Rhodes Music expands its software line with Clav Pro, an emulation of the 1977 Hohner Clavinet D6 ‘Transition’. Deep multi-sampling, amp and mic simulations and an in-house FX suite bring the clav’s funk bite into your DAW for a $89.95 introductory price.
After turning the Mk8 electric piano into the V8 plugin, Rhodes Music keeps building a genuine software catalogue. The latest arrival, Clav Pro, doesn’t tackle a Rhodes but its percussive cousin: the Hohner Clavinet D6, the electro-acoustic string keyboard that defined a big slice of 1970s funk, soul, disco and rock. The plugin is available now in VST3, AU and AAX formats for macOS and Windows.
The D6, backbone of the groove
The Clavinet isn’t a synth: each key strikes a string, picked up by magnetic pickups. Hence the dry attack, the rhythmic bite and that near-guitar, wah-wah quality. It’s an instrument of gesture as much as sound. Rhodes Music, which now owns the brand, chose to capture it not by modelling but through very deep sampling of a rare original unit.
Deep sampling rather than modelling
Clav Pro is built on a 4.5GB library, multi-sampled from a 1977 D6 ‘Transition’ with improved shielding and lower noise than the original. The on-screen logic mirrors the instrument exactly: 1:1 pickup selection, a mute slider for the famous damped tone, a recreated period EQ circuit, and a Timbre Shift fader that moves the tone from clean studio sparkle to gritty, road-worn character.
Amps, mics and effects
Where the plugin goes beyond a plain sampler is the reproduction chain. Rhodes modelled three amps (L5, JC and Duo), offered dynamic and condenser mic options, added cabinet resonance control and modelling of mechanical noise (key on/off). On top sit clav-specific processors.
- Dedicated Drive and compressor sections;
- an Envelope/Wah section with Frequency, Gain and Resonance controls;
- in-house FX suite: stereo chorus, phaser, delay and reverb (spring, plate, room, hall).
What the hardware never had
Clav Pro also adds things the original D6 lacked: sustain-pedal support, pitch bend for whammy effects and solo lines, full preset recall and CPU optimisation built to stay light in busy sessions. A 14-day free trial lets you decide before buying.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | 1977 Hohner Clavinet D6 ‘Transition’ |
| Library | 4.5GB multi-sampled |
| Amps | L5, JC, Duo |
| Mics | dynamic, condenser |
| Formats | VST3, AU, AAX (macOS, Windows) |
| Price | $89.95 (intro), $129.95 thereafter |
Price and competition
At $89.95 intro ($129.95 later), Clav Pro lines up against established options such as Arturia’s Clavinet V or emulations from Waves and GSi. Its pitch: brand legitimacy and a complete signal chain, from mic to amp. For anyone making funk, soul or hip-hop, it’s one more tool in the box, alongside the growing wave of vintage emulations.
My take. For the clavinet, sampling makes sense. I’ve always argued that fully in-the-box work is entirely viable, provided the result delivers — and here the real subject is the mechanical grain and the mic/amp chain, not synthesis. That’s exactly the part Rhodes nails. I’m wary, though, of marketing one-upmanship about the “sound of the string”: in the end what matters is the feel under the fingers and how the instrument sits in a mix. At the intro price, it’s worth the trial — ideally driven from a proper keyboard controller to get the gesture back. And for those tempted by pure synthesis, the wave of vintage synth emulations is another way in.
Official product page: Rhodes Clav Pro.
