Fairlight-CMI

I would like to chime in with Fabian on this. 
Im using a combo of Kyma and Synclavier as my main
Synthesis tools. 
There simply is no high end system like a CMI-IV
available today.

I would be more than happy to pay $5k for a dedicated
high end system like CMI IV. 

Now, how would you solve something like individual
clock speed per voice card? 

Cheers!
Tobias

--- d_40q <retinalburn@ngi.de> wrote:

> 
> Hello Peter,
> 
> 
> although I am not a Fairlight but a Synclavier user,
> I follow this forum due to my 
> appreceation of the original CMI's sound, concept
> and design.
> 
> In my humble opinion your exiting proposal to create
> a CMI-IV unsing today's technology 
> could hit a market-gap, if it was executed with the
> same strong conceptual foundation as 
> the original CMIs.
> 
> At the moment there is no High-End Computer Musical
> Instrument available, that would 
> enable the creative musician to work intuively by
> integrating deep performance, recording 
> and sound design capabilities in one coherent
> instrument.
> Wich is what the Fairlight CMI and the NED
> Synclavier achieved in their day.
> 
> Looking at what is available today:
> 
> 1. A system freely combining a standard PC/MAC, any
> software, a controller keyboard and 
> external AD/DA:
> A standard System like this does not give you the
> best possible sound quality, it is 
> unstable, and due to its lack of integration it is
> not verry intuitive.
> The user interface arguably hinders the creative
> process.
> 
> 2. A workstation keyboard like the Korg Oasis:
> A pretty well integrated Instrument, but technically
> and software-wise it does not 
> represent the state of the art. In terms of sound
> qualitiy it can't even compete with a 20 
> years old CMI-3 or a Synclavier.
> 
> 3. DSP based Workstations like Kyma:
> Great sound design tool, but not necessarily an
> intuitive musical instrument.
> 
> 
> Now if you compare the pricetags of the
> aforementioned, I am pretty sure, customers 
> (including myself) would be willing to pay more than
> the proposed $US5,000.00 if the 
> CMI-4 came with its own specialized keyboard
> controller/user interface, that would match 
> the CC-1's audio processing capabilities in terms of
> Quality and Design.
> 
> 
> Best regards,
> Fabian
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> --- In Fairlight-CMI@yahoogroups.com,
> <peter.vogel@...> wrote:
> >
> > 
> > There have been discussions from time to time
> about replicating the CMI
> > using a software emulation. These efforts will
> have limited success because
> > the "Fairlight sound" relies on the peculiarities
> of the hardware used in
> > the original design.
> > 
> > In the days when I was the designing CMI hardware,
> my greatest challenge was
> > to minimise the distortions and artifacts that
> were inherent aspects of the
> > hardware available at that time. In effect, we
> struggled to make the
> > Fairlight sound less "Fairlight". So the intimate
> details of what makes a
> > Fairlight sound like a Fairlight are indelibly
> etched in my brain.
> > 
> > When Fairlight brought out the Crystal Core Engine
> last year, my imagination
> > ran wild. Here was a tiny board with enormous
> capabilities that could be
> > configured to faithfully reproduce the CMI
> hardware in its FPGA (Field
> > Programmable Gate Array). Every bit of the 1980's
> CMI hardware, the essence
> > of its sound, could be reconstructed faithfully in
> digital hardware form. 
> > 
> > To fully appreciate the astounding potential of
> the CC-1, download the
> > brochure here:
> >
>
http://www.fairlightau.com/downloads/public/Fairlight%20NEW%20CC-1%20Brochur
> > e%20for%20WEB%20VIEW.pdf
> > 
> > I also recently discovered that ALL the IP
> relating to the original
> > Fairlight CMI including all of the hardware and
> filter designs, sample
> > libraries etc are still retained by Fairlight.au
> in Sydney.
> > 
> > So I have been wondering if it would be worthwhile
> to develop a faithful
> > reproduction of the CMI on the "Virtual Hardware"
> of the CC-1?
> > 
> > This would perform identically to the original CMI
> series II or III, but run
> > on a PC fitted with the Crystal Core card. The
> MIDI input would come
> > directly into the CC-1 so there would be no
> problem of latency introduced by
> > the PC.
> > 
> > At this stage I'd like to "feel out" the market to
> assess the level of
> > interest in this project and whether the
> significant investment in R&D will
> > be worthwhile.
> > 
> > The Fairlight Series IV (CC-1, I/O box and
> software) might be sold for
> > approximately $US5,000.00.
> > 
> > So my question is, what do you think of this idea?
> How would a Fairlight CMI
> > at this sort of price be received by the market?
> Who would the buyers be and
> > how would I tap into them?
> > 
> > What do you think?
> > 
> > Peter Vogel
> >
> 
>