I'm Building a Fairlight CMI: Episode 1: The Arrival

Cris Blyth is a brave man. He has a dream of taking a Fairlight MFX and upgrading it to a Fairlight CMI Series III. In this episode, a case arrives, and Cris prepares for the guts to be transplanted.
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[@chelfyn]

It's kind of amazing that all this complex hardware can now be simulated accurately on my ipad!

[@Hairmetallurgist]

There's daunting, and then there's THIS project! Can't wait to see how it ends!

[@PebblesChan]

I was at Fairlight Rushcutters Bay when they were experimenting with audio sampling to a “giant capacity” 5 megabyte hard disk. That was a long time ago but I remember it as if it were yesterday.

[@CrisBlyth]

wow ! you were there ?!!

[@PebblesChan]

Yep, right at the same time as they were developing their 68000 based CVI (Computer Video Instrument). I only passed by the building a few months ago and it still looks the same as it did back in the 1960's when my Dad worked in it.

[@CrisBlyth]

@@PebblesChan wow ! I would love to get my hands on one of those :) I’m also glad some things don’t change, and that buildings are still there to be seen & visited !

[@johnwright8814]

This is definitely a labour of love. Good luck with this build.

[@kineticstudio1528]

This is Fantastic!! Best wishes with the Build!

[@klaassiersma4892]

Looks good so far, i love this stuff. Everyboddy of a sertain age loves Fairlights, me included.

[@delskioffskinov]

I'm so excited about this build for you! your eyes lit up when you got the packaging off like a little boy on christmas morning lol! oh! and 7 minutes a week aint going to be enough! we need longer videos! C'mon get your finger out bigman don't let the scottish work ethic down! and hiya from lanarkshire!

[@CrisBlyth]

oh worry thee not, the episodes will get longer... much longer ! :) - I'm a borders lad myself !

[@dazboot2000]

Good luck looking forward to following you

[@Michael_Smith-Red_No.5]

This is the good stuff; someone who cares about something, and makes a project of it. . .and carries through. I hope these (and future) episodes are stitched together into some sort of documentary. I'd buy it.

[@slipknotboy555]

That's not a bad idea, I'd say the project is documentary worthy

[@iamkeiju6756]

"wow it is light" u missed the perfect opporturnity for "fairly light"....-

[@CrisBlyth]

oh WOW ! I might have to recreate the entire moment ! damn, I’m not gonna sleep now ! :)

[@ReneKnuvers74rk]

I would say “it feels fairly light” ;-)

[@MartinE63]

It could be too late by now but Anti-static wrist straps, a static dissipative work mat, and static dissipative & shielding bags are essential to avoid damaging the circuit boards

[@CrisBlyth]

Oh yes, I was using that when cleaning the boards. But the boards were sadly stored previously in polystyrene...wowowoowowow.. not good :)

[@Peter_S_]

This is hardcore. Respect.

[@politik7688]

Hey Cris. I have no idea what a Fairlight CMI is, if I'm honest, but I'm rooting for you with this project.

[@ProSimex84]

Its the first sampler, they cost a quarter million dollars back in the late 70s

[@jeffpaige6149]

This thing is like 35 years old, and it looks ridiculously clean..........

[@William_sJazzLoft]

You can build a Fairlight - at home? Who knew? Certainly not I!

[@ohmgroan2363]

Epic challenge. Not just trying to persuade an mxf to be a cmi; I imagine there will be rather a lot of editing out of bad language and hair pulling to be done. I'll enjoy following this series, and can hardly wait to see a functioning, non-factory cmi. Great stuff.

[@CrisBlyth]

oh, indeed there is a lot of swearing edited out..... a LOT. :) Glad you're enjoying it !

[@FLH3official]

I'm so impatient to see the next episode!

[@facuresa]

Hero

[@CrisBlyth]

Why thank you ! :)

[@thomasyamaguchi6434]

Beauty!

