Arturia CMI V

PEERLESS SAMPLING CHARACTER
The CMI V is a spot-on reincarnation of the first commercially available digital sampling system in music history—the sonic powerhouse behind numerous early MTV-era megahits. We even went the extra mile and added new creative features that weren’t possible back in the day.

If you’ve listened to the mid-eighties work of musicians like Peter Gabriel or Kate Bush, or are familiar with some of the earliest hip-hop and house music from the 80s, you’ve heard some version of the Fairlight CMI. The Fairlight was one of the earliest digital synthesizers that included sampling, which revolutionized the world of music recording. Not only did it easily mimic many instruments, but it was also able to play audio samples as well, allowing for many non-musical sources to be performed and manipulated via a keyboard. Those in the know recognized immediately that this gear had potential. Combined with its innovative Page R sequencer, it was extremely popular among some of music’s more ambitious artists… though it was, to be fair, a complicated as well as expensive piece of gear. This instrument has been recreated, with both of those issues (and many others) resolved, in Arturia’s new CMI V, an incredible recreation of the Fairlight.

The unique musical architecture of the CMI
The CMI V isn’t just a digital instrument. It’s a complete digital workstation.

This plug-in gives us all the functionality of the original, while streamlining and simplifying the experience. This recreation offers 600 of the original machine’s presets, many of which will be easily recognizable from their use in big hits of the 80s. But that’s pretty much just scratching the surface. You really haven’t unlocked the potential of this thing until you’ve actually loaded in some outside audio samples and played them with the keyboard. Having the sequencer in addition to that makes for some even cooler variations.

The coolest thing about this is that you can create really dense sounds out of several completely different sources. You can control the pitch of these samples via the keyboard, and unlike the original Fairlight, you can change the pitch without changing the speed of the sample. The CMI V has higher bit depth and resolution than the original, and increased sample length as well – though using the 8-bit setting can also be cool, as it adds a little bit of degradation that can be very musical in the right hands. You’ll have up to ten sources for each voice, which have their own level controls and are visualized at the top of the screen. With the ability to precisely adjust everything from your sound sources, sequences, mix and tuning, you have almost unlimited possibilities. And this version recreates some of the unique artifacts that the synth creates, allowing you to capture the unique character of the Fairlight. With the CMI V, you’ve got the best version of this technology that’s ever been available.

Main Features:

• Software replication of Fairlight CMI sampler/synthesizer with MIDI functionality
• 600 presets from the original library (many that were used on classic records) and 361 new presets
• Works in VST, VST3, AU, AAX, and standalone operation
• Interface recreates the original instrument, with keyboard, filter controls, and computer screen
• Computer Screen allows you to control sound sources, sequences, mixers and other controls just like the original Fairlight
• Ten different sounds per source can be controlled and edited individually
• Import your own samples into the synthesizer, edit them, and combine them to make interesting new sounds
• Perfect emulation of analog filter response, as well as the sampling and additive synthesis of the original
• 32-step sequencer based on the Fairlight II’s Page R sequencer
• 24 modulation sources per track
• Additional effects can be added to individual tracks or master output

Features that were unavailable on the original:

• Total number of instrument slots expanded to ten, with a polyphony of up to 32 voices per track
• Now have imported samples of up to 30 seconds
• Full MIDI compatibility with MIDI Learn
• Variable bit depth and sample rate  have been increased
• New spectral synthesis sound generation mode, in addition to the original’s sample and time synth modes

Controls:

• Assign control parameters to your MIDI Controller
• Visual recreation of the original machine, with keyboard, macro control, mainframe screen and terminal illustration
• Onboard macro control unit controls filter, sample start, vibrato speed and depth, auxiilary signal levels, attack and two damping controls, plus additional parameter controls
• Advanced screen panel controls synthesis, sound parameters, instrument slots, sequencer and mixing effects with precise controls for each
  • Edit samples easily with visual waveform display, with the ability to control sample length and loops
  • Control octave, semitones, fine tuning, filter, voices and auxiliary sends
  • Up to ten instrument slots can be assigned, and controlled individually with mute, solo, and horizontal fader controls
  • Control sample evolution, envelopes, vibrato, and portamento bends with screen panel controls
• New effects can be added to individual tracks or the output bus. These include:
  • Analog Chorus, Delay, Analog Delay, Phaser, Pitch Shift, Leslie, Flanger, EQ, Compressor, Limiter, “Destroy”, Distortion, Automatic Panning and Reverb