Fairlight

Fairlight is an Australian company founded in 1975 by Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie. It became famous for developing the Fairlight CMI, the world’s first digital sampling synthesiser and music workstation, which revolutionised music production in the 1980s. Later, Fairlight expanded into professional audio and video post-production equipment. Despite changes in focus over the years, Fairlight remains influential for its pioneering role in digital music technology.

Released in 1979

Fairlight CMI Computer Musical Instrument

The Fairlight CMI, launched in 1979, was the world’s first digital sampling synthesiser and a pioneering music workstation. Evolving through Series I, II, IIx, and III, it introduced sampling, graphical sequencing (Page R), and advanced audio editing. Favoured by artists like Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, and Herbie Hancock, it shaped the sound of the 1980s. Despite its high cost, it revolutionised music production, leading to modern sampling and DAWs. A 30th-anniversary model, the CMI 30A, was released in 2011.
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