Fairlight: the classic sampler is back!

Computer Music, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 4:20 pm GMT

In the early 80s, the Fairlight CMI sampler changed the sound of popular music forever thanks to its digital sampling capabilities. It found favour among artists such as Peter Gabriel, Thomas Dolby and The Art of Noise.

Now the instrument is back is three different forms. First up, a new version of the hardware is to be produced, but the price for units will be a fairly hefty $20,000 – see the full story from Music Radar for full details.

A more affordable way to get that legendary sound will be to check out this Kontakt-compatible patch library from Bitley, which includes nearly 2,000 patches and will eventually retail for $160.

Finally, check out this Fairlight iPhone app! Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but you can get your fill of new Fairlight info from this excellent Matrixsynth round-up....