Fairlight CMI - Features Timeline

Features Timeline

Series comparison
Models Year Price Notable new features Voice# Synthesis Software I/O
Qasar I, II, M8 1975
~1977
$20,000
base price
  • Dynamic harmonic control
  • Waveform editing
  • No sampler
?
  • Dynamic harmonic control
    (128 harmonics additive)
  • Waveform editing
?
CMI Series I 1979 ~£18,000
  • Sampler (8 bit, 8 voice, monaural)
  • Lightpen
8
  • Sampling: 8bit @ 16 kHz
  • Dynamic harmonic control
  • Waveform editing/drawing
  • Basic keyboard sequencer
  • Musical Composition Language (MCL)
CMI Series II 1980 ~£25,000
  • "Page R" (Rev.10–)
8
  • Sampling: 8bit @ 2.1–30.2 kHz
  • Dynamic harmonic control
    (32 harmonics additive)
  • Waveform generating/drawing
  • "Page R" Realtime Composer
  • Basic keyboard sequencer
  • MCL
  • CV/Gate interface (optional)
CMI Series IIx 1983 ~£27,000
  • MIDI and SMPTE interface
  • FFT (Rev.12–)
8
  • Sampling: 8bit @ 2.1–30.2 kHz
  • FFT (additive resynthesis)
  • Waveform editing/drawing
  • "Page R" Realtime Composer
  • Basic keyboard sequencer
  • MCL
  • MIDI and SMPTE interface
CMI Series III 1985 £50,000
  • 16 voices (expandable), 16bit sampling
  • CAPS sequencer, maximum 80 tracks
  • Graphics tablet (instead of lightpen)
16
  • Sampling: 16bit @ 100 kHz(mono) or 50 kHz(stereo)
  • FFT (additive resynthesis)
  • Waveform editing/drawing
  • CAPS (Composer, Arranger, Performer Sequencer), 80 tracks
  • MCL
  • MIDI and SMPTE interface
CMI Series 30A 2009/
2011
~£20,000
  • Reissued using Crystal Core Sound Engine
  • Sampling rate: 44.1, 48, 96, 192 kHz
? ? ?
  • Analog: 2in / 12+2out
  • Digital: SPDIF, 64ch BNC MADI, Wordclock
  • Timecode: MIDI, LTC
  • MIDI, USB
Fairlight Pro App 2011 £29.99
  • Running on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch (iOS 4.0 or later)
  • Sampling (ver.1.1–)
?
  • Sample player with:
    • entire IIx library (564 voices)
    • selected III sounds (over 100)
  • User sampling (ver.1.1–)
  • "Page R" Realtime Comporser
  • "Page D" Display waveform in 3D graphics
  • MIDI input via external interface
  • Import/export CMI data files

Qasar I, II, and (last) M8 (1975–1977)

Made by Fairlight and Creative Strategies
  • Price: $20,000 base price
  • CPUs: Dual Motorola 6800
  • Storage: Hole paper tape reader
  • Memory: 4 kB per voice
  • Voices: 8 voices (no sampling, just numeric additive synthesis with 128 harmonics)
  • Synthesis: Additive synthesis; dynamic harmonic control, waveform editing

CMI Series I (1979)

Musical sampler was introduced.
  • Price: ~£18,000
  • CPUs: Dual Motorola 6800
  • Storage: Two 8" floppy drives
  • Memory: 16 kB per voice, System: 64 kB, Video: 16 kB (512x256 pixels)
  • Voices: 8 voices of polyphony
  • Synthesis: waveform drawing via lightpen; dynamic harmonic control, waveform editing
  • Sampling: 8 bits at 16 kHz (mono)
  • Sequencer: Basic keyboard sequencer, Musical Composition Language (MCL),
  • Keyboard: 73 note unweighted velocity sensitive + slave keyboard

CMI Series II (1980)

  • Price: ~£25,000
  • CPUs: Dual Motorola 6800
  • Storage: Two 8" floppy drives
  • Memory: 16 kB per voice, System: 64 kB, Video: 16 kB (512x256 pixels)
  • Voices: 8 voices of polyphony
  • Synthesis: dynamic harmonic control (Page 4); waveform generating (Page 5); waveform drawing via lightpen (Page 6)
  • Sampling: 8 bits at 2100 Hz to 30.2 kHz (mono) (Page 8)
  • Sequencer: Basic keyboard sequencer (Page 9), Musical Composition Language (MCL, Page C), Realtime Composer (Page R)
  • Keyboard: 73 note unweighted velocity sensitive + slave keyboard
  • I/O: No MIDI, optional CV/Gate interface (Page A)

CMI Series IIx (1983)