[@cannadineboxill-harris2983]

Hi There this is Mr C. T. Boxill-Harris, I was wondering if they need to do the exact same version of Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime, why don’t they just Replace the Synthesiser String Sound to an Musette Accordion sound, and also Replace the Xylophone Sound to an 4 Times More Deeper Chime Bell or Even a 5 Times More Deeper Still Drum Sound, Because it is Still my Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Favourite Song Ever Since I was about 11 Years of Age Thank You 😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏👏😅👍😉👍😉👏😅👍😉👍😉👏👏😉👍😉👏😅👍😉👍😉👏👏

[@electronash]

Would there be much call for reproduction backplane PCBs for the CMI / MFX? Not saying I would have time right now to design them myself, but it's something I'm interested in.

[@CrisBlyth]

It's something I spoke to an ex Fairlight engineer about. It's all the extra and numerous changes and extra wiring that might be challenging.

[@electronash]

@@CrisBlyth If you can get hold of schematics showing the extra traces needed, I'm sure somebody would be willing to do a PCB design for it. I was looking into the CMI stuff many years ago, with a view to learning Verilog by writing an FPGA core for it. But it's surprising how much RAM they use on the waveform boards, so there's a fair bit of bandwidth there to contend with. (plus I didn't really know what I was doing then, and probably still don't. lol) I've done PCB designs before for the backplane on the Quantel Paintbox, plus full schematics for its two CPU boards (from grainy photos). I've always had an interest in vintage synths, especially the digital stuff, so it could make for a nice side project to try doing a CMI backplane at some point.

[@CrisBlyth]

@@electronash wow.. that's super interesting to think about. The backplane is a simple 2 layer, and I could get images of a clean board... hmmmm :) interesting!

[@electronash]

@@CrisBlyth That would be great to have decent photos of the backplane, yep. I just had a skim through the CMI (1?) service manual again, and it does have a nice list of signals that are common on the backplane, plus the specific signals to each slot. It says it's a "78 pin" connector, but really it's 78 pads on each side, including the key notch. It looks like the cards probably use the same 0.1" pitch as the Paintbox. But it could prove interesting getting hold of 156-pin edge connectors now. Simple enough to just cut and join some smaller edge connectors, though. (I posted some screenshot links earlier as a reply here, but I fully expected them to get deleted by GoogleTube, which they did. Are you on Twitter or Discord at all?)

[@CrisBlyth]

@@electronash yes just search for @crisblyth :)

[@greg_d]

LOL - "It's like Russian dolls" (picture gets Xed out).

[@alphabeets]

Fun!!

[@unclemick-synths]

Cool 👍

[@HowlingUlf]

Just go for it! :D

[@andreasmoll_0924]

Holy Molly

[@Sandelec-gm2cl]

I would like to know the benefit to use the fairlight cmi in 2021..instead of an hardware sampler. Like the Korg electribe..like the Akai MPC.

[@CrisBlyth]

Well, ‘benefit’, there might be none. I do like the way it works though, there is something about how it all works that’s magical. Also, as it does have restrictions compared to today’s machines, it does force you to commit to things, which forces things to move along. I never get paralyzed. Also, it is a hardware sampler, the first ! actual DAW. :)

[@unclemick-synths]

Modern samplers don't have the old electronics. The MPC has a classic mode but it's an emulation.

[@Sandelec-gm2cl]

@@CrisBlyth I love hardware gear. I have a midi "thru" studio...with 7 machines..and two kaosspad connected to the mixer's send circuit. My computer is a "revox" ✌🏻✌🏻 I play live.

[@CrisBlyth]

@@unclemick-synths indeed ! the voices on the CMI come out of separate voice cards, now they should all sound the same but the variation does lead to interesting sounds :) not always a good thing though !

[@CrisBlyth]

@@Sandelec-gm2cl wowowow ! impressive, my studio has waaaayy less equipment.. at the moment anyway :)

[@motherbrain2000]

But....its just software in the end no? And your phone can run it right? So....why?

[@mass-1128]

Love the content, however it's just too short.

[@CrisBlyth]

Initially I was wanting to keep them short, but don't worry, the episodes will get longer, waayyyyyy longer. :)

[@branchleader73]

Not called a Fair-light for nothing.

[@CrisBlyth]

Fairly light !

[@branchleader73]

@@CrisBlyth Exactly!

[@anotherwolff3650]

Your Videos are so delicious and inspiring. :)