When it comes to sampled pianos, the bar keeps getting higher. Every year, new libraries promise pristine realism, expressive nuance, and creative tools that move beyond the traditional. In late 2024, Native Instruments dropped Claire, a grand piano library that continues Native Instruments’ legacy of well-made sample libraries. Built in collaboration with Galaxy Instruments, this sample library captures the magic of a Fazioli F308 concert grand, then layers on a suite of features designed for both purists and sonic adventurers. Let’s take an in-depth look at what makes Claire a standout in a crowded field.
The Fazioli F308: The Heart of Claire
At the core of Claire is the Fazioli F308, a 10-foot Italian concert grand that’s a legend in its own right. This isn’t just any piano—it’s the largest concert grand in the world, engineered for vast concert halls and known for its immense power, clarity, and harmonic richness. The F308’s extended strings give it a thunderous low end and shimmering highs, making it a favorite for both classical virtuosos and contemporary composers.
But what really sets the F308 apart is its fourth pedal—a Fazioli invention that shortens travel, letting players drop the volume without changing the piano’s core timbre. This subtle but powerful feature opens up new expressive possibilities, especially for delicate passages, soft glissandos, and nuanced legato work. Claire is one of the very few sampled pianos to faithfully capture and implement this unique pedal, giving players a unique level of dynamic control.
Recording at Galaxy Studios: Capturing Every Nuance
To do justice to the Fazioli’s character, Native Instruments recorded the piano at Belgium’s Galaxy Studios, a venue renowned for its world-class acoustics. The team used an array of premium microphones to capture the piano from multiple perspectives—close, mid, and room—ensuring that every detail, from the crisp attack of the hammers to the lingering resonance of the strings, was preserved.
The result? A library that doesn’t just sound like a Fazioli—it feels like you’re sitting at one. Whether you want an intimate, close-miked sound for solo work or a lush, room-filling ambiance for film scores, Claire lets you blend mic positions to taste. You can even dial in mechanical and pedal noises for that extra touch of realism.
The Sound: Pure, Vibrant, and Unmistakably Fazioli
So what does it actually sound like? Well, for starters, the tone is pure and vibrant, with an organic character that cuts through mixes without ever feeling harsh or sterile. The bass is deep and powerful, thanks to those extended strings, while the mids and highs are crystal clear, never muddy or boxy.
This clarity makes Claire a chameleon—it’s equally at home in pop ballads, jazz improvisations, or cinematic scoring. If you’re after a darker, moodier vibe, you might still reach for a library like Native Instruments’ Noire, but some of Claire’s presets get pretty close to that dark, moody feel. However, for transparency and presence, Claire is hard to beat. The library’s dynamic range is impressive, handling everything from whisper-quiet pianissimos to thunderous fortissimos with ease.
The Fourth Pedal: A New Dimension of Expression
Most sampled pianos stick to the standard three pedals, but Claire goes further by modeling the Fazioli’s fourth pedal. By shortening the hammer-blow distance, the fourth pedal lets you play softer without losing the piano’s signature tone.
In practice, this means you can achieve ultra-delicate dynamics and fluid, connected phrases that would be impossible on most virtual pianos. It’s a subtlety that serious pianists will immediately appreciate, and it brings Claire a step closer to the real thing.
The Interface: Intuitive and Powerful
Claire’s user interface strikes a rare balance between depth and accessibility. On the Main page, you’ll find straightforward controls for reverb, delay, dynamics, and color, along with blendable mic positions. Even if you’re new to sampled pianos, you can quickly sculpt a sound that fits your track.
But dig a little deeper, and there’s a wealth of advanced options. The Piano page lets you tweak everything from resonance and overtones to mechanical noises and, of course, that fourth pedal. Want to fine-tune the attack of each note, or adjust how much pedal noise you hear? It’s all right there, just a click away.
For those who crave even more control, the FX page offers tools like EQ, compression, and stereo imaging. Whether you want a raw, unprocessed sound or a polished, ready-for-radio tone, Claire has you covered.
