KVR Audio

Failed Muso · Post by **Failed Muso** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 6:41 pm

Har wrote:Mellotron was definitely much earlier than the Fairlight, but used analog tapes versus actual digital sampling per se.

I think the early Emu Emulators came out before the Fairlight, though?

Fairlight CMI I - 1979

Fairlight CMI II - 1982

Fairlight CMI IIx - 1983

Fairlight CMI III - 1985

Emulator I - 1981

Emulator II - 1984

Emulator II+ - 1985

Emulator III - 1988

Emulator IIIx - 1993

Stupid American Pig · Post by **Stupid American Pig** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 6:43 pm

Optigan Pwns fairlight

Failed Muso · Post by **Failed Muso** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 6:50 pm

Kriminal wrote:I remember seeing the Fairlight on Tomorrows World, record a glass breaking in a bucket

I remember that too

Ah, Tomorrows World, I miss that. I also remember them demonstrating the Roland RSS 3D sound system, circa late 80's. I recorded it on audio tape to listen again at the wonders of surround sound from stereo speakers !

The Fairlight is probably one of the most influential music production systems ever. It was the first all in one package that allowed musicians like us to do everything in one place with awesome (for the time) sonic and sequencing capabilities.

One day, I will own one, but for know I make do with the original library I have committed to converting. It's a real treat trawling thru these sounds, each one triggers a memory of an old song

Failed Muso · Post by **Failed Muso** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 6:51 pm

S_A_P® wrote:Optigan Pwns fairlight

Say what ?

Kriminal · Post by **Kriminal** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 6:55 pm

Lovesign wrote:It was the first all in one package that allowed musicians like us to do everything in one place with awesome (for the time) sonic and sequencing capabilities.

Yeah, if you had a spare £250,000

Stupid American Pig · Post by **Stupid American Pig** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 7:05 pm

The optigan is way cooler than a fairlight... but Im only half serious

rockstar_not · Post by **rockstar_not** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 7:25 pm

Ensoniq Mirage brought sampling to the masses, imo - though not the first, it was the first that was affordable for joe average guy.

-Scott

Failed Muso · Post by **Failed Muso** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 7:31 pm

Kriminal wrote:
Lovesign wrote:It was the first all in one package that allowed musicians like us to do everything in one place with awesome (for the time) sonic and sequencing capabilities.
Yeah, if you had a spare £250,000

Indeed !

But I still lust after one. Chris Hughes recently sold his IIx and III on eBay. This was the exact same Fairlight IIx used on such classics as TFF "Shout" and Wang Chung's "Dance Hall Days". He also flogged his Synclavier, all for about £2K each. Now that is worth saving up for

Kriminal · Post by **Kriminal** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 7:33 pm

Well, if you have the money to spare and want one for nostalgic reasons, but for performance, i wouldnt touch one. I'd get an Amiga for £10 and use Audiomaster for my 8bit sampling

Failed Muso · Post by **Failed Muso** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 7:34 pm

rockstar_not wrote:Ensoniq Mirage brought sampling to the masses, imo - though not the first, it was the first that was affordable for joe average guy.

-Scott

Possibly, but true "sampling for the masses" was provided by Akai. There are still Akai's of all varieties in pro studios all over to this day.

Failed Muso · Post by **Failed Muso** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 7:36 pm

Kriminal wrote:Well, if you have the money to spare and want one for nostalgic reasons, but for performance, i wouldnt touch one. I'd get an Amiga for £10 and use Audiomaster for my 8bit sampling

Absolutely, but how cool would it be !

Nick Rhodes still uses the keyboard of his for his "live" performances in videos and TOTP. It still looks the tits, even if it doesn't sound that way compared to today's stuff

Har · Post by **Har** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:18 am

Lovesign wrote:
Har wrote:Mellotron was definitely much earlier than the Fairlight, but used analog tapes versus actual digital sampling per se.

I think the early Emu Emulators came out before the Fairlight, though?
Fairlight CMI I - 1979

Fairlight CMI II - 1982

Fairlight CMI IIx - 1983

Fairlight CMI III - 1985

Emulator I - 1981

Emulator II - 1984

Emulator II+ - 1985

Emulator III - 1988

Emulator IIIx - 1993

Ahhh, I stand corrected on the Emu!

Voidoid Surrealist · Post by **Voidoid Surrealist** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:29 am

S_A_P® wrote:I think that mello tron tapes and optigan discs certainly qulify as earlier samples than the fairlight sample to be fair, but its still cool to see that the first fairlight samples exist.

And to be really fair about it, the Chamberlin predated the mellotron...
http://www.hollowsun.com/vintage/chamberlin/index.html

shamann · Post by **shamann** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:35 am

Still, pretty ridiculous to refer to anything pre-digital as sampling.

cron · Post by **cron** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:43 am

shamann wrote:Still, pretty ridiculous to refer to anything pre-digital as sampling.

Indeed, the word sampler comes from the digital audio meaning of sample (as in sample rate), to convert an analog signal into samples.

First Ever Sampler...?