Fairlight Instruments Now Peter Vogel Instruments - New Products Coming

via Peter Vogel Instruments

"A facelift for Fairlight Instruments

Fairlight Instruments Pty Ltd is changing its name in anticipation of the release of some exciting new products.

The new name, Peter Vogel Instruments, reflects the company’s transition from building on the past to inventing the future.

I am delighted to announce that we will be unveiling some amazing new products over the coming year, under the new brand. These are now in development and all I will say is that we are working hard to make the new products accessible to the average musician, unlike the Fairlight CMI which back in 1979 cost more than the average house.

The CMI-30A, which we released last year as an homage to the original Fairlight CMI, will continue to be our prestige flagship product. A major upgrade now in the works will become available later this year to existing 30A owners free of charge.

The iOS app has been rebranded and has been withdrawn from the app store pending Apple’s approval. Existing app owners will see an update offered shortly. In response to customer requests, significant new functionality is being developed for release as a free update later this year.

We are also developing an entirely new keyboard product, quite unlike anything previously made by Fairlight — or anyone else.

All will be revealed at NAMM in 2013.

Exciting times!

Peter Vogel"

Introducing Fairlight CMI Legacy II+ (reason refill)

YouTube via bitleyTM | February 07, 2011 |

"Introducing Fairlight CMI Legacy MKII+. Fairlight CMI Legacy MKII+ marks the introduction of a new release in the series of Fairlight refills, having been continously developed and updated for about a year and a half. Comparing the size of this new version with the original, it's pretty evident that lots has happened during this time. Six times larger than the original 400 Mb Fairlight CMI Legacy, introduced in April 2010, the new refill also comes with some stunning new concepts.

Technically speaking what we now have here is a Reason 4 and 5 compatible refill, loaded with no less than 2 304 instrument patches; 1 014 NNXT patches, 622 Combinator patches, over 190 ReDrum drum kits and much, much more.

Main news. All instruments are now divided into virtual machines. This is highly inspired by Elektron's Machinedrum & Monomachine grooveboxes. The Combinator graphics are brand new and unique for each machine / instrument. These have been designed with creative input and assistance from Kangebo Design in Stockholm, Sweden. All of the patches in the refill are named according to these instrument types, to make it easier to find the right sound when producing music.

These are some of the new instruments / machines in the refill; 4 UPETEUR. Analog Compuphonic Synth. AIRBASS. The total module for bass sounds. CHROME. Analog and chord synth module. DIG IT ALL. Digital synths. FAIRVOX. Fairlight Voices. ILLTURN 80R. Alternating patches. MEAN MACHINE. Edge and grit. ORLANDO. Analog JX Synths. P5. Analog synthesizer. THE LEGACY. CMI taken to new levels. THE ORCH. Orchestral with a twist. TWEEDLE. Keyboard sounds. UNDERCOVER. Drums, percussion and FX. XYLO 4N. Mallets. Last but not least; ZIGNATURE PATCHEZ.
Signature patches provided by DrLoop, Abstract Assasinator and EditEd4TV.

Background. Fairlight CMI was introduced in 1979 and it was the first ever keyboard instrument with digital sampling, ie recording of sounds and storing those in a computer-like fashion. The Fairlight systems of those days cost about 545 000 SEK; roughly 2 MSEK by today's value (about $350,000). The extremely high price combined with the fact that only highly successfull acts got to use it (like Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Keith Emerson, Howard Jones and many others) helped form a myth around the instrument. When I got the chance to use some original recordings directly from a Fairlight IIx I was instantly turned on by the idea of building a refill, since these sounds still are highly looked after. I contacted Fairlight in Australia and got a thumbs up about the project, and this has helped me build and maintain what today is the world's largest collection of Fairlight recordings. This is all available for Reason!

File size: 1,7 Gb (packed) or 2,49 Gb before packed with ReFill Packer.

To find out more and to order the refill, please visit http://bitley.laconicsounds.net - direct link http://bitley.laconicsounds.net/refil..."

Fairlight Series III rackmount

via this auction

"Offered for sale is a very rare, fully functional, vintage classic Fairlight CMI III computer musical instrument workstation in excellent condition. The system is a late model, in a rack case and as such has the latest and best in technical innovations, whilst still retaining the classic legendary sound of the CMI.

