Author Archives: Matthew Walker

Swannee 2

Made popular by China Crisis and Thomas Dolby, amongst others….

Posted in The Sounds | Comments Off on Swannee 2

Shatter

A highly non musical sample, made famous by Kate Bush in her classic track, “Army Dreamers”

Posted in The Sounds | Comments Off on Shatter

Sararr

The breathy, feminine quality of the Sararr sample was coveted by many and used to great effect….

Posted in The Sounds | Comments Off on Sararr

Pwang

Assisting in the mystical presence of Peter Gabriel’s song of American Indian oppression, Pwang was the sinister undertone throughout his song, “San Jacinto”

Posted in The Sounds | Comments Off on Pwang

Arr1

Similar yet distinctively different to Sararr….

Posted in The Sounds | Comments Off on Arr1

Orch5

Quite possibly the most ubiquitous and instantly familiar Fairlight sample was the Orch5 orchestra stab that appeared on more pieces of music than one would care to remember. From this moment on, no self respecting synth or sampler would be … Continue reading

Posted in The Sounds | Comments Off on Orch5

The Sounds

The Fairlight is known for many things. Its iconic design, the revolutionary way it allowed users to compose music, being the first digital sampler and of course, its unique and unmistakeable sounds. For the first time, users of the Fairlight … Continue reading

Posted in Fairlight History | Comments Off on The Sounds

Fairlight CMI History

The Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument) was, in 1979, the first commercially available digital sampling instrument. For the first time, natural sounds could be played on a keyboard and used in compositions. It was a revolution. The CMI consisted of … Continue reading

Posted in Wiki | Comments Off on Fairlight CMI History