Native Instruments – Claire: Avant (Kontakt)

Description

Avant-garde piano sounds
• Unique sounds created using unconventional techniques including matte shades, soft left pedal, harmonics and more
• Create ripples of changing textures with the Particles engine and new Patterns Tool presets

Hidden Secrets of the
Claire Grand Piano: Avant is not just another piano. Recorded with the lid off, it conveys the whispers, echoes, and raw textures hidden in traditional piano libraries. From metallic strikes to delicate touches, deep bass to high-grained tones, each sound invites you to try something new. Discover raspy, sharp, plucked, and muted tones perfect for film soundtracks, experimental works, and more.
Color your sound
Claire: Avant turns the piano into a canvas with nine unique articulations, including matte textures, harmonics, soft pedal (una corda) , soft and metal hammers, muted strings, plucked wood and bone plectrums, and more. With 13 velocity levels and three circular repeats, every sound feels alive and changes with every touch.
Patterns Tool and Particles The Particles
engineinfuses every note with shimmering harmonics and dynamic, responsive elements, turning simple keystrokes into rich, evolving soundscapes. Over 40 customizable presets for the Pattern Tool in Kontakt, plus randomization options, make it easy to generate new ideas. Combine these engines to create complex, organic passages that unfold as you play.
Compatible with Kontrol
Claire keyboards: Avant integrates seamlessly with our Kontrol S-series keyboards, offering an intuitive velocity editor, professional presets, and easy browsing and control of sounds via a detailed display for a truly immersive workflow.

Created in collaboration with Galaxy Instruments
Claire: Avant was created in collaboration with Galaxy Instruments . Company founder Uli Baronowsky and his team have previously worked on the critically acclaimed virtual piano libraries.
• Recorded from inside a grand piano, Claire: Avant delivers rich, unconventional timbres that turn the piano into a playground for sound design and experimentation
• Quick access to near and room mic settings that can be easily combined, plus controls for color, dynamics, reverb, and delay • Dive deeper into sound shaping with the Piano
page, offering complete control over resonance, overtones, pedal noise, and more • Add movement and depth to your sound with the Particles engine , creating shimmering harmonics and shifting textures that respond to your performance • Easily filter nine unique articulations, different mic positions, and sound aesthetics to quickly find the perfect sound • Fine-tune the FX pagefor EQ, shaping, stereo imaging, and ambience