The system has the latest 9.34 software, has 16 voices, colour graphics card, and 24 output router. It also comes with the later MFX alpha-numeric keyboard, a beautiful golden mouse, and a 15” LCD screen is included (not the one shown in the pictures). Instead of the usual 14 Mbytes RAM memory fitted as standard from the factory, this unit has a brand new 32 Mbyte card, which is the maximum possible in these systems. There is no music keyboard, however any MIDI keyboard or external computer/sequencer will work brilliantly. The only 'non-standard' aspect of this system is the MIDI module, which is from a later MFX3, and has 2 ports in, and 2 out. However, since all the cards and modules of a series III are plug-in, it would only take two minutes to retro-fit an original module, should one become available. This aspect of the design also makes servicing a breeze. In the unlikely event of a board failure, this can simply be swapped out for a replacement from me. I have a huge amount of other systems and spares, since I bought most of the factories old stock and spare parts. I have been supporting these incredible systems for many years, and hope to continue this for many more…

The libraries supplied with this system are as follows:
Complete Fairlight library, Prosonus Strings, Brass, Percussion, Sound
Genesis strings, plus many libraries collected over the last 20 years
dealing with top producers and musicians. These include libraries from: Pet
Shop Boys, Trevor Horn, Hans Zimmer, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Art of Noise and many, many others. The complete Fairlight IIX library is also included.

An external empty 4 Gbyte hard disc, with spare system softwares can also be supplied for a minimal additional cost.

The system will be serviced, have a full set of manuals, all leads, latest firmware, and come with 3 months warranty.

Please note you’ll see other Fairlight systems advertised, and some might be less expensive. However, do some research before you buy. What may look like a bargain might not look so appealing when its obsolete parts finally give up. This applies specially to earlier systems. This system is complete, fully functional, and will work straight out of the box. I worked as product specialist and studio manager at Fairlight in Sydney during most of the 1980s, and have been involved in re-building Fairlight CMIs for over 25 years. I have sold and supported well over 35 of these classic samplers. If you are in any doubt, please type “Peter Wielk Fairlight” into the worlds favourite search engine and see what comes out.

I have tried to describe this system as accurately as possible. However, please feel free to ask any questions, or if you’re passing through Sydney, you would be very welcome to have an extensive demonstration. Lastly, these systems were designed and built with no compromises, reflected by their US$75,000 price tag when new. The sound is completely awesome. You might buy a sample CD of the Fairlight sounds, it will sound NOTHING like the real thing.

Also, only about 200 systems were built, and they were sold to the most influental musicians and producers in the world. The sounds of the Fairlight CMI formed the soundtrack of the 1980s. So, if you’ve always lusted after one, here’s your chance to own a part of music history!

The pictures in the sequence were taken in my demo studio, which includes an old sign from the factory.

Please note price is in US dollars, and excludes freight. I have an account with TNT couriers here in Sydney and ship many systems every year. I will ship for my cost. Please mail for more exact figures to your location. All shipments can be tracked through TNTs own site."

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Fairlight IIX MIDI

via this auction "Offered for sale is a very rare Fairlight IIX CMI (computer musical instrument) in full working order, fitted with series I channel cards and MIDI. This system was a “test” machine in the Fairlight factory in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney around 1983, and subsequently lacks some of the cosmetic finesse of production systems, as can be seen in the pictures. There is no front panel, a missing side panel, and the rear panel is unpainted, however none of this affects the operation in any way. Two MIDI in ports and two out enable the Fairlight CMI to integrate seamlessly into any setup, and plugged into any MIDI keyboard or sequencer, can be creating music within minutes.
It’s no exaggeration to say the early Fairlight systems defined the music of the 1980s. They were the very first commercially available samplers, and one of the composition pages, Page R, was the worlds first screen based sequencer. Little wonder that some of the most innovative musicians of the time embraced the CMI so passionately. Peter Gabriel, Kate bush, Stevie Wonder, Tears for Fears, Yello, Thomas Dolby, and many others used the CMI to define their sound. Check out “Fairlight CMI” in Wikipedia for a full run-down.

A full set of the latest 1.3 revision library discs is included (coincidentally, compiled by myself at the factory in 1982-3). There are also several system and utility discs, plus 10 blank sound discs.

