piano to use a a pure solo piano for classical and jazz and whilst I think this is a good instrument, I personally preferred Vi-Labs Modern-D and Noire. I find the bottom couple of octaves sound unnaturally boomy as though there is a sub frequency enhancer on them? Also, the release sam
  • I've just been trying out the demo of this new update and think it is a definite improvement. In the previous versions there was still issues with the note releases even after you turn the slider down. Now this new v1.1.0 update fixes those. My only queries are the bottom two octaves sound quite sub
  • dynamic range compression, darker tonal character
  • Thanks for this review. I bought Claire a few weeks ago on an upgrade offer from Noire. You have shown me some things that I had not noticed. Noire was my go-to piano VST for the quiet ethereal playing I like. Now Claire is. Both pianos have the sweet, gentle tone I favour, but the string resonance
  • This is undoubtedly one of the best sounding VI:s of a Faziolis I've heard with a quite recognizable Fazioli sound...

Frequently Asked Questions

What host software is required to use Claire?
Claire requires the free Kontakt Player or the full version of Kontakt.
Is Claire a sampled or modeled piano?
Claire is a sampled grand piano.
What is the library size of Claire?
The library size for Claire is 29.2 GB.
What are the key features of Claire?
Claire features a unique fourth pedal for dynamic control, a Particles engine for new textures, and sound sculpting controls for reverb, delay, dynamics, and color. It also includes adjustable pedal noise, velocity response curves, and Kontrol S-Series integration.
What genres is Claire best suited for?
Claire is suitable for classical, pop, film/scoring, ambient, contemporary, and sound design genres.
What platforms are supported by Claire?
Claire is compatible with Mac and Windows operating systems.
How many microphone positions are available?
Claire offers 2 blendable microphone positions for close and room sound capture.

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