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Description

One of the world's first music workstations, the Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument (CMI) paved the way for modern music production with its unprecedented multitimbral capabilities and convincing ability to emulate various instruments. After its introduction in 1979, the CMI quickly became a studio staple (despite its nearly $100,000 price tag), appearing in everything from "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Tears for Fears to the "Miami Vice" soundtrack.

Fred Koke

Fred Koke

Herbie Hancock jams with his Fairlight CMI

Video thumbnail for Herbie Hancock jams with his Fairlight CMI by Fred Koke

Herbie Hancock jams with his Fairlight CMI

Fred Koke

Fred Koke

Video thumbnail for Some Fairlight CMI IIX Sounds by Perfect Circuit

Some Fairlight CMI IIX Sounds

Perfect Circuit

Perfect Circuit

Video thumbnail for How the Fairlight CMI changed the course of music by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age

How the Fairlight CMI changed the course of music

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age

Video thumbnail for Herbie Demonstrates the Fairlight CMI Synthesizer on Sesame Street, 1983 by Herbie Hancock

Herbie Demonstrates the Fairlight CMI Synthesizer on Sesame Street, 1983

Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock

Video thumbnail for Kate Bush and the Fairlight CMI by Manuella Blackburn

Kate Bush and the Fairlight CMI

Manuella Blackburn

Manuella Blackburn

Video thumbnail for The Fairlight CMI: Mother of All Samplers by Fuzz City Records

The Fairlight CMI: Mother of All Samplers

Fuzz City Records

Fuzz City Records

Video thumbnail for 1980: The Sound of the FUTURE! With the Fairlight CMI | Tomorrow's World | Retro Tech | BBC Archive by BBC Archive

1980: The Sound of the FUTURE! With the Fairlight CMI | Tomorrow's World | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

BBC Archive

BBC Archive

Reviews

Critic Reviews

Fairlight CMI Review (EMM Jun 81)

muzines.co.uk

The Fairlight CMI is a groundbreaking digital instrument praised for its innovative approach to sound synthesis and sampling, offering capabilities that were ahead of its time. Its user interface, which includes a light pen for waveform drawing, sets it apart from competitors, allowing for deep sound manipulation. However, its high price tag and complexity mean it's best suited for dedicated musicians and studios rather than casual users. While it's a powerful tool for creative sound design, the learning curve and lack of traditional music notation support could be a drawback for some. Overall, a remarkable but niche piece of equipment.

positive

5.0 out of 5

Based on 0 Reviews and 7 Ratings

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Artist usage

Add artist
See how Peter Gabriel uses Fairlight CMI

Peter Gabriel

Singer, Keyboardist

Genesis

...
Verified via Photo

At the beginning of this article, there is a photo of Gabriel with a Fairlight, as the caption underneath confirms.

See how Klaus Schulze uses Fairlight CMI

Klaus Schulze

Guitarist, Bassist

Tangerine Dream

...
Verified via Klaus-schulze

Atari 1040 ST, Atari Mega ST 4, Roland: Super JX 10, S 50, D 50, MKS 80, MKS 30, U 110, MPG 80; Akai X 7000, Fairlight, Yamaha TX 81 Z, Akai S 612, Korg DVP 1, Roland SRV 2000, Korg SDD 1200, Ibanez SDR 1000, Eventide Harmonizer, 3x Hohner HS-1/E, 2x Klark EQ, Arsonic-Sigma 5.2, EMS Synthi A, and others...

See how Mike Oldfield uses Fairlight CMI

Mike Oldfield

Guitarist, Bassist

The Sallyangie

...
Verified via Photo

The attached image is from the sleeve of the Discovery album and the Fairlight Series II (keyboard, computer and monitor) can be seen in the centre. Oldfield was one of the early Fairlight owners. He actually had two of them (astonishingly, given their cost at the time!), both of which were used for live work. (reference tubular.net http://tubular.net/instruments/#SAMPLER )

See how Roland Orzabal uses Fairlight CMI

Roland Orzabal

Singer, Guitarist

Tears for Fears

...
Verified via Mixonline

Accoring to this article Roland Orzabal used a Fairlight CMI when recording Tears For Tears classic album Songs From the Big Chair

See how Nick Rhodes uses Fairlight CMI

Nick Rhodes

Keyboardist

Duran Duran

...
Verified via Photo

Nick is pictured performing with his CMI underneath his Jupiter 8..