  • Price: ~£27,000
  • CPUs: Dual Motorola 6809
  • Storage: Two 8" floppy drives
  • Memory: 16 kB per voice, System: 256 kB, Video: 16 kB (512x256 pixels)
  • Voices: 8 voices of polyphony
  • Synthesis: waveform drawing via lightpen; dynamic harmonic control, waveform editing
  • Sampling: 8 bits at 2100 Hz to 30.2 kHz (mono) (Page 8)
  • Sequencer: Page R, Basic keyboard sequencer, Musical Composition Language (MCL)
  • Keyboard: 73 note unweighted velocity sensitive + slave keyboard
  • I/O: MIDI, SMPTE

CMI Series III (1985)

  • Price: £50,000
  • CPUs: Dual Motorola 6809 CPUs, and one 6809 CPU for each voice card, one Motorola 68000 (to 68020) for waveform processor card
  • Storage: Hard drive and Tape DC600 Streamer (ESDI, SCSI), one 8" floppy drive
  • Memory: 14 MB, expandable to 32 MB and maximum 64 MB on last hard revision (RAM RAM disk), System: 356 kB
  • Voices: 16 voices of polyphony (expandable)
  • Synthesis: waveform drawing via graphics tablet; FFT; waveform editing
  • Sampling: 16 bits at 100 kHz (mono) or 50 kHz (stereo)
  • Sequencer: CAPS (Composer, Arranger, Performer Sequencer), 80 track polyphonic, Musical Composition Language (MCL),
  • Keyboard: 73 note unweighted velocity sensitive (MIDI compatible)
  • I/O: MIDI, SMPTE

CMI Series 30A (30th Anniversary) (announced in 2009, released in 2011)

  • ~$20,000
  • Retro look and feel of the original CMI
  • Sound architecture based on the new Crystal Core
CMI-30A Hardware Specifications
System Components
  • Mainframe — free-standing and adaptable to rack mount, includes 500GB SATA hard drive, DVD R/W drive, USB ports.
    (Welded aluminium enclosure. Width:58 cm, Depth:50 cm, Height:30 cm, Weight:32 kg)
  • Monitor — 17" 1280 x 1024 pixels
    (Width:51 cm, Depth:28 cm, Height:38 cm, Weight:12 kg)
  • Lightpen — Precision machined stainless steel pointer with left/right click button
  • QWERTY keyboard — 85 clicky keys, USB output
  • Music keyboard — Fatar 76 key TP40GH, with weighted keys and hammer action for a real piano feel,
    velocity and aftertouch, pitch wheel, mod wheel, 3 assignable rotary controls, 2 assignable switches, assignable multitouch colour screen
    (Width:130 cm, Depth:44 cm, Height:9.5 cm, Weight:25 kg)
Audio Outputs
  • 12 channels analogue, balanced TRS
  • 2 channels analogue monitor mix, balanced TRS (front panel access)
    (Dynamic range > 100 dB (unweighted); THD < 0.002% @ 1 kHz, −1dBFS; Frequency response +0.05 / −0.15 dB, 20 Hz – 20 kHz)
  • Digital output: 64 channel BNC MADI
Audio Inputs
  • 2 balanced mic/line inputs XLR, phantom power 48V option
    (Sample rate: 44.1, 48, 96, 192 kHz; THD < 0.002% @ 1 kHz, −1dBFS; Frequency response +0.05 / −0.15 dB, 20 Hz – 20 kHz)
  • SPDIF
Other I/O
  • USB, Pedal x 3
  • MIDI and MIDI Timecode input and output via 5 pin DIN
  • LTC (Linear Time Code) input and output
  • Word clock (for synchronisation to external sources)
Power
  • 100–240V AC — Mainframe & Keyboard: 9W, Monitor: 50W

Fairlight Pro App for iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad, iOS 4.0 or later. (2011)

  • £29.99
  • Entire original Fairlight CMI IIX Sound Library containing 564 voices.
  • 100+ selected CMI III sounds - play the CMI voices from an external MIDI input or the on-screen keyboard.
  • Display voices graphically using ‘Page D’, and change your viewpoint by tilting the iPhone/iPad.
  • Authentic Fairlight CMI user interface.
  • 8 track composition using ‘Page R’ pattern-based sequencer.
  • Ability to create instrument sets that store settings for all 8 channels, including the voices, pitch shifts, volumes, release times etc.
  • Import/export voices, compositions, MIDI and instruments.

Read more about this topic:  Fairlight CMI

Famous quotes containing the word features:

    It is a tribute to the peculiar horror of contemporary life that it makes the worst features of earlier times—the stupefaction of the masses, the obsessed and driven lives of the bourgeoisie—seem attractive by comparison.
    Christopher Lasch (b. 1932)