Nord User Forum

Rusty Mike wrote:

Spider wrote:It's true that Clavia doesn't communicate much, but it's also true that not many companies do that, as Analogika says. Most of all, companies do their communication after products are released, not before! No company wants to disclose its future plans to competitors. The only one that does is behringer, and only because it's a precise and very aggressive strategy: they know nobody can compete with their prices, so they announce their producs years in advance (when they're just a draft on a designer's table and there's not even a prototype) to discourage the competition to produce anything similar.

Also, companies normally don't communicate on public forums. They may have their own forums, or more often their own social media pages where they have complete control.
Or some employees may participate on public forums on personal basis. But for example, I don't think any Clavia member was ever involved in this forum, and even Pablo always took great care to stress that he was not a Clavia employee, had no more insight than us on future releases, and only represented the North American distributor and customer service. And even in that role, it was not his paid duty to participate on forums and he only did it as an extra-curricular activity out of his passion and commitment.

Any idea that companies SHOULD participate in person to forum and social discussions is just misguided: companies know how impossible to control are those places, and how any discussion may, and will, rapidly spin out of control and damage the brand. This forum is an oasis of peace and well-behaved members, but the reality is that the internet is mostly a toxic place. For a real-world example, just look at any "new product release" thread on Gearspace: in a few pages it invariably degenerates in personal insults, brand bashing, trolling etc.

Well said, Spider.

A lot of Internet forums are very toxic. I personally believe companies are smart to stay out of the chaos. There are a few exceptions. Mike Martin from Casio is a fairly active participant in the Keyboard Corner, but really sticks to answering specific questions and stays away from errant criticisms. Compared to Gearspace, KC is a relatively civil forum, but they do have their own unique issues which have personally driven me away as a member. As Spider said, any announcement or product introduction turns into a circus on Gearspace. The current threads on Oberheim, the Roland Juno X and any Behringer topic are fraught with trolling, insults and little credible content. They are simultaneously amusing and embarrassing.

A sincere shout out to this forum, which has (for the most part) maintained a level of civility and respect among the membership. Pretty much why it's the only forum that I will participate in.

With regard to Clavia, yes, they have not announced anything lately. To give them a little slack here, we live in odd times. Manufacturing and supply chains are a mess, and Clavia is a small company without the volume or buying power of Roland or Yamaha. And we have no idea how Covid has affected their staff or ability to get things done. Given that Clavia is a privately owned company, they don't owe any explanations.

In reality, it is only our expectations, however rooted, that cause our disappointment. This has nothing to do with Clavia.

I'm looking forward to the next round of product introductions as much as the next person. I'm in a position to upgrade my Stage 2EX. I'm extremely interested in seeing if Clavia starts using the new Fatar TP110 action in their HP instruments, as it has been getting some pretty positive reviews. The Stage is actually more than I need (not really a synth player anymore - piano and organ are just fine), so I'd like to see what the next generation Electro brings.

That said, IMHO, Clavia does need to prioritize the Sample Library 4 so Piano 5 owners don't feel so stranded. It would also be nice to see some trickle down on that as well. To me, that should precede any new product announcement.

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy playing my Stage 2EX and Electro 6.

Gambold wrote:I wonder if Clavia is looking for a buyer. The founder is getting pretty old and I don't get the sense that this is a family-run business that is getting handed off to new generations of Nordelius. Seems to me they would be a great acquisition because they have a solid product line with a very high level of credibility and reputation. You see Nords all over the place online and on the telly.

There would be the inevitable concerns that quality control might falter if they were absorbed by a corporation, but on the other hand, the development resources, marketing, and supply-chain power of a big company can really help. Fender saved Gretsch guitars which are now more popular than ever and better-built than they have been for ages - plus some of their models are priced for the lower-tier market, something Nord could really use. I'd love a small, "Reface-like" Nord that I could cart around on airplanes or in my lap in front of the television, something that would be priced under 1K. There is likely no way Clavia has the resources to develop, build and sell something like that now.

Spider wrote:It's true that Clavia doesn't communicate much, but it's also true that not many companies do that, as Analogika says. Most of all, companies do their communication after products are released, not before! No company wants to disclose its future plans to competitors. The only one that does is behringer, and only because it's a precise and very aggressive strategy: they know nobody can compete with their prices, so they announce their producs years in advance (when they're just a draft on a designer's table and there's not even a prototype) to discourage the competition to produce anything similar.

Also, companies normally don't communicate on public forums. They may have their own forums, or more often their own social media pages where they have complete control.
Or some employees may participate on public forums on personal basis. But for example, I don't think any Clavia member was ever involved in this forum, and even Pablo always took great care to stress that he was not a Clavia employee, had no more insight than us on future releases, and only represented the North American distributor and customer service. And even in that role, it was not his paid duty to participate on forums and he only did it as an extra-curricular activity out of his passion and commitment.

Any idea that companies SHOULD participate in person to forum and social discussions is just misguided: companies know how impossible to control are those places, and how any discussion may, and will, rapidly spin out of control and damage the brand. This forum is an oasis of peace and well-behaved members, but the reality is that the internet is mostly a toxic place. For a real-world example, just look at any "new product release" thread on Gearspace: in a few pages it invariably degenerates in personal insults, brand bashing, trolling etc.