See how Alan Parsons uses Fairlight CMI

Alan Parsons

Guitarist, Keyboardist

The Alan Parsons Project

...
Verified via Soundonsound

''Peter Vogel brought an early CMI to the UK in person, and one of the first people to get one was Peter Gabriel. Once UK distributor Syco Systems had been set up, the client list started to grow. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) bought the first as a replacement for his Mellotron. He was soon followed by Kate Bush, Thomas Dolby, Geoff Downes, Queen, Keith Emerson, Alan Parsons, Stuart Copeland, JJ of Art of Noise, Trevor Horn and Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and many others''

See how Kate Bush uses Fairlight CMI

Kate Bush

Singer, Keyboardist

...
Verified via Soundonsound

This Sound On Sound article states: "The huge cost of the Fairlight CMI did not put the rich and famous off. Peter Vogel brought an early CMI to the UK in person, and one of the first people to get one was Peter Gabriel. Once UK distributor Syco Systems had been set up, the client list started to grow. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) bought the first as a replacement for his Mellotron. He was soon followed by Kate Bush, Thomas Dolby, Geoff Downes, Queen, Keith Emerson, Alan Parsons, Stuart Copeland, JJ of Art of Noise, Trevor Horn and Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and many others."

See how Chris Lowe uses Fairlight CMI

Chris Lowe

Keyboardist, Composer

Pet Shop Boys

...
Verified via Photo

"A picture of Chris Lowe from the Pet Shop Boys playing a Fairlight Series III on"

See how Ben Frost uses Fairlight CMI

Ben Frost

Guitarist, Composer

...
Verified via reddit

In this comment from his Reddit AMA, Frost mentions he used a CMI in his score for season 3 of the Netflix series 'Dark'.

See how Curt Smith uses Fairlight CMI

Curt Smith

Singer, Bassist

Tears for Fears

...
Verified via Mixonline

According to an article by Heather Johnson on Mixonline, Curt Smith used the Fairlight CMI synthesizer during the recording of Tears for Fears' classic album "Songs from the Big Chair."

See how Geoff Downes uses Fairlight CMI

Geoff Downes

Keyboardist

Yes

...
Verified via Muzines

"With careful manipulation you can use the latest technology to drive the old stuff anyway; for instance, I use a Fairlight CMI to drive the Minimoog, because I still don't think there's been a better lead synthesizer than the Minimoog in terms of actual solo synth playing."

See how Ric Ocasek uses Fairlight CMI

Ric Ocasek

Singer, Guitarist

The Cars

...
Verified via Dailyeventsbookpagethree

Ric used the CMI Fairlight on Heartbeat City as well as Greg Hawkes for some parts

Greg Hawkes Both Greg and Ric used the Fairlight CMI extensively on Heartbeat City, but also used the Roland Jupiter B and Vocoder, the Memorymoog, the Yamaha DX7 and DX9, the Mini-Korg, a Prophet 5 and a PPG 3.2 Wave synthesizer.

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Fairlight CMI, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

Roland Jupiter-8
Roland Jupiter-8 Synthesizers
11
Yamaha DX7
Yamaha DX7 Synthesizers
9
PPG Wave 2.2
PPG Wave 2.2 Synthesizers
5
PPG Wave 2.3
PPG Wave 2.3 Synthesizers
4
Yamaha CS-80
Yamaha CS-80 Synthesizers
4
Moog Memorymoog
Moog Memorymoog Synthesizers
4
Yamaha RX11
Yamaha RX11 Drum Machines
3
E-Mu Emulator I
E-Mu Emulator I Synthesizers
3

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