Fairlight CMI app for iPhone.

[Artmuzz]

Not only has this classic sampler been resurrected for the 21st century but it will soon be available as an app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. I am so excited about this even though it will sell on iTunes for $49



Art

[D-Collector]

Looks cool. Maybe a reason to get an iPhone soon.

[novielo]

geez 50$!

[D-Collector]

Here is a much better video of the iPad version!

http://bcove.me/e28teele

[garranimal]

wtf they just skip over the pc/laptop/mac markets? Am I missing something again that's already out there?

[Artmuzz]

Here is the best video so far of the iPad Fairlight CMI App



Art

[LBN]

wtf they just skip over the pc/laptop/mac markets? Am I missing something again that's already out there?

They probably feel that would cannibalize sales of their upcoming new CMI. Why spend $17,000 (or whatever) on a piece of hardware when you can duplicate the functionality in software for $50?

[madtheory]

Because the software doesn't give the same sound quality as a real CMI, whereas the 30A has a dial to do that for series I tone through IIx, III all the way to 48 bit or whatever the Crystal Core does.

[D-Collector]

Fairlight Instruments has released this video for their new app:

[madtheory]

It's a very annoying piece of music IMO, typical of library music done on the CMI back in the day, a bunch of chained patterns in Page R. So even if it was not created with the app, it is authentic.

[D-Collector]

What I said about the music in the clip was wrong, so I removed it. I basicly misunderstood. I don't want to discredit Fairlight on false premises. Here is the description from YouTube:

"The sound track of this video is also one of the app's built-in demos. 'Octagonalle' was created using original Series II library sounds on the Fairlight iPad app by producer/composer Justin Shave. Shave confronted his first CMI in 2006 when he co-produced Darren Hayes' album "This Delicate Thing We've Made." Darren had decided that the Fairlight was the only instrument which could deliver the '80s sensibility he was seeking, bought one on eBay, and handed it to Shave to tame. The rest is history."

[D-Collector]

Ok, I'm kinda getting more and more interested in this. Or at least the nostalgia nerd in me is.

This software seem to have something going for it. It will be MIDI controllable, provided you have an interface, and in the "Pro" version you can "import .WAV files, .AIFF files and .CAF files into your own virtual floppy disk collections, and use them in your instruments", to quote their website. That I like! Add to that the full original libraries of the IIx and series III.

You have the old-school sequencer and a touch screen interface. Imagine a small compact (and highly portable) setup like this:



That's gotta be fun!

The support section for the App is now up so you can get a good overview over the capabilities. It seems pretty deep. And of course, the iPad is usable for so much more.

[D-Collector]

I asked the following on YouTube and Peter Vogel answered swiftly:

Q: Are there any effects to apply to individual channels/instruments? Or will anything made with this be completely dry? Can a track be exported as separate tracks for each instrument?

A: No, there are no effects, just the line output which you can patch into whatever analogue outboard devices you like. The processor is pretty much occupied just playing an 8 track sequence*. Tracks cannot be exported digitally (in this first version, anyway). I guess you could solo each track and then multitrack it - there is no synch but the speed should be very accurate. I expect someone will try it and let us know how it goes!

Peter Vogel

So, based on this it seems that for now this app must be considered a toy / song scetchpad. And a rather expensive one if you don't own the Apple hardware. If they manage to implement a way to export a track as single channels to .wav or something it might become useful.

[D-Collector]

The App is now released and available on appstore. Here is the first small demo from a customer:



Another one:

[D-Collector]

Official tutorial from Fairlight Instruments, part 1: