Hello folks!

Just dropping by to let you guys know that I'm working on a Fairlight CMI IIx instrument for Kontakt. I received (don't remember where) what I believe is the complete 33 floppy set of factory sounds with hundreds of instruments. I am slowly going through the sounds and turning them into Kontakt instruments, with looping where applicable.

I'm doing this as a personal project, but maybe others are interested as well? Here's what I have so far:



I think it's coming along great

I've been at it for about a week, and I don't think I'm halfwy through yet, so this might take a while.
Last edited by cosmosis on Sun Jul 31, 2011 12:49 pm; edited 1 time in total

are you recording the output of a fairlight ?
or just loading some wavs into kontakt ?

I'd be interested, although I'm a bit confused, to make it a 'library' that shows like 'Cult Sampler' and 'Phaedra' etc(as yours does) don't you have to pay a license fee to N.I?

Anyway it's a +1 from me as long as it features the sound of this intro -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnnptP5jMas

Yes, and will it also be the outputed sound of the Fairlight itself?

PS I got Cult Sampler, Nostalgia, Wusik Eve and the Hollowsun Vintage Samplers also and still haven't got all the sounds of the Fairlight, you'd think I would have across them 3 but not...

Cult Sampler hasn't even got Orch5

Interested, but I doubt it's legal...

Do you think Zero-G, Best Service, Wusik and Hollow Sun licensed the useage of the samples also?

There's a workaround, but, when you use the workaround you get an "activate" button on your library. I don't see such a button on the posted image. I'd be curious how one eliminates the button, feel free to send a pm if anyone knows. It's a registry hack for those that care and there is nothing illegal about employing it.

As far as copying the Fairlight samples, that cannot be legal unless it's done with permission, or, the samples have a license which allows for such use. The big limitation IMO, however, is that a key part of the Fairlight's sound is the SSM analog filters, you won't get that from Kontakt.
Last edited by ghettosynth on Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:51 am; edited 1 time in total

Hmmm, but that hack would maybe make it work with the 'Free' player version, so maybe it would be against the EULA of N.I.

Just normally third party Nki/nkm(which are not licensed as an N.I. library) will only work 'demo aside' with full Kontakt! I.e. Zero-G paid a license fee to N.I. and Phaedra works with the Free Player...

All a bit confusing...

I have no idea if that's true as I don't have anything with kontakt player. I suspect that, in fact, it isn't. If it were, the loop would have been closed as this has been discussed on the NI forums.

http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/showthread.php?t=911 77&page=2



I suspect that it's not that simple, but, really, I'm not that interested. With a new version of Kontakt out soon, this might not even be current information.

OK, some responses:

About it appearing as a library, it is a simple registry add, and the image in the root folder of the lib, named wallpaper.bmp/jpg. I never thought it would be breaking the TOS, but I'd be curious if anyone has specifics on this. Here's a generic one (use at own risk and thanx to zmaj666/netzteil for the info). Lib# must be under 5000 and you should check your own registry to make sure the number isn't in use already:





As far as I know, all sounds are there, including Sfzan1, which is the one in the Steps Ahead track. The effects sections are a riot. They are dirty and aliased and unprocessed. It's amazing how different they sound when compared to the ones in Nostalgia. It's obvious they are filtered, enveloped and reverb'd. They also helped me gain a new respect for 80s producers who made the sound so awesome.

As for the legality of all this, I gotta say I'm not too sure. I feel all the work involved would entitle me to some compensation, but I will not sell this. I do not have permission to use Fairlight sounds. I do not have permission to use these specific sounds and I'm not even sure where they came from.

I'd gladly accept donations (I'm out of a job ATM actually) but I intend to release this for free, unless I'm breaking all sorts of rules here?

Maybe release the samples and the nkis separately?

Oh yea, what exactly is an SSM filter?

Well if you can do it all legally and above board I'd be very interested - but you will need permission to use the samples surely - otherwise it's only ok for your own use if you own the original discs, a bit like making a Kontakt instrument of the M1 I suppose, you would need Korg's permission. I wonder how Zero-G, Best Service, Wusik and Hollowsun got around it with the Fairlight samples?

If this is illegal (which could be more than possible) than it doesn't matter if you give them for free or get money for it AFAIK.


Those are analog filter ICs cpmparable to the CEM chips. Those were used in some hybrid synths and analog polysnths like e.g. early Prophet 5 models, PPG Wave 2 or the Fairlight.


Ingo
Last edited by Ingonator on Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

The Fairlight uses a Solid State Music (SSM) 2044 24db/oct lowpass filter IC. Sure, kontakt has 24db/oct low pass filters, but they don't sound like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgFT93vZstw&feature=related

http://www.milton.arachsys.com/nj71/pdf/Siel/ssm2044.pdf

I think that a good Fairlight emu would need some serious attention to the VCF.