The sound of the early Fairlight CMIs is completely awesome – a product of the inspired software, and a no-compromise attitude to hardware design. You might buy a CD of Fairlight sounds for you sampler – it will sound nothing like the real thing!

There is no CRT monitor or lightpen included, as the early units are virtually impossible to come by in good working condition. Instead, a new LCD screen is included, which works flawlessly. Not having a lightpen would seem to be a major disadvantage, however, virtually every function on the IIX can be accessed via the alpha-numeric keyboard. The only one that cannot, unsurprisingly, is waveform drawing, which although a complete revelation in 1979 has very few practical uses, apart from amusing small children. However, should an old monitor and lightpen become available, it can be plugged in and will function immediately.

The system has the original floppy drives, which because of their mains supply motors require a 50Hz mains frequency. Therefore, in it’s present state, is unsuitable for use in the USA or Japan, which use a 60Hz supply.

The system is recently serviced, and will have a full set of manuals, full library, all leads, latest software, and come with 3 months warranty.

Please note you’ll see other Fairlight systems advertised on ebay, and many will less expensive. However, do some research before you buy. What may look like a bargain might not look so appealing when its obsolete parts finally give up. This applies specially to earlier systems. This system is complete (apart from a lightpen), fully functional, and will work straight out of the box. I worked as product specialist and studio manager at Fairlight in Sydney during most of the 1980s, and have subsequently been involved in re-building Fairlight CMIs for over 25 years. I have sold and support well over 30 of these classic samplers. If you are in any doubt, please type “Peter Wielk Fairlight” into the worlds favourite search engine and see what comes out. I am also proud of my 100% positive ebay feedback with over 300 transactions, which I hope reflects my honest and straight forward dealings. I have also described this system as accurately as possible. However, please feel free to ask any questions, or if you’re passing through Sydney, you would be very welcome to have an extensive demonstration. Lastly, these systems were designed and built with no compromises, reflected by their US$50,000 price tag when new. The sound is completely awesome.

Also, only about 200 systems were built, and they were sold to the most influental musicians and producers in the world. The sounds of the Fairlight CMI formed the soundtrack of the 1980s. So, if you’ve always lusted after one, here’s your chance to own a part of music history! "

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Fairlight CMI series III

via this auction
"The system has the latest 9.34 software, has 16 voices, colour graphics card, digital sampler and 24 output router. It also comes with the later MFX alpha-numeric keyboard and mouse, and a 15” LCD screen is included (not the one shown in the pictures). Instead of the usual 14 Mbytes RAM memory fitted as standard from the factory, this unit has a brand new 32 Mbyte card, which is the maximum possible in these systems. There is no music keyboard, however any MIDI keyboard or external computer/sequencer will work brilliantly. There are 3 MIDI ports in, and 4 out.

The 4 Gbyte internal disc is full of the following libraries:
Complete Fairlight library, Prosonus Strings, Brass, Percussion, Sound
Genesis strings, plus many libraries collected over the last 20 years
dealing with top producers and musicians. These include libraries from: Pet
Shop Boys, Trevor Horn, Hans Zimmer, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Art of Noise and many, many others. The complete Fairlight IIX library is also included.

An external empty 4 Gbyte hard disc, with spare system softwares can also be supplied for a minimal additional cost.

The system will be serviced, have a full set of manuals, all leads, latest firmware, and come with 3 months warranty.

Please note you’ll see other Fairlight systems advertised, and many will less expensive. However, do some research before you buy. What may look like a bargain might not look so appealing when its obsolete parts finally give up. This applies specially to earlier systems. This system is complete, fully functional, and will work straight out of the box. I worked as product specialist and studio manager at Fairlight in Sydney during most of the 1980s, and have been involved in re-building Fairlight CMIs for over 25 years. I have sold and supported well over 30 of these classic samplers. If you are in any doubt, please type “Peter Wielk Fairlight” into the worlds favourite search engine and see what comes out."

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Fairlight CMI Series III

Title link takes you to some great shots via this auction sent my way via loscha.

"Offered for sale is a very rare, fully functional, vintage classic chassis Fairlight CMI III computerised musical instrument workstation in excellent condition. Also fitted is Fairlight MFX2 capability, which adds a 24 track direct to disc recorder / editor. The system is a late model, and as such has the latest and best in technical innovations, whilst still retaining the classic legendary sound of the CMI.

