The Fairlight CMI was the first commercially available digital sampling instrument, instead of generating sounds from mathematical wave data, the sampler digitises sounds from an external audio source via an analogue to digital convertor for re-synthesis or processing. The original Fairlight models used two standard 8 bit 6800 processors, updated to the more powerfull 16 bit 68000 chips in later versions. The Fairlight was equiped with two six octave keyboards an alphanumeric keyboard and an interactive VDU where sounds could be edited or drawn on the screen using a light pen. The whole instrument was controlled by proprietary software allowing editing, looping, mixing of sounds as well as the ability to draw soundwaves and sequence samples.
During the early eighties the fairlight and the Synclavier were the high-end option for synthesis and sampling and way beyond the reach of all but the most up-market studios. This situation came to an end with the advent of complex and affordable digital synthesisers and samplers by instruments such as Ensoniq's "Mirage" (1986), Emu Systems' "Emulator" and AKAI's S1000 sampler range.
