Bob Moog Fairlight part 1

This is part 1 of 6

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Moog
• Fairlight
• Sampling

[Dogboy73]

Where did oyu get this? Great video.

[jhanalog]

I was a sales engineer for Fairlight and was one of the producers of this presentation.

[anemovatis]

Thank you for this awesome footage. This should also be packed in one big video instead of pieces, for easier viewing.

[jhanalog]

I think you can only post 10 min segments so I cut it up.

jeff

[whiteman156]

The name of the machine is "Fairlight CMI" (CMI means "Computer Musical Instrument"). It was one of the first digital computerized Synthesizer and Sound-Sampler. They first came out in 1979 and were very expensive (the first ones costs about 1 Million US $ !!) The first CMIs based on the QASAR, a two-processor Motorola 6800 Computer-system. It had it's own OS called QDOS. At all, it was a system of it's own, not compatible to other computers.

[Dogboy73]

Fantastic. It's great to see this kind of stuff. Cheers for posting.

[paulj0557]

In the world of music electronics/ electronic music we've seen many successful designs, but there are still approaches to electronic sampling/playback, analog synthesis, and a myriad of combinations of two that have yet to be discovered. My interests are currently in theater pipe organs and I'd love to see Miditzer and Hauptwerk develop an actual pipe system (ie. Conn)that one can fabricate from simple plans using basic supplies and perhaps software that uses a simple microphone for calibration.

[Audionized]

Great video, thanks for uploading. Indeed Moog looks kind of uncomfortable doing the presentation here. But he manages to convey his points anyway.

[bonkswa]

@jhanalog from wich year was this?

[eddievhfan1984]

@1982CFD Actually, from the data on the Fairlight I've read, it is capable of 128 harmonics, but that's only for fidelity--I suppose most "synthesized" sounds only need 32 at best to sound good, and more for sampled sounds. The Synclavier did a similar thing--it couldn't directly sample, but I could load up pre-recorded ones and re-synthesize them using FM synthesis instead of the additive synthesis the Fairlight used.

[aomvideoland]

This is an absolutely amazing piece of video/history, thank you so much for uploading it. It's incredible to hear Dr. Bob Moog speak about a technology that was quite different to that which he pioneered yet he understood and accepted it as a way forward for electronic music.

[trentbuzz]

I bet a MicroKORG would blow his mind!

[THEH4VOC]

!!!!ELDER GOD OF SYNTHESIZER!!!!! ___R.I.P.___

[1982CFD]

When Bob says "we can specify the strengths or amplitudes of 32 harmonics" do you think that means all the sounds the fairlight makes are made from 32 individual sine waves?