The Particles Engine: Where Piano Meets Sound Design
One of Claire’s most innovative features is the Particles engine, a creative tool previously featured in Noire. This isn’t your typical effects processor—it’s a granular synthesis engine that reacts to your playing in real time, generating evolving textures, harmonics, and subtle rhythmic patterns.
Play a note, and the Particles engine can transform it into a shimmering cloud of sound, perfect for ambient music, film scores, or any track that needs an extra layer of atmosphere. You can dial in as much or as little of this effect as you want, blending the traditional piano sound with futuristic textures that move and breathe with your performance.
It’s a playground for composers and producers, and whether you’re crafting ethereal pads or pulsing rhythmic beds, the Particles engine turns Claire into a hybrid instrument that’s as much about inspiration as it is about authenticity.
Seamless Integration: Built for the NI Ecosystem
Claire is designed to fit seamlessly into the Native Instruments ecosystem. If you use a Kontrol S-Series keyboard, you’ll get hands-on control over every parameter, from mic blending to velocity curves. Browsing presets, tweaking settings, and performing live all feel natural and immediate, thanks to tight integration with the hardware.
The library runs in Kontakt or the free Kontakt Player (version 8.1.0 and up), so it’s compatible with virtually any DAW on both Mac and PC. Installation is straightforward, and with a 29.2 GB download size, it’s surprisingly manageable for a library of this depth and quality.
Claire: Avant – The Experimental Expansion
If you’re hungry for even more sonic possibilities, Native Instruments offers Claire: Avant, an expansion that dives deep into the experimental side of the piano. Instead of traditional playing techniques, Avant captures sounds from inside the grand piano—brushed strings, damped una corda, flageolet harmonics, and more.
With its own set of 107 snapshots and a slightly larger 31.2 GB footprint, Avant is a playground for sound designers and avant-garde composers. The expansion also introduces a new Patterns Tool, letting you create evolving, rhythmic soundscapes that go way beyond what most piano libraries can offer.
Avant integrates seamlessly with the main Claire library, and the bundle is priced attractively for those who want both traditional and experimental sounds at their fingertips.
How Claire Stacks Up: A Comparative Perspective
In the world of sampled pianos, competition is fierce. Libraries from Vienna Symphonic Library, Pianoteq, and VI Labs each have their own strengths—some focus on ultra-detailed technical performance, others on character or playability. Claire stands out by striking a balance between realism, flexibility, and creative potential.
Compared to its predecessor, Noire, Claire offers a brighter, more transparent sound. The addition of adjustable mic positions and the fourth pedal addresses common requests from users, while the Particles engine keeps Claire firmly at the cutting edge of sound design.
Real-World Use: Who Is Claire For?
As mentioned earlier, Claire is a chameleon. For classical pianists and jazz players, it offers the nuance and dynamic range needed for expressive solo performances. For pop producers and film composers, its clarity and presence make it easy to slot into dense mixes or lush orchestrations. And for sound designers, the Particles engine and Avant expansion open up a world of experimental textures and evolving atmospheres.
Whether you’re working on a delicate piano ballad, a sweeping cinematic score, or an avant-garde soundscape, Claire adapts to your needs. The library’s built in presets are a great starting point, but the real magic happens when you start tweaking and blending sounds to create something uniquely yours.
The Verdict: A New Benchmark for Virtual Pianos
By combining the legendary Fazioli F308 with cutting-edge sampling, intuitive controls, and creative tools, Native Instruments has delivered a library that’s both deeply authentic and endlessly inspiring.
The sound is stunning, the playability is top-notch, and the feature set goes well beyond what most virtual pianos offer. The inclusion of the fourth pedal and the Particles engine sets Claire apart, while the seamless integration with NI hardware and software makes it a joy to use in any studio setup.
For anyone serious about piano—whether as a performer, composer, or sound designer—Claire is a must-have.
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