The system has 16 voices, 16 Mbytes RAM, colour graphics card, digital sampler and 24 output router. Up to 2 extra 8 Mbyte RAM cards can be supplied for an extra $300 each. It also comes with the later MFX alpha-numeric keyboard, and a really nice proper weighted action music keyboard. A 15” LCD screen (not the one illustrated) is included. There are two 4 Gbyte hard discs fitted, with a front panel switch that toggles to enable the system to boot up either in CMI (revision 9.34) or MFX2 (revision 11.39) mode.

The MFX2 disc is empty for disc recording, whilst the CMI disc is full of the following libraries:

Complete Fairlight library, Prosonus Strings, Brass, Percussion, Sound
Genesis strings, plus many libraries collected over the last 20 years
dealing with top producers and musicians. These include libraries from: Pet
Shop Boys, Trevor Horn, Hans Zimmer, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Art of Noise and many, many others. The complete Fairlight IIX library is also included.

An external empty 4 Gbyte hard disc, with both sets of system softwares is also included, with SCSI lead, as a backup.

The system will be serviced, have a full set of manuals, all leads, latest firmware, and come with 3 months warranty.

Please note you’ll see other Fairlight systems advertised on ebay, and many will less expensive. However, do some research before you buy. What may look like a bargain might not look so appealing when its obsolete parts finally give up. This applies specially to earlier systems. This system is complete, fully functional, and will work straight out of the box. I worked as product specialist and studio manager at Fairlight in Sydney during most of the 1980s, and have been involved in re-building Fairlight CMIs for over 25 years. I have sold and supported well over 30 of these classic samplers. If you are in any doubt, please type “Peter Wielk Fairlight” into the worlds favourite search engine and see what comes out. I am also proud of my 100% positive ebay feedback with over 140 transactions, which I hope reflects my honest and straight forward dealings. I have also described this system as accurately as possible. However, please feel free to ask any questions, or if you’re passing through Sydney, you would be very welcome to have an extensive demonstration. Lastly, these systems were designed and built with no compromises, reflected by their US$75,000 price tag when new. The sound is completely awesome.

The last picture in the sequence shows my "widgetarium" my workshop devoted to all things Fairlight, including an old sign from the factory."

Update via the comments: "This is as "real" as it gets. This instrument is being sold by Peter Wielk, who used to be the UK Fairlight distributor. He's been supporting the instrument ever since."

Fairlight Series III & MFX

Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction.

Details:
"Offered for sale is a very rare fully functional vintage rack-mount Fairlight CMI III computerised musical instrument workstation in excellent condition. Also fitted is Fairlight MFX2 capability, which adds a 24 track direct to disc recorder / editor. The system is a late model, and as such has the latest and best in technical innovations, whilst still retaining the classic legendary sound of the CMI.

The system has 16 voices, 16 Mbytes RAM, colour graphics card, digital sampler and 24 output router. It also comes with the later MFX alpha-numeric keyboard, and a proper weighted action music keyboard. A 15” LCD screen (not the one illustrated) is included. There are two 4 Gbyte hard discs, one empty for disc recording, and one full of the following libraries:
Complete Fairlight library, Prosonus Strings, Brass, Percussion, Sound Genesis strings, plus many libraries collected over the last 20 years dealing with top producers and musicians. These include libraries from: Pet Shop Boys, Trevor Horn, Hans Zimmer, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Art of Noise and many, many others. The complete Fairlight IIX library is also included.

The system will be serviced, have a full set of manuals (including a very rare service manual), all leads, latest firmware, and come with 3 months warranty. It is currently in an 18U rack, but can be dismantled for ease of shipment. In this case each module is professionally packed by first wrapping the part in polythene, placing it in a larger container which is filled with liquid foam (see photo). Once set, this provides superb protection.

Please note you’ll see other Fairlight systems advertised on ebay, and many will less expensive. However, do some research before you buy. What may look like a bargain might not look so appealing when its obsolete parts finally give up. I have been involved in re-building Fairlight CMIs for over 25 years, and have sold and supported well over 30 of these classic samplers. I am also proud of my 100% positive ebay feedback with over 120 transactions, which I hope reflects my honest and straight forward dealings. I have also described this system as accurately as possible. However, please feel free to ask any questions, or if you’re passing through Sydney, you would be very welcome to have an extensive demonstration."

via Joel.