Fairlight-CMI

Hi Tim,

I couldn't disagree more. Let me explain why.

There are countless clones of countless items out there. If all of them had
said the same as you, we wouldn't have half the products we do today.

I agree that whilst the uniqueness of the components and circuitry would
indeed make an original Fairlight the only thing to sound like an original
Fairlight, to say it's impossible to recreate is a very blinkered view. I
could reel off numerous examples of where clones do indeed match the
original. Take a look at the Nord C1. Even the most hardened Hammond fans
gasp in awe at how exact a match it is for the real thing. 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lAqjAcSvxzE

That guy in the video above has built, rebuilt and restored more Hammonds
than I've had hot dinners and he positively wets himself at how good the C1
is.

And the C1 shares none of the original circuits, components or software of
the original (not that the original had any software !) ;o)

But ultimately, in isolation, I'm sure a Fairlight clone would certainly not
match an original, but how often do we play and record any of our
instruments in isolation ? Once they're buried in a mix, no one could tell
the difference. I'd place good money on that. Do you sit there and listen to
a tune and say, "You know what ? That's not a real XYZ instrument, it's a
poor clone." Of course not. All we are searching for is a way to access the
library and possibly to recreate the sampling environment in a modern and
convenient method. Whilst this recreation may not pass muster against a real
one, it would be as close as dammit and until I have a spare £5000 burning a
hole in my pocket, that will do for me :o)

Regards,

Rob.



-----Original Message-----
From: Fairlight-CMI@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Fairlight-CMI@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Tim Curtis
Sent: 14 July 2008 05:48
To: Fairlight-CMI@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Fairlight-CMI] Re: Recreating the Fairlight

There is ONE way to recreate the Fairlight.

 

-Clone the circuits using identical components

-Use the same software

 

Anything else simply won’t do it.

 

Sorry.

 

-Tim

 

 

 

________________________________

From: Fairlight-CMI@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:Fairlight-CMI@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of antonyp69
Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2008 10:12 PM
To: Fairlight-CMI@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Fairlight-CMI] Re: Recreating the Fairlight

 

Like the original poster of this thread, I too would be interested 
in a recreated Fairlight CMI.

The idea that has been floated is a VST type virtual Fairlight CMI.

However due to major advances in microtechnology and processing 
power and mega storage capacities, I believe the best solution would 
be to rereate the Fairlight CMI as a computer soundcard. A software 
package with all the Fairlight CMI functions such for example, Page 
6 Waveform Drawing, Page 7 Control Parameters etc.. should also 
be included. To enable waveform drawing, an input device such as a 
usb optical mouse or usb optical pen could be used. Of course the 
soundcard would have a microphone input for sampling. 

A modern day personal computer with dual/quad core processors, 
gigabytes of memory and storage would be ample to host a "Fairlight 
soundcard".

I am not a computer board designer or electrical engineer, however I 
have assembled many computer systems and owned dozens of soundcards 
over the last 17 years.

In previous posts to this thread, the posters have stated that the 
goal is to obtain the "Fairlight" sound. Peter Vogel stated there 
were various nuances such as "birdies" and other quirks that gave the
Fairlight its sound.

As mentioned there have been major advances in computer technology 
over the last 30 years since the Fairlight CMI has been around. I am 
pretty sure there are modern day components that could mimic the 
circuitry of the CMI. Probably even software could emulate the 
circuitry as well, however a hardware soundcard version of the 
Fairlight CMI would do it justice.

How would I design a Fairlight CMI soundcard?

I would look at the Creative Labs Soundblaster cards that support 
Soundfonts as a starting point. The Soundfont is similar in that it 
spans the sound sample along the music keyboard. However although 
the Soundfont sounds great, it is not a Fairlight. The Creative Labs 
Soundblaster cards do not have the processing filters of the CMI. 

A CMI soundcard would ideally have sampling and processing qualities 
like a the original Fairlight CMI.

I would even put the original factory libraries of the Series IIx 
and Series III on a rom chip on the soundcard.

What I would love to see....

Because he knows the Fairlight back to front, he is very clever, and 
on a patriotic note, Australian, it would be great if Peter Vogel 
designed and produced this card. Maybe a 'Vogelight CSCI (Computer 
Soud Card Instrument)' ?????

This maybe a pipe-dream, but it maybe a thing that will keep the 
Fairlight legacy going a lot longer and introduce a new generation 
to the wonders of the CMI.

Antony
Melbourne, Australia



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